[24th November 2024] Interesting Things I Learnt This Week

1. AI Makes Tech Debt More Expensive - The core argument is that generative AI significantly widens the gap between codebases with low and high tech debt. Companies with clean code can leverage generative AI to write code much faster, while companies with messy legacy codebases struggle to adopt these new tools. This widens the gap between the two codebases, making tech debt even more expensive for companies with outdated systems.

My Take: Legacy systems inevitably accumulate technical debt. A common analogy for this is the state of urinals over time: missed targets lead to increasing mess, keeps pushing people away from urinals and leading to more mess in turn. AI-powered coding tools could potentially accelerate the accumulation of tech debt. However, skilled engineers can leverage AI to reduce and even eliminate it. Ultimately, AI is just a tool, and human judgment remains crucial for making informed decisions. I hope AI will be used responsibly to drive positive outcomes.


2. Make It Yourself - Across the world creative people are making high quality things of all kinds and sharing their work freely with all of humanity. Make it Yourself showcases this incredible talent, bringing together over 1000 useful DIY projects to demonstrate just what is possible when you make things yourself.

My Take: It is an awesome collection of interesting DIY projects. It includes things like telescopes, gamepads, keyboards and many other things. If you are a maker enthusiast, this is definitely a good source of curated projects to get started with. These projects go beyond just 3D printing or electronics but bring about the amalgamation of these to make an awesome product. Some of the links did not work for me, but I was able to find these projects elsewhere. So dont get disheartened when the links do not work, it might have found another home.

 

3.  Artificial Photosynthesis Breakthrough: Revolutionary Gel Turns Sunlight Directly Into Clean Fuel - Scientists have developed a new hydrogel that can convert water into hydrogen fuel using sunlight. This hydrogel mimics plant photosynthesis, a process that could revolutionize sustainable energy production. The gel is packed with functional molecules that work together to replicate the natural process of photosynthesis. Unlike older techniques, this hydrogel can prevent these molecules from clumping together, allowing it to produce more hydrogen fuel. This breakthrough could pave the way for a more sustainable future in the energy sector.

My Take: While this is a significant breakthrough, widespread industrial adoption may take time. I couldn't find specific efficiency gains compared to traditional electrolysis. However, as we gain a better understanding of this process, we may see improvements in efficiency. IMHO hydrogen fuel holds promise as a superior energy storage solution compared to lithium or sodium batteries.


4. Atoms transferred between optical tweezers via quantum tunneling in a first - Optical tweezers, a 48-year-old technology using focused laser beams to manipulate microscopic objects, have been used by researchers at the Technion Faculty of Physics to transfer atoms between traps via quantum tunneling. This quantum phenomenon allows particles to pass through barriers they classically cannot. By controlling the distance between three optical tweezers trapping ultracold fermionic atoms, the researchers manipulated the tunneling rate. Interestingly, atoms were efficiently transferred between outer tweezers due to destructive interference in the middle trap, making the probability of finding an atom there nearly zero. This breakthrough could significantly advance quantum physics and lead to new quantum platform development.

My Take: Another week, another quantum leap! The ability to precisely manipulate atoms is truly astonishing. This groundbreaking achievement opens up new possibilities for creating ultra-thin, precise layers of elements for semi-conductors. It may even enable significant reductions in impurities. The potential applications of this technology seem limitless. I eagerly await the day when Indian labs contribute to such groundbreaking advancements.

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