The hottest Substack posts right now

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No, RAG is probably not going to rescue the current situation

Marcus on AI • 3392 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Tech industry AI Ethics Research
  1. In Silicon Valley, accountability for promises is often lacking, especially with over $100 billion invested in areas like the driverless car industry with little to show for it.
  2. Retrieval Augmentation Generation (RAG) is a new hope for enhancing Large Language Models (LLMs), but it's still in its early stages and not a guaranteed solution yet.
  3. RAG may help reduce errors in LLMs, but achieving reliable artificial intelligence output is a complex challenge that won't be easily solved with quick fixes or current technology.

A Year In Chips

The Chip Letter • 8222 implied HN points • 30 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Programming Languages Hardware Microcontrollers
  1. The Chip Letter had 75 posts, over 500,000 views, and gained over 7,000 new subscribers in 2023.
  2. Highlighted posts included the story of Erlang at WhatsApp, the disappearance of minicomputers, and a celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Integrated Circuit.
  3. 2024 will bring posts on the history of microcontrollers, Moore's Law, the Motorola 6800, '8-bit', GPUs, TPUs, and more, with a 20% discount available for new annual subscriptions.

Monkey Laundering

Where's Your Ed At • 20772 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
💼 Business Cryptocurrency Venture Capital Investing Market Analysis
  1. Investing in NFTs as a way to own unique digital assets may not guarantee value or ownership of intellectual property.
  2. Many NFT projects overpromise benefits like voting power and ownership in the company, leading to unfulfilled expectations.
  3. The NFT industry is often characterized by scams, fake transactions, and inflated values, preying on the desperation of people seeking investment opportunities.

How to get funding from deluded, self-congratulatory investors

Penelope Trunk's Substack • 419 implied HN points • 21 Apr 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investment Gender Equality Networking Workplace dynamics
  1. Having a male co-founder can improve a female founder's odds of raising funding due to biases in the investment industry.
  2. Focusing on showcasing a reckless passion and working long hours can help female founders combat gender biases when pitching to investors.
  3. Building a network of male connections can be essential for female founders in navigating the challenges of the venture capital landscape.

Highlights From The Comments On Capitalism & Charity

Astral Codex Ten • 6744 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
💼 Business Charity Capitalism Development Economic Growth
  1. Some comments argue for reiterating the importance of a specific context when considering spending money for charity or capitalism.
  2. There are discussions on the effectiveness of investing in companies with social missions, such as providing microfinance or supporting profitable charitable ventures.
  3. Consideration is given to the balance between supporting capitalism and charitable causes in the context of economic impact and sustainability.
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You Are Not The Man In The Arena

Where's Your Ed At • 24184 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Startup Culture Tech industry Venture Capital Cryptocurrency Artificial Intelligence
  1. The man in the arena speech by Theodore Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of taking action over criticism.
  2. Chamath Palihapitiya symbolizes a detrimental mindset in Silicon Valley of valuing image over actual value creation.
  3. The tech industry's obsession with funding specific kinds of founders and companies has created a harmful monoculture that prioritizes profit over societal impact.

Social Conservatism as 4D Chess

Richard Hanania's Newsletter • 2048 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Epistemology Culture Policy Religion
  1. Social conservatives make claims about higher-order effects to justify their positions on issues like abortion and euthanasia, but these claims often lack evidence or are disproven by cross-national comparisons.
  2. Slippery slope arguments can be valid in limited contexts, but broad claims like legalizing prostitution affecting overall societal values need substantial evidence, which is often lacking.
  3. Government policies in free countries have limited influence on shaping culture predictably; the impact is often chaotic and hard to plan for, as seen by historical examples of social policies not aligning with expected cultural changes.

Introducing Your Weekly Stack

read • 38031 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
🕹 Technology News Email Writing
  1. Substack is introducing a new email digest called Your Weekly Stack to help readers discover new stories and writers on the platform.
  2. Your Weekly Stack will be sent every Wednesday, providing a roundup of curated posts for subscribers.
  3. Readers can provide feedback on Your Weekly Stack and opt out at any time if they do not find it suitable.

Sora Can’t Handle the Truth

Marcus on AI • 3392 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Data Errors Training Data Images
  1. Large language models like Sora often make up information, leading to errors like hallucinations in their output.
  2. Systems like Sora, despite having immense computational power and being grounded in both text and images, still struggle with generating accurate and realistic content.
  3. Sora's errors stem from its inability to comprehend global context, leading to flawed outputs even when individual details are correct.

The Popehat Report Is Moving To Beehiiv

The Popehat Report • 4611 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Blogging Platforms Social media
  1. The Popehat Report is moving to Beehiiv, a different platform for blogs and newsletters.
  2. Ken White made the decision to switch platforms for several reasons, including the opportunity for design changes and a more 'bloggy' feel.
  3. The new platform will allow for easy subscription management and Ken White will still be present on Substack as a co-host on Serious Trouble.

