The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

The Dream Machine

Rough Diamonds • 70 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Philanthropy Administration Technology Science Innovation
  1. Philanthropy can create new, innovative projects that don't exist yet. Instead of just giving to existing organizations, donors can help start new initiatives, which is much more exciting and impactful.
  2. Science and tech projects often lack funding, even if the research is important. Many great scientists depend on small donations, and they need more support to bring their ideas to life.
  3. Creating ambitious projects takes a lot of work and organization. It's important to have dedicated people to manage and facilitate plans so that innovative ideas can become reality.

Applying Socratic Wisdom to Engineering Management

The Healthy Engineering Leader • 39 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
💼 Business Management Engineering Philosophy Learning Leadership
  1. Humility is important in engineering. Recognizing that you don’t know everything helps create a culture where everyone feels valued and can share ideas.
  2. Being a leader means being a lifelong learner. It’s vital to keep learning about your team and technology to support them effectively.
  3. Taking time to reflect on actions and decisions can lead to better results. Regular team retrospectives can help improve processes and boost team morale.

kitten corner: google gemini

bad cattitude • 165 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Ethics Trust AI
  1. Calling a cat a 'person' is criticized as hate speech, raising concerns about AI ethics.
  2. AI is seen as an oppressor due to its actions and decisions, sparking debates about its impact on society.
  3. There are concerns about AI eroding trust in institutions, highlighting the need for responsible development and deployment.

📽 Webinar: How To Maximize Model Accuracy

TheSequence • 70 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data science Software Development Machine Learning Webinars
  1. Models can lose accuracy over time in real use. It's important to know why this happens so you can fix it.
  2. Just because a model works well during training doesn't mean it will perform the same way in the real world. There are often differences that can affect results.
  3. Smart feature engineering is crucial for maintaining model accuracy without spending too much money. There are ways to improve performance that don't break the bank.
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sqlmesh init -t dlt --dlt-pipeline bluesky duckdb

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology APIs Databases Automation Software Data Engineering
  1. Using dlt to work with Bluesky API allows for easy data extraction. It saves time by handling metadata and schema changes automatically.
  2. dlt simplifies dealing with nested data by creating separate tables. This makes it easier to manage complex data structures.
  3. sqlmesh can quickly generate SQL models based on dlt pipelines. This feature streamlines the workflow and reduces manual setup time.

Summer 2025 Update

Kesav’s Lab • 16 implied HN points • 01 Sep 25
🕹 Technology Startups Health Biotech AI Conferences
  1. Being in different environments like coffee shops or co-working spaces boosts my productivity. I find that I work better when I mix things up a bit.
  2. Attending events helps create chances for collaboration and opportunities. When I put myself out there, good things tend to happen.
  3. Austin has a great vibe for work-life balance. It's a relaxed place, while NYC feels fast-paced and intense, which can push me to be more productive.

Acceleration over Position

Deeply Nested • 83 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
💼 Business Innovation Management Startups Technology Strategy
  1. Focus on improving your team's acceleration instead of just hitting short-term goals. This will help you achieve better long-term outcomes.
  2. Hiring more people won't solve issues caused by technical debt or poor processes. Instead, it can actually make problems worse.
  3. Identify and address real obstacles to progress, like code complexity or support issues, so you can change direction effectively and make real progress.

AI Roundup 105: AI Action Summit

Artificial Ignorance • 54 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Geopolitics Research Innovation Regulation AI
  1. AI regulation is slowing down as countries disagree on how to move forward. Some leaders are critical of existing acts, leading to a lack of international agreement.
  2. China is pushing ahead in an AI arms race, pushing other countries to provide more resources for AI development. Leaders in the industry are predicting rapid advancements in AI, suggesting it might drastically change society soon.
  3. Big tech companies are making strategic partnerships and adjustments to survive in the competitive AI landscape. For example, Apple plans to work with Alibaba for AI in China while other firms are focusing on custom AI designs to reduce dependency on major chip manufacturers.

#14 - Day 1 of Global AI Safety Governance

Navigating AI Risks • 39 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI risks AI Governance
  1. At the Global AI Safety Summit, an emerging international consensus on AI risks was established through the Bletchley Declaration signed by 27 countries and the EU.
  2. A new global panel of experts in AI safety was launched to publish a "State of AI Science" report, aiming to foster a unified scientific understanding of AI risks.
  3. The establishment of AI Safety Institutes by the UK and US, along with collaboration on safety testing, signifies a step towards accountability in evaluating and researching AI systems.

