The hottest Substack posts right now

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Papers I've read this week: vision language models

Artificial Fintelligence • 8 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Models Research Papers Natural Language Processing Machine Learning Computer Vision
  1. Vision language models (VLMs) are simplifying how we extract text from images. Unlike older software, modern VLMs make this process much easier and faster.
  2. There are several ways to combine visual and text data in VLMs. Most recent models prefer a straightforward approach of merging image features with text instead of using complex methods.
  3. Training a VLM involves using a good vision encoder and a pretrained language model. This combination seems to work well without any major drawbacks.

What I learned failing to outsource an MVP

Remus’s Symposium • 2 HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Outsourcing Entrepreneurship Developers
  1. Building an MVP requires more than just outsourcing; becoming technical as a founder can be crucial for success.
  2. Choosing fancy new technologies for an MVP, like Flutter, may lead to unexpected challenges and delays; sticking to tried-and-true web technologies can simplify the process.
  3. Outsourcing software development as a non-technical founder can be risky due to communication difficulties and lack of control over the project; learning to code can empower you to have a hands-on approach and clearer vision.

Agile for Anarchists

Into the Hedge • 1 HN point • 01 May 24
💼 Business Productivity Management Strategy
  1. The PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) system, rooted in an anarchic ethos, is successfully used on a farm to manage work without needing authoritarian supervision.
  2. Despite challenges, PDCA can be effective in corporate environments, but it may require adaptation and a supportive workplace to thrive.
  3. Regular meetings following the steps of PDCA help the farm team review and plan their work, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.
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Data Science Weekly - Issue 446

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Software Development Programming Data science
  1. The history of AI in literature shows how machines have been involved in writing since the 19th century. It's fascinating to see how far technology has come in helping with creative tasks.
  2. Jupyter Notebooks are versatile tools for data scientists, used for more than just coding. They can creatively combine text, visuals, and code to make data exploration easier.
  3. Using machine learning with small data sets can be tricky, but there are effective techniques to make it work. Smaller datasets can still yield valuable insights with the right approaches.

Start meeting more people: Salvaging your career in a GenAI world

FutureIQ • 3 implied HN points • 02 Jun 25
💼 Business Networking Professional Growth AI Impact Personal Branding Career development
  1. Networking is really important for your career. Meeting new people can help you find great opportunities and gain insights into what others are doing.
  2. As technology changes, knowing the right people becomes more valuable than just having degrees. Your network and personal brand will matter more as information becomes easily accessible.
  3. Don't stay in a job where you don't like the people. If you're not enjoying your work environment, it's ok to look for something better.

Why OpenAI is forced to enter the search business

Enterprise AI Trends • 13 HN points • 15 May 24
🕹 Technology Consumer Tech Competition AI Search Market Trends
  1. OpenAI is entering the search market because they need to compete with Google and Meta, who are offering similar AI features for free. This means OpenAI has to find new ways to keep users interested.
  2. The company is facing challenges in both the enterprise and consumer markets, as competitors are closing the technology gap quickly. This makes it harder for OpenAI to maintain its lead and attract enterprise customers.
  3. If OpenAI wants to succeed in search, they need to keep things simple and avoid copying Google's strategies. Partnering with companies like Apple could help them become more relevant and popular.

☎️ Interview: Dr Hyoduk Shin, Professor of Innovation at UC San Diego on the State of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies #003

Let Us Face the Future • 19 implied HN points • 05 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Privacy Data Sharing Data Governance Regulation
  1. Collaborative computing is becoming a trillion-dollar market reshaping how data is used in the economy.
  2. To promote data sharing, companies need to realign incentives, focus on building relationships, work on culture, and segment data by time.
  3. Financial services and healthcare are early adopters of data collaboration tools due to confidentiality and regulation around privacy and data security.

Do you need a global equity forecasting model?

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
💰 Finance Portfolio Management Investing Market Analysis Data science
  1. Most of the time, you don't need a complex global model to forecast stock markets. Just using local data can work well.
  2. The study showed that while international data can help in special cases, local history is often enough for reliable forecasts.
  3. Markets are generally priced efficiently around the world, meaning simpler forecasting models can be just as effective without losing accuracy.

New essay: Soul Trader

Reactionary Feminist • 5 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Technology Metaphysics Consciousness Digital Age Identity
  1. The concept of identity today relates to our understanding of the self and the soul, linking back to historical changes in awareness and technology. Understanding this connection helps us see how we evolved with our tools, starting with literacy.
  2. Modern technology, especially after the sexual revolution and through social media, has begun to commodify our emotional and social aspects, which can have both good and bad effects. This commodification can lead to profits but also risks or negative impacts for society.
  3. The writer suggests we can embrace technology without losing our sense of what it means to have a soul, as long as we acknowledge the difference between our deeper human qualities and digital tools. By doing so, we can enjoy the benefits of modern advancements while fostering genuine well-being.

