The hottest Digital Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Blogging sure has changed in its Silver Age

The Intrinsic Perspective • 4805 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Writing Media Trends Digital Innovation
  1. Blogging today is producing a lot of high-quality content, similar to the Silver Age of comics. Many new writers are sharing well-crafted stories and essays online.
  2. While there's more professionalism in blogging, it's mostly about improving styles and strategies rather than creating new ideas. Writers know how to make their content appealing and consistent.
  3. Just like in comics, the lack of true innovation in blogging can be felt. We need fresh voices and unique stories to take blogging to the next level.

Semafor proved the haters wrong

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 399 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
💼 Business Media Entrepreneurship Advertising Digital Subscriptions
  1. Semafor has grown significantly in just two years, with over 80 staff members and 750,000 newsletter subscribers. They stayed focused on key topics, keeping their costs low while attracting a valuable audience.
  2. Costco's magazine is more popular than many big-name publications because it delivers useful tips and highlights its vendors. It shows how a focused approach can yield success.
  3. Political Wire's successful subscription model offers extra content and perks for loyal readers. Building a strong community can really help in retaining subscribers.

Reclaiming Our Senses in a Digital World

In Bed With Social • 59 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Senses Digital Experience Art Technology
  1. We often focus too much on sight and sound in our digital lives, forgetting the other senses like touch, smell, and taste. It's important to reconnect with these senses to enjoy life more fully.
  2. Digital tools can help us pay attention to the world around us in new ways, like listening to global radio stations or exploring colors differently. This can enhance our understanding and connection to our environment.
  3. By engaging with objects and experiences that require physical interaction, we can create meaningful connections with the world. This shift from high-tech to high-touch helps us feel more grounded and aware of our surroundings.
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Building the next generation of media brands on Substack

Substack • 593 implied HN points • 10 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Media Publishing Digital Customization Features Branding
  1. Substack has introduced new themes and search options to help creators customize their publications. This means writers can make their sites look different and more engaging.
  2. Improved search features allow readers to find specific content quickly. Now, they can easily search for topics or authors across all posts.
  3. The Bulwark, a successful Substack publication, moved its entire site to Substack to take advantage of these new features and saw a significant increase in subscribers and revenue.

Forthcoming Book, Latest Interviews, and AI Armageddon

SINGULARITY WEEKLY • 1356 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Digital Interviews Book Ethics
  1. There are concerns about the risks and impact of advanced AI technology on society.
  2. Multiple experts are calling for a halt to the development of powerful AI systems due to potential negative consequences.
  3. The rapid advancement of AI technology is causing panic and hysteria as global leaders struggle to address the potential threats posed by AI.

Brief: Pentagon's new AI chief is former Google Trust & Safety exec who previously helped guide U.S. special operations

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 569 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Digital Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Social media
  1. Radha Iyengar Plumb, a former Google Trust & Safety exec, will become the Pentagon's new Chief Digital and AI Officer in April, replacing Craig Martell.
  2. Iyengar Plumb has had a diverse career, transitioning from a professor to roles at RAND, the National Security Council, Google, Facebook, and now the Pentagon.
  3. Executives like Iyengar Plumb moving between tech companies like Google and roles in the defense and intelligence community highlights the intersecting realms of technology and national security.

10 SEO Myths Killing Your Business

Nail It and Scale It • 99 implied HN points • 01 Jul 24
💼 Business Marketing Digital Strategy SEO Entrepreneurship
  1. SEO takes time and money to see real results. If you're looking for quick fixes, SEO might not be the best choice for your business.
  2. AI can help with some parts of SEO, like on-page optimization, but it can't do everything. Good content and backlinks still require a lot of manual effort.
  3. SEO isn’t a one-time task; it's an ongoing process. You need to keep optimizing and updating your site regularly to maintain good search rankings.

3 Essentials That Will 2x Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Nail It and Scale It • 59 implied HN points • 15 Jul 24
💼 Business Marketing Digital E-commerce Sales Entrepreneurship
  1. Make sure your landing page clearly explains what you're offering right away. If visitors can't understand it quickly, they're likely to leave.
  2. Build trust by showing strong brands you've worked with, sharing positive customer reviews, or highlighting any expert endorsements. This makes visitors feel more secure about their decision.
  3. Keep the action simple. Have one clear button for what you want visitors to do, and ensure the page loads quickly without distractions. The easier it is, the more likely they will take action.

The Innovation Bargain

The Absent-Minded Professor • 314 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Digital Artificial Intelligence Social media Ethics
  1. Innovation always comes with tradeoffs - think about whether they are worth it.
  2. The Innovation Bargain is about freedom and limitation - new technologies enable us but also limit choices.
  3. Understanding the Innovation Bargain is crucial in our technology-driven society - be mindful of the impact of technology on human flourishing.

