The hottest Engineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Fit then optimize

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 10 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Always focus on finding the right fit for your project before trying to optimize it. It’s easier to make improvements once you know what works.
  2. Watch out for a messy situation where too many things need fixing. Start cleaning up gradually once you see your project gaining traction.
  3. Avoid creating overly complex systems before you understand the problem you're solving. Keep things simple and relevant to ensure usefulness.

Cellular shuttle systems

The Century of Biology • 199 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Nucleic acid therapeutics are expanding with tools like mRNAs, guide RNAs, and CRISPR.
  2. The key challenge in genetic therapy is delivering therapeutic messages effectively.
  3. Extracellular vesicles show promise as a natural delivery system for molecular cargo, though there are still engineering hurdles to overcome.

The importance of mentoring in engineering leadership — part 1

The Healthy Engineering Leader • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
💼 Business Engineering
  1. Mentorship comes in many forms, both structured and informal, and is valuable for growth in your career.
  2. Trust is key in a mentoring relationship; the more trust there is, the more you can benefit from the mentor's advice.
  3. Sometimes, the lessons from a mentor may not be clear right away, but you often realize their value later as you gain more experience.

Blast from the Past: The Supersonic Comeback Tour

Startupology • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Supersonic flight is making a comeback after facing challenges like high operation costs and noise complaints.
  2. Exciting projects by NASA and private companies aim to bring back supersonic flight with advancements like 'sonic thumps' and sustainable fuels.
  3. The future of supersonic flight faces challenges like technical limitations, environmental concerns, safety precautions, and regulatory hurdles.

Inside Amazon's AI Video Generator | Kabir Bedi

Dev Interrupted • 18 implied HN points • 24 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Amazon is using AI to make video creation super easy for businesses of all sizes. Now, anyone can create a professional-looking video with just one click.
  2. Bringing engineers and scientists into direct talks with customers has helped Amazon gather valuable feedback for improving their products. This shows how important customer input is for innovation.
  3. The hiring process at some tech companies, like Cursor, is changing by letting candidates work on real projects right away instead of doing tests. This focuses more on skills than traditional interviews.
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sqlmesh test

davidj.substack • 47 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Unit tests and data tests are different. Unit tests check if a function works right with set inputs, while data tests check if the data meets certain conditions.
  2. Running tests locally can save costs and speed things up. If you test your code on your own machine, you don’t have to pay for the cloud data warehouse until you’re ready.
  3. Creating external models in sqlmesh can be automated, making it easier to document source tables. You just run a command to generate the necessary files instead of doing it manually.

Breaking and Non-Breaking Changes

davidj.substack • 47 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. When making changes to data models, it's important to identify if they are breaking or non-breaking changes. Breaking changes affect downstream models, while non-breaking changes do not.
  2. SQLMesh automatically analyzes changes to understand their impact on other models. This helps developers avoid manual tracking and reduces the chances of errors.
  3. New features in SQLMesh will allow for more precise tracking of changes at the column level. This means less unnecessary work when something minor is modified.

More thoughts on 6th generation projects

TP’s Substack • 43 implied HN points • 29 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The J-36 aircraft is designed to handle very high power demands for its various technologies, like radar and electronic warfare. This means it needs advanced electrical systems to support all its capabilities.
  2. The J-36 is a multi-role aircraft that acts as a central hub, coordinating various other unmanned vehicles and aircraft during missions. This makes it a crucial part of modern combat strategies.
  3. With its potential long range and high speed, the J-36 can launch attacks from great distances while remaining hard to detect. It's designed to be a tough target for enemies, making it a valuable asset in air operations.

Google DeepMind's AI playbook for engineering at hyperspeed | Philipp Schmid

Dev Interrupted • 18 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI is changing how engineers work and learn. It's making it easier for new people to start coding and improving team collaboration.
  2. Using AI tools effectively requires continuous learning and adapting. Engineers should stay open-minded and embrace new technology to thrive.
  3. There's still a gap between what leaders expect from AI and what developers actually experience. Just adding AI doesn't guarantee better productivity, so thoughtful integration is key.

The Sequence Engineering #464: OpenAI’s Relatively Unknown Agent Framework

TheSequence • 42 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. OpenAI Swarm is a new framework designed for multi-agent systems. It helps coordinate the actions of several agents to create complex behaviors.
  2. This framework is mainly for learning and experimenting, not for real-world production use. It doesn’t come with official support from OpenAI.
  3. The Sequence is launching various series on AI engineering, research, and insights to explore important topics and advancements in the AI field.

How SMS Fraud Works and How to Guard Against It

Mindful Musings • 206 HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Understanding how SMS fraud works involves premium phone numbers, gaming for profit, and exploiting vulnerabilities in services.
  2. Protecting against SMS fraud can involve measures like obfuscating endpoints, blocking sketchy IPs, and implementing rate-limiting on SMS sending.
  3. Twilio has the potential to offer SMS fraud protection using data on fraudulent numbers and carriers.

