The hottest Technology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

2022 Trends in Data and AI

Gradient Flow • 99 implied HN points • 06 Jan 22
🕹 Technology Data AI Machine Learning Podcasts
  1. Graph Intelligence is a rising technology category for analyzing data relationships, using techniques like graph visualization and machine learning models.
  2. Early adopters of Graph Intelligence might gain a competitive advantage in analyzing data more efficiently and effectively.
  3. Podcasts like Data Exchange discuss topics like data and machine learning platforms at Shopify, AI engineering, and the importance of a modern metadata platform.

Old Advocacy, New Algorithms: How 16th century "Devil's Advocates” Shaped AI Red Teaming

Humane AI • 20 HN points • 11 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Cybersecurity Generative AI Red-Teaming Language Models
  1. The practice of 'Devil's Advocates' shaping decision-making dates back centuries, like in the case of determining the legitimacy of saints.
  2. Red teaming has evolved from military war games to modern applications in cybersecurity and ensuring ethical implications in generative AI systems.
  3. Guidelines for effective red teaming include partnering with civil society organizations, collaborating with humanities departments, and expanding efforts for diverse linguistic contexts.

A World without C

Deus In Machina • 72 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Languages Innovation Legacy
  1. The push towards memory-safe languages like C++ over C is gaining attention due to concerns about software security, especially in critical systems like government infrastructure and services.
  2. C's simplicity and widespread usage make it a common choice for interlanguage bindings, but its simplicity can also lead to challenges in areas like memory management and handling large projects.
  3. While C has a rich history and legacy, there is growing discussion about the potential for newer languages like Zig to eventually replace C in its core functionalities, driven by advancements in the programming landscape.

The Map of Web3 Distribution. 5 ways you can reach wallet owners and what to lookout for in each of them

Oleksii Sidorov • 144 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Advertising Metaverse
  1. Utilize public channels like airdrops to reach wallet owners, but be wary of spam and lack of user impressions.
  2. Consider creating your own traffic platform to manage ad placements and limit spam, but be aware of the challenges in building a large user base.
  3. Explore placing ads in the Metaverse, dApps, or targeting Web3 users in Web2 platforms for potential higher volume and audience reach.

Standard Semantics

davidj.substack • 95 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Data Modeling Semantic Layers APIs Standardization
  1. Having a standard interface for semantic layers is crucial to prevent failure and ensure compatibility among different layers.
  2. SQL APIs offered by semantic layers may not be truly SQL, leading to potential confusion and challenges in querying data.
  3. Supporting REST HTTP interfaces for semantic layers enables a broader range of use cases, including data applications for internal and external purposes.
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Checking in on the 2025 Cyber 150

The Security Industry • 11 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Startups Investment Data Analysis Market Trends
  1. The Cyber 150 list includes cybersecurity companies with between 50 to 500 employees, showcasing those on the rise before they grow too big.
  2. Funding is flowing into these companies, with some receiving over $100 million, totaling around $2.3 billion in the first half of 2025 alone.
  3. Companies that grow past 500 employees or fail to grow can graduate from or drop off the Cyber 150 list, highlighting their changing status in the industry.

Techtopia. What it is & Why It’s Important

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Utopia Society Humanity Artificial Intelligence Social Sciences
  1. The concept of techtopia, a fusion of technology and human sociology, explores the idea of living an ideal life through advanced technologies.
  2. Techtopian thinking can be problematic as it tends to overlook human nature and relies too heavily on technology to solve all problems.
  3. Despite its flaws, exploring techtopia is crucial for understanding the potential risks and benefits of advanced digital technologies and envisioning how human societies can evolve.

How Discord Handles Billions of Messages [System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 17 Oct 22
🕹 Technology System Design Messaging Database Search Engineering
  1. Storage is crucial in system design, requiring detailed analysis of data generated for efficient handling.
  2. Discord uses Cassandra as its database to manage the storage of messages efficiently.
  3. Indexing messages and using tools like ElasticSearch are key for efficient search functionality in large data sets.

This Friday: Symposium on Right To Repair

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 19 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Legislation Policy Intellectual Property Consumer Protection Competition
  1. UC Berkeley Law School is hosting a symposium on The Emergent Right to Repair over two Fridays.
  2. The symposium will cover policy questions at the heart of the repair debate, such as the impact of restrictions on repair on competition and consumer benefits of open repair markets.
  3. Keynote speakers include Tim Wu and Senator Ron Wyden, discussing technology, competition, and legislation related to the right to repair.

