The hottest Technology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Book Review: Why Machines Will Never Rule the World

The Grey Matter • 0 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Complex Systems Neural Networks
  1. The book emphasizes that machines will never rule the world, as AGI is fundamentally impossible due to computational limitations.
  2. The definitions of intelligence and machine intelligence play a crucial role in the argument against AGI.
  3. Language, context-dependence, and complex systems are central themes analyzed in the book to challenge the possibility of AGI.

3. Language, code, our minds and the future

Insight Axis • 0 implied HN points • 20 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Language Code Mind Future
  1. Our minds are influenced by the structure, content, and presentation of information, such as the language we speak, read, and write.
  2. Jobs won't be fully replaced by code and AI but rather evolve with these technological advancements, where humans will use computational tools to enhance their work.
  3. As programming becomes more common, our written and spoken language may change, simplifying sentences and potentially leading to a future where thinking in code affects how we write in prose.

Weekly Mining Newsletter

Miner Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 30 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Mining Regulation Hardware Finance Infrastructure
  1. Bitcoin's hashrate increased by ~8% as Texas miners resume power, significant news announced during Mining Disrupt 2022 and Bitmain's WDMS in Miami
  2. Ethereum Classic saw a surge of over 100% since mid-July due to the Ethereum PoW fork discussion and the debut of AntPool in its ecosystem
  3. Public miners like Stronghold and Mawson released their Q2 production data, showing growth surpassing network competition rise, offering a holistic view of 17 public miners' quarterly production

Weekly Mining Newsletter

Miner Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 02 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Mining Regulation Hardware Infrastructure General & Features
  1. Mining companies may continue to sell bitcoin and equipment to manage increasing debt levels, potentially impacting market dynamics.
  2. Bitcoin's mining hashprice has stabilized at $90 per PH/s, while some miners are currently operating at a loss.
  3. Regulatory challenges for miners include permit denials, investigations into alleged tax fraud schemes, and the impact of hardware developments on mining profitability.

o3 will see you now

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Computing Innovation Trends Data
  1. OpenAI's new model, o3, shows significant improvements in programming tasks and exam scores. It indicates that AI is advancing fast and can tackle challenging problems.
  2. Inflation rates are slightly lower than expected, which might affect consumer spending and interest rates. However, the markets seem to recover despite this uncertainty.
  3. Elon Musk is building ties with various right-wing political groups in Europe. His support for these parties suggests a trend toward anti-immigration and nationalistic policies.
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The Stateful Chinese Room

The Grey Matter • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Language Models Understanding Learning Communication
  1. The Chinese Room thought experiment challenges the idea of computers having genuine understanding.
  2. Understanding involves more than just following rules, requiring a deep comprehension and application of knowledge.
  3. The Stateful Chinese Room concept suggests that AI models could potentially achieve genuine understanding through context and repeated exposure.

Two-tower models for ranking problems

Simplicity is SOTA • 0 implied HN points • 22 May 23
🕹 Technology Big Data Machine Learning Research Neural Networks Algorithm
  1. Two-tower models are a technique being used in academia to improve ranking systems by looking into how position and user behavior affects clicks.
  2. Critiques have been raised against the two-tower models, questioning if they effectively separate biases and relevance in ranking.
  3. A new method called GradRev is emerging as a potential improvement over the previous two-tower models, applying a different approach to address bias in learning-to-rank systems.

The worst productivity app

My Home Office Hacks • 0 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Apps Software Mobile Productivity Monetization Startups
  1. Line makes you assign money to tasks and you forfeit that money if you don’t complete them, with the funds going either to the app or a friend you choose.
  2. That setup can punish procrastination twice — you lose the value of the task and also the money you put up as a penalty.
  3. It’s unclear and risky where forfeited funds actually go, creating trust and fairness concerns, though some people might still try the app.

🐿️ The Why Game - The IPT Newsletter

Squirrel Squadron Substack • 0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Management Leadership Organizational Culture Product Strategy Process Improvement Systems Thinking
  1. Keep asking 'Why' until you reach root causes so you can be sure work actually serves the outcomes you care about, like profitability.
  2. Playing the 'Why Game' with engineers is a quick way to check whether daily tasks map to strategic goals and to expose gaps between the kanban board and real business value.
  3. Relentless 'Why' creates double-loop learning that turns failures into systemic fixes by revealing cultural problems, but it should be asked thoughtfully to avoid defensiveness.

North Korea's "Vibes-Based" Targeting

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Government Privacy Cyberattacks Information Sharing
  1. North Korea has a unique approach to targeting priorities and operations, focusing on 'access begets access' which differs from tightly scoped operations by Five Eyes agencies.
  2. Iran shows a shift in cyber operations policy, engaging in destructive attacks targeting US critical infrastructure potentially as a response to previous cyberattacks on Iran.
  3. Privacy concerns arise regarding governments purchasing netflow data, but Team Cymru's data is selectively ingested for cyber threat analysis and unlikely to contribute to mass surveillance.

