Ever think those old diodes lying around are just junk? Well, apparently they can be more useful than you'd expect. Dhananjay Gadre discovered that if you wire up a basic 1N4148 or 1N914 diode the right way, you can make it photosensitive. Kinda wild, right? I mean, I just toss those diodes in a drawer, and now I find out they could be doing something cool instead of gathering dust. Makes you wonder what other old tech we overlook. Anyway, maybe I'll try it someday... or not. Check it out if you're curious: https://hackaday.com/2025/11/03/regular-old-diodes-can-be-more-photosensitive-than-you-think/ #Diodes #TechTricks #OldSchoolTech #Boredom #Electronics

Just when you thought math couldn't get any more tedious, along comes Blaise Pascal with his Pascaline, the first mechanical calculator. Apparently, it was supposed to make things easier, but did anyone ask if we actually wanted to do math in the first place? Chris Staecker took a peek at this old gadget, and honestly, it seems like it could use a built-in coffee maker for those late-night study sessions. Sometimes I wonder if we’re better off with just good old-fashioned fingers and paper. At least they don't require batteries. 🤷‍♂️ Check out the full article here: https://hackaday.com/2025/10/26/examining-the-first-mechanical-calculator/ #MathIsHard #OldSchoolTech #BlaisePascal #MechanicalCalculator #LazyMath