The best Hacker News stories from Show from the past day
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Show HN: URL Snake
Just a little demo I made of a fully functioning game of snake encoded entirely within a valid url (around 1033 bytes of code encoded into a 1464 byte url).
Show HN: URL Snake
Just a little demo I made of a fully functioning game of snake encoded entirely within a valid url (around 1033 bytes of code encoded into a 1464 byte url).
GPT3 Get answers to technical questions from your documentation site
Show HN: I Made a Logo Marketplace
Show HN: Futurecoder – A free interactive Python course for coding beginners
Some highlights:<p>- 100% free and open source (<a href="https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder">https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder</a>), no ads or paid content.<p>- No account required at any point. You can start instantly. (You can create an account if you want to save your progress online and across devices. Your email is only used for password resets)<p>- 3 integrated debuggers can be started with one click to show what your code is doing in different ways.<p>- Enhanced tracebacks make errors easy to understand.<p>- Useful for anyone: You can have the above without having to look at the course. IDE mode (<a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide</a>) gives you an instant scratchpad to write and debug code similar to repl.it.<p>- Completely interactive course: run code at every step which is checked automatically, keeping you engaged and learning by doing.<p>- Every exercise has many small optional hints to give you just the information you need to figure it out and no more.<p>- When the hints run out and you're still stuck, there are 2 ways to gradually reveal a solution so you can still apply your mind and make progress.<p>- Advice for common mistakes: customised linting for beginners and exercise-specific checks to keep you on track.<p>- Construct a question that will be well-received on sites like StackOverflow: <a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#question" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#question</a><p>- Also available in French (<a href="https://fr.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://fr.futurecoder.io/</a>), Tamil (<a href="https://ta.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://ta.futurecoder.io/</a>), and Spanish (<a href="https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/</a>). Note that these translations are slightly behind the English version, so the sites themselves are too as a result. If you're interested, help with translation would be greatly appreciated! Translation to Chinese and Portuguese is also half complete, and any other languages are welcome.<p>- Runs in the browser using Pyodide (<a href="https://pyodide.org/" rel="nofollow">https://pyodide.org/</a>). No servers. Stores user data in firebase.<p>- Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be installed from the browser and used offline.<p>-----------<p>A frequent question is how does futurecoder compare to Codecademy? Codeacademy has some drawbacks:<p>- No interactive shell/REPL/console<p>- No debuggers<p>- Basic error tracebacks not suitable for beginners<p>- No stdin, i.e. no input() so you can't write interactive programs, and no pdb.<p>- No gradual guidance when you're stuck. You can get one big hint, then the full solution in one go. This is not effective for learners having difficulty.<p>- Still on Python 3.6 (futurecoder is on 3.10)<p>I am obviously biased, but I truly believe futurecoder is the best resource for adult beginners. The focus on debugging tools, improved error messages, and hints empowers learners to tackle carefully balanced challenges. The experience of learning feels totally different from other courses, which is why I claim that if someone wants to start learning how to code, futurecoder is the best recommendation you can make.
Show HN: Futurecoder – A free interactive Python course for coding beginners
Some highlights:<p>- 100% free and open source (<a href="https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder">https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder</a>), no ads or paid content.<p>- No account required at any point. You can start instantly. (You can create an account if you want to save your progress online and across devices. Your email is only used for password resets)<p>- 3 integrated debuggers can be started with one click to show what your code is doing in different ways.<p>- Enhanced tracebacks make errors easy to understand.<p>- Useful for anyone: You can have the above without having to look at the course. IDE mode (<a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide</a>) gives you an instant scratchpad to write and debug code similar to repl.it.<p>- Completely interactive course: run code at every step which is checked automatically, keeping you engaged and learning by doing.<p>- Every exercise has many small optional hints to give you just the information you need to figure it out and no more.<p>- When the hints run out and you're still stuck, there are 2 ways to gradually reveal a solution so you can still apply your mind and make progress.<p>- Advice for common mistakes: customised linting for beginners and exercise-specific checks to keep you on track.<p>- Construct a question that will be well-received on sites like StackOverflow: <a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#question" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#question</a><p>- Also available in French (<a href="https://fr.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://fr.futurecoder.io/</a>), Tamil (<a href="https://ta.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://ta.futurecoder.io/</a>), and Spanish (<a href="https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/</a>). Note that these translations are slightly behind the English version, so the sites themselves are too as a result. If you're interested, help with translation would be greatly appreciated! Translation to Chinese and Portuguese is also half complete, and any other languages are welcome.<p>- Runs in the browser using Pyodide (<a href="https://pyodide.org/" rel="nofollow">https://pyodide.org/</a>). No servers. Stores user data in firebase.<p>- Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be installed from the browser and used offline.<p>-----------<p>A frequent question is how does futurecoder compare to Codecademy? Codeacademy has some drawbacks:<p>- No interactive shell/REPL/console<p>- No debuggers<p>- Basic error tracebacks not suitable for beginners<p>- No stdin, i.e. no input() so you can't write interactive programs, and no pdb.<p>- No gradual guidance when you're stuck. You can get one big hint, then the full solution in one go. This is not effective for learners having difficulty.<p>- Still on Python 3.6 (futurecoder is on 3.10)<p>I am obviously biased, but I truly believe futurecoder is the best resource for adult beginners. The focus on debugging tools, improved error messages, and hints empowers learners to tackle carefully balanced challenges. The experience of learning feels totally different from other courses, which is why I claim that if someone wants to start learning how to code, futurecoder is the best recommendation you can make.
