Skip to main content

2023-05-12

When you lose the ability to write, you also lose some of your ability to think​

  • Paul Graham on Twitter said: "People are quickly adopting ChatGPT for writing tasks, and within a year, most writing could be AI-generated."
  • Losing the ability to write may also diminish one's ability to think, resulting in negative consequences.
  • While the shift to AI is inevitable, it is crucial to learn how to use AI and continue developing writing skills.

Industry Reactions​

  • Language models like GPT-4 can be useful for automating tedious or difficult tasks but have limits when it comes to more complex or nuanced tasks or producing outputs that require careful scrutiny or correcting errors.
  • Writing tools, including AI, save time and help with phrasing, but some argue they can hinder true writing and creativity. The debate also touches on the impact of immaterial entertainment on society, the role of capitalism in income inequality, and the effects of technology on memory and critical thinking.

100K Context Windows​

  • Claude's context window has expanded from 9K to 100K tokens, allowing it to analyze and digest hundreds of pages of materials in less than a minute.
  • Claude can retrieve information from documents and answer complex questions, making it great for businesses to analyze strategic risks, identify arguments across legal documents, and summarize financial statements or research papers.
  • The 100K context windows are now available in Claude's API, and anyone can request access to it.

Industry Reactions​

  • Claude, a new language model from Anthropic, can analyze context windows of up to 100,000 tokens, making it much larger than OpenAI's GPT-3 model and gaining ground in LLM chatbot competition
  • Debate on the relevance and importance of open-source AI models, with a focus on quality of completions, diversity, privacy compliance, cost-effectiveness, and faster fine-tuning and training

Boring Report, a news app that uses AI to desensationalize the news​

  • Boring Report is an app that uses advanced AI language models to remove sensationalism from news articles and present them in a more factual and straightforward manner.
  • The app is designed to help readers focus on the essential details of news stories and minimize the impact of catchy headlines and distracting content.
  • Boring Report is supported by user contributions, and readers can provide feedback and get in touch with the developers through various channels.

Industry Reactions​

  • Users appreciate the app's ability to provide a more straightforward approach to news and remove click-bait headlines
  • Suggestions from users include implementing features such as RSS, localization, and tools to detect manipulative verbiage in stories.

Go with PHP​

  • The provided code verifies user authentication, authorizes them to place orders, validates order request data, stores orders in a database, dispatches jobs for background processing, broadcasts events to update the frontend in real-time, and returns orders in JSON format.
  • PHP offers a wealth of resources and documentation (both free and paid) to assist with adding extra functionality and a welcoming community with many developers for hire.
  • Laravel PHP framework can make PHP more accessible and powerful, and there are resources to ease the learning curve.

Industry Reactions​

  • The discussion covers the merits of PHP as a language and the quality of its documentation, with some criticizing its bloat and others finding it flexible and useful.
  • The comment thread offers insights into the subjective nature of language selection and the importance of considering security when building web applications.

Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide​

  • The article is a comprehensive guide on how to set up an electronics lab bench, including in-depth information on bench setup, organization, test equipment, prototyping supplies, soldering tools, hand tools, consumables, and computer workstation.
  • The author shares their recommended choices on various tools, parts, and supplies based on personal experience and projects, and provides links to recommended products on Amazon and other websites.
  • The article emphasizes the importance of organization and presents a detailed description of their organizational structure for an electronics lab bench, making it ideal for beginners or entry-level engineers looking to set up their own electronics lab bench.

Industry Reactions​

  • The comments section is a valuable resource with additional suggestions from experienced readers, such as low-melting-point solder for desoldering and advice on the use of desoldering stations.
  • Recommended tools include the Rigol DS1054Z or Siglent SDS1104X-E digital oscilloscopes, the Hakko FX-888D soldering iron, a fume extractor, and the Korad KD3005D power supply; specialized tools such as function generators and board pre-heaters may be necessary depending on the specific project.

Google Earth 3D Models Now Available as Open Standard (GlTF)​

  • Google Maps Platform has launched an experimental release of Photorealistic 3D Tiles available through the Map Tiles API, offering a 3D mesh model of the real-world with high-res RGB optical imagery.
  • Photorealistic 3D Tiles is designed for visualization at a city block to city scale level, allowing you to visualize over 2500 cities across 49 countries and create 3D visualization experiences in your app.
  • The 3D tiles align with 2D maps, and users can add their own data or Google Maps Platform data to customize their visualizations. The release supports the commonly-used Open Geospatial Consortium's 3D Tiles standard created by Cesium.

Industry Reactions​

  • Concerns about the future possibility of Google charging for the service have been expressed despite the excitement about the release.

  • Google Maps' Aerial View API offers photorealistic 3D models of cities but has received criticism for its image resolution when zooming in.

Scientists regenerate hair cells that enable hearing​

  • Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide due to the destruction of hair cells responsible for relaying sounds to the brain.
  • In a recent study, Harvard Medical School scientists developed a drug-like cocktail that regenerated hair cells in a mouse model by reprogramming genetic pathways within the inner ear, leading to potential gene therapy solutions for hearing loss in humans.
  • This research shows the promise of gene therapy for treating incurable conditions like hearing loss, and the researchers are conducting ongoing studies and refinements to this treatment approach in larger animal models before initiating clinical trials.

Industry Reactions​

  • The study is a step towards restoring hearing in adult deaf animal models, but spiral ganglion cell loss is currently a higher priority as no current method can reconnect these neurons or regrow them.
  • Funding remains scarce in the field despite steady progress, but this discovery has potential implications for the treatment of hearing loss in humans, which affects over 500 million people globally.

Windows 11 in Svelte​

  • The open-source project 'Windows 11 in Svelte' aims to replicate the Windows 11 desktop experience on the web, featuring a 100% Lighthouse score and a range of desktop and taskbar features, including a dark mode.
  • The project uses various technologies, including Svelte and Vite, and is not a full operating system, nor is it affiliated with Microsoft.
  • The project is open for contributions, and its creators drew inspiration from similar projects, such as Blue edge's win11React and PuruVJ's macos-web.

Industry Reactions​

  • The thread includes discussions on various Windows-related topics, such as third-party apps, updates breaking user systems, and issues with the Windows UI.
  • Developers discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using the Svelte framework, highlighting its component encapsulation and simpler syntax. Some caution that it may become more complex and difficult to use as it continues to evolve.

Fuck being productive​

  • The author is expressing their decision to prioritize rest and recreation over being productive.
  • They have been struggling to find time for personal hobbies and activities after working full-time and feeling guilty for not being productive during that time.
  • The author shares that it's okay to prioritize rest and recreation and not feel guilty for not being productive all the time.

Industry Reactions​

  • Commenters discuss the ethics and morality of work, impact on promotions and pay, and potential for burnout.
  • Many commenters advocate for a balance between productivity and leisure and finding personally fulfilling ways to be productive.

Majority of gig economy workers are earning below minimum wage: research​

  • The majority of gig economy workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, are earning below the minimum wage in the United States, according to a study by the University of California, Berkeley.
  • The study found that after taking into account expenses such as insurance, maintenance, and gas, gig workers were earning far less than the minimum wage in their respective states.
  • The findings raise concerns about the exploitation of gig economy workers and the need for more stringent labor regulations to protect their rights and ensure fair wages.

Industry Reactions​

  • Independent contractors often work long hours for little pay
  • The gig economy needs more regulation to ensure fair treatment of workers