Fostering Trust: Why NIST and the NSA Must Prioritise Transparency in Post-Quantum Cryptography.

Deep-Tech Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cryptography Transparency Collaboration Security Innovation
  1. Post-Quantum Cryptography is crucial in securing digital communications against potential threats from quantum computers
  2. Enhancing transparency in standardization processes, inclusive collaboration, independent audits, and regular updates can build trust in cryptographic standards
  3. Collaboration between intelligence agencies and the private sector is vital for protecting critical infrastructure, fostering innovation, and addressing borderless cyber threats

Welcome to the Era of AI Factories

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Manufacturing Data Electric Vehicles Partnerships
  1. AI factories are big data centers that use powerful computers to turn data into useful insights. They are changing how manufacturing works around the world.
  2. Foxconn is teaming up with NVIDIA to create these AI factories, which will also support new technologies like electric and self-driving cars.
  3. This partnership is a step towards making processes faster and smarter, showing how AI can improve modern manufacturing.

Text is All You Need

Breaking Smart • 149 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Text Chatbots Ethics Future
  1. Personhood may be simpler than we thought, becoming evident through AI chatbots like Sydney.
  2. Computers are now good at being mediocore and flawed, which alarms people more than superhuman abilities.
  3. Text is all you need to produce personhood, stripping away the specialness of human identity.

The New Operating System for Good

Crypto Good • 3 implied HN points • 20 Nov 25
🕹 Technology AI Crypto Mobile Innovation Nonprofit
  1. New technologies like AI, crypto, and mobile are changing how we do good. We can now send donations faster and see where they go, making charity more transparent.
  2. AI helps people work smarter, not harder. It takes care of administrative tasks, so one person can achieve what used to take many, making help available to more people.
  3. Mobile phones are turning into powerful tools for social impact. With AI, people can manage aid and services just by talking, making it easier for everyone to contribute.

"Algorithmic entombment", explore-exploit trade-offs, and serendipity

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Algorithms Media Recommendations User Experience Data science
  1. Recommendation systems can help us find new favorites but also risk making our choices repetitive. If we're only shown what we already like, we might miss out on discovering exciting new things.
  2. There's a balance between exploring new options and sticking to what we know. Too much of either can lead to boredom or discomfort, so it’s important to mix both approaches in our choices.
  3. Serendipity, or those happy accidents that lead to great moments, can be lost with strict recommendation systems. Sometimes the best experiences come from unexpected encounters, not just from things we already enjoy.

Me and Elon Musk - A Conversation

Random Minds by Katherine Brodsky • 74 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Interview AI Journalism Partnership Futurism
  1. The interview with Elon Musk delved into topics like freedom of speech, journalism, AI, and more, showcasing different perspectives on the future of journalism.
  2. The conversation unexpectedly lasted over three hours, involving an array of audience questions and chaotic, entertaining moments, highlighting the unpredictable nature of live discussions.
  3. Elon Musk hinted at news about Neurolink and a potential partnership with Midjourney, indicating ongoing developments in technological advancements.

Episode 30: Better Built By Burkhard

burkhardstubert • 59 implied HN points • 15 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Software Hardware IOT Development Engineering
  1. Many development kit providers focus mainly on hardware, but customers actually need software solutions too. It's better if they offer a complete package that includes useful software support.
  2. Several manufacturers are already adding value through software features. For example, some provide remote management and monitoring options, which help save time for their customers.
  3. Understanding customer needs is key. If companies build systems that help customers easily create their own software, it can lead to quicker product launches and better overall success.

Updated: Emerging RAG & Prompt Engineering Architectures for LLMs

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Natural Language Processing Data science Software Development
  1. Large Language Models (LLMs) rely on both input and output data that are unstructured and conversational. This means they process language in a natural, free-flowing manner.
  2. Fine-tuning LLMs has become less popular because it requires a lot of specific training and can get outdated. Using contextual prompts at the right time is a better way to improve their accuracy.
  3. New tools are emerging that test different LLMs against prompts instead of just tweaking prompts for one LLM. This helps in finding the best model suited for different tasks.

Jarvis, you up?