Frontend as part of the engineering culture

Sergiy’s Substack • 4 HN points • 07 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Frontend engineering should be treated as a first-class citizen within organizations, with equal importance and attention given to both design and performance.
  2. Interview processes for frontend roles should focus on problem-solving skills relevant to the job, rather than algorithm memorization.
  3. Maintain a balanced leadership focus on both frontend and backend, communicate the importance of frontend work, and provide resources for learning and appreciation of frontend development.

Now is the time to rethink engineering productivity

Dev Interrupted • 18 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Engineering teams need to focus more on actively improving productivity rather than just collecting data. It's important to turn insights into actions for better results.
  2. AI coding assistants can struggle and require guidance, as they might not always provide accurate code. Understanding when to rely on AI and when to take control is key.
  3. Using pen and paper can boost creativity and memory. Sometimes stepping away from screens leads to fresh ideas and deeper thinking.

Chopper amplifiers: history and present

Only Wonder Knows • 19 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Chopper amplifiers are a technique to reduce DC offset and low frequency noise in amplifiers.
  2. Historically, chopper amplifiers have been implemented using innovative methods like optical chopping with cadmium sulfide light-dependent resistors.
  3. Contemporary engineers can refer to Jim Williams' design for an ultrahigh performance instrumentation amplifier that resembles the old chopper amplifier concept.

Text to robot, olfactory, and geopolitical strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 17 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. MIT scientists are creating robots using a new method called 'text to robot', where you can describe what you want the robot to do using simple language. For example, you can ask for a robot that can walk or make lemonade.
  2. This AI-driven design approach allows for innovative robot designs, like a special robotic hand that can operate medical tools effectively. It's exciting to think about how these robots could be used in hospitals.
  3. The work combines ideas from different fields, like biology and engineering, to inspire a new generation of robots that are practical and useful in everyday tasks.

What Distinguishes Great Software Engineers?[StoryTime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 11 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Mastery in software development can lead to significant career growth. Understand concepts deeply to excel in tech.
  2. Great software engineers possess specific traits that can be cultivated effectively. Avoid cardinal sins that bad engineers make.
  3. Research by Microsoft delves into what distinguishes great software engineers, providing valuable insights for students, mid-level developers, and seniors in the field.

Fear of Oozification

Breaking Smart • 130 implied HN points • 30 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Oozification, a process driving technological evolution, is making the future less certain and more complex.
  2. Swamps represent evolutionary vigor and the potential for radical change, showcasing the dual nature of stability and destabilization.
  3. All technology undergoes oozification, transforming into more elemental building blocks and increasing evolutionary potential.

The Greenfield Project Trap

Alex Ghiculescu's Newsletter • 169 implied HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Working on greenfield projects may not be as great as perceived because they lack real challenges.
  2. Legacy code and requirements are what make software development interesting and ignoring them can lead to project failure.
  3. Seek out technical challenges that come with real constraints, as they create value for customers and are opportunities for growth.

The Sequence Engineering #469: Llama.cpp is The Framework for High Performce LLM Inference

TheSequence • 35 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Llama.cpp is a powerful open-source framework for running large language models efficiently. It helps apps perform better, especially on devices with limited resources.
  2. The framework is based on the Meta's LLaMA model architecture and includes optimizations for different hardware setups. This makes it very flexible for various uses.
  3. By using Llama.cpp, developers can get better performance from their language models, which is essential for creating effective AI applications.

Faire automates 3,000 reviews each week with AI code review tool

Engineering Enablement • 10 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI can improve the code review process by providing instant feedback on pull requests. This helps developers focus on more complex tasks instead of getting bogged down by minor nitpicks.
  2. Building a custom AI solution, like Fairey's code review agent, can lead to better results than using off-the-shelf tools. It's important to tailor the AI to the specific needs of the organization for maximum effectiveness.
  3. Starting to implement AI solutions as soon as possible can bring significant benefits. Even small, connected tools can create big wins for development teams.

Robotic insect, navigation, and scientific discovery strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 17 implied HN points • 19 May 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Roboticists are learning from insects to improve robot designs, especially in how they land. By studying how crane flies land, they can create safer landing techniques for flying robots.
  2. Insects have different methods for landing safely, like using controlled flights or soft body impacts. Scientists are using these methods to design robotic limbs that help drones land softly on various surfaces.
  3. The work on robotic insects shows how nature can inspire technology. By looking at how real insects behave, engineers can create smarter and more efficient machines.

Measuring engineering productivity in the AI era

Engineering Enablement • 11 implied HN points • 30 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. To measure AI's impact on engineering, organizations should focus on three main areas: how much the tools are used, the improvements they bring, and the costs involved. This helps get a full view of AI's value in their processes.
  2. Ensuring code quality in AI-generated work is key. Teams should look at metrics like change failure rates and developer satisfaction to see how AI affects code over time.
  3. Collecting data about AI's use can be done through tracking tool usage, periodic surveys, and quick questions during work. This mixed approach gives a well-rounded picture of AI's role in development.

