Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderIt's a little better experience via an online C64 emulator. Download the 256 byte demo: https://hd0.linusakesson.net/files/a_mind_is_born.prg Go to the emulator: https://c64emulator.111mb.de/index.php?site=pp_javascript&la... Scroll down to "drop file", turn off autoload, upload the demo , turn on sound and fullscreen, then click the "load" button.
> The melody is generated by a linear-feedback shift register (LFSR). Thus, in one sense, the melody is randomly generated. But I spent a considerable amount of time tweaking the random process until I found something that was musically satisfactory. This is just mind blowing to me. The music is actually really good, I've been playing it on repeat and I just wish it could be longer.
cf Craft (2008) https://linusakesson.net/scene/craft/index.php
Just realising two things - firstly I could never write something like this in 256 bytes (I mean using two bytes miles apart from each other as the global clock while the melody is encoded in bytes around them - it's ... beautiful. Secondly HN submissions are becoming my real bookmarks.
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 631
- Total comments
- 119
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-21 | A Mind is BornFirst breakout | fredley | 306 | 53 |
| 2020-03-20 | A Mind Is Born | lifeisstillgood | 2 | 1 |
| 2021-03-19 | A Mind Is Born (2017)Best thread · Latest 20+ point return | matthewsinclair | 311 | 64 |
| 2023-01-01 | A Mind is Born: making a demo in just 256 bytes (2017) | pkkm | 6 | 1 |
| 2023-04-16 | A Mind Is Born (2017)Hall induction | mrfinn | 2 | 0 |
| 2024-09-09 | A Mind Is Born | colinprince | 1 | 0 |
| 2025-02-17 | A Mind Is Born (2017) | ivanjermakov | 2 | 0 |
| 2025-07-11 | A Mind Is Born: 256 byte Commodore 64 demo | fanf2 | 1 | 0 |