The hottest Internet Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The Weekend Press: Totalitarianism Can Be Relaxing

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 343 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. A life of endless comfort and convenience can hollow out struggle, passion, and meaning, so stories that imagine a relaxing dystopia warn that hardship helps make us human.
  2. Art and cultural institutions are increasingly retooled as political statements, which can reshape and polarize how audiences receive classic works.
  3. Short-form internet platforms rewired humor and attention, proving that six-second moments can define virality and change the way we experience culture.

The Sun When It Is Behind Translucent Clouds, Pale, Moon-Like, and Painless to Gaze Upon

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 339 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. The Sun can look pale, moon-like, and surprisingly painless to stare at when it sits behind a thin, translucent layer of cloud; the solar disc can still appear well defined even though its brightness is much reduced.
  2. There is no widely accepted name for this common-but-unremarked phenomenon, so ordinary search terms return noisy or unrelated results; short candidates that work best include "pale sun," "overcast sun," or "filtered sun."
  3. Both scientific studies and painters have noted similar muted-sun effects—science uses phrases like "filtered sun" or "sharp-edged sun" while art sometimes depicts dull, moonlike discs—but the effect is lightly studied and not an established concept, so broader use and shared photos could help a canonical name emerge.

How I passed the time in 2025

Passing Time • 502 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Short-form video and satisfying algorithms are eroding attention and making intentional focus much harder. Use AI for tasks you want done, but avoid relying on it for skills you want to get better at.
  2. Reading history and classics can radically reshape how you understand modern morality, showing that many of our current norms are recent and that ancient societies lived by very different values.
  3. It's okay to slow down creative output and prioritize curation, quality, and community over chasing virality. How you choose to spend your time—through books, music, and thoughtful writing—matters more than growth metrics.

Hidden Open Thread 417.5

Astral Codex Ten • 275 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. The content is behind a paywall and only available to paid subscribers, so you must subscribe or sign in to read it.
  2. This entry is part of a numbered "Hidden Open Thread" series (417.5) and is dated January 22, 2026, indicating ongoing, periodically posted material.
  3. The page displays subscription and sign-in prompts along with sharing options, showing the platform emphasizes paid access while still encouraging social sharing.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Louis Theroux and the Manosphere

Theory Matters • 7 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Unemployment can feel like absolute freedom that quickly turns hollow—long stretches of boredom, routine, and rejection breed pessimism even as they leave time to think.
  2. Louis Theroux’s documentary method works best when subjects lower their guard and show real vulnerability, but it fails against performative, grifting figures who treat interviews as promotion.
  3. The manosphere is mostly banal attention-seeking and scams rather than a coherent threat, yet the real risk is young people retreating into inward, narcissistic online worlds that make harmful behavior more likely.

Here...comes...INDIA!!!

Noahpinion • 37588 implied HN points • 28 Apr 23
🌍 World Politics Internet
  1. India has surpassed China as the world's most populous country, marking its arrival on the global stage.
  2. India's economic growth has been remarkable, lifting many out of poverty and positioning the country as a significant player on the world economic stage.
  3. India's influence is expanding due to factors like internet access, cultural exchanges, and economic opportunities, shaping a more interconnected global community.

TikTok is done for

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 8539 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. TikTok is facing a ban in the U.S., which many people believe is coming soon. This could change how we interact with social media and restrict freedom of expression.
  2. In New Jersey, there have been many reports of mysterious drones, but most sightings are just everyday planes or stars. This has caused confusion and panic among the public.
  3. There is growing concern about how men view women's bodies, especially after a celebrity's unedited photos went viral. Some men seem to forget that real women look different from their edited images in media.

Google, 2001: Don’t Be Evil

Marcus on AI • 6481 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Google's original motto was 'Don't Be Evil,' but that seems to have changed significantly by 2025. This shift raises concerns about the company's intentions and actions involving powerful AI technologies.
  2. The current landscape of AI development is driven by competition and profits. Companies like Google feel pressured to prioritize making money over ethical considerations.
  3. There is fear that as AI becomes more powerful, it may end up in the wrong hands, leading to potentially dangerous applications. This evolution reflects worries about how society and businesses are dealing with AI advancements.

The Slop School of Internet Success and other lies about cyberspace

Experimental History • 19425 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Making a living on the internet doesn't have to involve creating 'slop' content like clickbait or scams.
  2. Success online can come from creating honest, original, and interesting content that people genuinely enjoy and share.
  3. Supporting creators financially for content you enjoy can help create a better internet ecosystem and encourage more quality content.