Show HN: Futurecoder – A free interactive Python course for coding beginners
Some highlights:<p>- 100% free and open source (<a href="https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder">https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder</a>), no ads or paid content.<p>- No account required at any point. You can start instantly. (You can create an account if you want to save your progress online and across devices. Your email is only used for password resets)<p>- 3 integrated debuggers can be started with one click to show what your code is doing in different ways.<p>- Enhanced tracebacks make errors easy to understand.<p>- Useful for anyone: You can have the above without having to look at the course. IDE mode (<a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide</a>) gives you an instant scratchpad to write and debug code similar to repl.it.<p>- Completely interactive course: run code at every step which is checked automatically, keeping you engaged and learning by doing.<p>- Every exercise has many small optional hints to give you just the information you need to figure it out and no more.<p>- When the hints run out and you're still stuck, there are 2 ways to gradually reveal a solution so you can still apply your mind and make progress.<p>- Advice for common mistakes: customised linting for beginners and exercise-specific checks to keep you on track.<p>- Construct a question that will be well-received on sites like StackOverflow: <a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#question" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#question</a><p>- Also available in French (<a href="https://fr.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://fr.futurecoder.io/</a>), Tamil (<a href="https://ta.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://ta.futurecoder.io/</a>), and Spanish (<a href="https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/</a>). Note that these translations are slightly behind the English version, so the sites themselves are too as a result. If you're interested, help with translation would be greatly appreciated! Translation to Chinese and Portuguese is also half complete, and any other languages are welcome.<p>- Runs in the browser using Pyodide (<a href="https://pyodide.org/" rel="nofollow">https://pyodide.org/</a>). No servers. Stores user data in firebase.<p>- Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be installed from the browser and used offline.<p>-----------<p>A frequent question is how does futurecoder compare to Codecademy? Codeacademy has some drawbacks:<p>- No interactive shell/REPL/console<p>- No debuggers<p>- Basic error tracebacks not suitable for beginners<p>- No stdin, i.e. no input() so you can't write interactive programs, and no pdb.<p>- No gradual guidance when you're stuck. You can get one big hint, then the full solution in one go. This is not effective for learners having difficulty.<p>- Still on Python 3.6 (futurecoder is on 3.10)<p>I am obviously biased, but I truly believe futurecoder is the best resource for adult beginners. The focus on debugging tools, improved error messages, and hints empowers learners to tackle carefully balanced challenges. The experience of learning feels totally different from other courses, which is why I claim that if someone wants to start learning how to code, futurecoder is the best recommendation you can make.
