The hottest Engineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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You can't build a moat with AI

The AI Frontier • 459 implied HN points • 11 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. You can't really set yourself apart with just AI models because they're becoming similar across different companies. What matters more is the unique data you use to feed those models.
  2. Even if your prompts seem special, they won't give you a long-term advantage. Competitors can quickly figure out how to improve their prompts, making them less valuable for differentiation.
  3. To succeed in building AI applications, focus on understanding and using your customers' data effectively. Good data engineering can really make a difference in how well your application performs.

Building a phosphorescence detector

lcamtuf’s thing • 2652 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. There isn't much information available on natural phosphorescence, so creating a detector can help explore its presence in everyday items.
  2. The device design prioritizes speed and sensitivity to detect phosphorescence briefly brought out by UV light, using specific electronics like photodiodes and amplifiers.
  3. Experimenting with common household materials showed that some items, like powdered milk and natural ruby, exhibit weak phosphorescence, although many other items didn't show any notable glow.

($) Forward Deployed Engineer: the Job that Makes AI Real

Interconnected • 169 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Forward deployed engineers (FDEs) are the on-the-ground builders who turn AI models into working systems inside large enterprises and governments, handling integration, customization, and deployment.
  2. FDEs are scarce and highly sought after, so companies are rapidly expanding FDE teams and partnering with global system integrators to scale capacity and meet enterprise demand.
  3. The FDE function originated in firms like Palantir and has become a core, strategic role that many AI labs now prioritize to drive real-world adoption of their technology.

Top Software Engineering Newsletters in 2024

AI Supremacy • 825 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. More software engineers are turning to Substack for professional education and insights in technology
  2. Top engineering newsletters on Substack provide valuable content for software engineers and tech workers
  3. Subscribing to engineering newsletters can help professionals stay informed, grow, and stand out in the industry

MIT and the non-existent I-129 problem

Gordian Knot News • 256 implied HN points • 09 Nov 25
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. The author feels disappointed in MIT's response to criticisms of their nuclear studies, specifically regarding a controversial analysis by a faculty member. They believe the school once encouraged rigorous debate and fact-based reasoning.
  2. Iodine-129, a radioactive element, is discussed as posing minimal health risk, but the author argues that the recent study on it fails to address its real impact on thyroid cancer risk. They highlight that the dangers may not be as significant as some suggest.
  3. The author criticizes the approach to radioactive waste management, suggesting that the focus should be on dilution rather than concentration. They believe this would significantly reduce health risks from contamination.
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Nuclear Plants should be Industrial Cathedrals

Gordian Knot News • 227 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Nuclear power plants should be built strong and beautiful, like cathedrals, to last a long time and serve future generations well.
  2. Designing nuclear plants with large domes and easy access for maintenance can help ensure their reliability and longevity.
  3. It's important to consider the quality and maintainability of different nuclear plant designs, as some may be more cramped and prone to issues over time.

A Tech Interview that Doesn't Suck

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 2186 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Hiring great team members is really important because it affects everyone's work speed. Good hires help the team, while bad ones slow everyone down.
  2. Many tech companies rely on LeetCode tests to screen candidates, but this method might not show true skills. There could be better ways to assess coding abilities.
  3. Finding a more effective hiring process can improve how companies choose candidates, leading to better outcomes for teams. It's all about making informed decisions.

The Technological Revolution that could Supercharge the World's Batteries

Material World • 1783 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Silicon carbon batteries are exciting because they can store more energy and charge faster than regular graphite batteries. This means better battery life for smartphones and even electric cars.
  2. The challenge with silicon anodes is that they swell a lot when charging, which can damage the battery. Scientists are working to find ways to manage this problem.
  3. While silicon is promising, it's still a new technology and can be expensive. For now, it's often used alongside traditional materials to improve battery performance.

Bazel and action (non-) determinism

Blog System/5 • 661 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Bazel builds need to be deterministic to avoid issues. If builds aren't consistent, they can fail unexpectedly, making it hard to trust the system.
  2. Non-determinism in builds can come from various sources like timestamps, random data, or changes in environment. It's important to identify and manage these to ensure reliable builds.
  3. To prevent non-determinism, use controlled environments and keep settings consistent across machines. This includes managing toolchains and avoiding network access that could introduce variability.

