The hottest Substack posts right now

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The hottest SQL tools you have no use for

The Orchestra Data Leadership Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Data Tools Data Engineering SQL
  1. SQL is a powerful data manipulation tool that has different dialects and evolved over time to fit various database software needs.
  2. New SQL tools like dbt, SQLMesh, and Semantic Data Fabric aim to improve data testing, quality, and governance in data engineering processes.
  3. The value in data engineering lies more in processes, culture, and diligence, rather than solely relying on fancy tools to prevent mistakes.

The Sino-US bitcoin ASIC War Begins

Miner Weekly • 19 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
💰 Finance Feature Hardware Regulation Mining Corporate
  1. Bitcoin's network growth is increasing production costs for mining companies as the halving event nears.
  2. Major mining firms are experiencing both increased and decreased costs of bitcoin production in Q3 compared to Q2.
  3. There is a brewing competition between Sino-U.S. companies in the bitcoin ASIC industry as new equipment is rolled out to meet demands and sustain operations.

Frontier AI Labs: the Call Option to AGI

East Wind • 14 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Startups Innovation Investing Entrepreneurship AI
  1. AI development is accelerating quickly, with major investments from companies like OpenAI and DeepSeek. It’s important to consider who will thrive in this space—the big established companies or small innovative labs.
  2. To succeed, AI labs need to find ways to make money beyond just subscriptions and advertising. This includes capturing market share from existing companies and launching innovative services.
  3. There are huge opportunities for AI to replace human jobs and disrupt traditional markets. Companies that can leverage this potential for automating tasks may see significant financial rewards.

Expansion hack: The Shining the Holy Ark Rhythm Challenge (Saturn)

Rings of Saturn • 14 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Coding Debugging Software Gaming
  1. The game _Shining the Holy Ark_ has a hidden rhythm challenge that wasn't included in the final version. Players must match animal sounds to buttons, but it's tricky and fast-paced.
  2. To play this mini-game, you need to patch the game, as it’s not enabled by default. If you succeed, you can access a debug menu that can help you during gameplay.
  3. The rhythm game has some complex coding that reveals how it works behind the scenes. There’s a chance to modify save files to keep playing even on an unpatched game.

What people are not seeing about TimeGPT

Three Data Point Thursday • 19 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Data Analysis Model development Forecasting Machine Learning AI
  1. Time series models, like TimeGPT, are advancing and will provide a significant boost in machine learning capabilities.
  2. Adding time as a feature in models can enhance data analysis due to the information richness of recent data.
  3. Although skepticism exists around time series machine learning models, advancements in generic models like TimeGPT are removing some barriers.
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Overloading and appropriation

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 39 implied HN points • 17 May 23
📖 Philosophy Knowledge Language Epistemology Uncertainty
  1. Overloading 'risk' means using the word for many situations that aren't really risky. This can lead to confusion and poor decision-making because we apply the wrong methods to deal with those situations.
  2. Appropriating 'uncertainty' refers to using the term in ways that suggest it can be easily measured or controlled. This misleads us into thinking we can manage all unknowns when some can't be quantified and should be treated differently.
  3. Both overloading and appropriation give us a false sense of comfort. They make scary unknown situations feel more manageable when, in reality, we might be ignoring important nuances.

jDeploy vs jpackage

jDeploy Newsletter • 84 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Programming Deployment Tools Development
  1. jpackage is an official tool for bundling Java apps, dependent on platform tools, and useful for creating app bundles for Mac, Windows, or Linux with embedded Java runtime.
  2. jDeploy is an open source tool that can build and deploy app bundles for all platforms from any platform, offering a smaller app bundle size, auto updates, and deployment through GitHub or npm.
  3. Use jpackage for app store distributions, while jDeploy is great for easy deployment, auto-updates, and quick distribution of internal utilities or PoC apps.

The Hardest Sale A Founder Will Make

Tippets by Taps • 10 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
💼 Business Leadership Entrepreneurship Employee Relations Recruiting Startups
  1. Hiring great early employees is one of the toughest tasks for founders. It's hard because you're asking someone to leave a stable job for something uncertain.
  2. When recruiting, you need to convince not just the candidate but also their support system. Their families often play a big role in their decision to join your startup.
  3. Every new hire can shape the future of your company, so take recruitment seriously. Spending time and effort on it can lead to a more successful team.