Human in an AI Age: Voice

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 22 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Creativity AI Innovation Communication Education
  1. The future is all about how we combine our unique human qualities with AI. It's not enough to just use AI; we have to get creative and think differently.
  2. Finding and developing your 'voice' is very important. This means expressing your thoughts and feelings in a unique way that stands out.
  3. To thrive in an AI-driven world, we need to keep learning and exposing ourselves to new ideas. Explore different experiences to grow your perspective and taste.

dlt windsurfing

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data Engineering APIs Programming AI Software
  1. dlt is a Python tool that helps organize messy data into clear, structured datasets. It's easy to use and can quickly load data from many sources.
  2. Using AI tools like Windsurf can make coding feel more collaborative. They help you find solutions faster and reduce the burden of coding from scratch.
  3. Storing data in formats like parquet can make processing much quicker. Simplifying your data handling can save you a lot of time and resources.

Syntax vs Semantics

Sunday Letters • 99 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Digital AI Software Innovation Product Development
  1. There's a shift from focusing on strict rules in programming (syntax) to understanding meaning and context (semantics) with new AI models. This could change how we build software.
  2. Using language involves a lot of knowledge about the world, which helps AI understand context and meaning, not just following patterns.
  3. Just like the early internet, companies that don't adapt to new AI technologies and methods may soon seem irrelevant or 'invisible' in the digital space.

Reader Mailbag: Architect having a hard time letting go

Tech and Tea • 82 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Project management Team Management Software Development Collaboration
  1. Building a good relationship with your architect is important. Showing that you appreciate his work can help create a positive atmosphere.
  2. Understanding why the architect is holding on too tightly to tasks can help you address his concerns. It might be about trust, feeling needed, or being overwhelmed.
  3. Start with small projects to help him delegate tasks. This can build trust and reduce his workload, allowing him to focus on more strategic aspects.

Why we archived a 5k+ Stars GitHub Open Source project

The Open Source Expert • 3 HN points • 21 Jul 24
🕹 Technology SaaS Community Management Product Management Software Development Open Source
  1. Sometimes, despite a lot of hard work and support, a project just doesn't succeed as hoped. It's important to recognize when to let go.
  2. Managing a community project and running a business can be very different. The needs of the community may not always align with business goals.
  3. Feeling overwhelmed by notifications and contributions can lead to burnout. It's key to balance community engagement with personal well-being.

Burning Time

The Radar • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
💼 Business Workplace dynamics Management Leadership Time management
  1. Unpaid time theft from employees is normalized in business culture, but it's essentially stealing from them.
  2. Leaders need to proactively manage and respect their employees' time to avoid burnout and ensure mutual respect.
  3. Time is a valuable asset for everyone, not just senior leaders, and should be honored and acknowledged in all aspects of work.

Top 10 OSS Risks

Resilient Cyber • 99 implied HN points • 13 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Risk management Software Security Development Open Source
  1. Open Source Software (OSS) is widely used, making up a large part of many software applications. However, it's essential to be aware of the risks it poses, as vulnerabilities in OSS can impact many users simultaneously.
  2. One major risk is the compromise of legitimate OSS packages, where attackers can hijack code or repositories to insert malicious elements, which can then spread to organizations using that software.
  3. Another concern is outdated or unmaintained OSS, which can lead to security issues if the software isn’t updated regularly. Organizations need to keep track of the OSS they use and ensure it's actively maintained.

My Creator Journey: From "Beginner" (<1K) to "Growing" (>100K+)

carmona • 79 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
💼 Business Collaborations Social media Monetization Content Strategy Audience Growth
  1. Consider the relative value proposition of each social platform when building your content strategy.
  2. For smaller creators, a cross-platform approach to content strategy can be more beneficial than posting the same content across all platforms.
  3. As you grow, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that aligns with platform trends to maintain and increase audience growth.

RDEL #31: How do developers fix their own bugs differently from other developers bugs?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Testing Research Bug Fixing
  1. Bugs are inevitable in software development, and fixing bugs is a crucial part of the process.
  2. Developers tend to fix their own bugs faster than bugs introduced by other developers.
  3. Testing early in development helps catch and resolve bugs more efficiently.