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Autonomous Agents Machine Learning Human-computer interaction Software Development
  1. OpenAI is launching an autonomous agent called JARVIS, inspired by Iron Man. This tech could change how we do many online tasks like sending emails and booking flights.
  2. The co-founder of OpenAI shared that the assistant can negotiate business deals with little help. It's interesting that it refers to itself as JARVIS too.
  3. Overall, the new JARVIS could make interacting with the internet easier and more efficient, handling various online activities for users.

I'm glad to be a 33 years old (ancient) software engineer

Sheep Code • 26 implied HN points • 22 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Career AI Remote work Engineering
  1. You'll enjoy coding much more as you gain experience over the years. It might feel boring now, but in time, it will become something you love doing.
  2. You have the potential to earn a lot more than you think. With hard work and the right opportunities, a six-figure salary is very achievable.
  3. Being smart isn't the only key to success in tech. Being effective, working well with others, and solving problems can matter even more.

[Solution]Problem 60:N Queens [FAANG+ everyone else]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 14 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Backtracking Recursion Chess
  1. The problem of placing n queens on an n x n chessboard without them attacking each other is known as the n-queens puzzle.
  2. Backtracking and recursion are commonly used strategies for solving the n-queens puzzle.
  3. Solutions to the n-queens puzzle involve distinct board configurations with 'Q' representing a queen and '.' representing an empty space.

Demystifying API Gateways: What They Are & Why They Matter

Engineering At Scale • 75 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology APIs Microservices Architecture Security Performance
  1. API Gateway acts as an intermediary in microservices, handling client requests, and routing them to the appropriate microservices, simplifying communication for clients.
  2. API Gateway enhances security by authenticating and authorizing requests, provides rate-limiting to prevent attacks, and improves performance through caching and protocol conversion.
  3. Downsides of API Gateways include increased latency due to an extra hop, potential single point of failure, and added complexity to the system architecture.

Episode 39: Better Built By Burkhard

burkhardstubert • 39 implied HN points • 01 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Embedded Systems Software Development Digital Security
  1. Toradex offers ready-made solutions that simplify software updates for customers, saving them time and money. Their focus on software sets them apart in a hardware-oriented market.
  2. Kontron's super ECU can replace multiple smaller ECUs, which can lead to more compact and efficient designs in vehicles and machinery. This integration helps manufacturers streamline their operations.
  3. Slint is emerging as a strong alternative to existing UI frameworks, providing lower memory requirements and flexible licensing options. This could give it an edge in the embedded device market.

Gradient Flow #44: 2021 NLP Industry Survey Results; No-Code Landscape

Gradient Flow • 119 implied HN points • 23 Sep 21
🕹 Technology NLP No Code Machine Learning Data Tools Infrastructure
  1. The 2021 NLP Industry Survey received responses from 655 people worldwide, providing insights into how companies are using language applications today.
  2. Tools like Hugging Face NLP Datasets and TextDistance library are making data processing and comparison easier in Python.
  3. There is a trend towards low-code and no-code development tools that are boosting developer productivity and extending the pool of software application creators.

GroupBy #5: The story of S3, Kafka at scale and the boring is back

VuTrinh. • 19 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Data Engineering Software Development Cloud Computing Artificial Intelligence Systems Architecture
  1. S3 is a big storage system used for data, and understanding how it's built can help improve data handling. It's cool to know how tech like this works.
  2. Running Kafka at scale is interesting, especially for companies like Pinterest. It shows how important reliable data flow is in tech.
  3. There's a trend of making things simpler and more efficient in engineering. Sometimes, going back to basics can solve complex problems.

How to launch a show on Substack

Substack • 60 implied HN points • 07 May 24
🕹 Technology Video creation Content Strategy Website Design Social media
  1. Start by claiming your subdomain and choosing a title for your Substack. This will help identify your space online.
  2. Think about your video content strategy. Decide what will be free and what will be paid to attract subscribers.
  3. When you're ready, promote your launch on social media and send news to friends. Encourage them to spread the word about your new Substack.

How I Developed the 10 Usability Heuristics

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 75 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology UX Research Usability User Interface Design
  1. Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics were developed through factor analysis to explain a database of usability problems, with the final list chosen for its explanatory power.
  2. The initial heuristics in 1989 were based on opinion and teaching needs, while the refined 1994 list was derived through systematic research and factor analysis.
  3. The 10 heuristics have remained relevant for 30 years due to their grounding in fundamental mismatches between humans and machines, and their broad, general applicability across different user interfaces.

