Demos Hacker News recommends
Every demo in the HackerTube list, best-scored first. The score counts the number of different months in which someone on HN recommended it, so a demo people kept coming back to for years outranks one viral thread.
- 7 HN recommenders 10 months 2013–2025Held up as the landmark demoscene production and a counterpoint to software bloat.
- 11 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2024Recommended whenever APL or array languages come up as the quickest way to see why the paradigm is so striking.
- 12 HN recommenders 9 months 2022–2025HN treats it as a favorite example of silly but educational computer science, recommended often when threads touch odd storage hacks.
- 10 HN recommenders 10 months 2015–2026The go-to accessible introduction to neuroevolution and NEAT, praised for crediting prior research.
- 8 HN recommenders 9 months 2017–2025L lftkryo · demoIt is HN's favorite example of extreme code compression, a compelling song and visuals from a program smaller than a tweet.
- 7 HN recommenders 10 months 2016–2025HN returns to it again and again as a demonstration of how programmable and composable 1970s systems were compared with today's.
- 9 HN recommenders 10 months 2015–2025Loved on HN as a hilarious, brilliant example of hacker-academic work and cited whenever game-playing AI or fuzzing comes up.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2013–2026M Marcel · demoHN treats it as an essential piece of computing history that shows how many modern interface ideas were already solved in 1968.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2021–2026HN considers it the best experimental rebuttal and clarification of the Veritasium wire debate, with real measurements.
- 9 HN recommenders 8 months 2020–2025Whenever HN discusses seasonal affective disorder, myopia, or bright home lighting, people point to this as the most convincing buildable example of sunlight-like illumination.
- 8 HN recommenders 9 months 2015–2025H Howard Abrams · demoHN people point to it as the best demonstration of literate devops, showing documentation and execution woven together in Emacs.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2016–2025Constantly cited as the canonical example of arbitrary code execution through gameplay and of deep system knowledge among speedrunners.
- 5 HN recommenders 8 months 2017–2026A Avdi Grimm · demoHN recommends it as a quick, compelling look at what Smalltalk tooling feels like, especially for Ruby programmers.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2025HN fans hold it up as a favorite among his videos and an example of gloriously bonkers technical art, and cite it in floating-point discussions.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2009–2014K KING OF NEW YORK HACKS · demoHN treats him as a master class in salesmanship and live presentation, where how you sell matters more than what you sell.
- 8 HN recommenders 7 months 2018–2026HN keeps citing it as the standard example of accessible DIY gene engineering and self-experimentation, in threads on gene therapy, CRISPR and biohacking.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2021–2026It is the canonical reference for the claim that modern software wastes hardware, and the proof-of-concept behind the Windows Terminal performance debate.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2026HN treats it as the classic teardown and the go-to example of over-engineered hardware built without real-world constraints.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2009–2025B BUTTONTANG · demoHN repeatedly holds it up as the benchmark for what procedural generation and size-coding can achieve in 4K.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2025D dani daortiz · demoHN commenters repeatedly call it among the best magic performances ever, valuing it as acting and craft that stays impressive even once you know the method.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2018–2025S Saul Pwanson · demoHN recommends it as the fastest way to understand what VisiData can do, since seeing it work is clearer than reading about it.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2014–2020B Brian Peiris · demoRepeatedly cited as an inspiring demo of what programming in VR could look like, which led some commenters to buy headsets.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2013–2025P Phillip Bradbury · demoThe canonical visual for nested simulation, Turing completeness and self-reference; HN readers call it mind-blowing and reach for it constantly.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2020B Bruce Hauman · demoIt is the canonical demo HN people cite for live interactive development and hot reloading, as proof the workflow is real and not smoke and mirrors.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2024S Sebastian Lague · demoHN recommends it as a beautiful example of what simple rules and compute shaders can produce, and many commenters were inspired by it.
- 4 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2023M Matthaeus Krenn · demoRepeatedly cited in car touchscreen debates as an elegant, sensible alternative to distracting automotive UIs.
- 3 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2023HN readers recommend it as the best introduction to robust-first computing, where randomness and fault tolerance are built into the architecture.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2024S Steve Yegge · demoHN people recommend it as an excellent, convincing overview of Emacs for newcomers and skeptics, shown by someone who clearly loves it.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2024X XVIVO Scientific Animation · demoRecommended as a jaw-dropping view of the complexity and machine-like nature of cells.
