Weeknotes 2023.51
Notes of the week 51 of 2023 include a newly published article, various updates and improvements to the website and links about AI, business, design, product, programming, security, tornados, pit stops and more. Enjoy!
Definitely not one of the easier weeks. I struggled quite a lot with my mental health. At least it was productive.
Changelog
- ⭐ Finally published the article Why Swift
- 🚀 Shipped quite a few updates for this website, both structurally and visually. Most notably on the homepage maybe.
- 🔬 Concluded an investigation. Now it’s time for the write-up.
Linklog
Links that sparked my curiosity since 2023-12-11.
🤖 AI
- Waiting time for H100-based servers is up to 52 weeks. Shipments to Microsoft and Meta each surpassed the next three destinations combined, namely Google, Amazon and Oracle. That waiting time is also bad news for gamers, since the margins on silicon for AI is significantly higher than silicon for graphics/gaming.
- ⁉️ The best feature of Claude 2.1 is the ability to say “I don’t know” which is also a good measure for a human expert. Context windows become the new indicator for LLM power.
- ⛈️ Breakthrough 1: AI outperforms weather forecasting for the first time
- 🧮 Breakthrough 2: DeepMind solved a previously unsolved math problem.
- The numbers are… wow. Challenge accepted. More efficient inference using Rust+WASM.
- 🇪🇺 I haven’t had the time yet to dive into the EU AI Act, but I won’t hold my breath. Such things are usually very infuriating even if you agree with the policy. The Verge has some coverage and I guess we will see more over the next few weeks. 🤖
Business
- ⚖️ I was also surprised that Google lost their trial with Epic, when Apple (sort of) won. The judge’s behaviour is mind-boggling. I don’t understand why any conclusions from Apple’s case were off-limits?! If that was legal, then the law has a flaw. I have less and less faith in legal systems. Swiss cheese has fewer holes. 🧀
- 💸 If FinOps isn’t focusing on value and only on cost, it’s probably because of the Fin* part.
🎨 Design
- 🚀 Adobe introduced their upcoming design system, Spectrum 2, and so far I like what I see. I love me some design system ❤️
Product
- Ego killed the empowered product team. There is an argument to be made that ego on c-level is probably behind 99,99% of economic failures, period.
- Let’s feel old, part 1: Doom is 30, time for the two Johns to reminisce.
💻 Programming
- 🌈 What you can do today with CSS is amazing. Read CSS Wrapped 2023 and enjoy modern web!
- I have been reading a lot about CRDTs recently (no particular need at the moment), so this article outlining when you don’t need CRDTs is fitting right in.
- Microsoft Radius. It’s one of the things where I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea or whether I should be sceptical.
- Guess, I’m not the only one thinking about refinement may be a better alternative to generating. Even though I more or less settled on Markdown/Markdoc (more on that in the coming weeks), I’m still intrigued by using simple HTML to author and using WebC to enhance/refine the markup, similar to what is proposed here for React.
- WebRTC is an amazing technology, but as we can see, there are improvements to be gained.
- Yes please! Embrace the platform. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - in that order. If I have learned anything over the last 20 years then it is the counterpart “don’t fight the platform”. The path is paved with many dead technologies.
- Like the lead paragraph says: first Terraform, now Vault. Others picking up HashiCorps open-source projects after the controversial licensing changes. Simultaneously the co-founder and namesake of the company Hashimoto is leaving. Allegedly there is not connection, but the timing is odd, to say the least.
🔒 Security
- 🚨 The highlights of this beauty are: flaw on the architectural level, every bluetooth device since roughly December 2014 is vulnerable. I mean, come on, give us a break please!
- 🧑💻 Python Foundation has hired a Security Engineer full-time. It’s probably something we will see more of in other communities as well. Hopefully the companies benefitting from an ecosystem will carve out enough money for the respective foundations.
- 📱 For once, some good news. If you have an iPhone that is.
📚 New Reading
😬 From the Tubes
- 🌪️ No, you can’t blow up a tornado!
- 🏎️ Motorsport mechanics are beasts in the best way possible. Doing a pit stop in complete darkness is bonkers, let alone in that time (won’t spoil you!).
- 🎶 Let’s feel old, part 2: It’s been 20 years since Permission to Land by The Darkness, well, landed. This duet with Ed Sheeran is prove that good music is like good wine.