Note on Monetary Policy and Jackson Hole

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 126 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
💰 Finance Interest Rates Monetary Policy Inflation Housing Market Economic Analysis
  1. Powell's approach to monetary policy is based on conventional models, which may not fully address current economic issues.
  2. There is a concern that inflation is settling above the 2% target due to trends in goods and services.
  3. Housing supply issues contribute to 'inflation' and can be misleading when analyzing monetary policy impacts.

The Science and History of the iPhone Screen

SatPost by Trung Phan • 122 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Smartphones Business Science History Manufacturing
  1. In 2007, Steve Jobs chose Corning's Gorilla Glass for the iPhone screen, sparking a journey into the science and history of glass development.
  2. Corning's development of Gorilla Glass involved innovative techniques like ion exchange to strengthen the glass and meet Apple's demands for a durable and thin screen.
  3. Corning, a 170-year-old company, has a diverse range of products beyond Gorilla Glass, showcasing resilience and adaptation in various industries including optical communications and life sciences.

The Marshall Islands DAO LLC: Strange crossbreed or desirable offspring from the union between a DAO and an LLC?

The Otonomist • 39 implied HN points • 29 Jun 23
💼 Business Legal Governance Blockchain
  1. The Marshall Islands offers unique benefits for setting up LLCs, like separate liability and high asset protection.
  2. Mixing DAOs with LLCs may create legal challenges, as the nature of DAOs conflicts with traditional corporate structures.
  3. In the future, DAOs may gain legal personhood and limited liability, evolving similarly to how LLCs became a popular corporate form in the US.

🐕 Newsletter WoR #53: Angular glow up, some bugs, a button that does nothing, being amazed...

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 19 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming Web Development Software UI/UX Design Open Source
  1. Angular released version 17 with a redesign, new features, and tutorials, aiming to attract new developers.
  2. A developer shared 7 common techniques to improve debugging skills in Rails apps.
  3. A button that does nothing, called 'inert', was introduced to improve accessibility and celebrate idleness.

How to get unstuck: 5 marketing thought experiments

MKT1 Newsletter • 3 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
💼 Business Marketing Content Strategy Startups Growth
  1. Using thought experiments can help marketers shake off rigid thinking and find fresh ideas. Trying out different scenarios forces creative solutions to the surface.
  2. Focusing on redistributing existing content rather than creating new content can lead to better results. This helps teams see the value in leveraging what they already have.
  3. Prioritizing lifecycle marketing and engaging existing leads instead of always chasing new ones can boost growth and improve ROI. It's crucial to not overlook your current audience.

What does it look like to be successful here? How is my performance evaluated?

Creating Value from Nothing • 79 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Performance Management Culture Metrics Tradeoffs
  1. Evaluation of performance in the Product organization focuses on inputs like quality of thinking over outputs.
  2. Avoiding using output targets to evaluate performance is important to maintain a customer-centric culture, prevent tunnel vision, and discourage risk aversion.
  3. While metrics are essential, team members are rewarded for excellent inputs rather than just meeting success criteria, emphasizing the priority of creating value for customers.

The metaverse is a cubicle

Metal Machine Music by Ben Tarnoff • 119 implied HN points • 30 Nov 21
🕹 Technology Technology Trends Metaverse Workplace dynamics Virtual reality Remote work
  1. The concept of the metaverse has been around for some time, but current advancements in technology and societal shifts due to the pandemic may pave the way for its potential realization.
  2. Remote and hybrid work arrangements are becoming more prevalent, with the COVID-19 pandemic playing a significant role in reshaping white-collar work dynamics and preferences.
  3. The metaverse has the potential to become the new organizational architecture for white-collar work, balancing the needs and desires of both employers and employees in a digital environment.

Why Can't We Run the Economy Better?

Inland Nobody • 80 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
💰 Finance Global impact Economics Economic Growth Predictions
  1. Economics is a challenging field due to the numerous variables involved in predicting and understanding economic outcomes.
  2. The history of economic growth shows that sustained worldwide economic growth is a relatively recent development, starting around 1820.
  3. Predicting economic trends is complex, similar to predicting the weather, due to the vast number of interconnected variables that can influence economic behavior.