Dandelions

Sunday Letters • 39 implied HN points • 14 May 23
📖 Philosophy Engineering
  1. Don't get too caught up in your goals. Sometimes, focusing too much on a single goal can lead to missing out on other enjoyable aspects or better solutions.
  2. Like trying to fight dandelions in a lawn, we can get fixated on solving problems the wrong way. It's important to recognize when a goal isn't worth the struggle.
  3. Regularly step back and assess if you're on the right path. Taking a moment to rethink can often reveal simpler and more effective options.

In praise of hard optimization

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 09 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. New AI models are exciting, but they come with their own challenges, like performance limits and the need for optimization. It's important for developers to tackle these constraints creatively.
  2. In the past, developers had to deal with strict limits on memory and processing power. Today, while we have more resources, financial constraints can also impact performance.
  3. Now is a good time to revisit basic computer science skills and focus on optimization. Solving tough engineering problems can be hard, but it’s also very rewarding.

The Age of Feature Engineering is Here

From the New World • 37 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Specialization in technology makes things easier and more efficient. Just like we have different appliances for different tasks at home, specialized AI works better for specific jobs.
  2. Feature engineering is about creating AI that focuses on one thing really well, and it's actually really important for success in the tech world. It helps make machines smarter for real-life uses.
  3. The idea that one all-purpose AI model is best is a myth. In reality, there’s a growing trend toward making AI more specialized and tailored to different needs.

GPT-4 Doesn't Have "Gender Bias." It's Just Bad At Language (Still)

jonstokes.com • 154 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Different approaches to evaluating AI performance have practical implications in development, deployment, and regulation.
  2. Language models like GPT-4 struggle with resolving ambiguity in human language due to limitations in understanding context.
  3. Using an engineering approach, providing relevant context, and improving language parsing can help mitigate language model biases and inaccuracies.

Year In Review - Illumina

ASeq Newsletter • 36 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Illumina remains a leader in the market, even with rising competition. They have strong inventions that could help them grow even more.
  2. The MiSeq i100 product has had mixed reviews, but it shows promise for improving clinical applications by integrating more processes.
  3. The author has published nearly 200 articles this year, and while they appreciate their subscribers, they still seek more financial support to continue their work.

How to code for 60 years

Sunday Letters • 139 implied HN points • 20 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Engineering and coding can have very long careers; some people code for decades and adapt to many changes in technology.
  2. Learning is a continuous process, and it's important to stay humble and curious, no matter how experienced you become.
  3. Younger coders may benefit from understanding the fundamentals and history of coding, rather than just focusing on trendy tools.

🔐 How TPMs Can AI - Dealing with Difficult Engineers and Leaders

Building Rome(s) • 9 implied HN points • 09 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Technical Program Managers (TPMs) can use AI tools to tackle common problems and improve their effectiveness. This approach can help them work smarter and enhance their impact.
  2. Real-world scenarios show how to deal with difficult engineering partners or leaders. These examples can inspire TPMs to think differently about their challenges.
  3. Using AI, like ChatGPT, can give TPMs various strategies tailored to their situations. Instead of just asking for solutions, they can seek advice that fits their style and goals.

How to communicate the reality of AI-assisted engineering in today’s hype cycle

Engineering Enablement • 14 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. When adopting AI tools, focus on solving real problems instead of just their flashy promises. It's important to communicate how the tools address specific issues in your organization.
  2. Implementing AI tools requires serious support and training for developers. It's not just about giving access; you need to ensure the team knows how to use them effectively.
  3. Share the impact of AI in ways that matter to your audience. Use metrics that show how AI helps the team and the business, and tell a story that highlights its value to different stakeholders.

🔴 Stream: Temporal Coupling

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The next stream on Temporal Coupling is scheduled for 16:00 CET, Nov 9th - set a reminder to join live.
  2. Engaging in live chat during the stream is encouraged to have interactive participation.
  3. Time autonomy can enable modularity in work structures, aiding in accelerating team productivity.

#100 - Playing Offense

davidj.substack • 95 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
💼 Business Engineering
  1. Data quality starts with the Product Requirements Document and Analytics Requirements Document.
  2. For product changes, defining data requirements through a Data Design Document is crucial.
  3. Being part of the product development process improves efficiency, speed, and collaboration in data management.

Solve the right problem

Sunday Letters • 99 implied HN points • 27 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. It's important to solve the right problem. If you don't understand the problem clearly, you might end up overcomplicating things.
  2. Sometimes, less is more. Simplifying designs can make your code easier to manage and improve user experience.
  3. Don't try to fix every possible edge case; focus on the most common scenarios. This can help you avoid unnecessary complexity.