Hackaday Podcast 382: glueball discovery, Supercon tickets, and a supersonic trebuchet

The latest episode of the Hackaday Podcast, number 382, is out, and hosts Kristina and Elliot have packed it with news, listener mail, and a fresh batch of interesting hacks. The show kicks off with a look at recent Hackaday stories, including the opening of ticket sales for Supercon Ten. Tickets went live on Thursday morning, but the early bird allocation is likely already gone. Organizers say more will be released soon, so those who missed out shouldn't despair.

For those who'd rather not pay for admission, there's still a way in: submit a talk proposal for the 2026 Supercon, and if it's accepted, you'll get in free. The call for participation has been extended by two weeks, pushing the deadline to August 26th. That gives procrastinators a bit more breathing room.

The mailbag segment features a curious anecdote from listener Vik Olliver, which left the hosts scratching their heads. It sparked a brief but spirited debate about the merits of imperial versus metric units, a classic engineering argument that never gets old.

On the science front, the podcast touches on a potentially major discovery: scientists may have finally confirmed the existence of glueballs — hypothetical particles made entirely of gluons. It's the kind of finding that could reshape particle physics, and the hosts dig into what it might mean. Also on the list are "Borg cubes," a nod to Star Trek that apparently has real-world engineering parallels, and a supersonic trebuchet that sounds both absurd and impressive.

Finally, the episode reminds listeners about the upcoming solar eclipse and offers tips for watching it from home. As always, the show wraps up with quick hacks picked by each host, and full show notes with links to everything discussed are available for those who want to dig deeper.