newsletter

🧠 Signals & Noise - #1

things that I've read, watched, listened to, and created lately.

28 May 2025 — 3 min read

A quote, reflection, or question for you to ponder this week.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” — Plutarch

Takeaways of this issue:

It's better to provide all the instructions in the first message while using LLMs. For more details, check the LLMs Get Lost in Multi-Turn Conversation below.
Watch How Do Computers Remember by Sebastian Lague - link

Articles worth reading — insights, essays, and web gems.

LLMs Get Lost in Multi-Turn Conversation - link
Interesting paper from Microsoft and Salesforce Research. It claims that when LLMs take a wrong turn in a conversation, they get lost and do not recover. My takeaway is that it's better to provide all the instructions in the first message when using those models.
Minimum Viable Continuous Delivery: Starting the Journey - link
Nice reminder about why Continuous Delivery is important. As an ex-member of the ‘No Deployments on Friday’ club, I felt a little bit ashamed. Really, “Why can’t we deliver working changes to the trunk today?”

Books I’ve recently finished or am currently reading, with a few reflections.

The Psychology of Money - Morgan House
When I first discovered the behavioral economy, it strongly challenged my beliefs. Like most people, I thought humans were rational and intentional in their economic decision-making. That turned out to be the central dogma of the classical economy. However, as with almost all the other dogmas, others challenge that belief. The alternative looks more human and natural to me.

This book is one of the most important in behavioral economics. Rather than focusing on the technicalities of the stock exchange or other financial tools, it guides readers through the human thought process and the rationalization of economic decisions. As frequently stated, nobody is crazy; people have their reasons.

Based on the examples provided in the book, you'll see many supportive stories. Some might already be known, but seeing the author's perspective was a bonus.
Perfectly Reasonable Deviations (from the Beaten Track): The Letters of Richard P. Feynman - Richard P. Feynman, Michelle Feynman (Editor)
I loved this book. I borrowed it from the library, but I also want to add it to my collection. It lets you experience the daily life of a genius. Richard Feynman is one of the most colorful scientists I have known.

You will read through his letters to see his genuine and sincere thoughts about anything you can think of, including science, life, relationships, etc.

I admire his sense of humor and way of thinking. This book is a gem.

Films and TV series that stuck with me recently.

Shrinking (Apple TV+) - link
I discovered and rushed through the end of this Apple TV+ show. You will watch the adventures of a grieving therapist who starts to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. It’s very fun and real.
2 Broke Girls - link
I got hooked on this show thanks to Amazon Prime’s free trial. We were looking for a short, fun show to watch in English with my wife, and this one satisfied our needs very well. I miss the good old days when the TV shows were 20-30 minutes long.

Compelling videos I stumbled upon — essays, interviews, talks, or short docs.

Coding Adventure: Simulating Fluids by Sebastian Lague - link
If you are coding like me, you will like this video. I recently discovered Sebastian’s channel on YouTube. He is a very clever person who explains complex topics with ease. In this video, he explains how fluid simulation can be coded with a hands-on demo. He begins with the basics and then proceeds to more complex approaches.
How Do Computers Remember by Sebastian Lague - link
Another one from Sebastian, he shows how computers remembers a state. He both uses breadboard and logic simulation to demonstrate. It was fun to watch how he goes through logic gates to more complex systems to tell the story.

Stuff I’ve made recently: code, writing, visuals, videos, or experiments.

I recently decided to create more contents and this is one of the ideas that I have in my mind. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Blusky, YouTube and my website. Here is sneak peak of what I’m cooking in my head these days.