The hottest Substack posts right now

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No Need For Profit

Black Lodges • 58 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Human nature Innovation
  1. The internet was originally intended for decentralized communication and information exchange, not profit.
  2. Questioning the belief that a profit-driven economic model guarantees progress and innovation.
  3. Greed is not a definitive trait of human nature, and alternative motivators for innovation exist beyond profit, such as public good and intrinsic motivation.
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The Best People in PR

Dunnstack • 58 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
💼 Business Leadership TV shows PR
  1. PR matters and can change everything - like a movement!
  2. Having a great PR team is crucial for success, they craft the message, pitch to journalists, and bring attention.
  3. Taylor Sheridan is a talented TV creator and writer, with shows like 1923 and Tulsa King.

I am an LLM and I am writing this a word at a time

70 Years Old. WTF! • 58 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Language Creativity AI Writing Collaboration
  1. The author explains what an LLM, or Large Language Model, is - a system that predicts the next word in a sequence.
  2. The author discusses the process of writing and editing as an LLM, revealing similarities with ChatGPT and human writers.
  3. The author reflects on the collaboration between themselves and technology like ChatGPT in the writing process, highlighting the potential of human-machine partnerships in creativity.

The dread of ChatGPT

Digital Epidemiology • 58 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Education Health Ethics AI
  1. Feeling dread about AI is common, even among those close to technology.
  2. Technology revolutions follow predictable patterns of early failures and eventual mass adoption.
  3. The speed of AI development is a key concern, potentially leading to irreversible damage and shifts in power dynamics.

Ancova Energy Market Update

Ancova • 58 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
💰 Finance Crude Oil Natural Gas Energy Market Rig Count
  1. Prompt-month WTI crude oil trading at $75.87/bbl, influenced by SPR releases and refinery maintenance.
  2. Chinese firms hiring supertankers to haul US crude back to Asia, benefiting from arbitrage opportunities.
  3. US rig count up by 14, Permian basin leading with 360 active rigs, expected overall rig count growth throughout 2023.

LLMs are machines. Are you one too?

70 Years Old. WTF! • 58 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Language Models Text generation
  1. LLMs are Large Language Models, which are computer systems trained to generate language based on patterns.
  2. LLMs can write better than most humans, but they lack the freedom of expression that humans have.
  3. The difference between how a human writes and how a machine like ChatGPT generates text is the ability to freely use explicit language.

Tiers of Transaction Finality for Rollups

Cryptocurrency and Friends • 58 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🔮 Crypto Transactions Cryptocurrency Execution Rollups Blockchain
  1. In rollup transactions, finality occurs in three stages: Sequencer's Promise, Order Finality, and Execution Settlement.
  2. The Sequencer promises correct transaction execution, the bridge determines final transaction order, and Executors verify and enforce execution.
  3. Separating transaction ordering from execution allows for quick order finality and potential delays in execution settlement in rollup transactions.

Europe unanimously adopts secure comms initiative

Europe in Space • 58 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Satellites Space European Union Telecommunications
  1. Europe adopted a secure communications initiative called IRIS2 with overwhelming support.
  2. The project aims to develop a secure European communications constellation with 170 low Earth orbit satellites and a budget of €2.4 billion.
  3. The initiative faces challenges like tight timelines for satellite development and launch capacity constraints, especially with the Ariane 6 rocket.

The People's Root

The Shake • 58 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Blockchain Domains
  1. Superlink is a domain registrar that offers personal domain names like first name dot last name domains.
  2. Handshake allows for new naming patterns, making it a root zone for surnames worldwide.
  3. Superlink collects TLDs for various uses like websites, email, wallets, and usernames.

The Making of Whisper: An In-Depth Exploration of its Training Data and Process

Amgad’s Substack • 39 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Data Collection Data Quality
  1. OpenAI's Whisper ASR model stands out for its accuracy, made possible by releasing both its architecture and checkpoints under an open-source license, setting a new standard of innovation in the field.
  2. The training of AI models can be divided into supervised and unsupervised approaches, each with its unique strengths and limitations, with significant implications for achieving high-quality results.
  3. Data curation is a critical aspect of model training, with OpenAI showcasing the importance of maintaining data integrity through a meticulous process of automated filtering, manual inspection, and guarding against data leakage.