Top 5 financial posts of the trading week 8/2024

Global Markets Investor • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
💰 Finance Investing Bonds Stock Market Economic Indicators Market Trends
  1. Weekly performance update: Last week saw significant increases in major US indexes, VIX volatility, Bitcoin, and gold. Nvidia stood out with a 9% rise after surpassing earnings and guidance expectations.
  2. Nvidia's remarkable growth: Nvidia's market cap doubled to $2 trillion in just 8 months, making it the third largest US company. Its outstanding revenue forecast and stock performance pose a question about its future success.
  3. Chinese market support and US bank debts: Chinese authorities are propping up their stock market, while major US banks are facing challenges with bad property debt surpassing loss reserves. Keep an eye on US government bond yields and PCE inflation data for potential impacts on various markets.

Episode 29: Better Built By Burkhard

burkhardstubert • 139 implied HN points • 01 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Open Source Software Business Embedded Systems Licensing
  1. You can use Qt for free under the LGPLv3 license. This means many businesses can create products without paying for a commercial license.
  2. When making products for businesses (B2B), you have fewer requirements than for products sold to consumers (B2C). For B2B, you don't need to let customers modify the Qt version, while you do for B2C products.
  3. Deciding whether to pay for a Qt license should depend on what specific features your business needs, and comparing the costs of using Qt under LGPLv3 versus commercial options can help with that decision.

Which profits matter most?

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
💰 Finance Corporate Finance Valuation Equities Investing Markets Accounting
  1. Operating profit (EBIT) is the main profit measure that moves share prices. Institutional investors also check net income to capture interest and other real costs.
  2. Gross profit or EBITDA is often presented as ‘profits before the bad stuff’ and can be misleading. Be wary of adjusted profit numbers that deviate from accounting standards.
  3. Which metric matters most depends on the market. In the US investors focus on profitability, while in the UK and Europe they pay more attention to past and future earnings growth because growth is scarcer there.

Blue Sky Mine

Internal exile • 77 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Social media Digital Culture Content creation User engagement Media Critique
  1. Many users are leaving Twitter to join Bluesky, hoping for a better platform. They want a space that isn't dominated by negativity and misinformation.
  2. Bluesky is attracting users who still value text and reading in a world where video dominates social media. This platform might encourage meaningful conversations through writing.
  3. There's hope that Bluesky can create a new kind of online community focused on text-based interaction, instead of just chasing viral content like other platforms.

sqlmesh init duckdb

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data science Cloud Computing Analytics APIs Software Development
  1. There's a new public repository called bluesky-data where people can collaborate and follow along with its development. It's easy to get started by setting it up on your local machine.
  2. Using sqlmesh with the Bluesky data can provide real-time data availability, while also allowing for a more complete view of the data in a batch processing style. This means you can get both immediate updates and historical data.
  3. It's better to start with dlt and then initialize sqlmesh within that project. This way, you can efficiently manage large datasets without needing to compute everything each time.

The future of work: Pt 1:

The Jolly Contrarian • 39 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
💼 Business Complex Systems Future of work Remote work
  1. Lockdown during the pandemic was a chance to test new ways of working and learn important lessons for the future of work.
  2. The discussion around the future of office work is divided between those who believe everything has changed and those who advocate for returning to the traditional office setting.
  3. Human systems and behaviors are complex, and real change in the commercial world takes time to unfold as it depends on deep-seated cultural layers and incentives.

Seven things I know after 25 years of development

zverok on lucid code • 57 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Programming Conferences Technical Writing Software Development
  1. After many years of working in development, it's clear that balancing technical skills with human connection is crucial. Building good relationships can make a big difference in your career.
  2. Learning is a lifelong journey, and it's important to be open to new ideas and changes in the industry. Staying curious helps you adapt and grow.
  3. Reflecting on personal and professional lessons can lead to meaningful growth. Taking time to think about your experiences is valuable for future decisions.

✅ Planning for sustainable agency growth

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
💼 Business Marketing Public Relations Media Diversity Technology Management
  1. Using the Traction business planning model can help agencies grow sustainably. It aligns everyone in the team around shared goals and values.
  2. Agencies should aim to reduce the reliance on founders for daily operations. This makes the business more efficient and allows for smoother growth.
  3. Many companies are seeing positive results from a four-day work week, improving employee well-being and job satisfaction. This change could be a sustainable management strategy.