Marshall McLuhan on Why Content Moderation is a Red Herring

After Babel • 2883 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Social media Childhood Content Moderation Online safety Tech Ethics
  1. Content moderation is essential, but focusing solely on it overlooks larger issues related to the harmful effects of platforms on kids
  2. The harmful impact of social media on children is not just about the content they consume, but also about the changes in childhood due to excessive screen time
  3. Implementing norms like delaying smartphones until high school could help in restoring a healthier, play-based childhood for kids

Open Thread 311

Astral Codex Ten • 5574 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI AI Alignment Machine Learning
  1. Weekly open thread for discussions and questions on various topics.
  2. AI art generators still have room for improvement in handling tough compositionality requests.
  3. Reminder about the PIBBSS Fellowship, a fully-funded program in AI alignment for PhDs and postdocs from diverse fields.

Niccolò Machiavelli, Adam Smith, and the crisis of modern science

uTobian • 4952 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Politics History Science Medicine
  1. In modern times, freedom is often associated with unrestrained passion, but the idea of freedom through personal restraint from ancient times is considered a better path to happiness and fulfillment.
  2. The writings of Niccolò Machiavelli marked a shift in the concept of freedom towards acknowledging human selfishness and focusing on political security through class conflict.
  3. The current crisis in science and medicine is prompting a reevaluation of the assumption that scientists and doctors are inherently virtuous, suggesting the need for reforms based on the idea that they may be motivated by greed and power.

The Panel Reacts: Is the Vision Pro for Everyone, or Just Enthusiasts?

Big Technology • 3878 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Tech news Virtual reality Apple Gadgets Podcasts
  1. The Apple Vision Pro headset has impressive technology like mixed reality and a comfortable design, but its high price raises questions on its target audience.
  2. Insiders believe that the Vision Pro may be more suited for developers and enterprise users due to its productivity potential, rather than appealing to the general consumer market.
  3. The Vision Pro's unique design and solitary usage may affect its adoption speed, with opinions split on its potential success in the long term.

Junk Bond Trader

Where's Your Ed At • 13056 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Finance Marketing Management Investing
  1. Elon Musk is perceived as a modern-day hustler, skilled at manipulating media and markets without creating tangible value.
  2. Musk's success lies in picking companies and products that promise eternal growth, even if the reality doesn't align with the hype.
  3. The acquisitions of SolarCity, Twitter, and the Cybertruck showcase Musk playing outside the odds, relying on emotion, and making risky bets.

Of falling door plugs and missing bolts and holes in fuselages and 737 Max 9's

Lucian Truscott Newsletter • 3655 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
💼 Business Aerospace Manufacturing Corporate culture Quality control
  1. Private equity in aircraft manufacturing can lead to cost-cutting measures that compromise safety.
  2. Recent accidents involving Boeing 737 models point to potential flaws in design and manufacturing processes.
  3. Pressure to speed up production in the aviation industry can result in quality control issues and safety risks.

Take on the Kubernetes Resume Challenge

Cloud Irregular • 3104 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing Programming Training Community
  1. The Cloud Resume Challenge community is launching a Kubernetes Challenge throughout March to help individuals build their Kubernetes skills by deploying a basic e-commerce website.
  2. The challenge focuses on learning the operations of a K8s cluster such as configuration, scaling, monitoring, and persistence, offering guidance to prevent going off track.
  3. Participants will work through the challenge together over 4 weeks in the CRC Discord server, with special incentives for those who complete it.

The Panel Reacts: OpenAI Fires CEO Sam Altman

Big Technology • 10258 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics
  1. CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, was fired due to lack of candid communication with the board.
  2. Altman's departure has raised concerns about the future of OpenAI and its AGI mission.
  3. Industry experts are surprised by the sudden firing and speculate on the impact of losing Altman's leadership.

Gemini: how did we end up here?

lcamtuf’s thing • 2166 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Language Models Big Tech Content Moderation
  1. The development of large language models (LLMs) like Gemini involves mechanisms like reinforcement learning from human feedback, which can lead to biases and quirky responses.
  2. Concerns arise about the use of LLMs for automated content moderation and the potential impact on historical and political education for children.
  3. The shift within Big Tech towards paternalistic content moderation reflects a move away from the libertarian culture predominant until the mid-2010s, highlighting evolving perspectives on regulating information online.

Has Google gone too woke? Why even the biggest models still struggle with guardrails

Marcus on AI • 2603 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Data Bias Machine Learning
  1. Google's large models struggle with implementing proper guardrails, despite ongoing investments and cultural criticisms.
  2. Issues like presenting fictional characters as historical figures, lacking cultural and historical accuracy, persist with AI systems like Gemini.
  3. Current AI lacks the ability to understand and balance cultural sensitivity with historical accuracy, showing the need for more nuanced and intelligent systems in the future.