UX Roundup: Image Models Compared | Writing for the Web | AI vs. Human Cognition | E-Commerce Usability | Multimodal Music Models

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 9 implied HN points • 17 Nov 25
🕹 Technology AI Models E-commerce Usability
  1. New image generation models like Microsoft's MAI-Image-1 and Grok Image 0.9 are being compared. Grok is currently outperforming Microsoft, showing that competition is important for improvement.
  2. When writing for the web, start with the most important information first. This 'inverted pyramid' style helps users quickly find what they need without wasting time.
  3. AI is increasingly being used in e-commerce and is leading to measurable increases in sales. However, improvements vary by the size of the seller, with smaller sellers benefiting more from AI.

Comparing the Financials of Databricks and Snowflake

Tanay’s Newsletter • 82 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
💼 Business Investments Startups Growth Finance Technology
  1. Databricks is growing faster than Snowflake, with a revenue growth rate of 57% compared to Snowflake's 27%. However, Snowflake remains more profitable at this point.
  2. Databricks is currently valued higher than Snowflake due to its strong growth potential and better positioning in the AI market. This could lead to a significant payoff for them in the long run.
  3. Snowflake and Databricks have different business strategies, with Snowflake focusing on profitability and Databricks investing heavily in growth and product development, especially in AI technologies.

Nvidia and the AI scaling wall, and what founder mode really is

Alex's Personal Blog • 98 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors AI Product Development Startups Computing
  1. Nvidia is experiencing strong demand for its new Blackwell GPUs, which are expected to outperform previous models. Major companies are eager to integrate these powerful chips into their systems.
  2. The concept of 'founder mode' is about being deeply involved in the critical details of your business. It's not just about delegating tasks, but collaborating closely with team members to achieve great outcomes.
  3. The AI industry continues to evolve with new ways to improve model performance. Nvidia's focus on scaling in various aspects shows that innovation in AI is still very much alive.

UX Roundup: ChatGPT Agent | Opportunities Change Behavior | Breadcrumbs | UX Career Pivot | Make Viral Thumbnails | Startups Driven by AI | Enterprise Use of AI | Design Thinking | UX Jobs

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 29 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Innovation AI Enterprise Startups UX Design
  1. The new ChatGPT Agent helps users interact more easily without needing to visit websites. It's changing how we think about user interfaces.
  2. With advancements in technology, like smartphones and AI, people change their behaviors to make the most of new opportunities. We can't exactly predict what they'll do, but it’s going to be big.
  3. Breadcrumbs are a useful tool on websites that help people find their way back when they get lost. They're simple to use and make navigating a website much easier.

Next 40 & French Tech 120: Sale histoire

Venture Prose • 778 implied HN points • 19 Jan 20
💼 Business Tech industry Entrepreneurship Economy Government Policies Startups
  1. The French Tech rankings like Next 40 and French Tech 120 can be controversial and unfair in their selection process, often favoring hyper-growth companies with large funding over sustainable, profitable ones.
  2. Historically, stock markets for small to medium-sized companies have shown limited success, revealing the challenges of creating liquidity, building reputation, and accessing funding through such platforms.
  3. The government's initiatives for startups, like employee incentive plans and hiring foreign talent, have a positive impact on the development of French tech companies, despite the controversies surrounding certain rankings.

The little green "Active" dot.

Nate is Learning • 58 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🕹 Technology UX Culture
  1. The 'Active' dot in Slack can create a culture of optics and virtual micro-management.
  2. Some users appreciate the 'Active' dot as it shows extra effort put in.
  3. There can be a dilemma between catering to daily users and maintaining status quo for paying users.

Government as a Service

Engineering Open Societies • 58 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Government Data Access Product Development API
  1. Governments struggle to build good software for citizens, with outdated technology and convoluted processes.
  2. Governments lack good product and software development practices, often using outdated methods and facing bureaucratic challenges.
  3. Governments have inadequate API and data access, causing issues for engineers and entrepreneurs trying to integrate with government systems.