The hottest Web Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Best of 2025

Obvious Bicycle • 526 implied HN points • 30 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Web
  1. A huge annual roundup of favorite media and experiences across movies, music, books, games, videos, and tech.
  2. The selections blend timeless classics with fresh 2025 releases and are presented as ranked lists for films, songs, albums, TV shows, and games.
  3. Live events and practical tools made a big impression too — memorable concerts and theatre, a Waymo self‑driving ride, and recommended software and hardware shaped the year.

The conversation expands in Chat, now on the web

read • 7056 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Chat is now available on the web for Substack writers and readers to engage in more meaningful conversations.
  2. Readers can now start conversations in Chat and participate in discussions on the web.
  3. Beloved Substack writers are inviting subscribers to join and spark vibrant discussions in Chat.

Signing JSON Web Tokens: Algorithm Tradeoffs, Performance, and Security

ciamweekly • 62 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Pick your JWT algorithm based on tradeoffs: HMAC (HS) is very fast and simple but uses a shared secret and cannot provide non-repudiation, while asymmetric algorithms let you separate signing and verification.
  2. Prefer modern asymmetric schemes when possible: RSA-PSS is safer than old PKCS#1 v1.5, ECDSA gives small fast signatures but demands perfect nonce randomness, and EdDSA (Ed25519) is usually the best choice because it’s fast, secure, and uses deterministic nonces.
  3. Match algorithm to your environment and tooling: RSA has the widest compatibility but large signatures and slower signing, ECDSA risks come from RNG mistakes, and EdDSA may require checking HSM/KMS and library support before committing.

AI is just the latest Monoculture

Deus In Machina • 72 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Technological lock-in has been the default for decades, so AI tools are more inheriting existing monocultures than creating them. They might speed up adoption of dominant tools, but the fundamental switching costs already existed.
  2. Products and tools tend to win by being familiar, not necessarily by being better, because people avoid relearning interfaces. That’s why many improvements preserve old APIs and conventions instead of introducing new paradigms.
  3. Concrete chokepoints — like the C ABI, curly-brace syntax, dominant CPU/GPU ecosystems, and the browser stack — show how early choices constrain future innovation. Those entrenched standards make it hard for new languages, hardware, or platforms to gain traction even before factoring in AI.
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What's up Python? Unpacking in Comprehensions, Android Wheels, and uv is a big boy now...

Bite code! • 856 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. PEP 798 aims to introduce unpacking in comprehensions, making it easier to combine elements from different iterables in Python.
  2. cibuildwheel has added support for building Python packages on Android, making it more versatile for app development.
  3. The uv tool now installs Python versions directly into the system PATH and registers them with the Windows Registry, making it a strong alternative for managing Python installations.

From YAHOO to Google to AI

In My Tribe • 486 implied HN points • 10 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The way we find information has changed a lot. First, we had Yahoo, which organized the web like a library but was slow and limited.
  2. Then came Google, allowing us to search for anything quickly but still required us to look closely at each source for accuracy.
  3. Now with AI, we can just ask questions and get direct answers, making the search for knowledge faster and easier. In the future, it might even anticipate our needs without us asking.

An Interim Report on My Experience with Dia Browser Use, & MAMLMs More Generally

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 222 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Using AI in web browsers, like Dia, can really change how we find and understand information. It feels like having a smart assistant that can help us find answers and even summarize things for us.
  2. While these AI tools are promising, they can also produce unreliable results sometimes. It's important to learn how to ask the right questions to get better answers.
  3. Overall, the goal of AI in browsing is to make it easier to access knowledge without wasting time. This can help us be more productive and improve our understanding of the world.

July 2024 update

Opral (lix & inlang) • 19 implied HN points • 06 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The team is moving quickly with rewriting inlang and lix using SQLite instead of git. This change is expected to speed things up a lot.
  2. The release date for the new version is coming at the end of August, so we don't have to wait long.
  3. Lix aims to become a social network where people can share various kinds of their work, like music, video, or design projects.

Redis and Python: 20% of effort, 80% of effects

Bite code! • 1467 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Redis is a powerful companion for Python, used for caching, sharing states, and creating queues.
  2. Redis is easy to use and highly efficient, widely employed in the industry for tasks like caching and inter-process communication.
  3. With basic features like lists, hashes, and sets, Redis has vast utility in tasks such as caches, queues, and inter-process communication.