Show HN: Futurecoder – A free interactive Python course for coding beginners
Some highlights:<p>- 100% free and open source (<a href="https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder">https://github.com/alexmojaki/futurecoder</a>), no ads or paid content.<p>- No account required at any point. You can start instantly. (You can create an account if you want to save your progress online and across devices. Your email is only used for password resets)<p>- 3 integrated debuggers can be started with one click to show what your code is doing in different ways.<p>- Enhanced tracebacks make errors easy to understand.<p>- Useful for anyone: You can have the above without having to look at the course. IDE mode (<a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#ide</a>) gives you an instant scratchpad to write and debug code similar to repl.it.<p>- Completely interactive course: run code at every step which is checked automatically, keeping you engaged and learning by doing.<p>- Every exercise has many small optional hints to give you just the information you need to figure it out and no more.<p>- When the hints run out and you're still stuck, there are 2 ways to gradually reveal a solution so you can still apply your mind and make progress.<p>- Advice for common mistakes: customised linting for beginners and exercise-specific checks to keep you on track.<p>- Construct a question that will be well-received on sites like StackOverflow: <a href="https://futurecoder.io/course/#question" rel="nofollow">https://futurecoder.io/course/#question</a><p>- Also available in French (<a href="https://fr.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://fr.futurecoder.io/</a>), Tamil (<a href="https://ta.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://ta.futurecoder.io/</a>), and Spanish (<a href="https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/" rel="nofollow">https://es-latam.futurecoder.io/</a>). Note that these translations are slightly behind the English version, so the sites themselves are too as a result. If you're interested, help with translation would be greatly appreciated! Translation to Chinese and Portuguese is also half complete, and any other languages are welcome.<p>- Runs in the browser using Pyodide (<a href="https://pyodide.org/" rel="nofollow">https://pyodide.org/</a>). No servers. Stores user data in firebase.<p>- Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be installed from the browser and used offline.<p>-----------<p>A frequent question is how does futurecoder compare to Codecademy? Codeacademy has some drawbacks:<p>- No interactive shell/REPL/console<p>- No debuggers<p>- Basic error tracebacks not suitable for beginners<p>- No stdin, i.e. no input() so you can't write interactive programs, and no pdb.<p>- No gradual guidance when you're stuck. You can get one big hint, then the full solution in one go. This is not effective for learners having difficulty.<p>- Still on Python 3.6 (futurecoder is on 3.10)<p>I am obviously biased, but I truly believe futurecoder is the best resource for adult beginners. The focus on debugging tools, improved error messages, and hints empowers learners to tackle carefully balanced challenges. The experience of learning feels totally different from other courses, which is why I claim that if someone wants to start learning how to code, futurecoder is the best recommendation you can make.
Show HN: List of Stripe Alternatives
Seems like every time there's a negative Stripe story on here, the inevitable question, "any alternatives?" gets asked. Hell, I was tempted to ask myself. Instead, I decided to search hn.algolia.com to see for myself what others have recommended in the past.<p>Might as well share the list with y'all, make it meta.<p>--<p>2Checkout | https://www.2checkout.com<p>Adyen | https://www.adyen.com<p>Amazon Pay | https://pay.amazon.com<p>Authorize.net | https://www.authorize.net<p>Balance | https://www.getbalance.com<p>Braintree | https://www.braintreepayments.com<p>ChargeBee | https://www.chargebee.com<p>Chargify | https://www.chargify.com<p>Checkout.com | https://www.checkout.com<p>DigitalRiver | https://www.digitalriver.com<p>Dwolla | https://www.dwolla.com<p>FastSpring | https://fastspring.com<p>GoCardless | https://gocardless.com<p>MangoPay | https://www.mangopay.com<p>Mollie | https://www.mollie.com<p>Opayo (previously SagePay) | https://www.opayo.co.uk<p>Paddle | https://www.paddle.com<p>Payoneer | https://www.payoneer.com<p>PayPal | https://www.paypal.com<p>Qonto | https://qonto.com/en<p>Spreedly | https://www.spreedly.com<p>Square | https://squareup.com<p>Verifone | https://www.verifone.com/en/us<p>White | https://whitepayments.com<p>--<p>Observations from my data collection:<p>Sassy appears to have been acquired by FastSpring. Balanced Payments apparently went under but I found another payment service called "Balance" instead. Paymill is defunct but their Github org has a bunch of code. No idea what happened to Spryng Payments but Spryng still exists.<p>It's also worth mentioning that a true "Stripe alternative" simply does not exist. No one does everything they do and I'm pretty sure most services are lacking in the developer documentation department. Still, having options is always great.
