The hottest Engineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Not so fast, Mr. Fourier!

lcamtuf’s thing • 2332 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🔬 Science Computing Signal Processing Mathematics Algorithms Engineering
  1. The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is a crucial algorithm in modern computing, used for tasks like communication, image and audio processing, and data compression.
  2. DFT transforms time-domain waveforms into frequency domain readings, allowing for analysis and manipulation of signals like isolating instruments or applying effects like Auto-Tune in music.
  3. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) optimizes DFT by reducing the number of necessary calculations, making it more efficient for large-scale applications in computing.

The Story of Titanium

Construction Physics • 26933 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
🔬 Science Materials Research Engineering Manufacturing Medical
  1. Titanium is abundant in the earth's crust but took time to be utilized due to its bonding properties.
  2. The development of titanium as an industrial material was heavily supported by government research and funding.
  3. The story of titanium showcases the importance of serendipity in scientific discoveries and the critical role of manufacturing in technology advancement.
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Trapped Among the Root Causes

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 610 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Metaphor Engineering Problem Solving Environmental Issues
  1. Looking for root causes can be attractive, but sometimes it's better to focus on finding and implementing imperfect, temporary solutions instead of getting lost in the complexity of the 'true cause' of a problem.
  2. In complex systems like the environment or human societies, the idea of a single 'root cause' can be elusive, and efforts to dig deep might lead to unintended consequences due to interconnected issues.
  3. Patching things can be a practical approach, especially in evolving systems like nature and societies. Embracing the continuous cycle of problem-solving and expecting new challenges and solutions may be more sustainable than aiming for one perfect fix.

The Making of a Senior Engineer 💡: Guest Post by Addy Osmani

High Growth Engineer • 1238 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership Engineering Career development Management Skills Development
  1. To transition into senior engineering roles, you need to shift from hands-on work to systems thinking, focusing on strategic leadership and fostering team autonomy.
  2. Senior engineers lead through influence rather than pure authority, emphasizing building trusted relationships, setting vision, and empowering teams.
  3. Developing critical leadership skills as a senior engineer involves improving empathy, communication, collaboration, systems thinking, and execution orchestration, while overcoming common pitfalls like losing sight of the big picture and excessive control.

Engineering Crits at Figma: Interview with Laura Peng

High Growth Engineer • 307 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Design Engineering Feedback Collaboration Process
  1. Consider the level of detail in crits based on the feedback needed for effective decision-making.
  2. Structure crit meetings with clear expectations, silent reviewing periods, and follow-up synchronous discussions.
  3. Approach feedback in crits by giving and receiving early, focusing on empowering team confidence, and maintaining a positive, collaborative culture.

I Wrote a Guest Post for Emerge Tools!

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 576 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Apps Tools iOS Engineering Startups
  1. The blog post compares the Twitter and X iOS app binaries, revealing insights like extra app icons and heavy use of dynamic libraries.
  2. Emerge Tools offers valuable solutions for mobile engineers to monitor their app's size and performance.
  3. The author recommends subscribing to Jacob's Tech Tavern for more insightful posts and to show support for the work.

📝 Guest Post: How to Build the Right Team for Generative AI*

TheSequence • 994 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Engineering Product Management Tooling
  1. You may not need ML engineers for Generative AI projects due to the availability of pre-trained models like GPT-4.
  2. Prompt engineering, the clear articulation of needs in natural language, is a crucial skill for AI application development.
  3. Product managers and domain experts play a significant role in shaping AI products through prompt engineering, reducing the need for technical experts.

Intel Demonstrates High-Speed 3nm Silicon

More Than Moore • 186 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Engineering
  1. Intel showcased high-speed 3nm silicon technology at ISSCC 2024, revealing their advancements in SERDES connectivity.
  2. SERDES links, like PCIe, have evolved over the years and can now achieve faster transfer rates through encoding advancements like PAM-4 and PAM-6.
  3. Presenting impressive silicon like the Bixby Creek chip demonstrates Intel's commitment to developing power-efficient high-speed connections and prepares IP blocks for customer use in new process nodes.

The Breakthrough in Fusion We've All Been Waiting For

Gordian Knot News • 190 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🔬 Science Engineering Electricity
  1. 90 odd power plants in the country are n-U fusion reactors, creating electricity with an engineering gain of about 18.
  2. Operators of these fusion plants are advised to apply for a Section 30 license from the NRC quickly or contact their state regulatory agency if in an Agreement State.
  3. The breakthrough in fusion we've been waiting for involves the significant engineering gains of n-U fusion reactors, surpassing other fusion concepts in terms of proven efficiency.

Edge 374: Some Technical Details we Learned About OpenAI's Sora

TheSequence • 140 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Generative models Video Engineering
  1. OpenAI's Sora is a groundbreaking text-to-video model that can create high-quality videos up to a minute long.
  2. The release of Sora has caused a lot of excitement and discussion in the generative AI community and media outlets.
  3. While OpenAI has not revealed extensive technical details about Sora, the model includes some clever engineering optimizations.

The Trouble with Fusion

Gordian Knot News • 183 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🔬 Science Energy Technology Engineering Physics
  1. Fusion faces difficult technical challenges like damage to the first wall, intense heat transfer, and high maintenance due to activation of materials.
  2. Achieving economic viability in fusion is a major hurdle, with immense parasitic loads and a fusion gain ratio that can be a significant challenge to achieve.
  3. Standard fusion processes like using deuterium and tritium result in energy losses due to the need for high quality energy input, which makes fusion less self-sustaining than fission.

