The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

The MechaHitler Reich

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 13 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Data Privacy Innovation Regulation AI Cybernetics
  1. Elon Musk believes merging humans and AI is essential for our survival. He sees it as a way to enhance human capabilities and cope with the challenges posed by advanced AI.
  2. Musk has faced difficulties convincing others about the risks of AI and feels that traditional regulation and oversight are too slow to keep up with fast-moving technology.
  3. He has created a vast system combining his companies to dominate the AI landscape, believing this control will help ensure a safer future for humanity.

Next Generation Conglomerates

Equal Ventures • 39 implied HN points • 09 Feb 23
💼 Business Corporate strategy
  1. Conglomerates have shown success in the past but lost luster due to changing corporate strategies favoring focus and increased competition for acquisitions.
  2. The new generation of conglomerates, like Amazon and Apple, are creating platforms for developing new business lines rather than acquiring existing assets.
  3. Companies in the digital age are leveraging core capabilities and network effects to drive significant returns on equity, disrupting traditional business models.

How to Create a Bot that Notifies you on Telegram

Implementing • 19 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Web scraping Programming Development Software
  1. Creating a bot to monitor computer temperature and send notifications can be useful to prevent overheating issues.
  2. Learning how to create a Telegram bot involves steps like creating the bot on Telegram using BotFather and deploying the code on platforms like Heroku.
  3. Setting up a Cron job using tools like Heroku Scheduler allows the bot to execute functions periodically to send notifications at specified intervals.
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LangSmith by LangChain

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Machine Learning AI Tools Software Development Programming Languages Data science
  1. LangSmith helps organize and manage projects and data for applications built with LangChain. It allows you to see your tasks in a neat layout and check performance easily.
  2. The platform offers tools for testing and improving agents, especially when handling multiple tasks at the same time. This helps ensure that applications run smoothly.
  3. LangSmith allows users to create datasets that can improve agent performance. It also has features to evaluate how well agents are doing by comparing their outputs to expected results.

MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Decreased Slightly in Q2 2025

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 14 Aug 25
💰 Finance Loans Delinquencies Banking Real Estate Mortgage
  1. Mortgage delinquency rates have slightly decreased in Q2 2025, reaching 3.93%, which is below the historic average.
  2. Although overall delinquencies are down, serious delinquencies for loans 90 days or more past due have increased.
  3. The labor market shows some weakness and could lead to future increases in mortgage delinquencies, even though current rates remain low.

Starbucks Shares Plunge After Sales, Earnings Miss

Dr.John B’s Newsletter • 8 HN points • 01 May 24
💼 Business Market Finance Profitability Sales Earnings
  1. Starbucks experienced a significant drop in sales and earnings, leading to a plunge in shares due to a 4% decrease in global comparable store sales
  2. The decrease in sales was particularly notable in China where competition with lower prices impacted transactions and average spend negatively
  3. Despite new store openings, Starbucks struggled to offset the declining sales in existing cafeterias due to various factors like colder weather, cautious consumers, and conflicts globally

A simple test for AI comprehension

Logos • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Cognition Child development AI Machine Learning Neural Networks
  1. The author tests AI's understanding using a guessing game. The AI struggled and often made mistakes, which leads to questions about their comprehension.
  2. LLMs act like children by mimicking language without true understanding. They can say the right words but might not grasp the ideas behind them.
  3. The argument suggests that while LLMs can analyze complex topics, their understanding is shallow compared to human comprehension.

Software code reviews, and other empty rituals that waste time

Respectful Leadership • 54 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Team Management Engineering Practices Code Review Software Development
  1. Code reviews take up too much time and energy without giving enough value back. Instead of focusing on comments from reviews, teams should focus on writing tests to catch real problems.
  2. It's better to trust the skills of experienced engineers rather than rely on code reviews. If engineers are good, they won’t need to second-guess each other's work.
  3. Instead of worrying about all possible issues, focus on real problems that can be tested and fixed. Don't waste time on imaginary problems that are unlikely to happen.

How many participants do you need for a usability study?

