The hottest Engineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

AI applications are more than an LLM

The AI Frontier • 19 implied HN points • 20 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI applications are more than just using a big model; they need careful design and planning to be effective. It's like building a nice piece of furniture versus just putting some wood together.
  2. Quality comes with a cost, and building great AI solutions takes more time and resources. Cheaper options might save money now, but they often lead to poorer results.
  3. Not all AI applications perform the same, even if they use the same tools. Good performance comes from thoughtful engineering and working with the data properly.

Be a competent engineer, not just a coder

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 99 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Being a competent engineer involves more than just coding; it requires skills in communication, architecture, and understanding the customer's needs.
  2. Engineers are not born, they are inspired by different aspects of the field like code snippets or games.
  3. Seasons in an engineering career can be likened to the spring where inspiration and growth begin.

Junior Extinction

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 29 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Junior engineering jobs are becoming less common, especially in large tech companies. However, they aren't completely disappearing, with some positions still available.
  2. The new roles require different skills, like working well with AI and clear communication, rather than just coding skills. This is changing what companies look for in new hires.
  3. AI is speeding up work processes significantly. Tasks that took humans a long time can now be done much faster with AI, allowing for quicker iterations and product releases.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Inside Pulley's AI-Native Engineering Team

Artificial Ignorance • 92 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Using AI regularly helps small teams work efficiently. By leveraging AI tools, even a small engineering team can compete with much larger companies.
  2. It's important to foster a culture of experimentation with AI. When team members are excited about trying new AI tools and sharing what they learn, it boosts overall productivity.
  3. Skills are shifting from direct coding to more strategic tasks like writing specifications. As AI becomes more capable, being able to communicate ideas clearly and manage these tools is becoming crucial.

5 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2024

Frankly Speaking • 203 implied HN points • 27 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. In 2024, cybersecurity companies will focus more on creating platforms instead of using many separate tools. This means they can work faster and solve problems better.
  2. Cybersecurity is moving towards building its own solutions rather than just buying products. This change is necessary to keep up with the evolving threats.
  3. The use of AI in cybersecurity will become more effective. Companies will learn how to use AI to make their security processes better and faster.

No sacred masterpieces

Basta’s Notes • 753 HN points • 15 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  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.

The fundamentals of agent-driven software workflows

Dev Interrupted • 74 implied HN points • 08 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Agent-driven workflows are key for AI in software, moving beyond just coding tools to smarter systems that can manage the entire process.
  2. To benefit from AI tools, companies need to improve their systems and processes, not just focus on what the tools can do on their own.
  3. Successful AI strategies will rely on creating connected, efficient workflows rather than isolated software solutions.

Is Step Back Prompting The Best Prompting Strategy?

Aziz et al. Paper Summaries • 59 implied HN points • 20 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Step Back Prompting helps models think about big ideas before answering questions. This method shows better results than other prompting techniques.
  2. Even with Step Back Prompting, models still find it tricky to put all their reasoning together. Many errors come from the final reasoning step which can be complicated.
  3. Not every question works well with Step Back Prompting. Some questions need quick, specific answers instead of a longer thought process.

Space Launch technology: are we stuck?

Space Ambition • 399 implied HN points • 21 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Many companies in the space launch industry are not innovating much. They are mostly making small changes to old ideas instead of developing new technologies.
  2. The space launch market is complex and requires a lot of money and time to create viable products. This makes it hard for new businesses to compete with big players like SpaceX.
  3. There are new ideas in space launch technology that may change how we send things into space. Some companies are exploring different methods, like using external energy sources, which could make launches more efficient.

Erika Update #5: DNA detective

Erika’s Newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. It's important to keep good track of custom DNA programs in biology for engineering purposes.
  2. Current DNA management lacks clear nomenclature and annotation, making it challenging to work with DNA sequences.
  3. Challenges in DNA management highlight the complexity of biological functions and the importance of handling sequences carefully and thoughtfully.

MCP servers are the bridge between AI agents and APIs

Dev Interrupted • 56 implied HN points • 07 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. MCP servers act as a bridge that helps AI agents communicate with APIs more effectively. This makes the interaction smoother and allows for complex tasks to be automated without exhaustive programming.
  2. The introduction of MCP changes how APIs are designed. API providers need to focus on better search capabilities and richer metadata because AI agents require more context to function well.
  3. Soon, MCP will be the standard for how AI interacts with APIs. Companies must adapt their API strategies to consider how AI agents work, ensuring they're built to support this new way of connecting.