AI in Browsers: Features and Opportunities

The Strategy Deck • 157 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Browsers like Microsoft Edge and Opera are leading the way in integrating AI features and technologies.
  2. The browser market has seen significant shifts in market share over the past decade, with Chrome dominating but competitors like Safari and Opera making gains.
  3. The future of browsers involves integrating AI assistants for enhanced user experiences and leveraging browser data for personalized services.

Why I cover A.I. the way I do, good obscure action movies, and other questions from readers

Read Max • 869 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Media coverage decisions are driven by various factors like newsworthiness, commercial concerns, and career advancement.
  2. Authentic relationships between humans and bots in the future are uncertain but can be influenced by societal perceptions and control.
  3. Exploring lesser-known direct-to-video action movies and foreign films can provide new excitement for fans of the genre.

The Sequence Radar #684: AI Browsers are Coming

TheSequence • 98 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. AI browsers are becoming popular and may change how we use the internet. They offer smart features like conversational search and real-time content help.
  2. New AI browsers, like Perplexity's Comet and the upcoming OpenAI browser, aim to make online research faster and easier by summarizing information and managing tasks.
  3. Traditional browsers are also adding AI features to stay competitive, suggesting that the future of browsing will focus on smart technology rather than just layout and speed.

The desktop and its disappearance

Kosmik’s Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The development of the desktop metaphor started with making computers more approachable and user-friendly.
  2. Over time, the desktop evolved to include features like Mission Control to help users manage an increasing number of apps and files.
  3. Advancements in web technologies have led to a shift towards cloud-based desktop environments like Kosmik 2.0, offering users a more flexible and productive digital habitat.

[TI-06] people and computers

spencer's paradoxes • 137 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The show Halt and Catch Fire explores the history of personal computers and the early days of the World Wide Web.
  2. Computing can be a tool for creating human connection and meaningful interactions on the internet.
  3. Focusing on creating a computing environment that encourages collaboration, creativity, and shared experiences can lead to a more positive online space.

Noosphere at Summer of Protocols

Subconscious • 632 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The web was originally envisioned as a decentralized wiki for collective intelligence.
  2. Tim Berners-Lee's book 'Weaving the Web' offers perspective-shifting insights about the early days of the web.
  3. Enquire, a precursor to the web, had features like bi-directional links and semantic triples.

GM Shaders: WebGPU

GM Shaders Mini Tuts • 58 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. WebGPU is the new standard for accelerated graphics and compute, set to replace WebGL. It offers more features, deeper low-level access, and enhanced security, making it exciting for developers.
  2. WebGPU provides cross-platform support, allowing for better control over GPU resources, and introduces compute shaders for handling diverse data types efficiently.
  3. WGSL, the shading language of WebGPU, is stricter than GLSL with similarities to Rust or Swift. It offers optimizations and consistent results across different hardware configurations.

🌽🌽Kernel for the Holidays🌽🌽

Reboot • 8 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. There’s a one-week holiday flash sale: Kernel issues 3, 4, and 5 are 33% off, and you should order by December 13 to guarantee holiday delivery.
  2. All of Kernel 5 has been unlocked online, featuring pieces on web accessibility, the Gale–Shapley algorithm, poetry, and experimental fiction.
  3. The microdoses section highlights new projects and tools, including the launch of Diffuse AI for reporting on AI diffusion, a new resonant computing microsite, and Papertrail for tracking academic papers.

Tech Talks Weekly #14 💥

Tech Talks Weekly • 19 implied HN points • 16 May 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Tech Talks Weekly shares recent tech talks from over 11 conferences, making it easy to catch up on the latest developments.
  2. Popular talks this week include topics like processing large data with Java and the latest updates in React, showcasing diverse tech trends.
  3. Readers are encouraged to support the initiative by sharing the newsletter and providing feedback to improve future content.

#106 Design stinks!

Design Lobster • 299 implied HN points • 04 Apr 22
🪑 Design Web
  1. Consider incorporating scent into your design to evoke emotions and memories.
  2. Explore the creative possibilities of using machines with scent-detection capabilities in various industries.
  3. Good design is often overlooked when it works well, but stands out when it fails.

