🤖 OpenAI Introduces Skills in ChatGPT and Codex CLI
A subtle but major step toward extensible, modular AI systems—lighter and more durable than full agent frameworks.
OpenAI has quietly rolled out a ‘skills’ system in ChatGPT and the Codex CLI—filesystem-based bundles that help models perform structured tasks like document generation. The author explores their use, compares them with Anthropic’s approach, and even builds a Datasette plugin to test the concept.
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🌌 The Stunning Symmetry of Abelian Sandpiles
An elegant fusion of math and aesthetics—turning complex theory into interactive visual wonder.
This article explores Abelian sandpiles—a deceptively simple mathematical model where local toppling rules create intricate, symmetric patterns. It explains their algebraic properties and visualizes identity configurations that form mesmerizing, fractal-like shapes.
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🏞️ The Checkerboard: A Legal Puzzle of Public Land Access
A gripping blend of geography, law, and logic—proof that 19th-century land planning still shapes today’s debates.
This narrative follows a legal case over public land access in the Western U.S., where hunters used a ‘corner crossing’ method to move between public parcels divided by private property. The Tenth Circuit’s ruling in their favor set a significant precedent for public land rights.
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🧠 Ask HN: How Can I Get Better at Using AI for Coding?
A candid reflection on the gap between AI-assisted coding promise and real-world software craftsmanship.
A Hacker News thread discusses how to effectively use AI tools for programming, especially when refactoring legacy projects like Django and jQuery apps into modern frameworks. Users share insights on improving code quality and prompt strategies when AI-generated results fall short.
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🧬 Measuring the Science of Cognitive Fatigue
An insightful overview of how neuroscience and data science converge to quantify mental effort as a biological signal.
This Nature feature delves into the biological roots of cognitive fatigue, exploring how brain metabolites like glutamate, adenosine, and dopamine contribute to mental exhaustion. The research connects these mechanisms to conditions such as long COVID, ME/CFS, and Parkinson’s, suggesting fatigue as a protective response to neural strain.
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