The hottest Data Analysis Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

When to Use Forecasting for Decisions

Abstraction • 19 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
💼 Business Data Analysis
  1. It's not always worth it to forecast when making decisions. Sometimes it's better to prepare for the worst or trust experts who know what they're doing.
  2. For less important choices, you can follow proven rules or experts. This makes decision-making easier and saves time.
  3. When facing big decisions, like moving cities, it's smart to gather data to guide your choice. Using information about others’ experiences can help you make better decisions.

E3 - 🛠️ Prompt Engineering Basics and 50+ Free 🎁 Product Management Prompts 🚀

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 20 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Prompt engineering is about crafting the right questions to get useful responses from AI. Think of it like asking the AI to help you with specific tasks in a clear way.
  2. This skill can help product managers speed up their work by automating tasks and generating creative ideas. It's a powerful tool for making better decisions based on data.
  3. Understanding how to structure prompts effectively can lead to more relevant and accurate results. It involves giving clear instructions, context, and examples to guide the AI.

Sapphire Rapids Core-To-Core Latency

Delayed Branch • 67 HN points • 07 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. The analysis of Sapphire Rapids CPU core-to-core latency is affected by factors like instance type and lack of detailed performance data.
  2. Intel's adoption of EMIB technology for Sapphire Rapids allows for integration of multiple chiplets in the same package, impacting latency and performance.
  3. Understanding the latency costs and implications of EMIB for core communication in Sapphire Rapids can help evaluate its performance impact on different workloads.

How to stop corporate logic killing creativity

A Bit Gamey • 6 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
💼 Business Data Analysis
  1. Corporate structures often stifle creativity because they focus too much on data and control. Real innovation needs freedom and the ability to explore new ideas without getting bogged down by numbers.
  2. Data can be misleading when trying to predict the future. Instead of focusing only on what's happened before, we should consider bold new ideas that might change the game.
  3. Creativity is a form of rebellion. It's important to confidently advocate for new ideas, even when others are stuck in their traditional ways of thinking.

What is Sundar Pichai thinking?

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 26 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Google invests significantly in AI and Machine Learning research to enhance their business model - focusing on data-driven ads and boosting operational efficiency.
  2. Google's AI projects often revolve around solving complex search problems, which aligns with their goal of improving search algorithms for hyper-specific advertising.
  3. By mastering core skills like math, theoretical knowledge, problem-solving, and coding, individuals can prepare themselves to tackle challenges at scale similar to what Google does.
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An Ultima Genomics Sample Dataset

ASeq Newsletter • 51 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
🔬 Science Data Analysis
  1. Ultima Genomics focuses on ultra-high throughput sequencing at a lower cost compared to Illumina.
  2. Data quality in Ultima's release is slightly worse than Illumina, but could still be sufficient for most applications.
  3. It will be interesting to see how Ultima performs in the market and how Illumina responds.

My $1M challenge to ANYONE: Can you show the COVID vaccine is safe using the Japan record level data?

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 6 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🏥 Health Politics Data Analysis
  1. There's a challenge offering a $1 million prize for anyone who can prove that the COVID vaccine is safe using data from Japan. The data suggests that the vaccine may be more harmful than helpful.
  2. The person offering the challenge believes that many people, including epidemiologists, are not willing to take it, possibly because the data looks bad for the vaccines.
  3. The argument is that with high vaccination rates in Japan, if the vaccines were beneficial, the evidence of that should be clear, but instead, the mortality rates seem to indicate a net harm.

Why Product Data Beats Company Data

The Security Industry • 18 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Product data is more useful than company data. Knowing what products a company offers helps you find competitors better.
  2. You can categorize products accurately to see how they stack up against each other. This way, you can identify direct competition more effectively.
  3. Having detailed product information helps customers find the right solutions for their needs. You can easily search by features or requirements.

Excelibur

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Excel scalability can be improved by integrating technologies like DuckDB for handling larger datasets.
  2. Enhancing data cleanliness through exposing hidden issues to the user for resolution.
  3. Implementing a full semantic layer in Excel could make data pulling easier and more secure.

Black Friday, Hosting Providers and IPv6

Dataplane.org Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 07 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Black Friday is a good time to look for discounted server hosting plans, but this year's deals might be limited due to economic factors.
  2. IPv6 availability from hosting providers is widespread, but there is inconsistency in how it is provisioned and managed, affecting operational practices.
  3. Dataplane.org is expanding its network of sensor systems and vantage points, exploring active measurement probes with a focus on both IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity.

ChatGPT agrees that more COVID vaccination --> more cases

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 13 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Data Analysis
  1. More COVID vaccinations could be linked to an increase in COVID cases. This idea goes against what health authorities have been saying.
  2. Analyzing data suggests that getting vaccinated may actually raise the risk of getting infected with COVID.
  3. There's a concern that historical data might be rewritten to ignore these findings, leaving people wondering about the truth behind vaccine mandates.

