We all know that you can play DOOM on nearly anything, but what about the lesser known work being done to let other species get in on the action? For ages now, our rodent friends haven’t been able to play the 1993 masterpiece, but [Viktor Tóth] and colleagues have been working hard to fix this unfortunate oversight.

If you’ve got the feeling this isn’t the first time you’ve read about rats attempting to slay demons, it’s probably because [Victor] has been working on this mission for years now — with a previous attempt succeeding in allowing rats to navigate the DOOM landscape. Getting the rodents to actually play through the game properly has proved slightly more difficult, however.

Improving on the previous attempt, V2 has the capability to allow rats to traverse through levels, be immersed in the virtual world with a panoramic screen, and take out enemies. Rewards are given to successful behaviors in the form of sugar water through a solenoid powered dispenser.

While this current system looks promising, the rats haven’t gotten too far though the game due to time constraints. But they’ve managed to travel through the levels and shoot, which is still pretty impressive for rodents.

DOOM has been an indicator of just how far we can take technology for decades. While this particular project has taken the meme into a slightly different direction, there are always surprises. You can even play DOOM in KiCad when you’re tired of using it to design PCBs.

hackaday.com/2025/12/12/rats-g…

The choice of a good keyboard is something which consumes a lot of time for many Hackaday readers, judging by the number of custom input device projects which make it to these pages. I live by my keyboard as a writer, but I have to admit that I’ve never joined in on the special keyboard front; for me it’s been a peripheral rather than an obsession. But I’m hard on keyboards, I type enough that I wear them out. For the last five years my Hackaday articles have come via a USB Thinkpad keyboard complete with the little red stick pointing device, but its keys have started parting company with their switches so it’s time for a replacement.

I Don’t Want The Blackpool Illuminations

Is it a gamer’s keyboard, or the Blackpool seafront at night? I can’t tell any more. Mark S Jobling, Public domain.
For a non keyboard savant peering over the edge, this can be a confusing choice. There’s much obsessing about different types of mechanical switch, and for some reason I can’t quite fathom, an unreasonable number of LEDs.

I don’t want my keyboard to look like the Blackpool Illuminations (translation for Americans: Las Vegas strip), I just want to type on the damn thing. More to the point, many of these “special” keyboards carry prices out of proportion to their utility, and it’s hard to escape the feeling that like the thousand quid stereo the spotty kid puts in his Opel Corsa, you’re being asked to pay just for bragging rights.

Narrowing down my needs then, I don’t need any gimmicks, I just need a small footprint keyboard that’s mechanically robust enough to survive years of my bashing out Hackaday articles on it. I’m prepared to pay good money for that.

The ‘board I settled upon is probably one of the most unglamorous decent quality keyboards on the market. The Cherry G84-4100 is sold to people in industry who need a keyboard that fits in a small space, and I’ve used one to the deafening roar of a cooling system in a data centre rack. It’s promising territory for a Hackaday scribe. I ordered mine from the Cherry website, and it cost me just under £70 (about $93), with the postage being extra. It’s available with a range of different keymaps, and I ordered the UK one. In due course the package arrived, a slim cardboard box devoid of consumer branding, inside of which was the keyboard, a USB-to-PS/2 adaptor, and a folded paper manual. I’m using it on a USB machine so the adaptor went in my hoard, but I’m pleased to be able to use this with older machines when necessary.

Hello My Old Data Centre Friend

It’s not shift-3 for the £ sign that’s important, but shift-2 for the quote. You have no idea how annoying not having that is on an international layout.
For my money, I got a keyboard described as “compact”, or 75%. It’s 282 by 132 by 26 mm in size, which means it takes up a little less space than the Thinkpad one it replaces, something of a win to my mind. It doesn’t have a numeric keypad, but I don’t need that. The switches are Cherry mechanical ones rather than the knock-offs you’ll find on so many competitors, and they have something of the mechanical sound but not the racket of an IBM buckled spring key switch. Cherry claim they’re good for 20 million activations, so even I shouldn’t wear them out.

