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HACKER BITS is the monthly magazine that gives you the hottest technology stories straight from Hacker News. We select from the top voted stories for you and email them to you in an easy-to-read email magazine format.

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hacker bits

Learn more, work less, stay current.

new bits

Welcome to issue 114 of Hacker Bits!

We have a great selection of articles this month covering complex systems, modelling, generative AI, critical thinking, agents, craftsmanship, bad managers, and so much more!

As always, please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any suggestions or feedback! 🙂

– Ray and Maureen

content bits

Learn more

• Cognitive Behaviors That Enable Self-Improving Reasoners
  This study teaches language models to think like humans – verifying, backtracking, and setting subgoals – to unlock smarter, self-improving AI without perfect answers.
  Author(s): Kanishk Gandhi, Ayush Chakravarthy, Anikait Singh, Nathan Lile, Noah D. Goodman
  
• For algorithms, a little memory outweighs a lot of time
  This article proves that a bit of memory can beat massive computation, challenging decades of algorithmic assumptions and unlocking new paths in complexity theory.
  Author(s): Ben Brubaker
  
• Prompt engineering playbook for programmers
  This playbook shows how to turn AI coding tools into reliable dev partners using expert prompts, rich context, examples, chaining, debugging, and anti-pattern avoidance.
  Author(s): Addy Osmani
  
• Frequent reauth doesn’t make you more secure
  Tailscale reveals how frequent reauthentication can frustrate users and inadvertently weaken security, advocating for smarter, real-time access management that enhances protection without the hassle.
  Author(s): Avery Pennarun
  
• Model Once, Represent Everywhere: UDA (Unified Data Architecture) at Netflix
  Netflix’s Unified Data Architecture lets teams define data once and use it everywhere, boosting consistency, automation, and discovery.
  Author(s): Alex Hutter, Alexandre Bertails, Claire Wang, Haoyuan He, Kishore Banala, Peter Royal, Shervin Afshar

Work less

• The Google Willow Thing
  Google’s Willow chip showcases a leap in quantum fault tolerance with 105 qubits and error correction, pushing past classical limits and into true quantum supremacy.
  Author(s): Scott Aaronson
  
• The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking
  A survey of 319 workers shows generative AI saves time but often dulls critical thinking, shifting focus from doing to overseeing.
  Author(s): Hao-Ping (Hank) Lee, Advait Sarkar, Lev Tankelevitch, Ian Drosos, Sean Rintel, Richard Banks, Nicholas Wilson
  
• The Myth of Developer Obsolescence
  AI isn’t replacing developers—it’s transforming them into architects of complex systems, as every tech revolution from NoCode to cloud to AI has shifted roles, not erased them.
  Author(s): Danilo Alonso
  
• AI Changes Everything
  Reveals how AI reshapes coding and society, turning developers into overseers amid irreversible global shifts.
  Author(s): Armin Ronacher
  
• How I program with agents
  Shows how AI agents, armed with tools and autonomy, evolve from helpers to active, self-directed developers.
  Author(s): David Crawshaw

Stay current

• Just Fucking Code
  Slams lazy AI coding and urges developers to ditch shortcuts and take pride in writing real, thoughtful code.
  Author(s): Lane Wagner
  
• The Case for Software Craftsmanship in the Era of Vibes
  Warns that vibe-driven, prompt-first coding may boost speed, but true mastery demands sweat, rigor, and intentional architecture – not just riding the AI wave.
  Author(s): Nathan Sobo
  
• Breaking My Security Assignments
  Student subverts their VM-based security assignments by gaming token checks, exposing how performative security can leave students clueless and learning hollow.
  Author(s): Abigail Pain
  
• Writing Toy Software Is a Joy
  Toy projects – small, fun builds like regex engines or emulators – ignite deep learning, spark joy, and sharpen dev skills by forcing hands-on exploration and resisting over-reliance on AI.
  Author(s): Joshua Barretto
  
• Ask HN: How to Deal with a Bad Manager?
  A talented engineer battles toxic management after a surprise demotion, sparking fierce advice on when to fight, flee, or endure.

Tell us what you think. Leave a comment below, email us or find us on Twitter @hackerbits.

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Our Contributors

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Our Objective

Our objective is to help programmers of all levels take control of their career success by learning more, working less and staying current. This is the basis for all decision-making at HACKER BITS.

We serve you by publishing the best collection of articles each month, so they are learning more, working less and staying current with the latest technologies. Ultimately, the monthly selection of articles aims to offer tips, tricks, in-depth reviews, increased productivity and better code.

We serve our experts by providing a platform for reaching and teaching to an even wider audience. As a result, both readers and authors are growing and succeeding together.

Learn. Teach. Grow.

Our FAQ

How do you select the articles?

Generally, articles must have at least 200 upvotes on Hacker News. We make exceptions if we found the article really useful. We tend to focus on the evergreen stories so that our readers can learn, the authors can teach and everyone grows.

What is the format of the magazine?

The format is not set in stone. However, we aim to run 15 stories every month:

• 5 stories to help you learn more
• 5 stories to help you work less
• 5 stories to help you stay current

If we feel a story is really worth reading, we may run more than the quota for each category.

Our Team

We (Ray and Maureen) are a husband and wife team from Redmond, Washington.

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