Show HN: List of Stripe Alternatives
Seems like every time there's a negative Stripe story on here, the inevitable question, "any alternatives?" gets asked. Hell, I was tempted to ask myself. Instead, I decided to search hn.algolia.com to see for myself what others have recommended in the past.<p>Might as well share the list with y'all, make it meta.<p>--<p>2Checkout | https://www.2checkout.com<p>Adyen | https://www.adyen.com<p>Amazon Pay | https://pay.amazon.com<p>Authorize.net | https://www.authorize.net<p>Balance | https://www.getbalance.com<p>Braintree | https://www.braintreepayments.com<p>ChargeBee | https://www.chargebee.com<p>Chargify | https://www.chargify.com<p>Checkout.com | https://www.checkout.com<p>DigitalRiver | https://www.digitalriver.com<p>Dwolla | https://www.dwolla.com<p>FastSpring | https://fastspring.com<p>GoCardless | https://gocardless.com<p>MangoPay | https://www.mangopay.com<p>Mollie | https://www.mollie.com<p>Opayo (previously SagePay) | https://www.opayo.co.uk<p>Paddle | https://www.paddle.com<p>Payoneer | https://www.payoneer.com<p>PayPal | https://www.paypal.com<p>Qonto | https://qonto.com/en<p>Spreedly | https://www.spreedly.com<p>Square | https://squareup.com<p>Verifone | https://www.verifone.com/en/us<p>White | https://whitepayments.com<p>--<p>Observations from my data collection:<p>Sassy appears to have been acquired by FastSpring. Balanced Payments apparently went under but I found another payment service called "Balance" instead. Paymill is defunct but their Github org has a bunch of code. No idea what happened to Spryng Payments but Spryng still exists.<p>It's also worth mentioning that a true "Stripe alternative" simply does not exist. No one does everything they do and I'm pretty sure most services are lacking in the developer documentation department. Still, having options is always great.
Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old
Hi HN community,<p>I'm Marcus, a 17-year-old Software Engineer from Germany.<p>For the past two years I've been working on Tablane [0](<a href="https://github.com/Tablane/tablane">https://github.com/Tablane/tablane</a>) a task/project management tool, with features like:<p>- Collaborative Editing (google docs)<p>- Optimistic updates with RTK Query<p>- Realtime sync with Socket.io<p>- An awesome design<p>Let me know what you think! Ask me anything!<p>How I got here:
2020: I was developing a TTT [1] (Trouble in Terrorist Town) plugin for my minecraft server, when I started to require a project management tool to keep track of the features I wanted to implement, originally I used a text file, but after some time I started using products like ClickUp and Monday.<p>But not long after I hit several paywalls for features that I wanted to use (Custom Status, Limited Number of Boards, ...)
Soon after Tablane (originally task-board) was born. I started building the website using plain HTML, then found out about React and completed Colt Steele's "Web Developer Bootcamp" [2] and "The Modern React Bootcamp" [3] and started re-writing Tablane in React, and started adding feature after feature.<p>Now I am about to finish Highschool and originally I thought about applying to college and spending another 3-5 years there, but after the positive feedback I got on a three month internship I did at ContentPepper, and seeing how my own projects developed, I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster.<p>Links:<p>[0] <a href="https://tablane.net" rel="nofollow">https://tablane.net</a><p>[1] <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT">https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT</a><p>[2] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/</a><p>Socials:<p>Résumé/CV: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJa1M7T/view?usp=share_link" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJ...</a><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/</a><p>Email: marcus (dot) hof (at) protonmail (dot)com<p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP">https://github.com/MarconLP</a><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcon565" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/Marcon565</a>
Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old
Hi HN community,<p>I'm Marcus, a 17-year-old Software Engineer from Germany.<p>For the past two years I've been working on Tablane [0](<a href="https://github.com/Tablane/tablane">https://github.com/Tablane/tablane</a>) a task/project management tool, with features like:<p>- Collaborative Editing (google docs)<p>- Optimistic updates with RTK Query<p>- Realtime sync with Socket.io<p>- An awesome design<p>Let me know what you think! Ask me anything!<p>How I got here:
2020: I was developing a TTT [1] (Trouble in Terrorist Town) plugin for my minecraft server, when I started to require a project management tool to keep track of the features I wanted to implement, originally I used a text file, but after some time I started using products like ClickUp and Monday.<p>But not long after I hit several paywalls for features that I wanted to use (Custom Status, Limited Number of Boards, ...)