The keymap is of course the standard UK one I’m used to, but what makes or breaks a ‘board like this one is how they arrange the other keys. I really like that their control key is in the bottom left hand corner rather than as in so many others, the function key, but I am taking a little while to get used to the insert and delete keys being to the left of the arrow keys in the bottom right hand corner. Otherwise my muscle memory isn’t being taxed too much by it.

There are a couple of little feet at the back underneath that can be flipped up to raise the ‘board at an angle. Since after years of typing the heel of my hand becomes inflamed if I rest it on the surface I elevate my wrist by about an inch with a rest, thus I use the keyboard tilt. I’ve been typing with the Cherry for a few weeks now, and it remains comfortable.

The Cherry G84-4100 then. It’s not a “special” keyboard in any way, in fact its about as utilitarian as it gets in a peripheral. But for me a keyboard is a tool, and just like my Vernier caliper or my screwdrivers I demand that it does its job repeatably and flawlessly for many years to come. So its unglamorous nature is its strength, because I’ve paid for the engineering which underlies it rather than the bells and whistles that adorn some others. Without realising it you’ll be seeing a lot of this peripheral in my work over the coming years.

hackaday.com/2025/12/12/review…

Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Al Williams met up to cover the best of Hackaday this week, and they want you to listen in. There were a hodgepodge of hacks this week, ranging from home automation with RF, volumetric displays in glass, and some crazy clocks, too.

Ever see a typewriter that uses an ink pen? Elliot and Al hadn’t either. Want time on a supercomputer? It isn’t free, but it is pretty cheap these days. Finally, the guys discussed how to focus on a project like Dan Maloney, who finally got a 3D printer, and talked about Maya Posch’s take on LLM intelligence.

Check out the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/…

Download the human-generated podcast in mostly mono, but sometimes stereo, MP3.

Where to Follow Hackaday Podcast

Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:

• iTunes
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• RSS
• YouTube
• Check out our Libsyn landing page

Episode 349 Show Notes:

News:

• Failed 3D Printed Part Brings Down Small Plane

What’s that Sound?

• What is that sound? Al didn’t guess, but if you can, you could win a coveted Hackaday Podcast T-Shirt.

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Bridging RTL-433 To Home Assistant
  
  • GitHub – merbanan/rtl_433: Program to decode radio transmissions from devices on the ISM bands (and other frequencies)

  
  

• The Key To Plotting
• Reverse Sundial Still Tells Time
• Trace Line Clock Does It With Magnets
• Volumetric Display With Lasers And Bubbly Glass
  
  • Wiremap, A Volumetric Display

  
  

• The Engineering That Makes A Road Cat’s Eye Self-Cleaning

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  
  • Production KiCad Template Covers All Your Bases
  • RP2350 Done Framework Style
    
    • github.com/semitov/SemiTOV-MCL

    
    

  • Neat Techniques To Make Interactive Light Sculptures

  
  

• Al’s Picks:
  
  • Super Simple Deadbuggable Bluetooth Chip
  • LED Hourglass Is A Great Learning Project
  • Your Supercomputer Arrives In The Cloud

  
  

Can’t Miss Articles:

• Ask Hackaday: Solutions, Or Distractions?
• Why LLMs Are Less Intelligent Than Crows
  
  • What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work?

  
  

hackaday.com/2025/12/12/hackad…

Una presunta banca dati contenente informazioni sensibili su 18 milioni di cittadini statunitensi over 65 è apparsa in vendita su un noto forum del dark web.

L’inserzionista, che usa lo pseudonimo “Frenshyny”, sostiene di aver sottratto i dati direttamente dal portale governativo irs.gov, che gestisce, tra le altre cose, documentazione fiscale e informazioni sui piani pensionistici 401(k).

