This weekly publication records notable technology content worth sharing, released every Friday.
This magazine is open source[1], and contributions are welcome submissions[2]. We also have a service called “Who is Hiring”[3] that publishes job openings for programmers. For collaboration, please contact via email[4] ([email protected][5]).
Cover Image
On the Gobi Desert in Gansu’s Guazhou, there is a sculpture of Emperor Wu of Han. Over two thousand years ago, Emperor Wu sent troops and defeated the Xiongnu here. This sculpture is 12.5 meters tall, made of red sandstone, and assembled piece by piece through 3D carving. (via[6])
Productivity Describes Machines, Not Humans
It is rare for a programmer to continue writing books after starting a business. I only know one example.
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are the main founders of the internet company 37signals[7]. Besides writing code, they enjoy writing books.
They have written four well-known books, all available in Chinese.
• “Getting Real”, 2006• “Rework”, 2010• “Remote”, 2013• “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work”, 2018
I have read all four books; they are pamphlets containing many short essays explaining their entrepreneurial thoughts.
The main theme of these articles can be summed up in one sentence: How to start a “small and beautiful” internet company.
They have only a few dozen employees, have never taken a penny of venture capital, yet thrive with annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars. Their books explain their entrepreneurial philosophy.
I recently finished reading their fourth book, officially titled in Chinese as “Rework 3: Break Out of the Crazy Hustle” (Electronic Industry Press, 2020), and in English as “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work” (literally translated as “What’s the Point of Being a Workaholic”).
One article in the book is particularly thought-provoking, presenting a perspective I had never considered, which I want to share with you all today.
The article states, “Do not evaluate programmers using the term ‘productivity’ because it describes machines.”
The term “productivity” in English is productive, which is measured by the quantity of products. High productivity means doing more work in the same amount of time or spending less time on the same work.
If you evaluate a person’s value using “productivity,” it will ultimately lead to the pursuit of higher output. This is endless; machines can work 24/7, but humans cannot.
There is a saying in the software industry that we need to hire programmers with ten times the productivity. The implication is that we need to hire people who produce ten times more, which is an unreasonable goal.
When you emphasize productivity, you are actually emphasizing that people must always be busy. There is always something to do every moment, and there are always more things to do! As a result, you will have endless work, less leisure time, and increasing work pressure.
The true goal of programmers should be “effectiveness” (effective). Your work is effective and genuinely completes the project.
When you take “effectiveness” as your goal, as long as you effectively complete the project, you can stop. Therefore, you can pursue doing fewer things and achieving goals in less time, which will give you more leisure and rest, making it sustainable.
The productivity goal (productive) occupies all your time, fills your schedule, and pursues as much output as possible.
The effectiveness goal (effective) is the opposite; it does not pursue adding more tasks but reduces those that should not be done.
If someone praises you for being highly productive, or if the company uses productivity as a performance metric, you might need to be cautious; you risk becoming a machine. A better compliment would be that your work is effective and efficient.
37signals is such a company, and the philosophy promoted in their books is: do not be a workaholic, strive to achieve the same results at a lower cost.
The “Digest” section of this issue also contains another excerpt from this book.
Cloud Native Shenzhen Salon
What is the most popular software model right now? It must be cloud native, where software is built and used based on cloud environments. Major internet companies are shifting to this model.
Tomorrow, Saturday (August 26), there will be a technical salon in Shenzhen that introduces how cloud native can enable enterprises to achieve efficient deployment, resource optimization, and cost reduction.
This event is co-hosted by the Rare Earth Gold Rush Community + Volcano Engine Cloud Native, inviting frontline engineers from ByteDance to share development experiences and real insights on cloud development.
Below is the event schedule; for a detailed introduction, you can click to enter the official website.
The event will take place at Shenzhen Bay Innovation Technology Center, which is also ByteDance’s Shenzhen office; friends who haven’t been there can check it out. The event is free; if you can’t attend in person, you can also register for the online live broadcast.
Registration link click here[9], or scan the QR code above. Besides face-to-face communication with the lecturers, there will also be a lottery, with prizes including Huawei AI speakers, Gold Rush peripherals, and more.