Lies, damned lies, and photodiodes

lcamtuf’s thing • 2040 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Photodiodes can have a wide range of response speeds, and the advertised specs often don't tell the whole story. It's important to understand how they are tested, as this can affect their performance.
  2. When building precise measurement devices with photodiodes, two types of currents play a role. One is fast, while the other can take much longer to settle down, impacting the overall signal quality.
  3. Using techniques like reverse bias can improve performance, but some effects are inherent to the photodiodes themselves. Understanding these limitations is key for achieving accurate measurements.

LangGraph Agents By LangChain

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 39 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Graph-based representations are becoming popular in AI, making it easier to visualize application flows and manage data relationships. This helps in understanding complex connections between data points.
  2. There are two ways to create graph representations: one is using code to create a visual flow, and the other is using a graphical user interface (GUI) to build the flow directly. This dual approach caters to different needs and levels of user expertise.
  3. Graph data structures allow for both firm control over applications and the flexibility needed for agent-based systems. This is useful for tasks where interactions and decisions must adapt based on inputs or user approvals.

Learning in the Forest

Software Design: Tidy First? • 2032 implied HN points • 22 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Learning should come before production. It's important to focus on what team members need to learn, even if it slows down work at first.
  2. Juniors are still learning, so we shouldn't rush them. It's better to allow them to choose tasks that will help them grow, and to support their learning through pairing with seniors.
  3. Investing time in learning pays off. Gaining skills and knowledge today will help create better projects and more capable engineers in the future.

Bugs Optional?

Software Design: Tidy First? • 1723 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Bugs don't have to be a normal part of software development. Some teams manage to almost eliminate bugs by approaching their work differently.
  2. Instead of seeing bugs as inevitable, teams can work to understand and prevent them right from the start. This includes practices like continuous integration and team collaboration.
  3. Changing how we think about bugs from a normal part of life to something rare can help create a better work environment and improve software quality.

Preface to Tidy Together

Software Design: Tidy First? • 552 implied HN points • 17 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Software teams often have different goals and views, which can create challenges in working together. It's important to find ways to connect and collaborate despite these differences.
  2. As a programmer, taking time to tidy up your code can make your work easier in the long run. Small acts of care can lead to better outcomes when working on projects.
  3. Investing in design moments and making an effort to improve your code helps not just you but the whole team. Good practices can enhance teamwork and overall project success.

Why does the frequency response of my DAC droop?

filterwizard • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. A DAC's output might not represent the input signal accurately because it holds samples longer than expected. This can result in a drooping frequency response instead of a flat line.
  2. The output is shaped by a sinc function, where certain frequencies lose energy and create unwanted noise, making the signal less clear.
  3. Modern DACs, like sigma-delta types, don't have this droop problem. They use faster processes and digital filtering to provide a smoother, more accurate sound.

How to Build a Satellite: A Comprehensive Guide

Space Ambition • 179 implied HN points • 24 May 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Building satellites is getting easier, which is why there are so many more in space now. A lot of companies are able to provide satellite services without even owning a satellite.
  2. Planning is really important when developing a satellite. You need to decide its goals, select the right orbit, and choose if you will build or buy your satellite components.
  3. Testing is a crucial step in satellite assembly. After building, you have to run various tests to make sure everything works properly before sending it to space.

How Sony Mastered the Transistor

The Asianometry Newsletter • 1607 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Sony started from nothing after World War II, but two determined founders, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, worked together to create innovative products like radios using new technology.
  2. They took a big risk by licensing transistor technology from Western Electric, believing it could change the way they made electronics, especially portable radios.
  3. Through trial and error, they learned how to produce reliable transistors and eventually created one of the first successful transistor radios, leading to the company's iconic brand name, Sony.

This number does nothing...

atomic14 • 346 implied HN points • 23 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The common baud rate of 115200 is often used in Arduino projects, but testing shows that actual data rates can be much higher on some newer boards, like the ESP32-S3.
  2. Using USB connections instead of traditional serial connections can lead to significantly faster data transfer speeds, sometimes reaching over 9.6 Mbit/s.
  3. Performance tests can vary, especially between different firmware versions, and while raw numbers are interesting, real-world performance can be quite different.

Background Work

Software Design: Tidy First? • 1568 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Background work is doing extra research or tasks beyond what's necessary. It's a way to learn and grow your skills.
  2. Successful programmers often engage in background work, which helps them become more knowledgeable and credible.
  3. While background work can sometimes feel like extra effort, it usually pays off quickly and can save time in the long run.

