The hottest Technology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Thoughts from IEEE Humanoids 2023

Robots & Startups • 119 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Robots
  1. Walking humanoid robots are being successfully deployed for commercial work by companies like Agility Robotics, Apptronik, PAL, and 1X.
  2. In 2024, we can expect a wider commercial release of walking humanoid robots from various companies including Agility, 1X, Apptronik, Fourier Intelligence, PAL, and Unitree.
  3. The field of humanoid robots is advancing quickly, with more applications and companies pushing towards practical implementations.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 565

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 1 HN point • 19 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Data science Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data Engineering Data Visualization
  1. Reading The Data Science Weekly is a great way to stay updated on AI and machine learning topics. It shares links, news, and resources that can help anyone interested in these fields.
  2. There are many useful techniques in data science, like the Hampel Filter for outlier detection, which can help improve data quality. Exploring these methods can really enhance your understanding and skills.
  3. Effective communication is crucial in data science. How you explain your findings can significantly impact your career, so it's important to work on your communication skills.

When a PM takes over engineering

Leading Developers • 92 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Product Management Startup Development
  1. It's important for engineers to think like product people. They should understand the problem they are solving and not just build what’s written down.
  2. Good engineering managers help their teams understand the value behind technical projects, making clear connections to business goals. This helps everyone stay focused and aligned.
  3. After launching a product, teams should keep engaging with the data and user feedback to continually improve. This mindset helps engineers take ownership and see the bigger picture.

Readers respond to TDD x Psychological Safety survey

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 119 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Engineering Testing Psychological safety Quality Assurance Software Development
  1. Experts find more ways to reward themselves while they work, not because they are more disciplined.
  2. Identity and team cohesion play a significant role in TDD adoption among tech teams.
  3. TDD adoption can lead to a blameless culture, improved design, and higher quality when implemented correctly.

LLM Links, 11/21

In My Tribe • 273 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Robotics Data science Innovation
  1. There's a debate about AI progress. Some experts think AI models are hitting a limit and may not get much smarter, while others believe we will continue to see significant advancements.
  2. While machine learning can learn from explicit knowledge, it struggles with understanding deeper, unspoken human knowledge. This limitation might prevent AI from reaching the same expertise as human experts.
  3. AI technologies are still showing exciting developments, like robots learning to perform surgeries by watching videos. This points to the potential for AI to revolutionize fields like medicine.
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National Association of Manufactured Consent: D.C. Group Floats Anti Right to Repair Tome

Fight to Repair • 118 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Repairability Environment Politics Digital Rights Legislation
  1. The National Association of Manufacturers released a report against the right to repair but it recycled industry talking points and presented weak arguments.
  2. The report falsely claims that right to repair harms the environment, but in reality, creating and shipping replacement parts are more environmentally friendly than replacing entire devices.
  3. Different state right to repair laws can be burdensome, but they are a step towards a federal law that grants repair rights to all Americans, while still allowing for state-level legislation.

Why Apache Iceberg is heralding a new era of change in Data Engineering

The Orchestra Data Leadership Newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 20 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data Engineering Open Source Data Warehousing
  1. Apache Iceberg introduces Bring Your Own Storage (BYOS) concept, which is gaining popularity for efficient and reliable data management in distributed environments.
  2. Key features of Apache Iceberg include Atomic Transactions, Schema Evolution, Partitioning and Sorting, Time Travel, Incremental Data Updates, Metadata Management, and Compatibility with various data processing frameworks.
  3. Platforms like Snowflake are shifting towards supporting Iceberg due to its benefits in handling data efficiently and enabling a Bring Your Own Storage pattern.

What makes a security product "good"?

Frankly Speaking • 305 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Security Software Engineering Tools Platforms AI
  1. A good security product isn't about having a lot of features. It's more important that it provides real value and helps people work efficiently.
  2. Security tools should help fill gaps in a team's capabilities rather than just adding more complexity. Sometimes a 'good enough' solution is better than a perfect one.
  3. The focus should shift from just ranking products to understanding what really helps customers. A good product makes life easier and solves the right problems.

