The hottest Engineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Can You Hear the Pain?

Rethinking Software • 2 HN points • 14 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Many developers are unhappy with Agile and Scrum. They feel it leads to more stress and micromanagement instead of helping them.
  2. There's a strong desire among developers for more autonomy in their work. They want to solve problems themselves rather than follow strict daily tasks.
  3. People are questioning the effectiveness of Agile methods. If developers are not thriving under these processes, it might be time for a change.

Bazel: Aspirations and Realities

Subsack • 3 HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Bazel can be amazing for bigger projects, but setting it up takes a lot of time, which startups often don't have. It's crucial to focus on building a product quickly before diving into complex systems.
  2. Using Bazel with languages like Python and JavaScript can be tricky because they aren't as well supported. It can lead to a lot of wasted effort if you're not careful about the tools you choose.
  3. While Bazel has great potential, it's often not the right choice for startups due to the time and resources needed. It's better to find a simpler solution until you have a stable system.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 233

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 10 May 18
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI systems can learn from each other by arguing, which might help us understand their behavior better.
  2. In the future, machine learning tools may interact with us more like pets than machines, creating a collaborative experience.
  3. Despite powerful tech companies, skilled programmers can still outperform them in certain AI tasks, showing the value of human creativity.

Things I learned at Anthropic

sémaphore • 2 implied HN points • 16 May 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. A team's success depends a lot on how quickly they make decisions and how willing they are to take risks.
  2. When building models, you might hit problems that stem from the data you used. It’s important to dig deep and understand these issues.
  3. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. You often find clear answers after thoroughly exploring a problem.
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Data Science Weekly - Issue 165

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jan 17
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Color theory is complex and blends science with art, making it a fascinating topic to explore.
  2. Deep learning research faces challenges due to engineering limitations, which can slow down progress.
  3. Using structured knowledge like graphs can improve how machines recognize images, mirroring human learning abilities.

LLM coding autopilots still need a steering wheel

Speculative Inference • 1 HN point • 10 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Self-driving cars still need steering wheels because complete automation is very difficult to achieve. Experts thought we would have fully autonomous cars by now, but there are still many challenges to overcome.
  2. Software engineering is even harder to automate than driving. As we create tools that simplify coding, the demand for software will only continue to grow, rather than decrease.
  3. Small tools that help human engineers will likely be more valuable and widely adopted than fully autonomous coding systems. They make the coding process easier without completely changing how we work.

Why engineers need to be bored.

On Engineering • 3 HN points • 05 May 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The Pareto principle applies to engineering work and problems, with a small group often responsible for a majority of the outcomes.
  2. Innovation and creativity in engineering often stem from incorporating boredom into the workday.
  3. Encouraging free-form boredom time can lead to increased creativity, innovation, and unique solutions in engineering teams.

Bonus: More details on how Bell Labs operated

FreakTakes • 3 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Mervin Kelly emphasized the three key groups at Bell Labs: Research and Fundamental Development, Systems Engineering, and Specific Systems and Facilities Development.
  2. Research and Fundamental Development focused on pushing research frontiers, with a balance between research and basic technology.
  3. Systems Engineers played a vital role in integrating new knowledge with existing systems, ensuring efficiency, and guiding the application of research ideas into profitable projects.

libSQL: Diving Into a Database Engineering Epic

Luminotes • 2 HN points • 23 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. SQLite is widely used and respected in critical industries due to strong engineering ethics and a commitment to reliability and backward compatibility.
  2. Forking a project like SQLite, as seen with libSQL, requires competent developers, a clear purpose, and a focus on maintaining high standards to ensure success.
  3. libSQL offers innovative features like different wire protocols, virtual WAL, user-defined WASM functions, and replication to the edge, showcasing the project's evolution and dedication to excellence.

Twitter Algorithm Review - Part 1 - my criteria and Real Graph

PashaNomics • 2 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Good social media algorithms should focus on improving user experience and positive user engagement, rather than just efficiency.
  2. Transparency in algorithm criteria and decision-making is crucial for understanding how the algorithm functions and analyzing its impact.
  3. Algorithm improvements should aim to fulfill user expectations, promote positive behavior, and avoid incentivizing negative interactions, such as hate engagements.

A Checklist for Building with GraphQL

William Blankenship • 2 HN points • 21 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. You need at least two engineers for GraphQL service: for mentoring, supporting, and preventing bottlenecks.
  2. Invest in tooling like query complexity guards, introspection, and alerts for runtime safety and service performance.
  3. The skillset needed for GraphQL service is similar to that of a database engineer, focusing on schema design and tool implementation.