Conclusion: Final section intro from Tidy Together

Software Design: Tidy First? • 397 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Software design is all about relationships, not just code. It’s important to think about how people interact with the software and each other.
  2. Tidy design involves making choices about how components and functions work together. This helps keep things clear and manageable.
  3. Making big changes in small, safe steps can lead to better results in software development. It allows for easier adjustments along the way.

Calif is hiring!

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 738 implied HN points • 03 Nov 23
💼 Business Engineering
  1. Calif is a young firm on the verge of a big boom, working with top firms in AI, infrastructure, and products, and offering great work experiences.
  2. Calif is hiring excellent hackers to tackle important tech challenges and offers a unique opportunity to work in a company with a high standard reminiscent of Silicon Valley's early days.
  3. Calif has open positions for Offensive Security Engineer, Software Engineer, and Technical Project Manager, with a referral reward of USD 2,000 for successful hires.

Where to draw the line?

Subconscious • 1225 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Breaking problems into smaller pieces helps us manage them better. It's like solving a big puzzle by working on one piece at a time.
  2. Modules or parts of a system allow us to focus on what’s important without worrying about the whole. This makes it easier to change and adapt parts as needed.
  3. Deciding where to draw boundaries in a system can greatly affect its future. It's important to understand what will change and what won’t before setting those boundaries.

Oops I Did It Again

atomic14 • 346 implied HN points • 02 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. A new PCB was made, but it had a mistake where the LED didn't work because of wrong connections. The designer mixed up common cathode and common anode.
  2. Fixing the issue isn't too hard. It just requires desoldering the LED, adding solder resist, and reconnecting everything correctly.
  3. After making the adjustments, the LED finally worked, showing a successful blink. It took some effort and frustration to get there.

If I could travel back to 5 years ago, what would I talk to myself about Docker?

VuTrinh. • 299 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Docker helps you package your applications and everything they need into containers. This makes it easier to deploy and run your apps anywhere.
  2. Containers are lighter than virtual machines because they share the host's operating system, saving resources and simplifying management.
  3. To get started with Docker, install it, then run a simple command to create your first container, like 'docker run hello-world' - it’s that straightforward!

Why DeepSeek Is a Gift to the American People

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 964 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The release of DeepSeek, a new AI from China, could be a wake-up call for the U.S., similar to the launch of Sputnik. It highlights the need for America to accelerate its technological advancements.
  2. Unlike rockets, which take time and resources to build, software like DeepSeek can be developed and shared quickly. This opens up many opportunities for innovation and growth.
  3. The current situation emphasizes that success in technology is not just about hardware but also about creativity and the ability to adapt quickly in a fast-changing world.

Where Do Spacecraft Live: How to Choose the Right Satellite Orbit?

Space Ambition • 79 implied HN points • 28 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Choosing the right satellite orbit is a key factor for the success of a space mission. It helps control costs and how well the satellite can perform its job.
  2. There are different types of orbits such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geostationary Orbit (GEO), each serving different purposes and applications.
  3. As the number of satellites in space grows, effective disposal methods are crucial to avoid creating space debris, which could lead to future problems.

Dex Horthy on Ralph, RPI, and escaping the "Dumb Zone"

Dev Interrupted • 9 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Use a strict Research, Plan, Implement (RPI) process so agents generate intermediate design artifacts and settle architecture decisions before any code is written, which helps escape the "Dumb Zone".
  2. Agent-driven activity is already overwhelming human-scale infrastructure like GitHub. Moving agents into cloud orchestration platforms lets teams scale, share outputs, and avoid clogging local machines.
  3. Agents can let you do 10x the work without 10x the pay, risking burnout as companies capture the extra value. At the same time, smaller specialized coding agents can outperform giant foundation models on private stacks, pointing toward private, stack-aware agents.

Thursday Links

Niko McCarty • 119 implied HN points • 30 May 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. A company has set a new record by placing over 4,000 electrodes on a living human brain. This is a big step in brain-computer interface technology.
  2. There are some significant papers about CRISPR technology that are worth checking out. These studies could impact how we use gene editing in the future.
  3. A certain microbe can significantly reduce harmful gas emissions in soil. This is important because it's a natural solution that doesn't involve genetic engineering.

GPT-5: OpenAI’s Flagship Model Faces Great Expectations

The Algorithmic Bridge • 318 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. People often have unrealistic expectations for new AI models like GPT-5, leading to disappointment when they don't meet those high hopes. The hype around these releases can skew how we perceive their actual capabilities.
  2. Previous models like GPT-4.5 faced challenges and may not have been failures outright, but rather steps in the learning process for what works best in AI development. They revealed important insights even if they didn't perform perfectly.
  3. OpenAI is in a competitive race with other companies, and while it has achieved significant financial success, there are concerns about its talent retention and whether it is keeping up with faster innovation from rivals.