Design is an Island

Software Design: Tidy First? • 33 HN points • 18 Mar 24
🪑 Design Web
  1. Designing is like navigating an island: staying above waterline signifies acceptable designs.
  2. The acceptability of designs can vary like tides, impacted by different factors like seasons.
  3. Improving designs requires effort and sometimes moving to a new 'island' means temporary setbacks before progress.

The Proto-App Thesis

Three quarks • 41 implied HN points • 07 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The future of apps might be leaning towards protocols instead of traditional consumer apps.
  2. The emergence of proto-apps, which operate as gateways to various services, blurs the line between apps and protocols.
  3. Horizontalization and integration with protocols are key aspects for the success of modern apps, allowing for user-generated plugins and decentralized functionality.

The “Perks” of Being a Full-Stack Dev, Junior Devs’ Burnout, & JavaScript’s Temporal

HackerPulse Dispatch • 8 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Junior developers risk burnout by trying to keep up with many new tools instead of mastering the basics. It's better to understand a few things deeply than to know a little about everything.
  2. The push for full-stack developers often spreads skill sets too thin. Companies might want to save money, but true expertise comes from focusing on specific areas.
  3. JavaScript's new Temporal object is designed to fix the old Date issues. It will help developers manage dates and times more accurately and easily.

FYI XYZ Co. 1st Blog from a Startup in Web4

FYI XYZ Co. (Coming Soon) • 1 HN point • 31 May 24
🕹 Technology Web
  1. When starting a project, it is valuable to stay small, focused, and maintain a close connection with the product and users. This allows for rapid iteration and quick adaptation to challenges and feedback.
  2. Successful projects prioritize user needs, iterate quickly, and have a strong, motivated team with diverse skills. Continuous improvement and responsiveness to feedback are key to achieving success.
  3. The concept of Web4 represents the next stage of the internet evolution, integrating AI, IoT, blockchain, enhanced user interfaces, semantic web, big data, and personalization. It promises more personalized, efficient, and secure digital experiences, but poses challenges like privacy concerns and digital divide.

[Solution]Problem 11: Counts nodes in Complete Binary Tree [Amazon]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 31 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Given a complete binary tree, counting the number of nodes can be done faster than O(n) by leveraging the properties of complete binary trees.
  2. For a full binary tree, the number of nodes can be calculated using a simple formula of 2^(depth + 1) - 1, which allows for efficient calculation in O(h) operations.
  3. By recognizing the characteristics of complete binary trees, such as the presence of full sub-trees, one can strategically cut down recursion and analyze only half of the tree at each depth for faster computation.

Tippets #193

Tippets by Taps • 2 implied HN points • 25 May 25
🕹 Technology Web
  1. Google is back in the AI game and has launched several new products to become an industry leader in artificial intelligence. They want to make AI a core part of all their services, not just an extra feature.
  2. Walmart is changing its image by using new technology and e-commerce to stay competitive with Amazon. They are focusing on improving their stores and attracting more affluent customers.
  3. The U.S. Treasury is stopping the minting of pennies because it costs more to make them than they are worth. This change shows how our payment systems are evolving in a more cashless world.

CORS Explained

SRE-esque • 2 HN points • 12 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) explained with a zine
  2. Learn more about CORS from the provided link to Mozilla Developer Network
  3. Subscribe to SRE-esque for more posts on technology topics

Compliance with EIP-2535 Diamonds Standard

EIP-2535 Diamonds • 7 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The EIP-2535 Diamonds standard took 4 years to develop and optimize for flexibility and interoperability.
  2. To comply with EIP-2535, a smart contract must implement specific functions outlined in the standard.
  3. The `diamondCut` upgrade function in EIP-2535 is optional, but implementing it enables interoperability with existing and future tooling.

OpenStreetMap Raster Tile Server : A Long Journey

rtnF • 0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Web
  1. The post discusses setting up a custom tile server with OpenStreetMap data using own server.
  2. It provides step-by-step instructions to prepare the OS, database, and download, standardize OSM data.
  3. It also guides on configuring the stylesheet, renderer, and miscellaneous tasks for server monitoring.

Join Us for Learning Lab LIVE Tomorrow!

Spatial Web AI by Denise Holt • 0 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🚌 Education Web
  1. Join the Learning Lab LIVE session to explore Active Inference AI & the Spatial Web.
  2. Understand the evolution of the current internet into spatial domains and the impact on future technologies.
  3. Paid members can access exclusive monthly presentations and resources to gain a competitive advantage in the AI field.