Today’s AI sucks at math, but developing cars and planes with it is still a good idea

Assisted Everything • 2 HN points • 23 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Today's AI can assist in engineering tasks and lead to faster and safer product design.
  2. Assisted Engineering involves AI assisting engineers in brainstorming, retrieving information, triggering simulations, reviewing work, system modeling, and documenting.
  3. To ensure safety, AI in engineering should be complemented with math, engineering structure, and proper verification processes.

January Round Up

Maker News • 1 HN point • 26 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The January Round Up features clever hacks, homebrew projects, and deep dives into retro and cutting-edge tech.
  2. There are engaging videos to watch, such as driving WS2812B LEDs from scratch and repurposing an old mouse into a 3D mouse.
  3. Interesting reads include building a bed occupancy sensor and exploring vintage silicon-on-sapphire technology.

A New Direction

peoplefirstengineering • 1 implied HN point • 01 Feb 24
💼 Business Engineering
  1. The newsletter is taking a new human-centric direction in software engineering.
  2. Collaboration with others can lead to greater achievements than working alone.
  3. Friday Forum events will focus on human aspects of engineering, starting with a discussion on feedback culture.

What to do with rotting software?

On Engineering • 1 HN point • 03 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Deprecating and removing open source projects can have major consequences on dependent projects in the software ecosystem.
  2. Maintaining a library may not always be feasible due to various factors like engineering allocations and dependencies.
  3. Forking a project can be a viable option for businesses heavily reliant on a library that is no longer actively maintained.

Tech Debt

General Robots • 1 HN point • 02 May 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. There are two main kinds of tech debt: cutting corners to move fast, and overcomplicating solutions.
  2. YAGNI (You Ain't Gonna Need It) is important in software development to avoid unnecessary complexity.
  3. Scar tissue in companies can slow down progress, so it's crucial to balance between speed and avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Coming soon

Prompt Engineering • 0 implied HN points • 28 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. New content is coming soon on engineeringprompts.substack.com.
  2. The post includes an image and a link to Marcel Salathé's profile.
  3. The post encourages sharing and subscribing for updates.

Magnets

Barn Lab • 0 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Magnets have two poles: north and south, which attract or repel each other.
  2. Magnetism in materials comes from aligned electron spins creating a magnetic field.
  3. Electricity flowing through conductive materials generates a magnetic field, essential for building motors and generators.

The World Of Helm

Luminotes • 0 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Helm is like a package manager for Kubernetes, providing templating capabilities and the ability to manage resources and infrastructure.
  2. A Helm chart defines Kubernetes resources in a folder with templates in YAML format, allowing for the creation of releases and packages.
  3. Using Helmfile in combination with Helm simplifies managing multiple charts and deploying different sets of features or values in Kubernetes environments.

On Rails in Mt. View California 🚂

Thinking Through • 0 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The public data on rails in the Bay Area provides interesting insights, like weight, manufacturing details, and design specifications.
  2. Rail dimensions like height and width play crucial roles in supporting the track and preventing rail rolling.
  3. Many intriguing questions arise about rails during train rides, from spacing between rails to the forces rails experience.

A Google Interviewing Story

paultyma • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. When interviewing after a break, start with less important jobs to ease back in and learn nuances
  2. Google's interviewing process is long, rigorous, and fair, aiming to assess your abilities accurately
  3. Sometimes, unconventional thinking in problem-solving can make a big impact, even in interviews

80+ fresh jobs (From LinkedIn) to combat layoffs effectively 🌎 🚀

100 Tech Jobs Every Week 🌎 🚀 • 0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
💼 Business Engineering
  1. Over 80 fresh job opportunities from LinkedIn are shared weekly to help combat layoffs effectively.
  2. The jobs range from positions like Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and Analysts at various reputable companies.
  3. The newsletter is free to subscribe and aims to make the job hunting process easier with curated tech and engineering job listings.

Driving changes: how to deal with pushbacks

Teamwork in Tech • 0 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Pushbacks on initiatives can happen due to various reasons like disbelief in promised goals, dissatisfaction with implemented solutions, or disagreement on the importance of the problem.
  2. To prevent pushback, ensure clear communication, involve stakeholders in defining and solving problems, and provide supporting evidence and documentation.
  3. When facing pushback, focus on understanding the perspectives of those involved, address concerns proactively, and work collaboratively to find solutions that benefit everyone.