Fintech: How Brex and other fintechs are streamlining their organizations

The Fintech Blueprint • 235 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
💼 Business Fintech Employment Investing Operations Digital
  1. Brex announced a 20% reduction in its workforce, aligning with a broader fintech trend of operational streamlining.
  2. Fintech industry is becoming leaner due to funding cuts and emphasis on profitability.
  3. Despite significant job cuts in tech, the general unemployment rate remains below 4%, indicating a luxury funding problem.

Emailing the Dead

Opaque Hourglass • 239 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Communication Digital Grief
  1. Consider emailing a deceased person with a simple hello or a request, as a way to reach out and possibly connect with their surviving loved ones.
  2. The act of sending an email to the deceased could offer a small but meaningful connection between the sender, the departed, and those left behind.
  3. Although the recipient may not physically receive the message, it might provide a gateway for emotional connection and remembrance for those grieving.

Supply AND Demand

Knowledge Problem • 235 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🔬 Science Energy Technology Economics Environment Digital
  1. Market value is determined by the interaction of supply and demand, allowing for price discovery.
  2. The traditional assumption in the electricity industry of fixed supply catering to demand is becoming obsolete due to digital technologies enabling flexible demand.
  3. Digital technologies and dynamic pricing are empowering consumers to have more control over their electricity bills and contribute to a greener future.

Amazon's $43B ad business, explained

SatPost by Trung Phan • 329 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
💼 Business Advertising E-commerce Digital Tech Investing
  1. Amazon's ad business has grown significantly, reaching a revenue run rate of $43 billion annually, surpassing other social media platforms.
  2. Amazon's shift towards embracing ads was influenced by the need to reduce dependence on Google search slots and utilize its valuable first-party transaction data.
  3. Amazon ads have become highly profitable and could rival its AWS business in terms of generating absolute profits, signaling a significant shift in the digital advertising landscape.

The Email Archivist

escape the algorithm • 219 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Art Reflection Digital Newsletter Creativity
  1. In 2013, Miranda July started We Think Alone, a unique newsletter where celebrities shared personal emails, prompting subscribers' introspection.
  2. Through We Think Alone, participants were encouraged to view their emails with new curiosity, marking a shift from inbox anxiety to introspective value.
  3. Email archives, though rarely revisited, hold value in preserving memories and providing moments of reflection, prompting the reconsideration of digital communication.

Structured Missingness

Cybernetic Forests • 179 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Archives Digital Visual
  1. Archives can only preserve what exists, leading to the structured missingness of information when elements are erased or decayed.
  2. In Machine Learning, the concept of 'structured missingness' refers to the impact of absent data on the neural network's connective contours.
  3. Diffusion models accelerate decay and obliterate information in images, creating patterns of missingness that merge the analog with the digital.

Uploading Instagram Videos with 94% LESS CPU

Byte-Sized Design • 58 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Social media Video Compression Engineering Digital
  1. Instagram improved video uploading efficiency by compressing videos first to progressive encodings and then converting them to adaptive-bit-rate videos, saving 94% of resources.
  2. The challenge for Instagram was to support various video formats for different devices while minimizing resource consumption and CPU usage.
  3. Insightful optimization was achieved by realizing that progressive and adaptive bit rate encodings could use the same codec, streamlining the encoding process to focus on scalability.

Two months til Filterworld / a new project

Kyle Chayka Industries • 115 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Books Media Digital Community Newsletter
  1. The book 'Filterworld' by Kyle Chayka aims to explore rejecting digital algorithms and reclaiming humanity.
  2. Engaging with the book 'Filterworld' before its release can help boost its visibility and success.
  3. Kyle Chayka is starting a new project called 'One Thing' to focus on cultivating reader loyalty and curating authentic digital experiences.

The long, slow death of the TV schedule

How To Measure Ghosts • 117 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Media Streaming TV Broadcasting Digital
  1. Linear scheduled TV viewing is declining, with younger audiences preferring streaming over traditional TV channels.
  2. Traditional TV business models are facing challenges and potential changes, like rebundling and collaborations among broadcasters.
  3. PSBs are adapting to the shift towards streaming by implementing new services, like Freely, to maintain relevance and audience attention.

I'd like an AI mediator, please

techandsocialcohesion • 39 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Digital Social media Innovation Peacebuilding
  1. Imagine the potential of AI mediators to assist in conflict resolution alongside human mediators, offering objective perspectives and solutions.
  2. Digital technologies have the power to enhance inclusion in mediation and peace processes by addressing barriers like distance, language needs, and limited access to information.
  3. Social media analytics and digital technologies are increasingly being integrated into peace agreements to address harmful social media content and amplify voices for peace.