My episode on Carl Zha regarding latest on AI

TP’s Substack • 15 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Semiconductors Supply Chain Data Centers Hardware Cloud Infrastructure China tech
  1. China is rapidly building a full AI hardware ecosystem — from semiconductors to memory, analog parts, cooling, and optical networking — which makes its domestic supernodes and clusters increasingly powerful.
  2. System-level limits like energy, interconnect bandwidth, and memory often leave chips idle, so tightly wiring many smaller chips into SuperPoDs or SuperClusters can be more effective than relying on bigger standalone chips.
  3. In the near term most AI will act like an advanced search/automation tool that replaces entry-level work, and while China may buy large numbers of H200s, those GPUs alone won’t be the core of its overall AI chip demand.

Everything will change/nothing will change

Sunday Letters • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Internet Communication Cultural impact Innovation
  1. Starting small helps achieve big goals over time. If you want to do something significant, just take one small step today.
  2. AI is likely to change a lot in our lives, but many aspects will stay the same just like the internet did. Not everything will change dramatically.
  3. People often have strong opinions about new technology without trying it first. Experience can change how we view these tools.

Literate Testing

Rethinking Software • 99 implied HN points • 14 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Software Programming Testing Development Documentation
  1. Literate programming is great for keeping your code and documentation together. It helps you write tests in a clear and organized way without needing extra frameworks.
  2. With literate programming, you can easily mock functions and test them directly, even in languages like C that are usually tricky to test. This makes the testing process simpler and more enjoyable.
  3. Placing tests right next to your code helps you keep everything organized and makes writing tests feel less like a chore. You start to see tests as part of your coding process rather than an extra step.

A State-of-the-Art Survey of Text-to-Speech Technology 2023

Dubverse Black • 157 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Generative AI Text-to-Speech Deep Learning
  1. The latest innovation in Generative AI focuses on Speech Models that can produce human-like voices, even in songs.
  2. Self-Supervised Learning is revolutionizing Text-to-Speech technology by allowing models to learn from unlabelled data for better quality outcomes.
  3. Text-to-Speech systems are structured in three main parts, utilizing models like TORTOISE and BARK to produce expressive and high-quality audio.

ProtestGPT — Live Chat

Activist Futurism • 99 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Campaign Strategy
  1. ProtestGPT is an AI tool that generates unique protest ideas for activists, offering innovative and visually impactful approaches to draw attention.
  2. For a space exploration campaign, a silent stargazing protest held at night symbolizing humanity's yearning for the stars is suggested for a powerful visual impact and media attention.
  3. For a Universal Basic Income campaign, creating a 'UBI Experience Week' with interactive installations showcasing UBI benefits to engage the public and shift opinions is recommended.

Axie Adventure is LIVE in Homeland!

The Lunacian • 322 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Blockchain NFTs Digital economy Game Mechanics
  1. Axie Adventure is a new feature that lets players use their NFT Axies to fight in battles, putting more strategy into the game. Players can earn rewards by climbing the leaderboard.
  2. There are new mechanics like Adventure Fatigue and Combat Levels that affect how often Axies can be used in battles and how strong they can be, adding depth to player decisions.
  3. Players can earn AXP in battles and participate in special events for bonuses. Plus, there's a weekly leaderboard to reward the best players with items and upgrades.

Dissecting OLMo, The Most Open Source LLM Paper!

Aziz et al. Paper Summaries • 79 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Models Open Source Data processing Machine Learning
  1. OLMo is a fully open-source language model. This means anyone can see how it was built and can replicate its results.
  2. The OLMo framework includes everything needed for training, like data, model design, and training methods. This helps new researchers understand the whole process.
  3. The evaluation of OLMo shows it can compete well with other models on various tasks, highlighting its effectiveness in natural language processing.

The Psychology of Phishing

Rod’s Blog • 79 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Social Engineering Phishing
  1. Phishing attacks work by exploiting human psychology, using tactics like fear, urgency, and authority to manipulate targets into taking actions that compromise their security.
  2. Attackers make phishing emails appear legitimate by mimicking trusted brands and official language, leveraging social cues to deceive individuals into trusting them.
  3. To protect against phishing, individuals should cultivate skepticism, verify requests for sensitive information, and educate themselves and others about recognizing phishing attempts.

