Skip to content
HomeVideosBooksBlogs
AllTop postsTopics
Podcasts
HistoryListsWatch laterLiked videosFollowing

The videos, books, blogs and podcasts Hacker News keeps recommending, all in one place.

VideosBooksBlogsPodcastsAboutPrivacySettings

Data from Hacker News, HackerTube, HackerBooks, HackerBlogs and Open Library. Credits · Not affiliated with Y Combinator.

HomeVideosBooksBlogsPodcasts
Ctrl K
    A

    Alien Ryderflex

    alienryderflex.com · Personal blog · on HN since 2012

    Alien Ryderflex hosts one person's programming and science pages, including a non-recursive quicksort, point-in-polygon code, the HSP color model, and optics explainers.

    Visit blogRSSHN submissions
    ProgrammingPhysicsData & Visualization
    What HN says

    HN commenters link it for an iterative quicksort, an explanation of the three-polarizer experiment, and the HSP color model as a perceptual alternative to HSV.

    Stats for nerds
    15HN people shared it
    9linked in comments
    162story points
    Jun 2023last shared
    2013people per year2023

    Top posts on HN

    1. 1
      Third-polarizing-filter experiment demystified (2004)
      6 people · 135 points · first shared 2018 · 86 comments on HN
    2. 2
      Stereo Separation, Subwoofers, and Headphones (2008)
      1 person · 22 points · first shared 2015 · 11 comments on HN
    3. 3
      HSP Color Model – Alternative to HSV (HSB) and HSL
      4 people · 2 points · first shared 2012 · 1 comments on HN
    4. 4
      Optimized QuickSort – C Implementation (Non-Recursive)
      2 people · 1 points · first shared 2023 · 1 comments on HN
    5. 5
      The Innovator's Victory (2014)
      1 person · 1 points · first shared 2017 · Discussion on HN
    6. 6
      A Simple Point-In-Polygon Algorithm
      1 person · 1 points · first shared 2013 · Discussion on HN

    What HN people wrote when they linked it

    • spiralxSep 2018

      Because a wave is a more general phenomenon than what happens on the surface of water, and waves of all kind result in interference patterns. Also, waves in the ocean certainly aren't two dimensional either, the surface "wave" just a visible manifestation of a larger system.

      But the polarisation of light demonstrates more quantum effects. Put two polarising filters in front of a light at 90 degrees to each other and no light gets through them both; yet add a third filter in between at 45 degrees angle to each, and now half of the light gets through all three filters! Adding extra filters can make them let more light through, not less...

      http://alienryderflex.com/polarizer/

    • coolgodJul 2020

      The three polarizing filter experiment using common sources of light can be explained perfectly without using quantum mechanics [0]. These effects only need QM to explain in the single photon regime. The polarized light from the LED display is definitely not in the single photon regime thus this experiment does not demonstrate any quantum effects. Without any quantum effects, it is much more difficult to justify the quantumness of this supposed quantum computer.

      [0] http://alienryderflex.com/polarizer/

    • bruteJul 2014

      HUSL was already mentioned, so I bring up HSP [1]. The idea is to adjust the lightness (the L in HSL) by something which is closer to the percieved luminescence.

      Also I wonder if HSL will ever manage to replace HSB/HSV as the default choice for color pickers.

      [1] http://alienryderflex.com/hsp.html

    • leeoniyaJan 2015

      > A few obvious choices are a better ranker or transforming to perception-friendly colour spaces like HSV.

      HSV is not good for perceptual comparison. Try HSP [1].

      [1] http://alienryderflex.com/hsp.html

    • Paul-CraftJun 2023

      Quicksort can be implemented iteratively, with O(1) auxiliary storage, as well: https://alienryderflex.com/quicksort/

    • BlueTemplarFeb 2020

      Right, I was misled... here's a good explanation why that experiment works :
      http://alienryderflex.com/polarizer/

    Related

    Benchling Engineeringbenchling.engineering21 people

    Move Fast and Migrate Things: How We Automated Migrations in Postgres

    Benchling Engineering
    Company · last shared 2024
    ScyllaDB Blogscylladb.com167 people

    How io_uring and eBPF Will Revolutionize Programming in Linux

    ScyllaDB Blog
    Company · last shared 2026
    Red Blob Gamesredblobgames.com199 people

    Hexagonal grids for games

    Red Blob Games
    Personal · last shared 2026
    Björn Ottossonbottosson.github.io62 people

    New alternatives to HSL and HSV that better match color perception

    Björn Ottosson
    Personal · last shared 2026
    Dustyclouddustycloud.org72 people

    Racket Is an Acceptable Python

    Dustycloud
    Personal · last shared 2026
    Craig Modc82.net83 people

    Living with Nausea: My Story in Six Charts

    Craig Mod
    Personal · last shared 2026
    Chris Grangerchris-granger.com102 people

    Light Table - a new IDE concept

    Chris Granger
    Personal · last shared 2025
    Aldo Cortesicorte.si88 people

    Visualizing binaries with space-filling curves

    Aldo Cortesi
    Personal · last shared 2026