Disclaimer: Questo rapporto include screenshot e/o testo tratti da fonti pubblicamente accessibili. Le informazioni fornite hanno esclusivamente finalità di intelligence sulle minacce e di sensibilizzazione sui rischi di cybersecurity. Red Hot Cyber condanna qualsiasi accesso non autorizzato, diffusione impropria o utilizzo illecito di tali dati. Al momento, non è possibile verificare in modo indipendente l’autenticità delle informazioni riportate, poiché l’organizzazione coinvolta non ha ancora rilasciato un comunicato ufficiale sul proprio sito web. Di conseguenza, questo articolo deve essere considerato esclusivamente a scopo informativo e di intelligence.

Cosa conterrebbe il database

L’annuncio elenca una quantità impressionante di dati personali, indicati come:

• Nome e cognome
• Età
• Stato e città
• Indirizzo
• Codice postale
• Numero di telefono
• Email

Si tratterebbe, secondo il venditore, di informazioni relative ai beneficiari dei 401(k) Benefit Funds, il celebre piano di risparmio previdenziale statunitense attivo dagli anni ’80.

La quantità – 18 milioni di record – suggerisce una compromissione estremamente ampia, che se confermata implicherebbe il più grande data breach mai registrato sul sistema pensionistico privato statunitense.

Il contesto del forum

L’annuncio è pubblicato in una sezione dedicata alla vendita di database rubati. Il venditore si presenta come membro “V.I.P.” del forum, sottolineando una certa reputazione nella community e offrendo la possibilità di contattarlo su Telegram per “prove e prezzi”.

Il post contiene inoltre una lunga descrizione del funzionamento dei piani 401(k), probabilmente inserita per rendere più credibile la provenienza dei dati.

Perché questo leak sarebbe estremamente pericoloso

Se autentico, un database di tale portata esporrebbe milioni di cittadini anziani a:

• Frodi finanziarie su larga scala, incluse truffe relative alla previdenza.
• Furti d’identità, grazie al pacchetto completo di informazioni personali.
• Attacchi di social engineering mirati, particolarmente efficaci su persone più vulnerabili.
• Accesso fraudolento a conti o servizi collegati ai piani pensionistici.

Gli over 65 sono tra i bersagli preferiti dei criminali informatici, e possedere dati verificati li rende estremamente appetibili per campagne fraudolente.

Un nuovo segnale del boom del cyber-crimine finanziario

L’apparizione di questo presunto database conferma una tendenza ormai consolidata: il settore finanziario e previdenziale è diventato uno dei principali target per i threat actors.

Dati come quelli contenuti nei registri pensionistici, infatti, hanno un valore particolarmente alto nei mercati clandestini.

Se verificata, questa vendita rappresenterebbe l’ennesimo colpo alla sicurezza dei sistemi governativi statunitensi e un rischio enorme per milioni di pensionati.

L'articolo Banca dati IRS con 18 milioni di record 401(k) in vendita nel dark web proviene da Red Hot Cyber.

The Landel Mailbug was a weird little thing. It combined a keyboard and a simple text display, and was intended to be a low-distraction method for checking your email. [CiferTech] decided to repurpose it, though, turning it into an AI console instead.

The first job was to crack the device open and figure out how to interface with the keyboard. The design was conventional, so reading the rows and columns of the key matrix was a cinch. [CiferTech] used PCF8574 IO expanders to make it easy to read the matrix with an ESP32 microcontroller over I2C. The ESP32 is paired with a small audio output module to allow it to run a text-to-speech system, and a character display to replace the original from the Mailbug itself. It uses its WiFi connection to query the ChatGPT API. Thus, when the user enters a query, the ESP32 runs it by ChatGPT, and then displays the output on the screen while also speaking it aloud.

[CiferTech] notes the build was inspired by AI terminals in retro movies, though we’re not sure what specifically it might be referencing. In any case, it does look retro and it does let you speak to a computer being, of a sort, so the job has been done. Overall, though, the build shows that you can build something clean and functional just by reusing and interfacing a well-built commercial product.

youtube.com/embed/pRIfY21PpyI?…

hackaday.com/2025/12/12/weird-…

12 dicembre, Piazza Fontana, strage di stato: non dimentichiamo
differx.noblogs.org/2025/12/12…

#piazzafontana #stragidistato #ordinenuovo #stragifasciste #stragedistato

From national outlets to college newspapers, reporters are running into the same troubling trend: sources who are afraid to speak to journalists because they worry about retaliation from the federal government.