Pay for chat: Creating a Chat Platform for Creators and Their Fans

Makers Station • 0 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Social media Community Engagement Monetization Digital Platforms Innovation
  1. There is a need for innovative solutions for paid chat platform options to content creators.
  2. Creators value direct communication with their fans for engagement and feedback.
  3. Monetizing through sponsored ads while keeping the platform user-friendly is a potential approach for sustaining a paid chat platform.

"Putin's Chef" Cooks up Infosec Disaster

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 23 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Security Software Data Breaches Mobile devices Internet
  1. A group of hackers stole internal documents from businesses controlled by 'Putin's Chef', revealing poor infosec practices.
  2. Security firms report that security and network products have significant vulnerabilities, making them a weak point in cybersecurity.
  3. US demanding a forced sale of TikTok due to concerns about Chinese influence, indicating the complicated relationship between technology, politics, and cybersecurity.

Combine, async/await, and Unit Testing

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 0 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Concurrency Testing Swift Unit Testing
  1. Combine and async/await can be used together to write robust and maintainable software with modern language features.
  2. Testing @ObservableObject view models, Combine publishers in async methods, and Combine publishers converted to AsyncSequence are key in achieving unit test mastery.
  3. Understanding the interoperation between Combine and async/await is a powerful skill for writing unit tests and marrying the two concurrency approaches.

PRC: Not Stealthy, Just Annoying

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Data Privacy Hacking Legislation
  1. Chinese cyber espionage groups are using techniques that make detection and eviction difficult, targeting end-of-life devices for botnet operations.
  2. The FTC's settlement with a data broker over the sale of sensitive location data highlights the need for stronger data privacy laws in the US.
  3. US cyber security efforts show promise with expectations for more disruption operations, potential removal of degree requirements, and positive reviews for cyber diplomats.

L'Échelle de Valéry, ou Pourquoi les Gens Intelligents Créent des Produits Trop Compliqués

Mind Fooled • 0 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Design User Experience Product Development Innovation Digital Products
  1. People tend to create products that are too complicated due to unconscious forces pushing towards complexity.
  2. The L'Échelle de Valéry model illustrates the spectrum between overly simplistic (Simplistic) and overly complex (Usines à gaz) products.
  3. To combat the trend of overly complicated products, actively expose yourself to user feedback and make efforts to simplify the design process.

Checklist et chaos dans l'aéronautique et la tech

Mind Fooled • 0 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Tech Companies Complexity
  1. In complicated environments like aviation, precise and efficient communication is crucial for executing known tasks.
  2. In complex environments where misunderstandings don't have immediate major consequences, communication allowing for friction is beneficial for defining tasks to be done.
  3. The distinction between precise and friction-based communication explains why a person may follow strict protocols in aviation but engage in more improvised exchanges during creative work meetings.

Mereological Dialogues 3

Autodidact Obsessions • 0 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Algorithms Internet Digital Art
  1. Programs output more than what is programmed into them, showcasing the complexity of perceived AI and the limitations of existing frameworks.
  2. Incremental tinkering with existing algorithmic frameworks may be insufficient, leading to the need for radical changes.
  3. Glamorizing conversations with comic depictions can offer a fresh perspective on complex topics like AI and algorithms.

The RESTRICT Act Is Not About TikTok

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Cyber Security Legislation Reports Malware Incident Response
  1. The RESTRICT Act is bipartisan legislation aimed at enhancing the US government's ability to address threats from foreign technology companies.
  2. Governments like Australia implement laws for cyber incidents, but it can be controversial due to potential overreach.
  3. Global efforts are being made to combat cybersecurity threats, such as the CISA's Ransomware Vulnerability Warning Pilot program.

Smile! You've Been Sanctioned

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Cyber Security Finance Government Hacking Data Privacy
  1. Governments coordinated sanctions against cybercriminals can deter bad behavior and affect cybercrime business prospects.
  2. Microsoft's security breach highlights the need for improved security standards and better practices.
  3. Increased disclosure of non-material cybersecurity incidents to SEC may raise concerns about clutter but could be vital for transparency and awareness.

Air Force. Navy. Army. Cyber Force?

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Government Hacking Ransomware Cryptocurrency
  1. A proposal for a US Cyber Force as a 7th branch of the armed services is being considered, but there are concerns about the necessity and impact of such a move.
  2. Biden's executive order on spyware aims to restrict commercial spyware use by the US government, formalizing existing practices, and working in conjunction with legislative initiatives.
  3. The UK's NHS released a cyber security strategy focusing on collaboration, risk management, and learning from past cyber incidents, addressing challenges like limited cyber workforce and legacy technology.

Join my chat!

Danielle Newnham • 0 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Subscription Community
  1. Danielle Newnham has set up a subscriber chat in the Substack app.
  2. The chat is exclusive for her subscribers to connect and learn from each other.
  3. Readers can get 7 days of free access to the full post archives by subscribing.