The AGI Clause, explained

Year 2049 • 2 implied HN points • 29 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Tech Policy AI Corporate strategy Investments Startups
  1. OpenAI and Microsoft have a business deal where Microsoft invested a lot of money into OpenAI. This agreement includes an 'AGI clause' that might limit Microsoft's access to future AI technology.
  2. The AGI clause allows OpenAI to block Microsoft from its advanced AI models once they define that they have achieved AGI, which is a big deal for both companies and the future of AI.
  3. There are different benchmarks for AGI, and experts don't fully agree on what it means or when it will happen, making this a complex and important topic in AI development.

untitled map app says goodbye

an email from eugene • 1 HN point • 30 Apr 24
💼 Business Investment Startup Teamwork Health Failure
  1. Building a startup with remote cofounders is challenging; physical proximity is crucial in the early stages.
  2. When combining a project with a full-time job, clear agreements on expectations and future plans are essential to prevent stalling and conflicts.
  3. Discussing and establishing clear responsibilities and boundaries with your cofounder from the beginning is crucial to avoid uncertainty and mismatched expectations.

It's 2025 and life is still messy

Klement on Investing • 6 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
💰 Finance Market Trends Economics Sustainability Investing
  1. The author writes on various topics related to economics and finance throughout the week, with Mondays focusing on ESG and sustainability, and Fridays being more lighthearted and fun.
  2. The posts challenge common theories and emphasize understanding the real world through experimental data rather than traditional economic models.
  3. Life and financial markets are unpredictable, and it's important to embrace curiosity about how things really work instead of relying on rigid theories.

A few nuggets from last week

My Home Office Hacks • 5 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Digital Tools AI Tools Home Office Productivity
  1. Ideogram is a cool tool that creates images based on your descriptions. There's a free version available, so you can try it without spending money.
  2. You can save money easily by putting a penny in a jar on January 1 and adding an extra penny each day. By the end of the year, you'll have a nice amount saved up for gifts.
  3. The Rocketbook Core is a reusable notebook that lets you write and save your notes to the cloud. It's a great way to stay organized and reduce waste.

Learn from Experiences of Experts - Running Trustworthy A/B Test

Machine Learning Diaries • 7 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Data science Experimental Design Statistical Analysis
  1. A/B tests are important for businesses because they help test ideas and make informed decisions. Many companies have seen significant revenue increases by using A/B tests.
  2. It's crucial to define the right performance metrics for A/B tests to ensure long-term success. Focus on metrics that show real customer engagement, not just short-term results.
  3. Pay close attention to statistical principles when running A/B tests. Misunderstanding p-values and making hasty conclusions can lead to incorrect results and poor decisions.

Leviathan wakes

Gradient Ascendant • 16 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Artificial Intelligence Models Forecasting Generative AI
  1. The author quit their job to work on a new AI-related project motivated by the transformative potential of modern AI technology.
  2. Google's Gemini 1.5 model is a significant advancement in AI capabilities, able to handle an impressive 10 million tokens for input, marking a major leap forward in AI development.
  3. Despite its imperfections, Gemini 1.5 and other advanced AI models are drastically reducing limitations and opening up new possibilities for future technological innovations.

Small, Value, or Small/Value?

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
💰 Finance Portfolio Research Risk management Markets Investing
  1. Investors looking to improve their portfolio might want to use a small-cap value fund instead of mixing small-cap and value funds. This approach often leads to better returns despite a bit more risk.
  2. Using one focused fund can help avoid confusion and duplication from multiple investments. It simplifies the investment strategy and is usually more effective.
  3. If you want specific investment factors, it's often best to choose one product that combines those factors, rather than several different ones that might overlap.

The Basic Economics of AGI, and Why Open Source will Lose

e/alpha • 2 HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Open Source AI Market Dynamics Tech Companies AGI
  1. Task-engaged AIs will dominate value creation as they are directly connected to tasks and results, leading to transformative impacts.
  2. The AI value chain will be driven by proprietary data in the long term, with winners initially based on access to compute and R&D talent.
  3. AGI is expected to be monopolistic, commercial, open-access, and affordable, leveling differences and nullifying capital inequality.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 445

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 02 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Ethics Research Data science AI
  1. There's a new set of best practices for safely using large language models, aiming to help the industry work together responsibly.
  2. We are using less agricultural land now, even though we're producing more food, which is good for both us and nature.
  3. Qualitative research is important in AI. It helps us ask the right questions and understand how AI affects society beyond just numbers.

✅ Monday briefing: Audit reform, influencer culture, blogging benefit, Socially Mobile graduation, nowhere office, B2B PR ROI, football brands, GCS strategy, and more...

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 16 May 22
💼 Business Data insights Media Public Relations Marketing Corporate strategy
  1. Audit reform proposals are weak and don't address major corporate failures.
  2. Influencer culture is growing rapidly and needs better regulation to address challenges.
  3. Blogging can help with personal growth and reflects the importance of thinking aloud.

Once a Maintainer: Ed Waisanen and Nate Papes

Once a Maintainer • 5 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Software Development Education technology Collaboration Tools Open Source
  1. Gala is an open source education platform that promotes collaborative research and multimedia-rich learning. It started from a project at the University of Michigan focused on creating engaging case studies for environmental topics.
  2. The team is working on making Gala more accessible for anyone to create content, allowing more people to use the platform and develop educational modules.
  3. Future goals for Gala include growing a sustainable community of users and contributors, and increasing collaboration with other open source projects to enhance its capabilities.