This fear, and how journalists can respond to it, was the focus of a recent panel discussion hosted by Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), the Association of Health Care Journalists, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. Reporters from a range of beats described how the second Trump administration has changed the way people talk to the press, and what journalists do to reassure sources and keep them safe.

youtube.com/embed/rIyRDQFEl4k?…

For journalist Grace Hussain, a solutions correspondent at Sentient Media, this shift became unmistakable when sources who relied on federal funding suddenly backed out of participating in her reporting. “Their concerns were very legitimate,” Hussain said, “It was possible that their funding could get retracted or withdrawn” for speaking to the press.

When Hussain reached out to other reporters, she found that sources’ reluctance to speak to the press for fear of federal retaliation is an increasingly widespread issue that’s already harming news coverage. “There are a lot of stories that are under-covered, and it’s just getting more difficult at this point to do that sort of coverage with the climate that we’re in,” she said.

Lizzy Lawrence, who covers the Food and Drug Administration for Stat, has seen a different but equally unsettling pattern. Lawrence has found that more government sources want to talk about what’s happening in their agencies, but often only if they’re not named. Since Trump returned to office, she said, many sources “would request only to speak on the condition of anonymity, because of fears of being fired.” As a result, her newsroom is relying more on confidential sources, with strict guardrails, like requiring multiple sources to corroborate information.

For ProPublica reporter Sharon Lerner, who’s covered health and the environment across multiple administrations, the heightened fear is impossible to miss. Some longtime sources have cut off communication with her, including one who told her they were falsely suspected of leaking.

And yet, she added, speaking to the press may be one of the last options left for employees trying to expose wrongdoing. “So many of the avenues for federal employees to seek justice or address retaliation have been shut down,” Lerner said.

This chilling effect extends beyond federal agencies. Emily Spatz, editor-in-chief of Northeastern’s independent student newspaper The Huntington News, described how fear spread among international students after federal agents detained Mahmoud Kahlil and Rümeysa Öztürk. Visa revocations of students at Northeastern only deepened the concern.

Students started asking the newspaper to take down previously published op-eds they worried could put them at risk, a step Spatz took after careful consideration. The newsroom ultimately removed six op-eds but posted a public website documenting each removal to preserve transparency.

Even as the paper worked hard to protect sources, many became reluctant to participate in their reporting. One student, for instance, insisted the newspaper remove a photo showing the back of their head, a method the paper had used specifically to avoid identifying sources.

Harlo Holmes, the chief information security officer and director of digital security at FPF, said these patterns mirror what journalists usually experience under authoritarian regimes, but — until now — have not been seen in the United States. Whistleblowing is a “humongously heroic act,” Holmes said, “and it is not always without its repercussions.”

She urged reporters to adopt rigorous threat-modeling practices and to be transparent with sources about the tools and techniques they use to keep them safe. Whether using SecureDrop, Signal, or other encrypted channels, she said journalists should make it easy for sources to find out how to contact them securely. “A little bit of education goes a long way,” she said.

For more on how journalists are working harder than ever to protect vulnerable sources, watch the full event recording here.

freedom.press/issues/journalis…

As the federal government ramps up immigration enforcement, sweeping through cities, detaining citizens and noncitizens, separating families, and carrying out deportations, journalists covering immigration have had to step up their work, too.

Journalists on the immigration beat today are tasked with everything from uncovering government falsehoods to figuring out what their communities need to know and protecting their sources. Recently, Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) hosted a conversation with journalists Maritza Félix, the founder and director of Conecta Arizona; Arelis Hernández, a reporter for The Washington Post; and Lam Thuy Vo, an investigative reporter with Documented. They discussed the challenges they face and shared how they report on immigration with humanity and accuracy, while keeping their sources and themselves safe.

youtube.com/embed/OPPo0YzKfnA?…

Immigration reporting has grown a lot more difficult, explained Hernández, as sources increasingly fear retaliation from the government. “I spend a lot of time at the front end explaining, ‘Where will this go? What will it look like?’” Hernández said, describing her process of working with sources to ensure they participate in reporting knowingly and safely. She also outlined her own precautions, from using encrypted devices to carrying protective gear, highlighting just how unsafe conditions have become, even for U.S.-born reporters.