Soon after Tablane (originally task-board) was born. I started building the website using plain HTML, then found out about React and completed Colt Steele's "Web Developer Bootcamp" [2] and "The Modern React Bootcamp" [3] and started re-writing Tablane in React, and started adding feature after feature.<p>Now I am about to finish Highschool and originally I thought about applying to college and spending another 3-5 years there, but after the positive feedback I got on a three month internship I did at ContentPepper, and seeing how my own projects developed, I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster.<p>Links:<p>[0] <a href="https://tablane.net" rel="nofollow">https://tablane.net</a><p>[1] <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT">https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT</a><p>[2] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/</a><p>Socials:<p>Résumé/CV: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJa1M7T/view?usp=share_link" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJ...</a><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/</a><p>Email: marcus (dot) hof (at) protonmail (dot)com<p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP">https://github.com/MarconLP</a><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcon565" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/Marcon565</a>
Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old
Hi HN community,<p>I'm Marcus, a 17-year-old Software Engineer from Germany.<p>For the past two years I've been working on Tablane [0](<a href="https://github.com/Tablane/tablane">https://github.com/Tablane/tablane</a>) a task/project management tool, with features like:<p>- Collaborative Editing (google docs)<p>- Optimistic updates with RTK Query<p>- Realtime sync with Socket.io<p>- An awesome design<p>Let me know what you think! Ask me anything!<p>How I got here:
2020: I was developing a TTT [1] (Trouble in Terrorist Town) plugin for my minecraft server, when I started to require a project management tool to keep track of the features I wanted to implement, originally I used a text file, but after some time I started using products like ClickUp and Monday.<p>But not long after I hit several paywalls for features that I wanted to use (Custom Status, Limited Number of Boards, ...)
Soon after Tablane (originally task-board) was born. I started building the website using plain HTML, then found out about React and completed Colt Steele's "Web Developer Bootcamp" [2] and "The Modern React Bootcamp" [3] and started re-writing Tablane in React, and started adding feature after feature.<p>Now I am about to finish Highschool and originally I thought about applying to college and spending another 3-5 years there, but after the positive feedback I got on a three month internship I did at ContentPepper, and seeing how my own projects developed, I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster.<p>Links:<p>[0] <a href="https://tablane.net" rel="nofollow">https://tablane.net</a><p>[1] <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT">https://github.com/MarconLP/TTT</a><p>[2] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/modern-react-bootcamp/</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/</a><p>Socials:<p>Résumé/CV: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJa1M7T/view?usp=share_link" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbZi1Bm-MlDHEb4WjsFBzIBSomJ...</a><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hof/</a><p>Email: marcus (dot) hof (at) protonmail (dot)com<p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/MarconLP">https://github.com/MarconLP</a><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcon565" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/Marcon565</a>
Show HN: I made a site that lets you create your WhatsApp Wrapped 2022
Insights like who text's first, who text's more and many more can be generated in a fun story format. No data is stored and the code is open source. Would love to get feedback and feature requests.
Show HN: Ello (YC W20) – AI-reading tutor for kids that works with real books
Hi HN,<p>We’re Elizabeth, Catalin, and Tom - the founders of Ello (<a href="https://www.helloello.com">https://www.helloello.com</a>). Ello is an AI-powered app that mimics the one-on-one interaction of a reading tutor by listening to, encouraging, and coaching kids grade K-3 as they read out loud from a real book.<p>We posted on HN back in 2020 when we launched Trustle, a company designed to pair families with dedicated experts in child development. We learned from that experience that parents don’t want a consultant, but they do want actual help with specific challenges—one of the biggest being reading.<p>Prior to COVID, 65% of 4th graders in the U.S. were reading behind level. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report revealed that reading levels have dropped even further, to the lowest level since 1992. These disheartening statistics reinforce something we learned during our time at Trustle—of all the pain points parents face in raising children, reading can often be one of the most critical yet most difficult to address, especially if the child doesn’t like to read.<p>In an effort to help reverse this trend, we used advances in speech recognition - driven by self-supervised learning - to create a virtual experience designed to provide effective reading support. It's no substitute for attention and coaching from a caring adult, which is obviously what kids really need, but unfortunately that is not always available.<p>If every child had consistent access to 1:1 reading support and every parent or caregiver had the time, language skills, and confidence to help their children learn to read with no outside assistance, then there would not be a need for a technical solution. Unfortunately, we know not every child has this access, and many parents are looking for extra support. That's why we've built Ello.<p>If you look at a great teacher or parent working with a child, they are talking to each other. Ello uses a speech recognition model that listens to what a child is saying and provides the appropriate phonics based coaching, as well as commentary and help. As a child reads across the page of a physical book, the Ello app tracks the child’s progress and picks up when they miss a word or get a word wrong and then steps in just like a good reading coach would.<p>One criticism that we’ve heard since launching is that we are trying to replace the sacred role of a parent teaching their child to read. We say, “Not at all!”. Ello can serve as a resource for every type of parent without being a “replacement”, which is impossible in any case.<p>We’ve had most success with children who are reluctant readers. Ello provides a fun environment to practice reading without the pressure of an adult watching you. We’ve seen kids who flat out refuse to read start to enjoy reading in a short period of time.<p>We are highly privacy oriented; unlike most apps relying on speech tracking we can work completely on device with no internet and no audio data shared back with us.<p>We launched in early in 2022 and have come a long way since then. The model works like this: we mail customers five books and a prepaid return shipping label every month. At the end of the month you mail the books back or keep as many as you want for an additional $5 apiece, and then we mail you next month’s box. Our reading specialists help determine the appropriate reading level for every child and make sure that we are sending books to match. Right now we support roughly K through 3rd grade, although Ello can be effective for some Pre-K kids as well.<p>We know there are many parents on HN, including those with young children. We would love to hear about your experiences and needs around your children’s reading journeys and your perspective on how something like Ello might help. Or, if you’re in the US, give us a try (we are only in the US as we ship physical books right now, but are launching a digital only version in the first half of this year and then will be available more broadly) - you can get a free month with code ellohacker. And of course we welcome any feedback, questions, and ideas!