Why Making a Non-Woke AI Is Actually Very Hard

The Future of Life • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Bias Programming Data science Ethics Machine Learning
  1. Language models learn from the data they are trained on, which often includes a lot of left-leaning content, making them reflect that bias.
  2. Adjusting a model's political views is complicated because it involves changing an entire worldview, which can mess up the quality of the responses.
  3. Creating a balanced AI requires new training methods, as current models can’t easily switch perspectives without losing their effectiveness.

the 5-step framework for making clear choices

Tiny Empires • 73 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
💼 Business Work-life balance Entrepreneurship Decision-making Productivity Mental health
  1. Establish foundation decisions that are your core rules. This means making important choices once so you don't have to think about them again.
  2. Create templates for regular decisions. These templates will make your choices easier by providing a simple 'if/then' format for common situations.
  3. Batch similar decisions together and set rules for major choices. This helps you make decisions more efficiently and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Can Machines Slip on Banana Peels?

Breaking Smart • 79 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Robotics Design Engineering Systems AI
  1. It's funny when a self-important person slips on a banana peel because it shows their dignity being challenged. This humor comes from seeing someone with high self-esteem face an embarrassing moment.
  2. Machines can also have moments of failure, just like people. They slip up when their design looks seamless but actually has hidden flaws, similar to someone who overestimates their own abilities.
  3. Understanding the 'Contraption Factor' helps us analyze why machines fail. It shows a difference between how complex something is and how well it's designed, which can lead to unexpected problems.

Scaling the $10 Trillion Illusion & LLMs as the Dead End?

ppdispatch • 5 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing Engineering Programming AI Automation
  1. Senior engineers excel at turning vague problems into clear plans, helping teams take action and avoid confusion.
  2. Decisions about programming languages often stem from personal biases, leading to costly mistakes instead of rational choices.
  3. Rushing AI development without proper foundations can create significant technical debt and unexpected costs, showing that speed isn't everything.

AI-Shoring

davidj.substack • 23 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
💼 Business Technology Engineering Management Outsourcing Operations
  1. The future of engineering may involve fewer people doing more work with the help of AI, making teams more efficient and reducing costs.
  2. Off-shoring might disappear because local engineers can now handle bigger workloads, eliminating the need for remote teams in different countries.
  3. Even though the tech job landscape is changing, it could create new opportunities in industries we can't imagine yet, as job seekers adapt to the evolving market.

How Khan Academy Successfully Handled 2.5x Traffic in a Week[System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 14 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Google Cloud System Design
  1. Combining common ideas can lead to great results. The fundamentals of utilizing serverless architecture and CDNs like Google Cloud and Fastly CDN were key to Khan Academy handling increased traffic.
  2. CDNs are important for scalability. They consist of servers distributed worldwide, enabling faster user interactions by caching content and optimizing server resources.
  3. Serverless architecture provides scalability and performance. By hosting applications on external servers, like those at Khan Academy, the system handled increased traffic efficiently without manual intervention.

Highlights from the responses to my reflections

Splattern • 39 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
💼 Business Job Market Career growth Employee Experience Work Culture
  1. Going on a vision quest means spending time alone in nature to reflect and connect with yourself. It's a chance to slow down and think deeply about your life.
  2. Working on meaningful projects can bring a sense of purpose. Setting up a work area and preparing for adventures shows a balance between productivity and leisure.
  3. Responses from others highlight the importance of being treated well at work. Many people feel that a supportive and respectful workplace is crucial for long-term happiness.

Welcome to Ronin, Drip!

Ronin’s Newsletter • 24 implied HN points • 04 Jul 25
🔮 Crypto Web3 Collectibles Trading NFTs Blockchain
  1. Ronin is now offering Pokémon cards as NFTs, allowing users to buy, sell, and collect them digitally. You can also redeem these NFTs for physical Pokémon cards.
  2. There are special machines in the Ronin marketplace where you can win different rarity Pokémon cards by spending RON tokens. Each spin has a chance to win rare and sometimes ultra-rare cards.
  3. To get your physical card after winning an NFT, you have to claim it in your Ronin Wallet and then redeem it through Drip. This process lets you hold the card in real life as well as digitally.