LinkHarvestDigest

A Rust-Powered Terminal UI for OpenSnitch: Bringing Application Firewall Control to Headless Linux Servers Application firewalls have long been an essential layer of defense for desktop operating systems, giving users visibility and control over which applications are allowed to communicate over the network. Tools like Little Snitch on macOS set a high bar for usability and transparency. On Linux, OpenSnitch fills a similar role—providing interactive, per-application network access control. In a recent Show HN post, a developer introduced a Rust-based Terminal User Interface (TUI) for OpenSnitch , designed specifically to improve usability on headless servers and terminal-only environments . The project combines practical system administration needs with a personal learning goal: mastering Rust’s async ecosystem while building something genuinely useful. What Is OpenSnitch, and Why a TUI Matters OpenSnitch is an open-source application firewall for Linux that monitors outbound network ...

Get Fat Slowly: Modeling Everyday Choices with Calculators Introduction We often think of health decisions in terms of big, dramatic changes—starting a new diet, joining a gym, or cutting out entire food groups. Yet, the reality is that small, daily habits often have the most profound impact over time. A new side project, Get Fat Slowly , demonstrates this principle by using calculators built with ChatGPT to model how seemingly minor choices—like drinking a couple of Starbucks Mochas each day—can accumulate into significant health consequences. The project is both playful and sobering. It shows how incremental indulgences translate into long-term outcomes, offering a tangible way to visualize the math behind lifestyle decisions. The Spark The idea began when a friend casually mentioned drinking one to two Starbucks Mochas per day. At first glance, this doesn’t sound alarming—after all, many people enjoy a daily coffee treat. But what happens when you scale that habit across weeks, mont...

Show HN: 32V TENS Device Built From Scratch for Under $100 Original Post Link: https://littlemountainman.github.io/2025/11/17/tens/ Date: November 17, 2025 — 04:06 PM Building medical-adjacent electronic devices is usually considered the domain of specialized engineers, highly regulated manufacturers, and expensive hardware labs. So when a maker publicly shares a functioning 32-volt Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device—built completely from scratch for under $100—it stands out as a fascinating example of modern DIY innovation. This project, presented in a Show HN post, is not a quick hack or a recycled kit. It is a carefully documented, safety-conscious, engineering-forward build that shows what’s possible when curiosity drives creativity. The creator’s goal was straightforward: construct a fully functional TENS unit that delivers safe electrical pulses for pain management and muscle stimulation, similar to commercially available devices costing $60–$200. Inste...

Show HN: UsageFlow—Automatic API Usage Metering, Rate-Limits & Reporting for Fast-Scaling Platforms Original Link: https://usageflow.io Date: November 20, 2025—11:49 PM The explosion of AI APIs, microservices, and SaaS platforms has created a new kind of operational challenge: how do you track usage, enforce limits, prevent abuse, and bill accurately—without building a metering system from scratch? Developers often find themselves spending weeks constructing middleware, usage dashboards, and rate-limit logic—non-core work that slows down product development. UsageFlow, introduced in this Show HN post, offers a refreshingly simple solution: automatic API usage metering and control with just a few lines of code. Instead of building analytics, usage tracking, and limit enforcement manually, developers can plug in the UsageFlow SDK and gain immediate visibility into who is calling what, how often, and at what cost. For builders trying to scale quickly—especially in AI and SaaS—the...