- 3 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025HN keeps citing it as proof of how advanced a GC-based systems language and integrated workstation were decades ago, and as a model for what desktop OSes could be.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025HN commenters love it as a vivid demonstration of terminal history, explaining why tools like ed and the tty echo model work the way they do.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2025I Interface Studies · demoHN returns to it as a striking demonstration that core GUI, CAD and constraint-programming ideas existed in the 1960s.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2022Strongly recommended as a beautiful demonstration that APL can be read and reasoned about step by step.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2025T The British Museum · demoRecommended in threads on ancient games and cuneiform as a charming match with an enthusiastic expert.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2023HN cites it as the example of a better alternative to whiteboard and fizzbuzz-style interviews.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2026H Harvard Medical School · demoHN links it as a visually striking demonstration of evolution and antibiotic resistance happening in days.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2026R retrogameinternals · demoHeld up in debugger and tooling threads as an amazing ideal of a tight feedback loop and what debugging could be.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2011–2022P photonhunter · demoRecommended as the shortest way to grasp Nelson's idea of referential content and how the web could have been different.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2026HN holds it up as a showcase of what a stock Amiga 500 can do and as one of the best demos ever in technique and storytelling.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2025It is the go-to demonstration of how hypoxia silently disables decision making, cited in threads on altitude, flying, diving, CO2 and breathwork.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2024K Kalman Reti · demoThe go-to demo whenever HN discusses what Lisp machines were like and what modern shells and editors lack.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2024HN recommends it, with its companion video, as an honest hands-on account of e-ink devices as monitors, including their slow software and limits.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2026The go-to demonstration in car-safety debates that old cars were not better, showing crumple zones and a rigid passenger cell at work.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2024HN commenters cite it as the clearest look at Zipline's real-world drone operations, especially for medical delivery and the solved noise problem.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2016–2020HN commenters use it as the standard example of how much a tiny program can do, in contrast to bloated modern software.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2023HN points to it as a favorite teardown, usually when discussing Dyson or how products are engineered and built, with some noting the host was impressed by the engineering.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2022–2024HN points to it as a demonstration of what fast, well-built developer tooling looks like and of why a debugger beats print statements.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2020HN users share it as the quick demo that shows what Magit can do, for people unfamiliar with it.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2026T TiXL · demoHN people hold it up as a standout modern demo, praising its scene transitions and how it looks on 3D displays.
- 7 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026T tripflag · demoHN commenters call it a model demo video and the quickest way to see how much one developer packed into a self-hosted file server.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025M Matthias random stuff · demoCited in cooling and fan-noise threads as a short video with actual data on fan placement.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026D Daniel Hands · demoHN points to it as the standard example of procedural content generation and extreme size optimization in games.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2025A Ancient · demoHN finds the miniaturization mind-blowing and cites it as a standout example of surreal hobbyist technology.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2024T theragax · demoHN cites it as the classic example of validating a product idea with a demo video, and many recall how compelling it was.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2023T TeXmacs Videos · demoRecommended as the quickest way to see what TeXmacs can do, as a WYSIWYG alternative to LaTeX.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2026S Sam Zeloof · demoHN uses it as the go-to proof that small-scale, hobbyist chip fabrication is real, and as an entry point to the topic.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2022H Héll Mood · demoHN people share it as a mind-blowing example of demoscene craft and the reigning champion of 256-byte demos.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2022T Tim Hutton · demoHN points to it whenever Game of Life or cellular automata come up, as the best visual example of a mesmerizing continuous-domain alternative.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2018HN shares it as a mesmerizing example of building shelter and tools entirely from scratch.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2025Y Yusuke Endoh · demoCommenters repeatedly point to it as an astonishing, beautiful piece of obfuscated-C code golf.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2025A AngeTheGreat · demoHN points to it as a standout example of physics-based sound synthesis and engine simulation.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025M MrWint · demoHN points to it as the standard demonstration of arbitrary code execution on a Game Boy, and of glitches and bugs being turned into a working computer.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2015W Wolfram · demoCommenters point to it as a compact, impressive demo of what the language can do.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2026R Red Martian · demoHN cites it as a startling example of how advanced Lisp machine interactive graphics were, often in Lisp and REPL-driven development discussions.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2026O Oerg866 · demoHN plugs it as a favorite example of what skilled demoscene coders can pull out of 30-year-old hardware.