Wastewater measurements indicate highly vaccinated states had no benefit. Rachel Maddow was wrong.

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
🏥 Health Politics Data Analysis
  1. Data from wastewater shows that highly vaccinated states did not have fewer COVID infections than less vaccinated ones. This suggests mass vaccination may not have been effective.
  2. The rise in COVID cases in highly vaccinated areas like Israel indicates that vaccines may have increased the virus's spread instead of controlling it.
  3. Studies, including ones from the Cleveland Clinic, found that the more vaccine doses people received, the higher their risk of contracting COVID. This raises questions about the vaccine's overall effectiveness.

Building CAUSL - Episode 9: The Cinderella of Lead Generation

CAUSL Effect • 19 implied HN points • 25 Apr 23
💼 Business Data Analysis
  1. The author is shifting focus from company updates to more engaging discussions that inspire thought and community interaction. They believe it's important to write about topics that spark conversations rather than just update on business progress.
  2. They define a lead as an actual conversation about their services, not just messages without responses. They're monitoring their lead data closely and have gained 15 leads so far, which they consider a decent start after a few months.
  3. Managing leads can feel stressful, especially when unsure if the opportunity will come through. The author prefers clear 'closed' leads over 'open' ones, as the uncertainty in 'open' leads can be more anxious than outright rejection.

The HiSeq X Flowcell

ASeq Newsletter • 43 implied HN points • 18 Dec 23
🔬 Science Data Analysis
  1. About 30% of reagents may be wasted in dead volume on the HiSeq X Flowcell.
  2. The flowcell channels on the HiSeq X have a volume range of 15 to 20 uL.
  3. There could be significant cost implications if reagents costs are a large part of the sequencing expenses.

Why Doesn’t My Model Work?

The Gradient • 36 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🔬 Science Data Analysis
  1. Machine learning models can sometimes seem good but fail when applied to real-world data due to complexities that cause overfitting without being obvious
  2. Issues with machine learning models are increasingly reported in scientific and popular media, impacting tasks like pandemic response or water quality assessments
  3. Preventing mistakes in machine learning involves using tools like the REFORMS checklist for ML-based science to ensure reproducibility and accuracy

AI Scraping Benchmarks

serious web3 analysis • 20 HN points • 24 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. AI can make web scraping super easy by letting users scrape information in plain English instead of complicated coding. This can help many more people access scraping tools.
  2. It's important to track the costs of using AI for scraping. Choosing the right AI model can save money while still getting accurate results.
  3. Benchmarking AI scrapers based on accuracy, runtime, and cost is essential. It helps users find the best tools for their specific scraping needs.

Academia vs Business

inexactscience • 19 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
💼 Business Data Analysis
  1. Academia and business both use data to solve problems, but they focus on different aspects. In academia, getting the right answer is more important than how fast you get it.
  2. The speed-quality frontier shows that in academia, quality matters a lot, which means projects can take years. In business, speed is key, so decisions often get made quickly.
  3. Feedback loops are faster in business. Companies test ideas against real market data quickly, while in academia, feedback often comes later from peer reviews, slowing down the process.

Sensors, Anomalies, and RPKI Refresh

Dataplane.org Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 03 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Dataplane.org has over 300 sensors in operation across 6 continents, providing valuable data from a wide range of networks.
  2. Unexpected anomalies like DNS query spikes can provide insight into network behavior and the importance of understanding data context.
  3. Dataplane.org plans to rebuild their RPKI setup due to ongoing issues caused by a previous experiment, aiming for simpler, more reliable monitoring in the future.

Love, happiness, blessings, and spam

Conspirador Norteño • 32 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Spam accounts use repetitive and fake positive messages to amplify content, making it appear more popular than it actually is.
  2. Researchers are now facing difficulties in mapping out spam account networks due to limitations in data access.
  3. Spam network accounts use GAN-generated faces and peculiar vowels in account names, creating an association with suspended spam networks.

More on Residential Sales Trends

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 63 implied HN points • 31 Mar 23
💼 Business Data Analysis
  1. High cancellation rates during Covid were not as alarming because of the booming sales at that time.
  2. Interest rates are not a reliable indicator for forecasting home sales and prices.
  3. Decline in cancellations and stable delivery numbers suggest a more positive outlook for the housing market.

Because there's not enough fun datasets

Jacobo’s Substack • 1 HN point • 23 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. The dataset shared focuses on PSG ticket price evolution for the 2023 - 2024 season, collected through scraping the Ticketplace marketplace.
  2. The data format is simple, featuring columns for timestamp, fixture, category, quantity, and price, providing a basis for analyzing ticket pricing trends and making predictions.
  3. The release of this dataset is aimed at facilitating student projects and filling the gap for attractive, open-source datasets for data analysis.

