Daily issue / 2026-10-26
Useful things that surfaced in Hacker News discussions on 2026-10-26. Open the context to see why each one caught our attention—or jump straight to the original thread.
What we found
Offline Android calculator with line-by-line calculations and file-based sessions.
Source discussion: SpeedCrunch 1.1
“I absolutely love NerdCalci! It's simple and gives the same line by line file-based format.”
CarlJW · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Scientific calculation language with physical units; praised for easy custom-unit definitions.
Source discussion: SpeedCrunch 1.1
“However after surveying the options a while back I switched to numbat. The main advantage is that it's easy to define your own units on the fly.”
faldor20 · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Free desktop scientific calculator; a longtime user praises its equation-scratchpad workflow.
Source discussion: SpeedCrunch 1.1
“Love speedcrunch it has been sitting on my taskbar for many years always my go-to for quick scratchpad for equations, etc.”
sammy2255 · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Free children's book-gifting program, available through participating local partners in supported countries.
Source discussion: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
“We use it and my son always screen “Dolly!” When we get to her picture in the back jacket. Wonderful service from one of the best Americans to have ever lived.”
talon8635 · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Free Jewish children's book program delivering age-appropriate stories to eligible families.
Source discussion: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
“For jewish themed books, PJ Library is a similar good service”
talon8635 · recommendation
Direct HN comment
Go implementation of the Reticulum networking stack, endorsed after successful use.
Source discussion: Why Gopher in 2026?
“There is a go port of reticulum which I've used with success”
nullwarp · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Reticulum terminal and web interface, recommended as a NomadNet replacement.
Source discussion: Why Gopher in 2026?
“(i like https://github.com/zevaryx/rettui for a full nomadnet replacement)”
nullwarp · recommendation
Direct HN comment
Turn-based strategy game praised for terrain, day/night cycles, and tactical advantages.
Source discussion: fheroes2: A recreation of Heroes of Might and Magic II game engine
“Wesnoth is great if you like games where you have to create and exploit situational advantages. Using advantageous terrain, the day/night cycle, and varied unit types makes it one of the most tactical games I’ve played.”
pennomi · recommendation · first hand use
Direct HN comment
Reference book on Soviet and Russian nuclear forces, edited by Pavel Podvig.
Source discussion: Listen and read USA nuclear forces Emergency Action Messages, heard on 11175 kHz
“The definitive book on this seems to be "Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces"”
Animats · recommendation
Direct HN comment