Technology Trends
1. Pig Kidney Transplant[10]
Surgeons at New York University announced that they successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human, which has been functioning for 32 days.
This is their third attempt; the first two were transplants into deceased individuals, while this time it was transplanted into a patient who was brain dead and maintained heart function through a ventilator.
The biggest challenge of pig kidney transplantation is that the human body produces a rejection reaction, causing the pig kidney to stop functioning. This transplant involved genetic modification of the pig kidney to overcome the rejection reaction.
Last year, the US completed the world’s first pig heart transplant surgery, but the patient died two months later.
2. Maui Wildfires[11]
The island of Maui in Hawaii recently experienced the worst wildfire in over a century in the US, resulting in significant casualties.
The entire town was burned down, but media photos surprisingly revealed one house that remained intact.
During the fire, the homeowner happened to be away from the island and thought his house would surely be lost. After seeing photos, he was puzzled as to why it had not burned down.
Media analysis currently suggests two reasons. First, the fire approached from the east, and the house’s east side was a large patch of grass that acted as a barrier, which also did not catch fire. Secondly, the homeowner renovated the house in 2021, changing the roof to color steel plate (the above image is before renovation), which prevented embers from igniting the roof.
3. Starship Modification[12]
SpaceX released photos of the modification of the Starship rocket, with two workers sitting on top, allowing everyone to see how large the world’s most powerful rocket is.
This modification involves changing the first and second stage boosters to thermal separation, meaning the second stage ignites and then separates from the first stage. Therefore, the strength of the first stage’s top structure needs to be enhanced.
The above image shows the top of the first-stage booster, equipped with a thermal shield with exhaust vents (the image below).
4. Laser Celebration[13]
A German company celebrated its 100th anniversary this month by launching a green laser into the sky from its headquarters as a birthday candle.
This laser reaches a height of 10 kilometers and can be seen within an 80-kilometer radius, making it the world’s largest green laser.
This company produces lasers primarily used as lightning rods. By deploying multiple lasers around large venues, they can avoid lightning strikes.
Articles
1. Five Tips for TypeScript[14] (English)
This article introduces some usage tips for TypeScript.
2. How Docker Generates Container Names[15] (English)
When creating a Docker container, if no name is specified, Docker will generate one automatically (e.g., Romantic_shtern). How is this name derived?
3. Why TypeScript Can’t Properly Handle Object.keys()[16] (English)
This article explains a difficulty in TypeScript, where using Object.keys() to iterate over object keys can produce strange errors.
4. How to Simulate Raspberry Pi in QEMU[17] (English)
QEMU is a well-known virtual machine software; this article demonstrates how to create a Raspberry Pi virtual machine using it, which can be used to get started with QEMU.
5. A Fun Fact About UUID (Version 4)[18] (English)
UUID stands for Universally Unique Identifier, a 32-digit hexadecimal random number. This article introduces a fun fact that the 14th digit of this number remains constant.
6. CSS Folding Page Effect[19] (English)
This article explains how to achieve a folding page effect using only CSS.
7. Detailed Explanation of Struct in C Language[20] (English)
A beginner’s tutorial on C language, detailing the use of Struct.
8. Macro Syntax in JavaScript[21] (English)
JavaScript is introducing macro syntax, and the latest version of the Bun bundler already supports it. This article introduces this feature.
Tools
1. Simple Statistics[22]
A JavaScript library for statistics providing basic statistical functions.
2. Doubao[23]
A ChatGPT-like product launched by ByteDance, free to use.
3. TrackerControl[24]
An app for mobile devices that monitors data collection (tracking behavior) by mobile software. (@cheanus[25] submission)
4. DCNews[26]
An open-source Go application that automatically synchronizes WeChat group chat messages to a preset Discord channel. (@121812[27] submission)
5. Walrus[28]
An open-source application management platform that allows developers to deploy, manage, and deliver without needing to understand the underlying platform details. (@Aleegra[29] submission)
6. GFPGAN[30]
Tencent’s open-source AI restoration of old photos, see Demo[31]. (@Y024[32] submission)
7. Bell[33]
A web app focusing on the “listen to music” feature, with rich music resources, a simple UI, and convenient interaction, open source code[34]. (@enzeberg[35] submission)
8. auto-animate[36]
A web animation library that can add smooth transitions to web applications, supporting various mainstream frameworks. (@GenerQAQ[37] submission)
9. background-removal-js[38]
A JavaScript library for removing image backgrounds.