Like Hernández, Félix also emphasized the intense fear and uncertainty many immigrant sources experience. Other sources, however, may be unaware of the possible consequences of speaking to reporters and need to be protected as well. “I think when we’re talking about sources, particularly with immigration, we’re talking about people who are sharing their most vulnerable moments in their life, and I think the way that we treat it is going to be very decisive on their future,” she said.

Journalists who are themselves immigrants must also manage personal risk, Félix said, “but the risk is always going to be there just because of who we are and what we represent in this country.” She pointed to the arrest and deportation of journalist Mario Guevara in Georgia, saying it “made me think that could have been me” before she became a U.S. citizen. She recommended that newsrooms provide security training, mental health resources, and operational protocols for both staff and freelancers.

Both Félix and Vo, who work in newsrooms by and for immigrant communities, emphasized the need for journalists to actively listen to the people they cover. “If you’re trying to serve immigrants, build a listening mechanism, some kind of way of continuing to listen to both leaders in the community, service providers, but also community members,” Vo advised. She also recommended that journalists use risk assessments and threat modeling to plan how to protect themselves and their sources.

Watch the full discussion here.

freedom.press/issues/covering-…

March Sunday / Leonora Carrington. 1990
differx.noblogs.org/2025/12/10…

#leonoracarrington

Marco Perduca al Teatro Off/Off per “Diritto a stare bene”

Marco Perduca, coordinatore delle iniziative dell’Associazione Luca Coscioni sulla ricerca e l’uso terapeutico delle sostanze psichedeliche parteciperà alla celebrazione del raggiungimento delle 72.000 firme raccolte a sostegno della campagna nazionale “Diritto a Stare Bene”

Teatro Off/Off, Via Giulia 20 – Roma
Sabato 13 dicembre 2025
Ore 16:00 – 19:00

La proposta di legge di iniziativa popolare mira all’istituzione di un servizio nazionale pubblico di psicologia, accessibile, gratuito e integrato nel Servizio Sanitario Nazionale.

Insieme a lui interverranno Maria Teresa Bellucci (viceministra del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali), Maura Latini (Presidente Coop Italia), Francesco Maesano (coordinatore nazionale Diritto a stare bene), Michela Marzano (filosofa e docente universitaria),Linda Laura Sabbadini (statistica e pioniera negli studi di genere),Maria Antonietta Gulino (Presidente CNOP) e Parlamentari di diversi schieramenti.

A seguire, dalle ore 20:00, la festa continuerà al Campomagnetico (Vicolo delle Grotte 3) con un talk show targato Mentifricio e DJ set.

L'articolo Marco Perduca al Teatro Off/Off per “Diritto a stare bene” proviene da Associazione Luca Coscioni.

Il nuovo Piano Nazionale di Governo delle Liste d’Attesa viene presentato come la risposta sistemica ai ritardi nell’erogazione di visite ed esami, con l’obiettivo dichiarato di garantire maggiore trasparenza, tempi certi e tutele per gli utenti. Tuttavia, dentro questo impianto che ambisce alla modernizzazione del sistema, continua a persistere un vuoto enorme: quello dei servizi sociosanitari. RSA, interventi per la disabilità, residenzialità psichiatrica, centri diurni e assistenza domiciliare integrata restano completamente fuori dal perimetro del Piano, nonostante siano prestazioni riconosciute come Livelli Essenziali di Assistenza e finanziate dal Fondo sanitario nazionale. Non compaiono nelle tabelle dei tempi massimi, non sono associate a percorsi di tutela, e non esistono per esse standard nazionali di pubblicità delle graduatorie o di presa in carico entro tempi determinati. L’effetto è immediato: per migliaia di persone, l’attesa non ha limiti né garanzie.