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026M mm648230 · demoCited whenever threads discuss recovering hidden images or non-line-of-sight imaging, as a clear demonstration of light transport.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2016A Andrew Johnson · demoHN recommends it as a dramatic, moving demonstration of what deep brain stimulation can do for tremors.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025Recommended as a vivid look at live, interactive programming environments and what Xerox PARC built on very limited hardware.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2024Recommended across Prince Rupert's drop and glass threads for its striking high-speed footage.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026U uncertainyesterday · demoA beloved classic that HN recommends as the quickest way to see why Erlang is special.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025S spudlyo · demoHN commenters recommend it as a practical illustration of what Org mode and literate programming can do for documentation.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2024HN people point to it as a rare chance to watch skilled developers write real code live, pair programming and explaining as they go.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2025G GREENPOWERSCIENCE · demoHN commenters point people to it as a cheap, simple, effective way to kill mosquitoes, and some report trying it successfully.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025T TASVideosChannel · demoHN commenters rate it a great GDQ watch and point to its feats, such as streaming video and Skype through controller ports, as inspiring hacks.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025HN points to it as proof that a small, straightforward renderer can beat Windows Terminal on speed and memory, whenever software slowness comes up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2022L larsandersen23 · demoRecommended as an entertaining example of rediscovered lost skills, though some commenters note it is contested.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2022HN points to it in lock-security threads as a good example of engineering meeting real-world exploitation, where flaws unrelated to the headline mechanism get found.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2023HN calls it the video that started the one-line-code music trend and recommends exploring the demoscene author's channel.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2024L LovelyVirus · demoIt is the classic demo HN people point to for showing positional 3D audio working on ordinary headphones.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2010–2026J Johnny Lee · demoIt is the classic reference for head-tracked parallax displays, cited whenever new 3D or holographic display tech appears.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2025HN cites it widely in discussions of tacit knowledge, habit, unlearning and adult versus child learning.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2022P phuaalvin · demoRecommended whenever skyscraper dampers come up, since it shows how huge the moving mass is.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2015O omnray · demoCommenters who struggle with tab overload use it to show what tree-based tab management looks like and recommend the extension.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2020L Life at Google · demoCited as a realistic, well-run example of a technical interview, both for candidates preparing and interviewers calibrating.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2021I Imperial College London · demoRecommended as a charming, from-zero introduction to APL and a window into early interactive computing.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2024N Nick Black · demoHN people share it as a striking demonstration of how much graphics a modern terminal can do.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2023T Timo Bingmann · demoA classic that HN points to for seeing how sorting algorithms behave, valued for how satisfying it is to watch and hear.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2022M mikeselectricstuff · demoRecommended as an entry point to a favorite electronics channel, valued for deep knowledge and no showy bravado.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2018HN fans use it as the gateway to the Techmoan channel and praise it as one of the most fascinating obscure audio formats.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2021F Festo · demoRecommended as a spectacular example of bio-inspired robotics, and a pointer to Festo's other work.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2021H heligone · demoHN users share it to build intuition about wave-particle duality and pilot-wave ideas in quantum mechanics threads.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2026It is the go-to viral demo whenever HN discusses vibration, acoustic attacks, or sound affecting hard drives.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025S sentdex · demoCited as an early, striking demo of neural networks acting as game engines and world models.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2009–2025HN returns to it as the original Wave pitch, both for its wow factor and as a case study in a hyped product that was later shut down.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2026K kb · demoHN recommends it as the demoscene showpiece to show someone what extreme size-limited real-time graphics look like.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014M Michael Interbartolo · demoHN recommends it for its raw, mostly natural audio and for conveying the speeds and violence of a shuttle launch and booster descent.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2024D David Carroll · demoHN points people to it as the canonical demo of early interactive graphics, constraints and objects, and as one of Alan Kay's favorite things to show.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2025G Goodwood Road & Racing · demoHN points to it as a striking demonstration of fan-downforce EVs, with a run that looks glued to the track and almost sped up.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2024J Jim Pavloff · demoUsed as an example of prototyping music and, in a Copilot copyright thread, of a handmade reconstruction that sounds like the original.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2025L lftkryo · demoHN people recommend it as the work of an unusually creative artist-engineer whose whole channel is worth exploring.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 789. Use search to find the rest.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.