10. scrcpy[39]
A cross-platform desktop application that mirrors the Android phone’s screen to the computer desktop, allowing control of the phone using a mouse and keyboard.
Resources
1. WordPress Playground[40]
An official practice ground launched by WordPress, allowing users to create a WordPress instance in the browser to test plugins or themes.
2. Periodic Table Cli[41]
A command-line periodic table that is also interactive.
3. Database Tips for Developers[42]
A free English e-book introducing some advanced SQL statement usages.
4. Interview Question King[43]
Input the job description you are applying for, and it automatically generates interview questions and answers through AI. However, there are relatively few technical interview questions in the question bank. (@vickwv[44] submission)
Images
1. External SSD Case[45]
A German company has launched an M.2 interface external SSD case that looks like a vacuum tube, very novel.
2. Large Tile Pattern[46]
In 1969, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) sent the first message over the internet.
At that time, two professors from the school sent out the two letters “LO”. They intended to send “LOGIN”, but the network crashed before they could send the full word.
In 2011, to commemorate this event, during the renovation of Boelter Hall at the school, the architect embedded a binary code pattern into the floor using two colors of tiles.
There are a total of 14 lines, with eight tiles in each line; the complete distribution map is shown below.
Converted to binary, it is shown in the image below.
According to ASCII code, the text translates to “lo and behold!” (Log in and take a look!).
Digest
1. We Are Not Family
This excerpt is from the book “Rework 3” by 37signals (Electronic Industry Press, 2020).
Some companies like to promote that “we are all family.” No, you are not family.
At 37signals, we are not family either; we are colleagues. This does not mean we do not care for each other or that we will not help each other out. We care for each other and are happy to help, but we are not family. The same goes for your company.
We come together to work just to create products; we strive to make the company’s products perfect, but we will not take bullets for it. The same applies to you and your company.
We take pride in our products. That is enough.
Some executives say their company is like a “happy family”; you should be cautious. Generally, they do not mean that the company will protect you no matter what happens, nor that the company will love you unconditionally. What they are likely implying is: they need one-sided sacrifices from you—your sacrifices.
This is because, when the term “family” is mentioned, a sense of shared hardship arises. You work late into the night or give up holidays not just to earn more money for the company; no, you are making sacrifices for the “big family”.
In fact, this is merely an attempt by some people to fool you into forgetting reasonable personal interests, playing such a clumsy emotional card.
Companies are not gangs, housing only orphans to fight for the family. The company’s attempt to masquerade as your family is just another trick to prioritize the company’s needs over your real family’s needs. This trick is disgusting.
The best companies are not families. They are the support and allies of families. They provide a healthy work environment that allows individuals to find a sense of achievement and to close their laptops at reasonable times to be the best husband, wife, parent, sibling, and child.
Opinions
1.
Many successful artists do not succeed by imitating a certain style; quite the opposite, they do whatever they want to do until they establish their unique style.
— “Never Waste Your Midlife Crisis”[47]
2.
JavaScript is popular solely because it holds a monopoly in browsers, with no alternatives; we are all held hostage by it.
— Hacker News Reader[48]
3.
A US judge ruled that AI-generated works have no copyright because “there was no human participation”.
This could have significant implications for the software industry. If, in the future, most of the code in a company is generated by AI, that code will not be protected by copyright. This means that most code in the future may not have copyright, which would be a big deal.
— “No Human Author, No Copyright”[49]
4.
We are witnessing the end of a useful internet. The useful content on the future internet will be behind deep paywalls or in various non-open private forums. The publicly accessible internet will be filled with more and more content farms and AI-generated scraps.
— “The Last Page of the Internet”[50]
5.
In Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the annual number of traffic accident deaths is very low, not exceeding five.