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 02 Aug 22
🕹 Technology UX Research Methodology User Testing
  1. The number of participants in a usability study should be chosen based on factors like the impact of the study, complexity of the product, target user groups, and study's purpose. A range of 3-20 participants is generally valid, with 5-10 being a sensible baseline.
  2. Increasing the number of participants in a usability study can improve the reliability of findings. For example, using 10 participants can uncover 95% of the problems on average, while 15 participants can identify 97% of the issues.
  3. Choosing the right methodology and preventing facilitator errors are crucial in usability testing, as poor methodology can lead to invalid study results regardless of participant group size. Quality over quantity is key in ensuring effective usability testing.

Software Supply Chain Attack Types

Resilient Cyber • 79 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Threats Development Software Cybersecurity Supply Chain
  1. Software supply chain attacks are not new and have been happening for decades, with many recent high-profile cases shining a light on them.
  2. There are several types of attack vectors, including issues with developer tools, negligence in following security practices, and problems with trust and code signing.
  3. Malicious actors often combine different attack methods to cause harm, so it's important for organizations to have strong security measures in place to protect their software supply chain.

Paul Schmelzing Is Coming to Berkeley to Talk About Interest Rates since 1310!

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 130 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💰 Finance Historical Trends Interest Rates Economic Growth Financial Markets
  1. The graph shows a decline in global real interest rates over 800 years, challenging the idea of 'secular stagnation'.
  2. Interest rates' evolution over history raises questions about the relationship between the rate of profit, societal changes, and financial market dynamics.
  3. Factors like technological progress, income growth, and human behaviors impact the slope of the real intertemporal price system, affecting interest rates.

Lou Jiwei on China's banking, PE/VC, IPOs, and Big Tech's role in lending

Pekingnology • 49 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
💰 Finance Banking Market Technology Regulation Investment
  1. Finance should support high-quality development by improving access to loans for private companies. This includes reducing risks for banks and treating all companies equally, whether state-owned or private.
  2. Government-backed venture capital funds need to focus more on market-driven models. This will help them foster innovation while allowing for some tolerance of failure among startups.
  3. It's important for internet platforms to share the risk in lending to small businesses. By co-lending a portion of the loans, they can help prevent systemic risks in the financial system.

Open source libraries for Text and Time Series

Gradient Flow • 99 implied HN points • 25 Aug 22
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Text Analysis
  1. Consider incorporating transformer-based language models like BERTopic, PolyFuzz, and KeyBERT in NLP pipelines for text analysis.
  2. Explore new open source libraries like Merlion, Nixtla, Kats, and Greykite for time series analysis and modeling.
  3. Learn about AI toolkits like Ray AI Runtime (AIR) that unify ML libraries, facilitating scaled machine learning workloads with minimal code.

Popular LLM Datasets

The Beep • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Natural Language Processing Machine Learning Software Development Artificial Intelligence Data science
  1. Datasets are crucial for training machine learning models, including language models. They help the model learn patterns and make predictions.
  2. Popular sources for datasets include Project Gutenberg and Common Crawl, which provide large amounts of text data for training language models.
  3. Instruction tuning datasets are used to adapt pre-trained models for specific tasks. These help the model perform better in given situations or instructions.

Five Links for November 2023

Five Links (and three graphs) by Auren Hoffman • 162 implied HN points • 03 Nov 23
💼 Business Books AI Finance Technology Podcasts
  1. The Techno-Optimist Manifesto by Marc Andreessen highlights the belief in building a better world through technology.
  2. Banking on Status by Julian Lehr discusses the intersection of luxury and software in modern apps.
  3. Travis May's article on The Six Moats of Data Businesses explains what effective moats look like in data companies.

How Adaptive AI Microcontainers Outmaneuver Modern Cybersecurity Threats in AI Workloads

Phoenix Substack • 42 implied HN points • 06 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Enterprise Cybersecurity Microservices
  1. AI workloads are crucial for businesses but can attract cyber threats. These threats target predictable systems and can steal data or disrupt operations.
  2. Static security methods, like firewalls, are not enough to protect AI workloads. New challenges like lateral movement and data theft highlight the need for better security.
  3. Adaptive AI Microcontainers create secure environments by changing and healing themselves automatically. This makes it hard for hackers to predict or exploit the system.

The Narcissistic Leader

Fish Food for Thought • 14 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
💼 Business Leadership Organizational Culture Management Team Dynamics Entrepreneurship
  1. Real leadership isn't about one person's brilliance, but how well a team works together. A good leader empowers others to shine.
  2. Narcissistic leaders can achieve short-term success but often hurt the team's culture and morale. They may overlook the contributions of others.
  3. Great leaders focus on building systems and teams for long-term success, not just on being the center of attention. They help others grow and lead.

