Sunday Letters

Sunday Letters explores the intersections of programming, personal growth, and communication. It emphasizes the importance of iterative learning, effective communication, leadership humility, adaptability, and balancing creativity with practicality. This Substack encourages readers to continually learn, improve, and embrace diverse perspectives and skills for long-term success.

Programming Personal Growth Communication Leadership Adaptability Creativity Technology

The hottest Substack posts of Sunday Letters

And their main takeaways

Holding two thoughts

139 implied HN points • 11 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI Computation Software Innovation Tech Culture
  1. AI is a big change, and it's hard to label it just good or bad. We're still figuring out how to use it effectively, but it has a lot of potential.
  2. In everyday life, AI is starting to prove useful in small ways, like transcribing recipes quickly or helping create survey questions.
  3. Just like with e-commerce and search engines, AI will gradually become more integrated into our lives as people find ways to use it better.

AI is a funny coworker

39 implied HN points • 18 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Product Design User Experience Automation
  1. AI tools can be very intelligent and quick, but they also sometimes make things up and can be frustrating to work with.
  2. These AI coworkers are always available and eager to help, but they struggle with remembering context and prefer to start over rather than make small changes.
  3. Improving interaction with AI is important, and with better design and usability, they can become more effective and user-friendly in the workplace.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic

59 implied HN points • 04 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Programming Motivation Software Development Mindset
  1. Good code comes from genuine passion, not just external rewards. When programmers care deeply, they are more likely to improve their skills and produce better work.
  2. Extrinsic motivations like promotions can lead to just getting by rather than striving for excellence. These motivations don’t usually inspire creativity or deep understanding.
  3. Finding a balance between intrinsic motivation and practical limitations is important. Recognizing your reasons for coding can help you become the person you want to be.

What is an AI recipe?

19 implied HN points • 01 Sep 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Innovation Data science Programming
  1. An AI recipe is a mix of code and AI thinking that helps solve problems. It's not just code or just prompts; it's a combination that guides the AI to achieve a goal.
  2. Finding the right balance between structured code and flexible AI is tricky. This balance can feel similar to figuring out what makes a cake a cake.
  3. As AI improves, the aim is to make these recipes work better and help connect human ideas directly to machine actions.

Don't grab the brass ring, grab the copper pipe

59 implied HN points • 28 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Internet Development Infrastructure UX
  1. Focus on building the essential tools and infrastructure first. These are often overlooked but are crucial for long-term success.
  2. Reaching for groundbreaking goals is important, but make sure the technology is ready. Many ideas are great, but timing matters.
  3. While big ideas attract attention, don't forget about solving smaller, tougher problems that can support those ideas. Both are important for progress.
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Hero Culture means your systems are broken

159 implied HN points • 19 May 24
💼 Business Organization Leadership Culture Systems Processes
  1. Hero culture shows that a company's systems aren't working right. If you need someone to save the day, there's likely a problem with the organization's processes.
  2. Celebrating heroes can be nice, but it distracts from fixing the real issues. It's better to thank them and work together to prevent future emergencies.
  3. Good systems include clear documentation and solid processes. These tools help avoid relying on individuals to step in and fix issues all the time.

Looking for problems instead of solutions

99 implied HN points • 27 May 24
💼 Business Mindset Problem Solving Teamwork Leadership Productivity
  1. It's important to focus on solutions rather than just identifying problems. Always looking for issues can slow down progress and creativity.
  2. Effective people know when to take action, even if they don't have all the details. It's okay to jump into something and learn as you go.
  3. When you have concerns, think about whether they are relevant now or just distractions. Finding solutions should be your priority to keep moving forward.

Man vs Machine

59 implied HN points • 16 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture Music Art Philosophy Literature Creativity
  1. Paying close attention to small details can help you understand the bigger picture. When you focus on one thing, you can see connections to the whole world.
  2. Creativity is in everything we do, whether it's making music, writing code, or having conversations. Each act of creation holds lessons and reflections of our lives.
  3. Failures are not just setbacks; they're opportunities to learn and grow. By examining our mistakes closely, we gain insights that can lead us to future success.

Harmony, melody, and coding with AI

39 implied HN points • 07 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Programming Software Innovation Engineering
  1. We are experiencing a shift in programming that changes how we interact with code and AI. Just like moving from desktop to cloud, this new way will come with challenges and need new thinking.
  2. Combining traditional coding with AI models is important. It's like writing music where the code provides a solid structure, while AI adds creativity and flexibility.
  3. To succeed in this new environment, programmers should keep learning and adapting, using both past knowledge and new technologies carefully together.