AI Will Bloom When the Grifters Leave

The Algorithmic Bridge • 222 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI will improve when people who care about technology and helping others take over, rather than those focused only on making money.
  2. As AI becomes more common, it will naturally integrate into our lives just like other everyday technologies have.
  3. For AI to succeed, people need to build trust, work together, and take action rather than just hoping for the best.

Use it or lose it

The Engineering Manager • 13 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Skills fade when you stop using them, and offloading thinking to AI can speed that decline if you’re not careful.
  2. Stay close to the work with a minimum effective dose of coding, pair programming, and regular dives into PRs and architecture so you keep your technical edge.
  3. Use AI intentionally: experiment with tools yourself, offload only menial tasks, and always do a first-pass of thinking before prompting so AI augments rather than replaces your judgment.

Work with the best people you can

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 16 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Find and work with people who are really good at what they do. This helps you learn and grow faster.
  2. Being around high standards pushes you to improve your own skills and work quality.
  3. It might feel tough at times, but being stretched by others is a key part of building your career.

The Reasoning Race: Can Small Models Reason?

TheSequence • 182 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The Sequence newsletter is evolving to offer more focused content, catering to both AI scientists and engineers. This means you'll get richer discussions on research and practical applications.
  2. There will be new editions each week that cover a variety of topics like education, engineering, interviews, and insights. This change aims to make the content shorter and easier to digest.
  3. The discussions around reasoning in AI are expanding to include smaller models, challenging the idea that only large models are capable of complex reasoning. It's an exciting area of exploration.

What will it take to build a Mars habitat?

Space Ambition • 259 implied HN points • 10 Feb 23
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Building a habitat on Mars involves solving problems like radiation protection. Solutions include using Martian soil for shielding or growing special fungi that can handle radiation.
  2. We can use new technologies like 3D printing to create living spaces on Mars. This approach helps make building easier and can also be applied to sustainable construction on Earth.
  3. Producing oxygen on Mars is crucial because its atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide. NASA has developed a device that can extract oxygen from the Martian air, which is an important step for future colonization.

The Smartest Bear vs the Dumbest Human: The Implications of AI's Growing Problem-Solving Abilities

The Future of Life • 19 implied HN points • 04 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. AI is getting really good at problem-solving, even beating humans at some tasks, like solving CAPTCHAs. This shows that AI can reason better than many humans, especially in certain situations.
  2. The Turing test isn't just one hurdle to jump over; it's a series of challenges that measure how closely AI can act like a human. As AI improves, it passes more of these challenges, showing its capabilities.
  3. While current AI isn't fully intelligent like a human, it's almost ready to solve a lot of problems. The only big limitation is how much computing power is available for training these AI systems.

Live Session: How Modern CPUs Execute Your Code: A Deep Dive into Performance

Confessions of a Code Addict • 168 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Understanding how modern CPUs work can help you fix performance problems in your code. Learning about how the processor executes code is key to improving your programs.
  2. Important features like cache hierarchies and branch prediction can greatly affect how fast your code runs. Knowing about these can help you write better and more efficient code.
  3. The live session will offer practical tips and real-world examples to apply what you've learned. It's a chance to ask questions and see how to tackle performance issues directly.

She Drove The Tube Train 100 Years Ago: How a Woman Launched a Rebuilt Northern Line

Londonist: Time Machine • 99 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
💾 History Engineering
  1. The Bank branch of the Northern line was rebuilt in 1923, including widening the tunnels, in a remarkable engineering feat.
  2. The reconstruction involved meticulous planning and a terrifying explosion, highlighting the challenges faced during the project.
  3. Despite the significant efforts and historical importance of the project, this story is often overlooked and forgotten in history.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Probabilistic Risk Analysis

Gordian Knot News • 139 implied HN points • 26 Feb 25
🔬 Science Engineering
  1. Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) tries to predict safety risks in nuclear power, but it often fails to represent real-world risks accurately. It can miss important events and rely on unclear data.
  2. Making complicated systems with many backups can create unexpected problems. While it seems safer, this complexity can lead to more failures instead of preventing them.
  3. Claiming that nuclear accidents are highly unlikely can harm public trust. It's better to acknowledge that accidents might happen and focus on minimizing their impact.