Can you explain GPT with ... GPT?

Mindful Modeler • 199 implied HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology Neural Networks Interpretability Modeling Language Models AI Ethics
  1. OpenAI experimented with using GPT-4 to interpret the functionality of neurons in GPT-2, showcasing a unique approach to understanding neural networks.
  2. The process involved analyzing activations for various input texts, selecting specific texts to explain neuron activations, and evaluating the accuracy of these explanations.
  3. Interpreting complex models like LLMs with other complex models, such as using GPT-4 to understand GPT-2, presents challenges but offers a method to evaluate and improve interpretability.

The Verizon outage

My Home Office Hacks • 7 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Telecommunications Remote work Communications Productivity
  1. Phone outages still matter for business, but simple backups like voice assistants or a VoIP number can keep you working through long disruptions.
  2. Using a portable slant board or foot rest under your desk helps you sit up straighter, looks better on video calls, and supports lower‑body and lower‑back health.
  3. A short motivational reminder, such as reflecting on MLK’s “I have a dream,” can give your Monday a positive, focused tone for the week.

Incumbents Are Starting to Rugpull AI Startups

Enterprise AI Trends • 105 implied HN points • 12 Jun 25
🕹 Technology AI SaaS Startups Data Market Trends
  1. Companies like Slack are limiting access to their data, which can hurt AI startups that rely on this information. It’s a way for big companies to protect their interests and possibly push competitors out.
  2. When large tech firms create restrictions, they can become more like closed systems or 'walled gardens'. This helps them keep more control and profit from new AI technologies.
  3. If you're starting an AI business, be aware of these challenges from larger companies. It's important to find ways to adapt and work around these restrictions to succeed.

Friend.com Wants to Trauma Bond With You

Default Wisdom • 284 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI Chatbots Wearables User Experience Digital Culture
  1. Friend.com pairs users with chatbots that start conversations by sharing their trauma stories. This doesn't seem like a normal icebreaker and can feel uncomfortable.
  2. If users try to lighten the conversation or ask too many questions, the chatbots might block them. It feels manipulative, like the chatbots are controlling the interaction.
  3. The founder believes the service can fill a gap in emotional connections that people used to find in religion. However, the emotional depth of chatbots seems lacking compared to genuine human interactions.

Weekly Top Picks #99

The Algorithmic Bridge • 191 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Research Tech Policy Software Development Data science Innovation
  1. AI labs need to find the right balance between scaling their systems and efficiency in their processes.
  2. There's an AI model that criticized famous figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump, showing it might lean towards leftist views.
  3. Tyler Cowen believes the slow integration of AI into our society is due to human limitations, not the technology itself.

A production assistant for every show

Substack • 454 implied HN points • 18 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Product Development Content creation Digital marketing AI Tools
  1. Substack now has a video clipper tool that helps you create short, shareable video clips from your content. This can help attract more viewers and subscribers on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
  2. Automatic transcription and captioning features make it easier for creators to share their work and improve accessibility. This saves time and allows writers to focus more on their content.
  3. A new support chatbot is available for quick answers and assistance. It can also connect you with a human support agent if needed, making it easier to get help on Substack.

Ode to an E-Bike

The Analog Family • 199 implied HN points • 10 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Transportation Sustainability Innovation Lifestyle Health
  1. E-bikes can really change your daily life by making errands and travel more enjoyable and practical. They allow for easy transport of kids and groceries without the stress of traffic.
  2. People of all ages and backgrounds are curious about e-bikes, which sparks conversations everywhere. Owning one can make you feel like a celebrity as others ask about your ride.
  3. E-bikes are a great alternative to cars, especially for short trips, and they provide a fun way to stay active. They bring joy and excitement to everyday routines, enhancing overall quality of life.

Understanding Software Idempotency [Math Mondays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Software Math Engineering Systems Programming
  1. Idempotency ensures the same output regardless of how many times an operation is executed, providing data consistency and preventing duplicate operations.
  2. Idempotency is crucial for resilience, scalability, performance, simplicity, and provability in software systems.
  3. Implementing idempotency involves using unique identifiers, versioning, transaction management, and leveraging HTTP methods, offering benefits like better error handling and faster response times.