What I read this week

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 79 implied HN points • 24 Jun 24
💼 Business Engineering
  1. Start with what's necessary, progress to what's possible, and soon you'll achieve the impossible.
  2. Success comes from overcoming challenges and facing obstacles head-on.
  3. Even when dealing with tough situations, find ways to keep inspired and make things enjoyable.

We're Finding Out What Humans are Bad At

Am I Stronger Yet? • 799 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Humans are not great at some tasks, especially ones like multiplication or certain physical jobs where machines excel. Evolution didn't prepare us for everything, so machines often outperform us in those areas.
  2. In tasks like chess, humans can still compete because strategy and judgment play a big role, even though computers are getting better. The game requires thinking skills that humans are good at, though computers can calculate much faster.
  3. AI is advancing quickly and becoming better at tasks we once thought were uniquely human, but there are still challenges. Some complex problems might always be easier for humans due to our unique brain abilities.

What the world needs isn't "Artificial Intelligence" but Optimized Computational Methodologies

Top Carbon Chauvinist • 79 implied HN points • 21 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. We should focus on making smarter tools instead of trying to make machines think like humans. Real progress comes from solving practical problems, not imitating nature.
  2. Copying how living things work is often a bad approach. Nature is full of flaws, and we don't need to mimic those to create better designs.
  3. It's important to clearly define the problems we want machines to solve. Without a clear goal, projects will struggle and waste resources on unnecessary tasks.

Telescopes: Discoveries, Places to Visit, Key Facts

Space Ambition • 359 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Telescopes help us discover amazing things in space, like black holes and new planets. They've changed our understanding of the universe since Galileo's time.
  2. There are many types of telescopes, both in space and on Earth. Each one has its own strengths, like observing different wavelengths of light to see invisible objects.
  3. People are really getting into astronomy, and funding for telescopes is growing. It's easier than ever to rent telescopes or visit observatories to explore the night sky.

How I got 27 hours in a week by installing one tool

High Growth Engineer • 1052 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Using tools like Raycast can save a lot of time by centralizing different functions on your computer. It allows you to quickly access apps and features, making your workflow smoother.
  2. Having features like an instant AI chat is really useful for quickly finding answers to questions without interrupting your flow. You can get help right when you need it, without the hassle of opening new tabs.
  3. Text expanders are great for saving time on repetitive typing. They let you create shortcuts for common phrases, making it faster to communicate and reducing effort in your daily tasks.

One Hand On The Yoke

Software Design: Tidy First? • 950 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Flying an airplane usually works better with one hand on the yoke instead of two. This way, it's easier to keep a smooth flight and not overcorrect.
  2. When you let go a bit and trust a self-organizing team, you can achieve better results, just like flying with less tension.
  3. Sometimes trying to control things too tightly can make them worse, like struggling with a suitcase that wobbles. Often, a lighter touch or changing the tool helps.

The Bitter Religion: AI’s Holy War Over Scaling Laws

The Generalist • 920 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The AI community is divided over whether achieving higher levels of computation will lead to better artificial intelligence or if there are limits to this approach. Some think more resources will keep helping AI grow, while others fear we might hit a ceiling.
  2. There’s a growing debate about the importance of scaling laws and whether they should continue to guide AI development. People are starting to question if sticking to these beliefs is the best path forward.
  3. If doubt begins to spread about scaling laws, it could impact investment and innovation in AI and related fields, causing changes in how companies approach building new technologies.

Everything is (not) fine at Intel

Irrational Analysis • 159 implied HN points • 03 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The Intel event highlighted concerning trends, particularly in product competitiveness and margins, with challenges in execution and manufacturing processes.
  2. Intel's strategic shift towards insourcing and reducing external foundry partnerships suggests significant changes in their manufacturing approach.
  3. Despite efforts to improve, Intel faces a tough road ahead with the need for advanced technology developments and a challenging competitive landscape.

Building a technical career path at Spotify

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 11 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Spotify emphasizes that career paths should fit the company's culture. Using a framework from another company often doesn't work well.
  2. Creating a career path framework should happen after seeing a real need for it, rather than forcing it too early in a company's growth.
  3. The Spotify model focuses on team success and personal growth, not just climbing a ladder. It encourages diverse development without penalizing role changes.