Show HN: Ello (YC W20) – AI-reading tutor for kids that works with real books
Hi HN,<p>We’re Elizabeth, Catalin, and Tom - the founders of Ello (<a href="https://www.helloello.com">https://www.helloello.com</a>). Ello is an AI-powered app that mimics the one-on-one interaction of a reading tutor by listening to, encouraging, and coaching kids grade K-3 as they read out loud from a real book.<p>We posted on HN back in 2020 when we launched Trustle, a company designed to pair families with dedicated experts in child development. We learned from that experience that parents don’t want a consultant, but they do want actual help with specific challenges—one of the biggest being reading.<p>Prior to COVID, 65% of 4th graders in the U.S. were reading behind level. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report revealed that reading levels have dropped even further, to the lowest level since 1992. These disheartening statistics reinforce something we learned during our time at Trustle—of all the pain points parents face in raising children, reading can often be one of the most critical yet most difficult to address, especially if the child doesn’t like to read.<p>In an effort to help reverse this trend, we used advances in speech recognition - driven by self-supervised learning - to create a virtual experience designed to provide effective reading support. It's no substitute for attention and coaching from a caring adult, which is obviously what kids really need, but unfortunately that is not always available.<p>If every child had consistent access to 1:1 reading support and every parent or caregiver had the time, language skills, and confidence to help their children learn to read with no outside assistance, then there would not be a need for a technical solution. Unfortunately, we know not every child has this access, and many parents are looking for extra support. That's why we've built Ello.<p>If you look at a great teacher or parent working with a child, they are talking to each other. Ello uses a speech recognition model that listens to what a child is saying and provides the appropriate phonics based coaching, as well as commentary and help. As a child reads across the page of a physical book, the Ello app tracks the child’s progress and picks up when they miss a word or get a word wrong and then steps in just like a good reading coach would.<p>One criticism that we’ve heard since launching is that we are trying to replace the sacred role of a parent teaching their child to read. We say, “Not at all!”. Ello can serve as a resource for every type of parent without being a “replacement”, which is impossible in any case.<p>We’ve had most success with children who are reluctant readers. Ello provides a fun environment to practice reading without the pressure of an adult watching you. We’ve seen kids who flat out refuse to read start to enjoy reading in a short period of time.<p>We are highly privacy oriented; unlike most apps relying on speech tracking we can work completely on device with no internet and no audio data shared back with us.<p>We launched in early in 2022 and have come a long way since then. The model works like this: we mail customers five books and a prepaid return shipping label every month. At the end of the month you mail the books back or keep as many as you want for an additional $5 apiece, and then we mail you next month’s box. Our reading specialists help determine the appropriate reading level for every child and make sure that we are sending books to match. Right now we support roughly K through 3rd grade, although Ello can be effective for some Pre-K kids as well.<p>We know there are many parents on HN, including those with young children. We would love to hear about your experiences and needs around your children’s reading journeys and your perspective on how something like Ello might help. Or, if you’re in the US, give us a try (we are only in the US as we ship physical books right now, but are launching a digital only version in the first half of this year and then will be available more broadly) - you can get a free month with code ellohacker. And of course we welcome any feedback, questions, and ideas!
Show HN: GPTDuck – Ask questions about any GitHub repo
Show HN: GPTDuck – Ask questions about any GitHub repo
Show HN: GPTDuck – Ask questions about any GitHub repo
Show HN: GPTDuck – Ask questions about any GitHub repo