A US reporter interviewed local officials, asking what high technology they had adopted. The official replied: “We do not use any high technology; we just enforce speed limits.”
— “Autonomous Driving and Traffic Safety”[51]
This Week in History
The most prosperous industry worldwide (2022 #221)
How expensive is cloud service traffic? (2021 #171)
Why aren’t humans becoming more leisure? (2020 #121)
Graduating from prestigious schools is not easy for entrepreneurship (2019 #71)
(End)
References
[1] Open Source: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly[2] Submission: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues[3] “Who is Hiring”: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3324[4] Contact via email: mailto:[email protected][5] [email protected]: mailto:[email protected][6] via: https://www.sohu.com/a/542903530_120615216[7] 37signals: https://37signals.com/[8] An article: https://world.hey.com/jason/effective-productive-acfa210d[9] Click here: https://www.bagevent.com/event/8659508?bag_track=ryf[10] Pig Kidney Transplant: https://nyulangone.org/news/pig-kidney-xenotransplantation-performing-optimally-after-32-days-human-body[11] Maui Wildfires: https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/what-saved-the-miracle-house-in-lahaina/[12] Starship Modification: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1692610662604702138[13] Laser Celebration: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/stuttgart/laserstrahl-ueber-ditzingen-102.html[14] Five Tips for TypeScript: https://double-trouble.dev/post/typescript-tips/[15] How Docker Generates Container Names: https://pet2cattle.com/2022/08/docker-container-names-generator[16] Why TypeScript Can’t Properly Handle Object.keys(): https://alexharri.com/blog/typescript-structural-typing[17] How to Simulate Raspberry Pi in QEMU: https://interrupt.memfault.com/blog/emulating-raspberry-pi-in-qemu[18] A Fun Fact About UUID (Version 4): https://susam.net/blog/from-uuid-to-infinite-loops.html[19] CSS Folding Page Effect: https://thomaspark.co/2020/06/the-mad-magazine-fold-in-effect-in-css/[20] Detailed Explanation of Struct in C Language: https://abstractexpr.com/2023/06/29/structures-in-c-from-basics-to-memory-alignment/[21] Macro Syntax in JavaScript: https://bun.sh/blog/bun-macros[22] Simple Statistics: http://simplestatistics.org/[23] Doubao: https://www.doubao.com/[24] TrackerControl: https://github.com/TrackerControl/tracker-control-android[25] @cheanus: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3381[26] DCNews: https://github.com/121812/dcnews[27] @121812: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3382[28] Walrus: https://github.com/seal-io/walrus[29] @Aleegra: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3385[30] GFPGAN: https://github.com/TencentARC/GFPGAN[31] Demo: https://replicate.com/tencentarc/gfpgan[32] @Y024: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3387[33] Bell: https://tonzhon.com/[34] Open Source Code: https://github.com/enzeberg/tonzhon-music[35] @enzeberg: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3392[36] auto-animate: https://github.com/formkit/auto-animate[37] @GenerQAQ: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3398[38] background-removal-js: https://github.com/imgly/background-removal-js[39] scrcpy: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy[40] WordPress Playground: https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/[41] Periodic Table Cli: https://github.com/spirometaxas/periodic-table-cli[42] Database Tips for Developers: https://sqlfordevs.com/ebook[43] Interview Question King: https://yatiwang.chat/[44] @vickwv: https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/3397[45] External SSD Case: https://mobileai.net/2023/08/21/graugear-docking-station/[46] Large Tile Pattern: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/a-coded-message-hidden-in-floor-247232[47] “Never Waste Your Midlife Crisis”: https://austinkleon.com/2023/07/10/never-waste-a-midlife-crisis/[48] Hacker News Reader: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36784003[49] “No Human Author, No Copyright”: https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2023/08/court-says-no-human-author-no-copyright-but-human-authorship-of-genai-outputs-remains-uncertain-guest-blog-post.htm[50] “The Last Page of the Internet”: https://defector.com/the-last-page-of-the-internet[51] “Autonomous Driving and Traffic Safety”: https://slate.com/technology/2023/07/cruise-autonomous-vehicles-safety-waymo-self-driving-cars-ad-new-york-times.html