Good Luck/Bad Luck. Good Design/Bad Design

99 implied HN points • 28 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Design Engineering User Experience Coding Practices Project management
  1. Software can be easy to create but hard to maintain. It's important for engineers to think about how their choices today will affect the future.
  2. Using simple designs and clear roles in a project can help avoid complicated problems later. Teams should focus on making changes quickly and smartly.
  3. Sometimes, the best solution is to remove unnecessary parts instead of adding more. If something isn't needed right now, it's better to not include it.

Stories we tell ourselves

39 implied HN points • 30 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture Personal Growth Mental health Self-reflection Storytelling ADHD Awareness
  1. Understanding your personal challenges can change how you see yourself. Recognizing a condition like ADHD or Tourette's allows you to reframe your story from weakness to strength.
  2. Everyone has stories about their abilities that may not be true. Instead of saying "I'm bad at math," think of what you're really good at instead.
  3. The way we tell ourselves stories shapes our lives. By being aware of our thoughts, we can rewrite our narratives to be kinder and more helpful.

When software stops caring

99 implied HN points • 21 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software User Experience Enterprise Consumer Productivity
  1. Enterprise software focuses more on the buyer than the user, making user experience less important. It just needs to be usable enough to avoid complaints.
  2. Consumer software prioritizes a great user experience because users can easily switch. This keeps companies on their toes to fix bugs and improve features quickly.
  3. Emerging apps from big tech are stuck in the middle. They need basic functionality but often don’t get the attention they need, leading to worse user experiences over time.

Finding the CAP theorem of agents

59 implied HN points • 02 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Software AI Distributed Systems Engineering Programming
  1. The CAP theorem shows that in any distributed system, you can only achieve two out of three things: consistency, availability, or partition tolerance. This means when things go wrong, you have to choose which one you're willing to sacrifice.
  2. In AI programming, there's a similar tension between using complex AI models and the need for reliable, deterministic code. Balancing these two aspects is a challenge, much like the early challenges with web applications.
  3. As technology evolves, the understanding and frameworks around these issues may improve. Just like how programmers now design around the CAP theorem, we might see better solutions and choices for AI challenges in the future.

Grounding your story

219 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Design Career Communication Personal Development
  1. Engineers can have many interests and skills, not just coding, which makes them versatile. It's okay to be like a 'paladin' who does many things well, even if it takes longer to master everything.
  2. Balancing different skills means you might not be the best in just one area, but you can excel in roles that need different perspectives, which is valuable.
  3. It's important to clearly define how you see yourself and communicate that to others. Having a simple and grounded story helps people understand your unique blend of skills.

The worse bullshitter

139 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Self-awareness Cognition Impostor syndrome Personal Growth
  1. It's easy to think we understand something fully, but we often realize we don't when we actually try to do it. This can happen in both math and programming.
  2. Sometimes we can fool ourselves into believing we know more than we do, which can make us the worst kind of bullshitter. This is especially tricky because it can tie into feelings of impostor syndrome.
  3. To avoid deceiving ourselves, it's important to be honest about our results. Whether in math, programming, or management, focusing on real outcomes can keep us grounded.

Building reliability from unreliable parts

59 implied HN points • 12 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Cloud Software Data science Systems Engineering
  1. Modern AI systems have a random element, making them sometimes unpredictable or unreliable. This means they can give different answers even to the same question, which is a challenge for creating consistent outputs.
  2. Just like the early cloud systems, we need to use smart software solutions to make our current AI technologies more reliable. Instead of relying solely on the AI itself, we should layer software to handle and fix errors.
  3. To build better AI systems, it’s important to explore structured approaches, like guided conversations or iterative processes. This way, we can combine the strengths of AI with reliable system design.

Frame Rate, experiments, messes

39 implied HN points • 09 Jun 24
🕹 Technology AI Innovation Software Engineering Learning
  1. AI technology is developing quickly, and if you don’t engage with it yourself, you might be caught off guard by new advancements. It's better to stay updated by trying things out.
  2. Many people still don’t experience AI firsthand and only learn about it from news. Trying out tools like GPT-4 can help you understand its potential.
  3. Being spontaneous and messy in your approach is key to creativity. Don't worry about making things perfect; experimentation can lead to great innovations.

Art is Navigating Latent Spaces

79 implied HN points • 31 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Conceptual Art Art Theory Art history
  1. Art may help us explore parts of our own minds that we don’t usually think about. It can highlight unusual connections that we weren't aware of before.
  2. When we ask questions to AI models, we guide them to specific areas of their knowledge. This is similar to how we might expect art to take us to new and surprising ideas.
  3. People often feel disappointed by art when it doesn't challenge them. If art points to familiar and predictable ideas, it tends to feel less satisfying.