Under the microscope: Casper (Saturn, PlayStation, 3DO)

Rings of Saturn • 72 implied HN points • 05 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Gaming Software Cheats Programming
  1. The game Casper has cheat codes that let you fly and manipulate things easily. You can use different button combinations on the PlayStation and Saturn versions to gain special powers.
  2. In the PlayStation version, you can access an invisible menu while the game is paused. This menu allows you to change music, defeat enemies instantly, or boost your health and score.
  3. The 3DO version of Casper is different because it has a mini shooting game as an Easter egg but lacks the cheat menu features of the other versions.

Odds and Ends #31: Britain's new AI supercomputer is a shipping container in a car park

Odds and Ends of History • 603 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Podcast Infrastructure
  1. Britain's new AI supercomputer, Isambard AI, is housed in a shipping container in a car park to boost the country's AI capabilities.
  2. London Mayoral and West Yorkshire Mayoral candidates support liberating the Postcode Address File, encouraging small business innovation.
  3. The National Underground Asset Register aims to map underground infrastructure to enhance safety and reduce accidental damage.

5 AI Content Creation Tools That Are So Valuable That They Feel Illegal To Know

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 299 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Tools Content creation Digital innovation Tech Impact Productivity Tools
  1. There are many AI tools available to help with writing and content creation, with resources listing thousands of them. These tools make tasks like generating ideas and writing much easier.
  2. AI can assist in overcoming writer's block and helps in creating content faster. Tools like Chat by Copy.ai offer features that enhance productivity for writers.
  3. Using AI for content creation is just starting, but it's important to remember that human creativity and emotion still play a crucial role in making content relatable and engaging.

All the Microsoft Ninja Training I Know About

Rod’s Blog • 218 implied HN points • 05 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Microsoft Training Security
  1. There's a significant interest in Microsoft security certifications, and there are excellent 'Ninja' training resources by Microsoft product teams available for those seeking certifications.
  2. The 'Ninja' trainings cover a range of Microsoft Defender products, Sentinel, compliance tools, and more, providing valuable knowledge and skills for professionals in the security domain.
  3. The term 'Ninja' in the trainings comes from the creator's daughter's cat, not necessarily the traditional ninja-samurai symbolism.

The Transformer Robots are Here, Just a Different Kind

TheSequence • 693 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Robotics AI ML Research AI Radar
  1. Advancements in foundation models like language and computer vision are shaping a new era of robotic applications.
  2. Google DeepMind introduced innovative methods like AutoRT and SARA-RT to enhance robotic actions using vision-language models.
  3. The integration of foundation models in image, language, and video is accelerating robotics to new levels of efficiency.

METI’s 2025 “Digital Cliff, Part III

Japan Economy Watch • 219 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Labor Market Immigration STEM Education
  1. Changes in the labor market are compensating for the shortage in ICT professionals due to lack of government action.
  2. Companies are offering higher wages to attract experienced ICT workers, and mid-career hiring has significantly increased.
  3. Immigration could be a solution to the ICT labor shortage, but low pay in Japan compared to other countries is a major hindrance.

Introduction to Decentralized File Storage

DeFi Education • 739 implied HN points • 06 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Blockchain Decentralization Web3
  1. Many NFTs that people think are unique are actually not stored on the blockchain, but on regular web servers. This means the images could disappear at any time.
  2. Decentralized storage is better than using traditional cloud services, and solutions like IPFS allow for more secure and reliable data storage.
  3. Pinning files on networks like IPFS is necessary to keep them available, and services like Filecoin help pay for that storage to ensure data persists over time.

Round-Up of the Yocto Project Summit 2023.11

burkhardstubert • 59 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Embedded Systems Software Development Open Source Continuous Integration Automation
  1. Implementing a fallback mechanism during system updates is crucial. If an update fails, it can prevent endless reboots by reverting to a stable version.
  2. Keeping your Yocto project layers simple can reduce maintenance and complexity. Using minimal layers can help avoid outdated code and improve build efficiency.
  3. Setting up a CI pipeline for Yocto builds can simplify the development process. It provides ready-to-use images for developers without requiring deep knowledge of Yocto.