The Rise of Platform Engineering

Software Snack Bites • 31 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Infrastructure Enterprise Software Platform Engineering Cloud Infrastructure
  1. Platform Engineering teams help improve developer efficiency by unifying tooling and documentation.
  2. Enterprises need to focus on making developers more efficient due to a predicted shortage of 4M developers by 2025.
  3. Platform Engineering is gaining more budget allocation as it reduces costs through efficiency and improves velocity.

How TPM Bridge Communication Gaps Between Tech and Non-Tech Teams

Building Rome(s) • 5 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
💼 Business Collaboration Development Strategy Management Communication
  1. Technical and non-technical teams often struggle because they don't share a common language. Clear communication is essential for collaboration.
  2. Using the 'Triangle of Translation' (Time, Money, Impact) can help bridge the communication gap. It allows teams to understand each other's priorities better.
  3. Focusing on clarity and empathy in discussions leads to better teamwork and improved product delivery. When everyone speaks the same language, trust is built.

Experiments in Speed Dating & Matchmaking

Dan's Stack • 2 HN points • 12 Feb 24
💼 Business Operations Data Analysis Marketing
  1. Speed dating events are optimal with around 20 attendees (10 men, 10 women), maintaining a balanced gender ratio is important for a successful event.
  2. Ticket prices for speed dating events vary based on demand and gender ratio, with average prices around $25.
  3. Marketing strategies for speed dating events focus on gender-specific ad campaigns to ensure equal attendance of men and women, with Instagram and Facebook ads being the most effective channels.

Announcing the Zapier App for Sort: Automate Your Data Workflows!

Database Engineering by Sort • 7 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Web Apps Integration Data Management Software Automation
  1. Sort is a platform that helps manage and change data easily without much hassle. It makes sure your database is accurate and up to date.
  2. With the new Zapier app, you can connect Sort to many other applications to automate tasks. This saves a lot of time and reduces errors since you don't have to do everything manually.
  3. Setting up automations is simple and requires no coding skills. You can start using it right away to improve your workflows.

Step One: Help Others

Tribal Knowledge • 19 implied HN points • 29 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving Software Development
  1. Helping others is fulfilling and valuable, even if it may come at a cost.
  2. Explaining problems to others or to an inanimate object like a rubber duck can help improve problem-solving skills by engaging different parts of the brain.
  3. Helping others can also benefit oneself by providing a fresh perspective and removing personal doubts and reservations.

The thin edge of the wedge

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
💰 Finance Market Trends ESG Investing Regulation
  1. Only a small number of analysts talk about climate change in their reports, with just 1% doing so regularly. This suggests they don’t prioritize these issues much.
  2. Reports that do discuss climate change mostly focus on industries that are directly affected, like utilities and electronics. This means other sectors might be ignoring important climate topics.
  3. Analysts seem less enthusiastic about climate change now due to political pushback, and they may use that as an excuse to not address it in their work.

The Ultimate B2B SaaS Pricing Guide for early-stage startups.

Startup Business Tips 🚀 • 25 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
💼 Business SaaS Entrepreneurship Marketing Startups Sales
  1. The guide provides 5 steps to start with your SaaS pricing, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer pain and choosing a value-based pricing model.
  2. Key pricing fundamentals include isolation effect, price anchoring, incentivizing yearly payments, avoiding undercharging, and collecting pricing-relevant insights for continuous pricing optimization.
  3. The post shares inspiring SaaS pricing examples and expert advice on the significance of learning speed over productivity in startup success.

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

The Security Industry • 16 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Technological Impact Cybersecurity AI Tech Stocks
  1. Cybersecurity stocks have seen significant growth in just a year, with some major stocks more than doubling.
  2. The rise of AI, particularly large language models, is predicted to have a greater impact on human development than past technological advancements like the internet and electricity.
  3. Investors, security buyers, and industry pundits need to adapt to the technological expansion ahead and be prepared for significant changes in various sectors.

The Dawn of the AI-Military Complex

GOOD INTERNET • 17 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Military Cybersecurity Data Analytics Ethics AI
  1. Advancements in AI technology are being actively used in military operations, with drones and autonomous systems playing a significant role.
  2. There is a risk of overtrusting AI systems in life-or-death decisions on the battlefield, which can lead to ethical dilemmas.
  3. The future of warfare may involve AI systems taking a central, decision-making role, potentially changing the landscape of conflicts and military operations.

This Is How We Do It

Nova Terra News • 1 HN point • 29 Apr 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startup Presentations Mentorship Funding
  1. In storytelling, including elements like who, what, how, when, where, and sometimes why is important. Keeping the writing brief can also enhance the story.
  2. Continuous evolution and support play key roles in the success of Nova Terra and its initiatives like EcoBlox.
  3. Preparing and delivering concise presentations is crucial for securing external funding and scaling up a startup like Nova Terra.