Uploading Instagram Videos with 94% LESS CPU

Byte-Sized Design • 58 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  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.

3 quick tips on how to build more scalable systems [System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Location matters: Place software close to clients for faster response times using CDNs, edge computing, or geo-replication.
  2. Cache wisely: Optimize speed by using in-memory caching, database caching, or web caching to avoid repeated actions.
  3. Async is key: Improve efficiency with asynchronous processing through message queues, event-driven architectures, or microservices.

Tenstorrent Extends Japan Engagement

More Than Moore • 210 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Tenstorrent is focusing on a combination of selling hardware and open-sourcing their software. This allows them to work closely with clients while still attracting broader interest.
  2. The company is training up to 200 Japanese engineers in their technology to help improve local manufacturing capabilities. This will enhance skills in the region and expand the use of their designs.
  3. Tenstorrent is growing its operations in Japan and developing local teams. This signals their commitment to being a key player in the Japanese semiconductor industry.

Signal Integrity fundamentals

Only Wonder Knows • 117 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. High speed digital design is not black magic, but engineering magic.
  2. In high speed designs, the generator sees only the cable, not the load, to determine current.
  3. Proper termination with load impedance equal to cable characteristic impedance prevents signal reflection.

Optimising costs to enhancing UX - it is all engineering

system bashing • 117 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. In a tech company, engineering involves balancing cloud costs and user interface to optimize costs and enhance user experience.
  2. Reducing costs significantly is crucial for a company's profitability regardless of other measures like discounts or marketing strategies.
  3. Engineering decisions impact user experience constraints and cloud costs, requiring a balance between the two for system efficiency.

Quality Engineering Basics: Quality Metrics

QUALITY BOSS • 39 implied HN points • 25 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Metrics help show how good a product is and can lead to improvements. They can boost quality and user happiness.
  2. Bug metrics track issues like how many bugs are found after release and how long they take to fix. This helps teams focus on areas needing help.
  3. Product and automation metrics can include customer satisfaction and how well automated tests work. They help understand what's going right or wrong in the product.

Juggling Robots

Bram’s Thoughts • 78 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Building a juggling robot to juggle five balls is challenging.
  2. Consider using a CoreXY mechanism for moving the hands efficiently.
  3. Utilize pneumatics for controlling the strength of throws in the juggling robot.

The New Gold Rush: Asteroid Mining

Space Ambition • 279 implied HN points • 16 Dec 22
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. Asteroid mining could help solve the problem of limited Earth resources. Some asteroids are worth tons of money and could provide materials crucial for technology.
  2. Mining in space isn't just about precious metals; water is a key resource that astronauts can use for drinking and rocket fuel. It also opens up possibilities for farming in space.
  3. There are many challenges to asteroid mining, like developing the right tools and overcoming technical issues. But with innovation, it could become a reality, and the first trillionaire might be a space miner.

sqlmesh init -t dbt

davidj.substack • 179 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. SQLMesh recently announced that it is backwards compatible with dbt projects. This means teams can gradually switch to SQLMesh without having to do a big migration all at once.
  2. Using SQLMesh can help improve the clarity of data workflows and avoid broken DAGs during development. It offers features that make managing complex data stacks easier.
  3. Migrating to SQLMesh is possible even for those who aren't very tech-savvy. The process can be simple and done in an afternoon, making it accessible for teams to test and implement.

Concept design in three easy steps

Subconscious • 711 implied HN points • 19 May 23
🕹 Technology 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.

The Sequence Radar #554 : The New DeepSeek R1-0528 is Very Impressive

TheSequence • 77 implied HN points • 01 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering
  1. The DeepSeek R1-0528 model is really good at math and reasoning, showing big improvements in understanding complicated problems.
  2. This new model can handle large amounts of data at once, making it perfect for tasks that need lots of information, like technical documents.
  3. DeepSeek is focused on making advanced AI accessible to everyone, not just big companies, which is great for developers and researchers with limited resources.