The uniformity measure

Fileforma Research • 1 HN point • 22 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Neuralink's Compression Challenge requires beating ZIP at compressing audio files, revealing unexpected complexities in brain data compression
  2. Claude Shannon's use of logarithms in measuring entropy lacks proof, highlighting the need for alternative entropy measures like the uniformity measure
  3. The proposed uniformity measure offers a way to calculate a sample's proximity to a uniform distribution, providing a new method for entropy measurement

Can AMD beat Nvidia in the AI Race?

Golden Pineapple • 31 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Nvidia has been a market leader with high-performance chips for GPT models, positioning them well in the AI competition.
  2. AMD is making strategic moves in AI, such as diversifying into software through acquisitions like Nod AI, to challenge Nvidia's dominance.
  3. Both Nvidia and AMD are eyeing potential acquisitions in AI-related sectors, with AMD's recent chip advancements showing promise in the competition.

2024 DORA Report

Engineering Enablement • 15 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Using AI tools can actually make software delivery worse, as they lead to larger code changes that are riskier. This is surprising because many people think AI would improve coding efficiency.
  2. Software delivery performance indicators are becoming more independent from each other. This year's report shows some unexpected trends, like medium performance groups having fewer failures than high performance groups.
  3. To boost productivity, companies should focus on creating user-friendly internal platforms for developers. It's important for leaders to understand their team's needs and provide clear support to improve overall performance.

GPU peak calling for epigenetics

LatchBio • 11 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. Peak calling is crucial for analyzing epigenetic data like ATAC-seq and ChIP-seq. It helps scientists identify important regions in the genome related to gene expression and diseases.
  2. The MACS3 algorithm is a common tool used for peak calling but struggles with handling large data volumes efficiently. Improving its implementation with GPUs can speed up analyses significantly.
  3. By using GPUs, researchers have achieved about 15 times faster processing speeds for peak calling, which is vital as more genetic data is generated in the field.

Permission to Hate

Marginally Compelling • 41 implied HN points • 03 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Data Analysis
  1. The focus on partisanship in Covid results gives people moral permission to hate their neighbors.
  2. Covid restrictions based on partisanship did not necessarily save lives as thought.
  3. Hating based on political party lines may distract from broader factors like income and education disparities.

You can now run single-cell experiments in a tube with 4.5 hours of hands-on time

LatchBio • 12 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. A new single-cell sequencing technology makes experiments easier and faster, only needing about 4.5 hours of hands-on work. This means more scientists can do these experiments without needing a big budget or lots of extra equipment.
  2. The new method allows for better scalability, letting researchers run from 1 to 96 samples easily. This flexibility can lead to more data and insights in various experiments, such as drug development or studying disease.
  3. The SimpleCell technology also includes user-friendly analysis tools, making it easier for scientists to understand and visualize their results. This helps them feel more in control of their research and get valuable insights quickly.

Illumina Constellation, 2x500bp MiSeq i100 Reads

ASeq Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
🔬 Science Data Analysis
  1. Illumina might be able to increase its read length to 1Kb, which is a good sign for better sequencing.
  2. There could be a new way to use sequencers where you just add DNA and it handles the library prep itself.
  3. This new method may make Illumina devices more appealing compared to other platforms for various uses.

Updating HarvestIQ

The Security Industry • 10 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. HarvestIQ now combines two assistants into one, simplifying interactions for users. This helps reduce confusion and makes it easier to get information about cybersecurity vendors and products.
  2. Users can ask the Cyber Assistant for various tasks like product comparisons, SWOT analyses, and customized news summaries. These features aim to enhance decision-making in cybersecurity.
  3. The IT-Harvest Dashboard and HarvestIQ serve different purposes. The Dashboard is great for exploring detailed data, while HarvestIQ is more about getting direct answers and insights.

Are We Getting Dumber?

Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology • 31 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Data Analysis
  1. There is a negative correlation between IQ and fertility across the world, suggesting a decline in intelligence over time.
  2. More developed countries show a weaker decline in intelligence compared to less developed nations.
  3. Embryo selection for intelligence could potentially offset the decline in intelligence, especially in wealthier countries.

The PacBio Benchtop - The Vega

ASeq Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis
  1. The new PacBio Vega is a benchtop DNA sequencer that provides 60Gb of data in just 24 hours and costs $169,000. There's also a lower cost option for labs that need less capacity.
  2. When compared to Oxford Nanopore's PromethION, the Vega appears to deliver better accuracy and more consistent results, making it a suitable choice for smaller labs needing reliable output.
  3. The launch of the Vega could help PacBio increase revenue and broaden its market presence, as it appeals to labs that want access to high-quality sequencing without breaking the bank.