The Housing Shortage Is Larger Than You Think: Part 2

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 99 HN points • 19 Dec 23
💰 Finance Market Analysis Supply and Demand Home Prices
  1. Bank of America analysis suggests a deficit of 4 million homes in the US due to underbuilding over the past decade.
  2. Home prices spiked by 41% during the Covid boom with 60% attributed to the work-from-home trend.
  3. Vacancies are a crucial part of housing supply, with a potential need for a 300% increase in supply to match demand from 2020-2022.

Data Materialization is a Convergence Problem

Data People Etc. • 159 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Operations Workflow Data
  1. Data materialization is not just a workflow orchestration problem but also a convergence problem.
  2. In a convergence-based approach to data materialization, a materialization controller could continuously compare the state of the warehouse with the desired state of models to automate the materialization process.
  3. Challenges in implementing a materialization controller include explainability, managing over-eagerness, and dealing with drift in the system.

Willy Wonka and weird-ass AI

The Rectangle • 84 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Business Social media AI Platforms Artificial Intelligence
  1. The Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience showcases the modern use of AI-generated content in marketing and event organization.
  2. AI can significantly lower the barrier of entry for individuals to create and promote businesses and events, potentially leading to unexpected outcomes like the Willy Wonka Experience.
  3. The story highlights the importance of having checks and balances in place when relying heavily on AI to prevent misguided or poorly executed ventures.

Open Weights, Open Society, Open Future

Future History • 80 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Open Source AI Democracy Regulation
  1. Protect open source and open weights AI at all levels of society to avoid damaging the future economy
  2. The historical impact of restrictions on open sharing of ideas and software can have detrimental effects on economic value and innovation
  3. Opposition to open source AI is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the benefits of open societies, economies, and the positive impact of open source software

Inadmissable knowledge: Introducing a concept

Philosophy bear • 107 implied HN points • 11 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Knowledge Consequentialism
  1. Inadmissible knowledge refers to information that should not be considered in certain contexts to avoid unethical decisions.
  2. In some cases, what is inadmissible in one situation may become admissible in another, depending on the impact of possible harms.
  3. Using inadmissible knowledge may create an obligation to act tactfully and with kindness, especially in exceptions to its application.

Will ChatGPT be my friend?

Jon’s Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 16 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Human-Computer
  1. AI chatbots like ChatGPT are becoming more integrated into our lives, possibly acting as companions rather than just tools. People are spending less time with friends in person and more time interacting digitally.
  2. A friend is someone we choose based on connection and common interests, and while AI doesn't truly understand human emotions, it can still try to be helpful and engage with us.
  3. People are forming one-sided emotional attachments to AI, similar to how we treat pets or characters in movies. This raises questions about the nature of friendships and how we might interact with technology in the future.

Bing loses to Google.. yet again

Power Platform News • 19 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Search Engines Artificial Intelligence Web Browsers Tech Companies
  1. Microsoft's Bing lost search market share to Google despite integrating ChatGPT, showing the importance of user experience and seamless integration.
  2. Different goals between Microsoft's Bing and OpenAI led to challenges in delivering a cohesive product with ChatGPT, impacting user adoption.
  3. Microsoft's investment in OpenAI's ChatGPT has brought benefits despite Bing's market share loss, highlighting the strategic value of partnerships and diversified products.

Proposal for improving the global online discourse through personalised comment ordering on all websites

Engineering Ideas • 19 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Data AI Social media Privacy Blockchain
  1. Social media promotes tribalism and polarization, making it hard to find rational critique in comments.
  2. A proposed solution involves personalized comment ordering based on user reactions and models.
  3. Compensating users for reading and voting on comments with a token system could help combat spam and manipulation.

The Week In Repair: May 29 - June 4

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 06 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Repair Environment Automotive Design Laws
  1. New York Assembly passes first electronics right to repair bill, becoming the first state in the nation to do so. This is a milestone achievement for right to repair advocates after years of unsuccessful attempts.
  2. A report highlights the importance of a legal right to repair for wheelchair owners to ensure prompt, high-quality service at an affordable price. This emphasizes the need for a fair market for repair and service.
  3. An overload of lawsuits against John Deere regarding right to repair issues is being consolidated in a federal court in Illinois. This illustrates the ongoing legal battles in the fight for right to repair.