An Interview With Brian Bell

ciamweekly • 0 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Identity Security Authentication Infrastructure Developers AI Privacy
  1. CIAM is the backbone of trust and revenue. It must enable easy, secure logins so users don’t abandon signups and make real-time decisions about who or what can do what.
  2. Implementing CIAM is hard because it sits at the intersection of security, product, privacy, scale, and developer experience, and many vendors hide that complexity behind rigid, inflexible models. Teams need flexible, embeddable solutions that give developers control for migrations, legacy data, and rapid growth.
  3. The future is CIAM as programmable, composable core infrastructure that supports fine-grained permissions and delegation for humans and AI agents. Developers will expect identity to fit their architecture and enable invisible trust at scale.

JWT Signing And Verification Benchmarks

ciamweekly • 0 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Security Authentication Performance Programming Java Libraries
  1. The piece benchmarks signing and verification performance across different JWT algorithms to compare how they behave under load.
  2. The measurements use a Java JWT library (fusionauth-jwt) to get practical, implementation-level performance data.
  3. Benchmarks aren’t universal — you should run your own tests and make sure the results apply to your specific use case.

Generative A-Eye #7 - 24th Sept,2024

Martin’s Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 24 Sep 24
🕹 Technology AI Research Image Synthesis Computer Graphics Deep Learning Video Generation
  1. New AI methods are improving the reconstruction of humans in loose clothing from videos. This makes it possible to create realistic 3D models even when outfits move and change shape a lot.
  2. A project called MIMAFace is focused on creating realistic facial animations using a mix of motion and identity features. It helps in generating video animations that look smooth and consistent.
  3. Hair modeling in 3D graphics is getting better with new techniques like using Gaussian splatting. This approach allows for accurate and realistic representations of hairstyles in visual media.

Jobs for LLMs and how to survive the robotic uprising

Baby CTO • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Automation Cost Analysis Future prospects
  1. LLMs are effective at transforming and shortening text, as well as classifying data, but may struggle with non-obvious tasks like cleaning poorly structured datasets.
  2. LLMs can be cost-prohibitive, especially at higher request volumes, so it's important to consider alternative solutions and hosting options.
  3. Real-world use cases where LLMs excel include FAQ-style chatbots, email parsing, and first-layer customer support, offering efficiency and automation.

Mac–iPhone Tethering Settings for Maximum Speed

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Mobile Networking Connectivity iOS Performance Troubleshooting
  1. Turn off Personal Hotspot > Maximise Compatibility on the iPhone and disable Low Data Mode in the Mac’s Wi‑Fi (and USB) network details to get full tethering speed and let Apple Photos sync automatically.
  2. Set iPhone > Mobile Data Options > Data Mode to Allow More Data on 5G to boost tethering throughput compared with Standard or Low Data Mode.
  3. Wi‑Fi and USB tethering deliver similar speeds in tests, so pick Wi‑Fi for convenience and remote enabling or USB when you want to charge the phone; remember USB has its own Low Data Mode to disable.

Fast Chargers Everywhere Still Won’t Make EV Long Trips Practical

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Electric Vehicles Batteries Charging Infrastructure Automotive Transportation Energy
  1. Even with fast chargers everywhere, long highway trips remain impractical because charging time adds a large extra delay — in the example it turned a 12.5‑hour drive into about 17.3 hours.
  2. The realistic fixes are limited and imperfect: drive fewer kilometers per day, wait for much longer‑range EVs, keep a petrol car for long trips, or use awkward relay/vehicle‑swap schemes.
  3. Given those trade-offs, EVs today are best suited for city use rather than extended road trips.

IINA Settings for a Better Experience

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Software User Experience
  1. Configure playback to pause when media opens and when the window loses focus, auto-play when entering full screen, and black out other monitors so you don’t miss or get distracted by video.
  2. Simplify the UI and controls by placing the on-screen controller at the bottom, disabling auto-resize, emptying the toolbar, preventing the scroll wheel from changing volume, enabling pinch-to-fullscreen, and using single-click to pause/resume for consistent interactions.
  3. Save screenshots to the Desktop in JPEG XL and copy them to the clipboard for easy use, and enable chapter markers in the progress bar so you can seek by story sections instead of timestamps.

Dr. Vaku Power Bank: Don't Buy

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Consumer Electronics Mobile devices Batteries Product Reviews
  1. The power bank frequently stops and restarts charging, making it unreliable for charging two devices at once or for uninterrupted use.
  2. It delivers less power than advertised (often only ~20W or 15W in practice), so it won’t keep a laptop running while you use it and can stress batteries.
  3. Pass-through charging can refill both a drained phone and the bank overnight but is very slow due to a 15W input limit, and the LED/color charge indicators are inconsistent and untrustworthy.

AI Is Both a Product and a Feature

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Product Strategy Cloud Platforms Developer Tools Enterprise Software Consumer Tech Platforms
  1. AI works both as a standalone product (like ChatGPT or IDEs) and as a feature embedded into other apps, and both forms matter for users.
  2. Google uniquely offers AI both as a product and as integrated features across its services, giving it a structural distribution advantage.
  3. Distribution — how users access AI — is the decisive factor, and it matters more than whether the technology is in-house, licensed, open-source, or closed.