Ne deriva un Paese a due velocità. Per una prestazione diagnostica, il cittadino può invocare tempi precisi e un quadro normativo che ne tutela il diritto; per un posto in RSA, per l’ingresso in una struttura per persone con disabilità grave o per avviare un percorso di cura residenziale in ambito psichiatrico, la stessa persona si ritrova relegata in un limbo amministrativo senza scadenze. Accade così che individui che hanno già superato la valutazione UVM/UVG, ai quali è stato riconosciuto un bisogno sanitario e approvato un progetto assistenziale personalizzato, rimangano per mesi – spesso anni – con la sola etichetta di “collocato in graduatoria”, espressione che nasconde la totale assenza di un termine entro cui la prestazione deve essere garantita. È una distorsione che amplifica le differenze territoriali e che si pone in evidente contrasto con il principio di uguaglianza e con il diritto alla salute sancito dalla Costituzione. È incomprensibile che una prestazione sanitaria tradizionale debba essere erogata entro limiti certi, mentre una prestazione sociosanitaria, pur definita essenziale, sia lasciata oscillare tra disponibilità di posti, bilanci regionali e scelte amministrative mutevoli. Un’anomalia normativa e culturale che ricade proprio su chi è più fragile e sulle famiglie già gravate da responsabilità di cura.

In un contesto così carente, il cittadino è costretto a farsi carico di azioni di tutela. La prima è l’accesso agli atti: chiedere formalmente contezza della propria posizione, dei punteggi utilizzati per la valutazione, delle regole di priorità e dello storico degli scorrimenti. Obbligare l’amministrazione a mostrare i dati riduce lo spazio per arbitri e inerzie. Fondamentale anche richiedere aggiornamenti periodici, sempre per iscritto, sulla situazione della graduatoria e sui posti effettivamente disponibili. Quando l’attesa supera ogni ragionevolezza o il bisogno è particolarmente urgente, diventa necessario presentare una diffida formalizzata, richiamando il carattere essenziale delle prestazioni sociosanitarie, l’obbligo di assicurare i LEA e la giurisprudenza che tutela il nucleo incomprimibile del diritto alla salute. Nei casi più gravi, soprattutto quando la mancata presa in carico produce un danno diretto alla persona o alla famiglia, è possibile valutare il ricorso al giudice amministrativo o civile per ottenere l’attuazione del progetto individuale o la prestazione in deroga*. Non si tratta della via preferibile, ma spesso è l’unica che interrompe lo stallo istituzionale.

Non dovrebbe essere così. Un sistema sanitario “ambulatorialecentrico” che ignora le persone con bisogni complessi e di lunga durata rinuncia alla propria funzione pubblica più fondamentale. Finché il PNGLA continuerà a lasciare fuori l’integrazione sociosanitaria, il diritto alla salute resterà solido solo per le esigenze “semplici”, mentre diventerà incerto e contrattabile per chi necessita di percorsi assistenziali continuativi. Portare i servizi sociosanitari dentro il PNGLA non è mero tecnicismo amministrativo: è una scelta politica, culturale e civile. È il passo che ancora manca per superare la distanza storica tra sanità e sociale, per realizzare davvero l’integrazione sociosanitaria e per ridurre diseguaglianze che oggi gravano soprattutto sulle persone con cronicità, disabilità e non autosufficienza. Un sistema moderno non può più permettersi di relegare il bisogno più fragile ai margini della programmazione nazionale.

*Consiglio di Stato nella sent. n. 1 del 2020:

“[…] Ritiene il Collegio che una volta individuate le necessità dei disabili tramite il Piano individualizzato, l’attuazione del dovere di rendere il servizio comporti l’attivazione dei poteri -doveri di elaborare tempestivamente le proposte relative all’individuazione delle risorse necessarie a coprire il fabbisogno e, comunque, l’attivazione di ogni possibile soluzione organizzativa. […]…”

L'articolo Le prestazioni sociosanitarie e le liste d’attesa: l’assenza ingiustificabile dal PNGLA proviene da Associazione Luca Coscioni.