The Hidden World of Undersea Cables

The Garden of Forking Paths • 2869 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The internet largely runs through undersea cables spanning about 900,000 miles, connecting the world in a hidden network.
  2. Early undersea cables were made possible by materials like gutta-percha and played a key role in rapid communication during events like the US Civil War.
  3. Specialized ships lay and repair undersea cables made of fiber optics, and even guard against threats like sharks and sabotage by SCUBA divers.

Delete social media

The Rectangle • 226 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Delete social media apps from your phone — it usually frees up time and cuts the low-level dread that comes with endless scrolling.
  2. Don’t get sucked into the cult of optimisation; making yourself more efficient should let you enjoy life, not turn living into an endless self-improvement project.
  3. Be pragmatic and kind to yourself: deletion can be flexible (use a spare phone or redownload briefly), but do it to make real time for the things you actually care about.

ChatGPT-5: A Review

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 1451 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. ChatGPT-5 has improved capabilities for creating vivid and detailed responses. It can transport users to different scenarios and evoke strong feelings.
  2. The AI has limits, especially when it comes to emotions and personal experiences. It can't replace genuine feelings or memories.
  3. Users enjoy experimenting with the AI, pushing its boundaries to see how it responds, which leads to both humorous and insightful interactions.

Is a YouTuber Using Copyright Lawsuits to Silence Speech?

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 1552 implied HN points • 12 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Copyright laws are being misused by some big creators to silence smaller creators, which is a concerning trend.
  2. Powerful companies have long used copyright claims to stifle speech, but now this tactic is being adopted by individuals.
  3. The recent fallout in the right-wing community shows how conspiracy theories can divide and confuse, especially when major claims are debunked.

The Internet Takes the Amazon

The Analog Family • 399 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The introduction of the Internet in remote Amazon villages has both benefits, like staying in touch with family, and drawbacks, such as young people losing interest in traditional crafts and customs.
  2. Some tribe leaders are noticing that excessive screen time is hurting community interactions and daily life, prompting them to set limits on Internet usage.
  3. Reactions to this change highlight hypocrisy in our own technology use; while we express concern for Indigenous cultures, we often ignore the negative effects of screens in our own families.

The weird world of ‘Diaper Diplomacy’

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 1492 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. There's a new trend called 'Diaper Diplomacy' where political figures are portrayed as babies in funny videos. This has caught a lot of attention on YouTube Shorts.
  2. A channel called Diaper Diplomacy has quickly gained over 45,000 subscribers. They're using AI to recreate political debates in a humorous way.
  3. These videos are popular because they mix humor with current events, making serious topics seem more lighthearted and entertaining.

The Coolhunt Never Ended

Fish Food for Thought • 13 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. When information overwhelms us, curation is what turns noise into meaning by filtering, framing, and prioritizing what deserves attention.
  2. In business and media, concept curators—analysts, writers, and leaders—add value not by creating more content but by synthesizing ideas and making judgment calls that raw data and algorithms miss.
  3. As AI and cheap content increase abundance, curation becomes essential infrastructure and a leadership responsibility; it’s about respecting attention and deciding what to ignore.

A cold play

benn.substack • 1048 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The value of a domain name can vary greatly depending on who owns it. For example, chatgpt.com would be worth a lot more to a company like Google than to an individual.
  2. User experience (UX) is key in getting people to adopt AI tools. A good interface can make a product more appealing, regardless of how advanced the technology behind it is.
  3. Google faces a challenge in convincing users to choose their AI models over others. They have great technology but need to create better products that people actually want to use.

Seeing Like Google

Archedelia • 2201 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The post discusses how technology is adding unnecessary layers of control, making simple tasks more complicated.
  2. It touches on the idea of these additional layers acting as a tax enforced by private commercial entities.
  3. The post invites readers to subscribe for a 7-day free trial to continue reading and access the full post archives.

The Dissociation Machine

Mental Hellth • 2181 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. The internet can serve as a tool for dissociation from real-life trauma.
  2. Constant exposure to content related to traumatic events can affect mental health.
  3. Dissociation as a coping mechanism has its limits and can lead to negative consequences.

JailBreak Protection on iOS

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 2624 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Jailbreaking on iOS means exploiting security flaws to gain more control over the device. This allows users to install apps outside of Apple's approval process and customize their phones more freely.
  2. While jailbreaking can be fun, it can also make devices less secure. People can easily install tools that can read private app data, leading to security risks.
  3. Developers should consider adding jailbreak protection to their apps. This helps safeguard sensitive information and prevents unauthorized access, keeping both the app and user safer.