Open Thread 317

Astral Codex Ten • 2340 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Social media AI Data
  1. Some users who were supposed to be unbanned were not truly unbanned, leading to a need for them to reach out to get it fixed.
  2. Substack acknowledges issues with page and comment loading speed, with plans to improve that in the future.
  3. GPT-6's training might require only 0.1% of the world's computers, according to Ben Todd's findings, a significant discrepancy from previous estimations.

ACX Grants Followup Impact Market

Astral Codex Ten • 1858 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
💼 Business Grants Investment Charity Philanthropy Finance
  1. ACX Grants involves an impact market where investors crowdfund grant proposals with potential for big profits if successful.
  2. Only 44 out of approximately 140 qualified participants have signed up for the impact market so far, with a different approach allowing non-accredited investors to participate.
  3. Investing in impact certificates through this system has risks like potential project failure, but also benefits such as tax deductibility.

Panic Among the Streamers

The Honest Broker • 22673 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
💼 Business Technology Entertainment Finance Economy Industry
  1. Spotify's CEO sold $100 million in stock amidst the company's increasing losses, causing concern among investors.
  2. Streaming companies like Netflix and Disney are heavily investing in AI technology, potentially replacing human creativity with bots.
  3. Music streaming platforms like Spotify prioritize profit over user experience, creating a bland and generic listening environment.

The Open/Closed/Open Principle

Software Design: Tidy First? • 1565 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Design Isolation Experimentation
  1. In software design, there are ordinary phases (small changes) and revolutionary phases (fundamental changes) - understanding when each is needed is important.
  2. Revolutionary design violates the open/closed principle by requiring new elements and relationships that don't fit with the existing design.
  3. Revolutionary changes in design require different values and care compared to ordinary design - they are essential for accommodating new types of features.

Happy 1st Birthday, GPT-4

Marcus on AI • 1380 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Applications Progress Competition
  1. There seems to be a possible plateau in GPT-4's capability, with no one decisively beating it yet.
  2. Despite challenges, there has been progress in discovering applications and putting GPT-4 type models into practice.
  3. Companies are finding putting Large Language Models into real-world use challenging, with many initial expectations proving unrealistic.

Is Vivek Ramaswamy A BioTech Ponzi Schemer & Deep State Asset?

2nd Smartest Guy in the World • 4658 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
💼 Business Biotech Scams Investing Entrepreneurship Finance
  1. Vivek Ramaswamy made millions from biotech companies that failed, leading to accusations of running a Ponzi Scheme.
  2. Ramaswamy has been critiquing corporations engaging in what he calls 'socially conscious investing' as a threat to America's well-being.
  3. Despite accusations and controversies, Ramaswamy's net worth has been estimated to be over $950 million, raising questions about his business practices.

Messi, Inc.

The Generalist • 2341 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
💼 Business Sports Technology Investing Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. Being considered the GOAT in a sport can lead to lucrative opportunities and wealth accumulation, as seen with athletes like Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi.
  2. Changes in social media, technology, and athlete earnings have given superstar athletes more power and control over their wealth and commercial endeavors.
  3. Lionel Messi's strategic moves, like moving to America and establishing Play Time, indicate a growing potential for immense wealth through business ventures beyond his football career.

Better Data Science: How To Design Visualizations that Work

Data at Depth • 79 implied HN points • 05 May 24
🕹 Technology Data science Visualization Accessibility Aesthetics Design principles
  1. Start with defining the function you want the audience to perform with the presented data before creating visualizations that support it
  2. Implement aspects like affordances, accessibility, and aesthetics to ensure your visualizations are clear, usable, and visually appealing for the audience
  3. Achieving acceptance of your data visualization involves following established design principles like direct labeling, thoughtful use of color, alignment, and the data-ink principle

🌍📈 The world is a less impoverished and more equal place than you think

Faster, Please! • 1736 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Business Policy Health Clean Energy
  1. Productivity and worker pay have increased together over the years, contrary to popular belief.
  2. Income inequality has actually decreased since 2007, suggesting concerns might be overstated or outdated.
  3. Global poverty and inequality have declined since the 1980s, even after adjusting for systematic survey misreporting.

A Billion-Dollar Fraud In Plain Sight

Where's Your Ed At • 10237 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
💰 Finance Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Bankruptcy Regulation
  1. Gemini's
  2. Earn
  3. program misled customers into investing in risky lender Genesis Capital.
  4. The NY Attorney General filed a significant fraud suit against Gemini, Genesis, and Digital Currency Group for misleading customers and covering up losses.
  5. The Winklevoss twins actively deceived customers, putting billions of dollars into an unstable lender and reaping profits while customers faced losses.