Subtle resistance

99 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🚌 Education AI Impact Teaching Methods Technology Adoption
  1. People often resist new technologies because they feel uncomfortable with change. This can lead to silly arguments against using something that actually helps.
  2. In the past, teachers were hesitant to accept printed papers due to concerns about quality, but this resistance seems odd now. It shows how we can misjudge new tools.
  3. It's important to examine why we push back against new ideas. Sometimes our reasons might not make sense and could actually prevent us from benefiting.

On messing around

79 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Discovery Exploration Mindset Science
  1. Being a 'happy mutant' means being curious and passionate about your interests, even if others don't understand them. It's about exploring what fascinates you without needing to justify it.
  2. Mistakes and experiments are crucial for innovation and discovery. Sometimes the best inventions come from unexpected errors or just playing around with ideas.
  3. Having a growth mindset helps you embrace exploration. Following your instincts and interests can lead to amazing discoveries you never planned for.

LLM Renderman

59 implied HN points • 07 Apr 24
🕹 Technology AI Graphics Industry Development Innovation
  1. The early days of CGI faced many challenges, like high costs and limited realism, similar to current struggles in AI development.
  2. Just like CGI evolved to become seamless in movies, AI technology is expected to improve and become a normal part of our lives over time.
  3. Even if some early attempts in AI look flawed, progress is being made, and future innovations will likely succeed where the past struggled.

Asking for mentoring

79 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🚌 Education Mentoring Career Advice Personal Development Professional Growth
  1. Many people are shy about asking for mentorship, but it's important to overcome that fear. Asking for help is a good move, and usually the worst that can happen is a 'no.'
  2. When reaching out for mentorship, have specific and thoughtful questions ready. It shows you're serious and helps the mentor know what to expect.
  3. Mentoring should be beneficial for both parties. Prepare to make the conversation valuable, not just for yourself, but for the mentor too.

How to metacognate

99 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Programming Machine Learning Cognition Data Automation
  1. Working with complex models can be hard when they get confused by incorrect or incomplete information. This can lead to mistakes and conflicts in what they remember.
  2. Creating a stable pattern for how tasks are done can help models work better by giving them a solid structure to follow. This is like giving the model a framework to lean on for more complicated tasks.
  3. As models improve, the need for extra coding to guide their thinking may lessen. Better memory strategies will likely help them function more effectively over time.

Everything will change/nothing will change

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.

The thermodynamics of user laziness

159 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
🕹 Technology User Behavior Product Design Generative AI Thermodynamics
  1. Users are often seen as lazy, but that's because they are busy and don’t have time to adjust to new things unless it’s really worth it.
  2. For people to adopt a new habit or product, the benefit must be significantly greater than the effort it takes to change, often needing to be ten times better or solve an existing problem.
  3. When creating products, it's crucial to understand the user's total experience and ensure the solution truly simplifies their life, or they simply won’t bother adapting.

Information is not Communication

99 implied HN points • 18 Dec 23
🚌 Education Communication Teaching Learning Writing Technology
  1. Information isn't the same as communication. Communication is more about how well the other person understands you.
  2. When sharing ideas, focus on the listener's reaction rather than just giving all the details.
  3. It's your responsibility to make your message clear. If someone doesn't get it, think about how you can communicate better.

A fun thought on optimization

79 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Design Optimization Product Development
  1. Avoid optimizing too early in the design process. This can lead to wasted efforts and complicated designs.
  2. In the world of AI, focusing too much on costs can lead to weak solutions. It's better to have a solid, simple design from the start.
  3. Instead of worrying about future needs, consider how hard it will be to make changes later. It's important to find a balance between planning and flexibility.

The new anachronism

39 implied HN points • 14 Apr 24
🕹 Technology AI User Experience Applications Digital Media Innovation Future Trends
  1. Technology changes fast, and things we think are normal now might seem really strange to future generations. For example, the idea of using rotary phones or only having a few TV channels is hard for young people to imagine.
  2. Apps and documents may seem outdated soon. In the future, instead of using fixed apps or linear documents, we might have AI that creates personalized experiences and lets us interact in more flexible ways, like having conversations.
  3. As technology evolves, we will have more control over our digital experiences. Just like how TV shifted from networks to streaming, the way we create and share digital content will also change, making it easier and more accessible for everyone.

Selection bias and pessimism

139 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture Internet Influence Optimism Entrepreneurship
  1. Younger people are often more pessimistic about the future than older generations. This may be because they see many negative events on the internet and think they are more common than they really are.
  2. The older generation has experienced a wider range of normal life events, which helps them have a balanced view of success and failure. Young people today mainly see success stories, skewing their expectations.
  3. There are many exciting new technologies and opportunities available right now. Younger generations should focus on creating, solving problems, and not be discouraged by the idea that everything needs to be perfect from the start.

