--- title: "wake up! 16b" url: https://daily.dev/posts/wake-up-16b-mfatayrat source_url: https://hellmood.111mb.de/wake_up_16b_writeup.html type: article source: "Hacker News" published: 2026-05-18T06:23:38.569Z updated: 2026-05-18T06:24:03.099Z reading_time: 10 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # wake up! 16b **[Hacker News](https://daily.dev/sources/hn)** · 10 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A deep technical breakdown of a 16-byte x86 real-mode DOS demo released at the Outline Demoparty 2026. The code initializes VGA text mode, then uses a tight loop with XOR operations on video memory to generate an infinite Sierpinski triangle fractal. The same byte values controlling the fractal's geometry are simultaneously sent to PC speaker port 61h, where Bit 1 drives the speaker cone — making the fractal's structure directly audible as square-wave audio. The post explains the mathematics behind the XOR/Rule 60 cellular automaton, how a -56 byte step size affects frequency (dropping output by one octave vs. a 16-byte step), how the loop maps to 10 visual columns on an 80-byte screen width, and why the remaining bits sent to port 61h are harmless in standard DOS environments. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Endbot – 256b DOS Intro](https://daily.dev/posts/endbot-256b-dos-intro-mylkcsnhj) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Pure Silicon Demo Coding: No CPU, No Memory, Just 4k Gates](https://daily.dev/posts/pure-silicon-demo-coding-no-cpu-no-memory-just-4k-gates-erfarcxe9) · Hacker News · 3 upvotes · 0 comments - [The following is a valid DOS COM executable](https://daily.dev/posts/the-following-is-a-valid-dos-com-executable-9dmiwxytc) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Bit-Hacks Pixel Dungeon](https://daily.dev/posts/bit-hacks-pixel-dungeon-rwpb3ueug) · Two Stop Bits · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [\(C2SLFF4](https://daily.dev/posts/c2slff4-on4pfnbag) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/wake-up-16b-mfatayrat)