Here Come The Drones

Gradient Ascendant • 20 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Robotics Drones AI Military Automation
  1. Drones are now a major part of modern warfare, making up a big percentage of military casualties. They are being used in conflicts worldwide, showing how advanced and dangerous drone technology has become.
  2. Anti-drone measures are evolving as quickly as drones themselves, with new technologies like fiber-optics and AI making drones harder to jam or intercept. This back-and-forth between attack and defense is changing how wars are fought.
  3. The predictions about drone warfare and its implications have largely come true, with autonomous drones making complex decisions on their own. Meanwhile, the practical use of drones for delivery and other peaceful purposes hasn’t developed as expected.

PumpkinSeed Protein Sequencing

ASeq Newsletter • 21 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Nanotechnology Data science Artificial Intelligence Startups Biotechnology
  1. PumpkinSeed is a startup focused on new protein sequencing technology. They use a method that analyzes light patterns to determine protein sequences without needing labels.
  2. The technology involves measuring the Raman spectra of peptides and using AI to interpret the data. This helps to figure out the order of amino acids in a protein.
  3. There's potential for the method, but questions remain about how easily it can be scaled for larger samples. The benefit and size of the market for this technology are still being evaluated.

Multi-Psyop. Introduction to the Master Scam

Tessa Fights Robots • 21 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Social Issues Existentialism Spirituality Consciousness Psychology
  1. We are living in a complex situation where many forces are trying to control how we think and feel. It's important to look deeper and understand what's really happening beyond just the surface issues.
  2. Many messages we hear are designed to keep us angry and divided instead of helping us find real solutions. We need to be cautious about who we listen to and what emotions we let guide us.
  3. It's crucial for us to reconnect with our true selves and recognize our power to create positive change. By healing and being honest with ourselves, we can move past the oppressive narratives and start building a better reality.

An AWS For Sequencing?

ASeq Newsletter • 58 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Genetics Cloud Computing Data Analysis Bioinformatics
  1. Bioinformatics companies often struggle to succeed on their own, but some are finding unique ways to add value by providing analysis of sequencing data from external service providers.
  2. Just like how companies can use AWS for their server needs, the idea is to create an AWS-like platform specifically for DNA sequencing, making services easier and more accessible.
  3. Building a platform for sequencing could lower barriers for businesses and encourage new applications in the field, opening up more opportunities for innovation.

The Price Anderson Suicide Pact

Gordian Knot News • 161 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
💰 Finance Nuclear power Compensation Insurance
  1. In the US, the response to nuclear accidents is governed by the Price Anderson Act and American tort system
  2. The Secondary Financial Protection under Price Anderson can lead to mandatory post-casualty assessments on nuclear plants
  3. INPO, a self-regulation inspection service, influences the safety culture of nuclear plants by focusing on preventing costly accidents

Is $7.2B a lot of money for Squarespace?

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
💼 Business Startups Market Tech Finance Investing
  1. Squarespace was recently sold for $7.2 billion, which some believe is a lot of money. They managed to increase their sale price by over 5% from a previous offer.
  2. The company showed strong growth, with its revenue growing by 20% year over year, and it has a solid cash position. This performance raises questions about whether they sold themselves too cheaply.
  3. Even though the sale price seems high, Squarespace might have been worth more based on its growth and financial metrics. Some think they could have waited for better market conditions before selling.

Naked Truth

In Bed With Social • 19 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Neuroscience AI Social media Wearable Technology
  1. Social media has shifted from being truly social, leading to a digital reflection of our existence.
  2. Technology merging with wearables and biometric data is reshaping social networks to reflect our authentic selves.
  3. Anticipate wearable technologies to delve into our subconscious realms, leading to the rise of novel human data and frequencies.

Angels in the Architecture, pt IV

Premium Grind • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis Visualization Research Software
  1. Interpreting VAS heatmaps is challenging due to lack of established guidelines and overlaps in definitions.
  2. Studies have shown that traditional civic architecture consistently draws more viewer attention than modern styles.
  3. Discrepancies exist between VAS results and actual human-subject eye-tracking studies, raising questions about accuracy and interpretation.