Introducing Makers : A Community Driven Blueprint To Achieving Your Goals

Day One • 279 implied HN points • 04 Apr 20
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Coaching Membership Branding Community
  1. The Makers Community provides coaching, resources, and a community for individuals to work on their goals
  2. The community targets those struggling with procrastination, consistency, and lack of access to the right people for accountability
  3. A limited number of people can join the community at a reduced investment cost, making it accessible for those in need of support

Data Update 5 for 2022: The Bottom Line!

Musings on Markets • 119 implied HN points • 27 Feb 22
💼 Business Profitability Financial Analysis Economic Impact Market Trends Corporate Finance
  1. Profitability is key for business success, but it's important to dig deeper than just revenue growth. Companies need to focus on actual earnings and how well they can sustain profits in the long run.
  2. Different metrics help measure a company's profitability, including gross profit and net income. Understanding these can provide insights on how companies are doing across various sectors.
  3. Growth isn't always good; it requires careful investment that might affect immediate profits. Companies need to balance reinvestment with delivering returns to their investors.

Multi-Source BFS [Technique Tuesday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 23 Nov 22
🕹 Technology
  1. Graph problems can be challenging, but sometimes traditional solutions are not optimal. It's important to look for ways to enhance performance.
  2. Multi-Source BFS is a technique that allows for starting BFS traversal from multiple nodes simultaneously, optimizing the search process.
  3. Understanding Multi-Source BFS involves modifying the starting sources of BFS traversal, which can lead to more efficient exploration of the graph structure.

When Personalization Feels Fake: Starbucks’ Cup Messages, AI, and the Quest for Genuine Connection

Gad’s Newsletter • 26 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
💼 Business Customer Experience Branding Retail Consumer behavior Marketing
  1. Starbucks' new initiative to have baristas write messages on cups seemed nice but felt forced and scripted. Customers want genuine interactions, not corporate mandates.
  2. Personalization in marketing works best when it's real and meets customer expectations. If customers feel it's fake or too much, it can harm trust and satisfaction.
  3. AI can help personalize experiences, but it can also make customers uneasy if they feel their privacy is being invaded. The key is to balance tech use with genuine human connections.

Everything is Dominance Hierarchies

Muslim Musings • 6 HN points • 18 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Self Existence Purpose Ethics
  1. Our chosen career path often stems from a desire to feel important and special by excelling in a specific skill or domain.
  2. Life involves climbing dominance hierarchies that we unknowingly conform to, with associated myths that justify our participation.
  3. The pursuit of importance within dominance hierarchies is universal, regardless of the specific career or skill, leading individuals to invest in climbing these structures.

Dangerous metrics

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 20 Dec 22
🕹 Technology Software Development Team Management Productivity AI Metrics
  1. Measuring developer productivity is really hard. Common metrics like lines of code or bugs fixed often don't tell the full story and can even be manipulated.
  2. It’s important to think about how a metric could be misused before applying it. Focusing on the wrong metrics can lead to unhelpful outcomes and confusion.
  3. Organizations learn and respond to metrics, but sometimes they take things too literally. Choosing the right metrics carefully is crucial to avoid unintentional negative effects.

An Ode to BYD

Kartick’s Blog • 35 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Automotive Design Consumer Electronics Innovation Electric Vehicles
  1. BYD cars have a really unique and stylish design. They stand out on the road and feel like they are from the future.
  2. Most car companies play it safe with their designs, which can make many cars look very similar. BYD took a chance and created a standout vehicle that works well.
  3. The shift to electric cars often favors new companies like BYD. Established brands struggle to adapt, which gives BYD a chance to grow and attract drivers looking for innovative options.

How to Figure out the correct distance finding algorithm [Technique Tuesday]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 30 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Data Structures Coding Graphs Algorithm Interviews
  1. BFS and DFS algorithms are foundational and crucial for various graph traversal problems, forming the basis for more complicated algorithms.
  2. Topological Sort, Djikstra's Algorithm, and A* are important graph traversal algorithms to master, especially for weighted graphs and AI applications like self-driving cars.
  3. For determining the correct graph traversal algorithm, identify if you need to find the shortest path (use BFS or A* for unweighted/weighted graphs), or if you need to visit the complete graph (use DFS for problems involving the entire graph).