The prize for saying no is small

199 implied HN points • 04 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Optimism Cynicism Mindset Life lessons Personal Growth
  1. Being negative and cautious often leads to missed opportunities. It's better to focus on finding solutions rather than just criticizing.
  2. Feeling optimistic and excited about new ideas can be uncomfortable but is a key part of learning and growing.
  3. Choosing to think 'what if' has a lot more potential for rewards than simply saying 'why not' and being constantly cautious.

What is creativity?

59 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Creativity Art Philosophy Literature Technology
  1. Creativity involves mixing different ideas and using randomness, which everyone can try doing in their own way. It's fun to combine things, even if the results are silly.
  2. Iteration, or making improvements over time, is a key part of creativity. Trying something out, checking if it's good, and tweaking it again helps develop better ideas.
  3. As technology like LLMs improves, creativity might be redefined. What we see as creative today could change as machines get better at combining and generating ideas.

Big impact can be small

39 implied HN points • 24 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI User Experience Software Development Innovation Product Design
  1. Small actions can have a big impact over time. Just think how turning on a light used to be a big hassle, but now it's super easy.
  2. Making tasks easier leads to wider use. If a product is simple to use, more people will adopt it without thinking twice.
  3. Focus on common problems and make solutions accessible. Like how we turned on lights without much thought, your solutions should be just as easy for everyone to use.

How do you get started?

39 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
💼 Business Career Advice Networking Job search Personal Development Leadership
  1. Everyone struggles with starting something new, whether they're a recent graduate or looking to advance in their careers. It's important to figure out what you want to do next.
  2. Instead of waiting for permission or a specific opportunity, take the initiative and start working on what interests you. Engaging in projects you care about can lead to new roles and responsibilities.
  3. Being proactive in your career can impress others and create more opportunities. People often appreciate when someone volunteers to help or take on new challenges.

Taking a break this week

99 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
🏝 Travel Camping Nature Outdoor Family Leisure
  1. Taking breaks is important for mental health. It helps you recharge and come back stronger.
  2. Spending time in nature can be refreshing. Doing activities like camping can help you connect with loved ones.
  3. Enjoying the beauty of fall colors can uplift your mood. It's nice to appreciate the changes in nature.

Flexibility vs Randomness

59 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
💼 Business Creativity Entrepreneurship Productivity Workflows
  1. Finding the right balance between sticking to your creative vision and being flexible is really important. You need to be open to learning without losing what makes your ideas unique.
  2. Having ADHD can make creativity fun but also tricky, as it can lead to random thoughts. It's useful to create limits for yourself so you can explore ideas without getting too distracted.
  3. Using techniques like 'timeboxing' or a 'parking lot' for ideas helps organize your thoughts. This way, you can capture creative sparks without letting them derail your main goals.

From Error, Virtue

79 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Creativity Design Music Philosophy
  1. Making mistakes can lead to unexpected and beautiful designs, just like fixing an error in a project can give it a unique charm.
  2. Life is full of mistakes, but some of them help us grow and become better, similar to how the best music often includes 'wrong' notes used creatively.
  3. Many great discoveries in science come from unexpected errors, reminding us that being open to failure can lead to amazing insights and new ideas.

All advances are by breaking the rules

79 implied HN points • 29 Oct 23
💼 Business Innovation Entrepreneurship Disruption Leadership Venture Capital
  1. Advancements in life and technology often come from breaking existing rules or norms. New ideas can face a lot of pressure and resistance, but they are crucial for progress.
  2. Failure is an important part of trying new things. Just like in evolution, mistakes can lead to better outcomes, so taking risks is necessary for improvement.
  3. Creating an environment where questioning and challenging the status quo is encouraged helps drive innovation. When people feel free to experiment, society as a whole can move forward faster.

The movie isn't alive

39 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Chatbots Cognitive Science Perception Media
  1. Humans often see faces in things that don't have them, which shows how our minds can trick us. This idea extends to chatbots, which can seem alive but are really just processing prompts without true understanding.
  2. Chatbots may appear to have memory or awareness in a conversation, but they actually rely on previous prompts without retaining any real continuity. This can make interactions feel more human-like, even though they lack true awareness.
  3. It's helpful to recognize that chatbots and similar technologies are more about creating illusions than actual intelligence. Understanding this can improve how we design and use them, rather than expecting them to behave independently like a living being.

Learning the basics of AI

19 implied HN points • 05 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Development Data Innovation
  1. Building with AI is both easy and hard. It's easy to get something working quickly, but creating really good experiences takes more effort.
  2. We're still figuring out the basics of AI, just like we did with early computer graphics. There's a lack of clear best practices and common tools right now.
  3. To improve AI development, we should focus on finding problems to solve and be open to changing our solutions as we learn more about what works and what doesn't.