Exploring the Dark Web: Rivenrayne, HN and 764

Lucian’s Substack • 1 HN point • 05 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Rivenrayne, Harm Nation, and 764 are dangerous online groups that harm vulnerable people, especially kids. They promote violence, self-harm, and exploitation through organized networks.
  2. These groups use gaming and social media platforms to recruit and manipulate young people. They often focus on communities where members are already struggling with issues like mental health.
  3. It's important for parents and online communities to be aware of these groups and how they operate. By supporting at-risk individuals and monitoring online spaces, we can help reduce the impact of these harmful networks.

Muppet Pearl Harbor

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 184 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
😂 Humor Internet
  1. A family was planning a long-distance movie watch for December 7.
  2. The elder child immediately suggested “Muppet Pearl Harbor,” a funny mashup idea that mixes the Muppets with the historical event.
  3. The post presents this as a playful alternate-universe concept that should exist and is fun to imagine.

Internet: a user manual

Escaping Flatland • 1749 implied HN points • 02 May 23
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The internet is like an alien entity that we are still learning to navigate, and it requires practice to use it well.
  2. Approach internet use as a practice, with structure and clear goals to focus your efforts and make better decisions.
  3. Block or prune distracting or negative online habits to make space for things that truly bring value and joy.

Links #695: Digital twins and anxiety Googles

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 579 implied HN points • 23 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Shrimp Jesus, a meme that has gained popularity on Facebook, has a quirky origin and has been sold as art for years.
  2. AI technology is advancing to create digital twins of human organs, raising questions about lifestyle changes and human-technology relationships.
  3. There is a trend of female influencers spreading health misinformation, which includes promoting unconventional diets and false narratives about birth control.

The Internet is the real world

Hot Takes • 963 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. The Internet is a real world where technology, humans, and culture intersect.
  2. The internet economy is huge, with billions of people online daily.
  3. Important life events, social movements, jobs, and discussions start and evolve online.

Self-aware villains, tech secessionists and a theory for why everything's getting worse

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 718 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. The Facebook party album from 2008 was a unique sociological spectacle that reflected youth relationships and friendships
  2. Social media platforms have evolved in how they enable users to navigate and express their friendships, from Facebook to Instagram Stories
  3. Modern digital signals of relational closeness, like group chats and Instagram grid posts, continue to play significant roles in mapping friendships

My Internet: Stephen Totilo

Embedded • 825 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Stephen Totilo, the Game File founder, is not into comedy.
  2. He enjoys watching TikToks, specifically a guy in Japan pretending to be an NPC in Grand Theft Auto.
  3. Stephen Totilo focuses on journalism about gaming, relying on Twitter for news and finding joy offline.

Childhood and Education #8: Dealing with the Internet

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2060 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🚌 Education Internet
  1. Smartphones in schools are a big distraction, and many people think they should be banned. Too many notifications from social apps during class just makes it hard for kids to focus.
  2. Social media can harm kids, especially girls, by exposing them to things like cyberbullying and unwanted advances. Many parents want more safety and protection for their children online.
  3. There's a scary trend called sextortion where scammers take advantage of kids online. It's important for parents to talk to their kids about it so they know how to handle such situations.

Top Links 813 How AI is eating the internet. Where to buy an affordable American-badged car. The G7 horror show & subjectivity in language.

Chartbook • 600 implied HN points • 29 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. AI is changing how we search for information online. It's making it harder to find what we really want.
  2. People are looking for more affordable American-made cars. There are options out there that fit different budgets.
  3. There are important discussions happening about language and its meaning in the context of recent G7 events. It's shaping how we think and communicate.

How To Get Internet Feedback Without Going Insane

The Bottom Feeder • 484 implied HN points • 14 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Too much online feedback can be overwhelming and confusing. It's important to filter out negative comments to protect your mental health.
  2. Building a private community of trusted beta testers can help you get useful feedback without the noise of public opinions. These testers should be honest but respectful.
  3. Make sure your testers understand and appreciate the kind of work you do. Feedback is most helpful when it comes from people who are genuinely interested in your specific type of creation.

Modern heists, Wikipedia porn and bygone tickets

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 658 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Internet
  1. Forcing ourselves to be constantly engaged with podcasts and media might be hindering our ability to have independent thoughts.
  2. Our constant consumption of content may lead to a passive existence where we are not actively choosing what we listen to, limiting our experiences.
  3. Reflecting on the impact of modern technologies like QR codes in theaters can help us appreciate the changes in our daily interactions and the loss of physical records.

Lunduke's Quest - December 16, 2024

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 1723 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Internet
  1. Everyone deals with challenges, it's a universal experience. We all face tough times, and it's important to recognize that you're not alone.
  2. Being real about feelings can help you connect with others. Sharing your honest emotions can strengthen relationships.
  3. Understanding that struggles are part of life can be comforting. It helps to remember that overcoming difficulties is how we grow.