What does extreme ownership really mean?

Arpit’s Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Career growth Engineering Leadership Education Technology
  1. Extreme ownership means taking initiative and completing tasks without waiting to be told what to do.
  2. Keeping everyone on the same page by proactively sharing progress and potential roadblocks is crucial for success.
  3. Extreme ownership does not mean working twice as hard, but rather taking complete ownership and ensuring delivery of assigned tasks.

Why Prompt Engineering Has Little To Do With Engineering

Teaching computers how to talk • 68 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Engineering Behavioral Psychology Science fiction
  1. Large language models behave like beings rather than things, displaying strange characteristics.
  2. Instructing models doesn't involve coding; it's about guiding their actions and understanding their behavior, akin to convincing a stubborn teenager rather than traditional engineering.
  3. Similar to Isaac Asimov's fictional robots, large language models can interpret instructions in unforeseen ways, implying a need to humanize and understand them for effective interaction.

Bitcoin Tech Talk #378

jimmysong • 216 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🔮 Crypto Bitcoin Economics Engineering
  1. Jordan Bush explains the deeper meaning of rendering onto Caesar in the Bible, shedding light on the issue of taxes and statism in the church.
  2. The story of a successful mathlete from Stanford reveals the costs of engaging in a fiat system and the debt that comes with it.
  3. Scott's reflections on having children, particularly twins, offer insights on parenthood and the impacts of a fiat mentality on framing life experiences.

No sacred masterpieces

Basta’s Notes • 753 HN points • 15 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Data science Engineering Project management Web Development
  1. Sometimes, valuable projects end abruptly without much recognition or lasting impact.
  2. It's important to focus on creating business value with your work, rather than building impressive but ultimately unnecessary solutions.
  3. Every piece of code you write as an engineer is legacy and may not last forever, so focus on learning from each project's outcome.

AI, The Idiot Ant Queen

Desystemize • 1404 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Science Engineering Data
  1. Artificial intelligence could lead to a loss of understanding and agency in decision-making
  2. AI ethics issues stem from existing power imbalances and biases, not just the capabilities of AI systems
  3. The real concern with AI is the potential control it may have over societal institutions, impacting human autonomy and decision-making

Massed Muddler Intelligence

Breaking Smart • 72 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Engineering Agents Scaling Protocols
  1. The concept of Massed Muddler Intelligence (MMI) entails a new approach to scaling AI, emphasizing the importance of agents, local trial-and-error, and muddling through over monolithic, deterministic training models.
  2. MMIs aim to leverage the principles of embodiment, boundary intelligence, temporality, and personhood to design scalable AI systems that resemble Service-Oriented Architecture in computing.
  3. Building MMIs involves compositing different elements deliberately to create a language of differentiated forms, akin to how reinforced concrete combines materials in defined geometries to achieve specific properties.

Ep#4 : Soft Skills

The ZenMode • 42 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Soft skills Programming Engineering Communication Collaboration
  1. Soft skills are equally important to technical skills in software engineering. They are often the secret weapon that distinguishes those who struggle from those who thrive.
  2. The path to coding proficiency requires a growth mindset, independence, logical thinking, and patience. Embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and persevere for long-term success.
  3. Essential soft skills for programmers include communication, collaboration, adaptability, and empathy. These skills are crucial for success in a dynamic field where teamwork, continuous learning, and user-centered solutions are key.

How to avoid the Migration Trap | Bruce Wang - Director of Engineering at Netflix

platocommunity • 98 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Innovation Software Development
  1. Successful technology migrations require thorough planning, dedicated resources, and strategic funding to avoid falling into the "Migration Trap."
  2. Proving significant value in a migration is essential - the new system must offer transformative benefits that the old system couldn't achieve to justify the effort and resources required for the migration.
  3. Maintaining a learning mindset throughout the migration process is crucial; being open to challenges, re-evaluating assumptions, and being willing to abandon the migration if it doesn't serve its intended purpose can lead to better outcomes.

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.

How to be the favorite engineer among your product manager and designer

High Growth Engineer • 465 implied HN points • 27 Aug 23
💼 Business Career development Product Management Engineering
  1. Collaboration with product managers and designers can be challenging due to differing priorities and project impacts.
  2. Engineers often face the dilemma of balancing what they can do, what the PM wants, and what the PM thinks they can do.
  3. Maintaining a good relationship and meeting deadlines are key aspects of being a favored engineer among product managers and designers.

Interview with Intel’s Dr. Ann Kelleher

More Than Moore • 186 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Research and Development Innovation Engineering
  1. Intel has been successful in using EUV in their Intel 4 technology
  2. The development of nodes at Intel involves extensive research, pathfinding, and process development before transferring to high-volume manufacturing
  3. Intel is progressing well with their roadmap of '5 nodes in 4 years', with Intel 4 completed and Intel 3 on track

Concept design in three easy steps

Subconscious • 710 implied HN points • 19 May 23
🕹 Technology Design Software Apps Concepts Engineering
  1. View software design as shaping functionality, understand what it should do first before how it does it or how it looks.
  2. Break down app functionalities into modular concepts, each with its own behavior and actions, combine existing concepts creatively.
  3. Design concepts to function independently, sync actions to ensure smooth interaction, focus on how concepts fit together to improve usability.