CEA-Leti, Imec launch chip pilot lines

Semiecosystem • 2 HN points • 29 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors European Union Research & Development Economic Growth
  1. European Union boosts semiconductor industry with new chip pilot lines led by CEA-Leti and Imec to drive R&D and explore advanced technologies.
  2. European Chips Act aims to strengthen EU's semiconductor ecosystem with a $47 billion program and increase Europe's share of semiconductors from 8% in 2021 to 20% by 2030.
  3. Initiatives like these are crucial due to the global importance of semiconductors in various products, the geopolitical vulnerabilities in current chip production regions, and past disruptions like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Open Agency model can solve the AI regulation dilemma

Engineering Ideas • 19 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Regulation Models Antitrust Surveillance
  1. Concerns about AI regulation revolve around AI monopolization and concentration of power.
  2. The Open Agency model proposes approved specialized AI services and glue AIs to prevent concentration of power.
  3. This model aims to address core concerns of anti-AI regulation individuals regarding power concentration and freedom of political and ethical views.

Empty Calories of AI: A Cure for Loneliness Worse Than the Disease?

Peak Horse • 17 implied HN points • 22 Apr 25
🕹 Technology AI Loneliness Mental health Social Interaction Human behavior
  1. Using AI to combat loneliness may seem helpful, but it can lead to even deeper feelings of isolation. Relying too much on AI might keep us from forming real human connections.
  2. AI companions can satisfy our immediate need for companionship, but they don't replace the genuine support and growth that come from real relationships. Real friendships can be tough but are essential for our emotional health.
  3. We should invest in building community spaces and social programs to encourage real connections, instead of just relying on technology. True connections, like healthy eating, require more than quick fixes.

Edge 378: Meet TimesFM: Google's New Foundation Model for Time-Series Forecasting

TheSequence • 70 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Machine Learning AI
  1. Time series forecasting is crucial in various fields like retail, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and more, despite lagging behind other areas in AI development.
  2. Google has introduced TimeFM, a pretrain model with 200M parameters trained on over 100 billion time series data points, aiming to advance forecasting accuracy.
  3. The new TimeFM model from Google will soon be accessible in Vertex AI, showcasing a shift towards leveraging pretrained models for time series forecasting.

I fought a DDoS and lived to tell the tale

FunkByteTech • 3 HN points • 03 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Cloud Computing Web Development Network Security Data Management
  1. Prepare for unexpected challenges like DDoS attacks by having suitable defenses like Web Application Firewalls (WAF) in place.
  2. Stay vigilant and adaptive during a DDoS attack, making use of tools like Load Balancer access logs and being ready to block traffic from unwanted sources.
  3. After facing a DDoS attack, reflect on the experience to learn and improve, reinforcing your defense mechanisms for potential future attacks.

Welcome to QUALITY BOSS ✨

QUALITY BOSS • 19 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Quality Engineering Leadership Women in Tech Personal Development
  1. The blog focuses on quality engineering and leadership in the tech industry. It's a space to share professional experiences and insights.
  2. It highlights the unique challenges and successes that women face in technology. This perspective aims to encourage others in the field.
  3. The author started writing as a hobby and wanted a platform to express her professional thoughts and advice. It's meant to be a community for exploration and learning.

Advent of Ruby Changelog: Week 1

zverok on lucid code • 86 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Diary Documentation Ruby
  1. Preparing Ruby 3.3's annotated changelog involves detailed explanations of features, testing on new versions, and fixing documentation.
  2. Efficiently tracking new features and discussions for Ruby updates is crucial for the changelog process.
  3. A day-by-day diary format for working on the changelog helps in organizing thoughts and content for weekly round-up posts.

When should we use Power Apps and the Power Platform?

Power Platform News • 19 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Software Integration Development Licensing
  1. Ease of learning: Power Platform tools like Power Apps are designed to be user-friendly and come with resources for easy learning, making it quick to build and deploy applications.
  2. Integrations: Power Platform seamlessly integrates with Office 365 and other platforms like SQL server and Salesforce, streamlining app development without access issues.
  3. Time to market: PowerApps can save significant time and effort compared to traditional app development, with templates available and the capability to generate responsive apps from data sources.