Sora-eal? 🤯

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Innovation Media Digital
  1. OpenAI has launched a new text-to-video tool called 'Sora', and it's getting a lot of attention online. People are excited about what it can do, similar to how they reacted to ChatGPT.
  2. Sora can create unique videos based on prompts, like one showing animals riding bicycles in a race. These creative examples are already impressing many.
  3. It also allows for wild ideas, such as a woman walking in Mumbai during a snowstorm, showcasing the tool's imaginative possibilities.

Winner takes all? Blockbusters’ effect on competition in platforms

Platform Papers • 39 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
💼 Business Competition Platforms Crowdfunding Digital Strategy
  1. Digital platforms have to decide between focusing on blockbusters or long-tail content strategics based on their benefits. Blockbusters can drive significant traffic and users but may also intensify competition by monopolizing user attention.
  2. On crowdfunding platforms, blockbusters can have positive spillover effects by attracting attention and increasing funding for other projects. Related blockbusters have a stronger effect on a project than unrelated ones.
  3. For platforms or businesses, promoting blockbusters strategically can lead to increased user participation, spillover benefits, and competitive advantages. Leveraging blockbusters can drive growth and attract new users to a platform.

Disney Loves (and Hates) Public Domain

SatPost by Trung Phan • 53 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
💼 Business Copyright Entertainment Laws Digital Creativity
  1. Disney lost copyright on the 1928 'Steamboat Willie' version of Mickey Mouse, showing their contradictory relationship with public domain.
  2. Disney is a major user of public domain content but also supports copyright extension laws to protect their own works.
  3. The tension between copyright and creativity lies in finding the right balance for how long protections for works should last.

Markdown imports and exports

Pine • 19 implied HN points • 21 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Productivity Tools Digital
  1. Pine now allows you to import and export files in markdown format. This makes it easier to move your content in and out of the platform.
  2. When you use markdown, a horizontal line separates the card title from the body. If there's no line, the file name will be used as the title.
  3. The deck dropdown menu has quick access options for smoother navigation and usability. You can find what you need without searching too hard.

Pro photography isn’t dead; it isn’t even sick

Perfecting Equilibrium • 58 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography Film Digital Authenticity Blockchain
  1. Professional photography is evolving with technology, focusing more on fast impact visuals for online consumption.
  2. The essence of photography lies in capturing memories and moments, not just producing technically perfect images.
  3. Movies and videos won't replace still photography as the power of photography is in freezing the decisive moment for study and reflection.

This is the Most Interesting Time in Human History. So far.

The Digital Anthropologist • 79 implied HN points • 22 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Digital Genetic Engineering Capitalism Democracy Artificial Intelligence
  1. This may be the most interesting time in human history due to the rapid advancements in digital technologies and societal changes.
  2. Humanity has always progressed through massive societal changes driven by revolutionary technologies, and the pace of such changes is accelerating.
  3. Key changes underway include a shift in our relationship with nature, advancements in genetic engineering for longer lifespans, the evolution of capitalism and democracy, and the impact of invisible technologies.

Jobs and Opps at openDemocracy, BBC Science Focus, FITV, PinkNews, and Many, Many More 🎄

Journo Resources - The Opportunities • 39 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
💼 Business Jobs Media Writing Journalism Digital
  1. The post shares job opportunities at various organizations including openDemocracy, BBC Science Focus, and more.
  2. There was a festive Christmas party held for the Journo Resources team to celebrate and connect in person.
  3. The newsletter is a thank you to the team for their hard work and vision for a better media landscape.

Syntax vs Semantics

Sunday Letters • 99 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Software Innovation Digital Product Development
  1. There's a shift from focusing on strict rules in programming (syntax) to understanding meaning and context (semantics) with new AI models. This could change how we build software.
  2. Using language involves a lot of knowledge about the world, which helps AI understand context and meaning, not just following patterns.
  3. Just like the early internet, companies that don't adapt to new AI technologies and methods may soon seem irrelevant or 'invisible' in the digital space.

#83 Gradients

Design Lobster • 259 implied HN points • 30 Aug 21
🪑 Design Digital Product Quote
  1. Gradients have become popular in digital design due to their ability to evoke depth and serenity, contrasting with the flat design trend of the past decade.
  2. By incorporating gradients into design, it can make users feel more at home in digital environments.
  3. Gradients can bring personality and joy to design, as seen in the expressive hues of Le Creuset cookware.