Ideas Worth Exploring: 2025-04-16
- Charles Ray
- Apr 16
- 6 min read
Ideas: Protos - Compromised microchip ESP32 puts bitcoin wallets at risk
Bitcoin self-custodians and companies around the world are taking the bug seriously. Not only does the chip have an extensive list of vulnerabilities, but billions of devices around the world already contain it.
The bug — called Critical Vulnerability Error of 2025 number 27840 (CVE-2025-27840) — affects the popular ESP32 chip and allows hackers to exploit module updates to sign unauthorized transactions or even remotely steal private keys.
Sadly, ESP32’s weaknesses are already physically installed in so many networks that secure value, including BTC, private data, and other computer-secured property. As such, the bug is gaining alarming prominence among cybersecurity practitioners.
In the meantime, white hat researchers are continuing responsible disclosure and have already flagged the bug as a possible vector for state-level theft.
Ideas: Gergely Orosz - Tech hiring: is this an inflection point?
Gergely Orosz discusses the ideas around the challenges faced by engineering managers in hiring qualified engineers due to the rise of AI tools, making it difficult to distinguish between human and automated applications. Gergely Orosz interviewed Herval Freire, head of engineering at Maestro.dev, who shared his experiences with hiring for a lead backend engineer and a mobile platform engineer roles.
Herval found that the traditional methods of screening candidates, such as reviewing CVs, initial phone calls, live coding interviews, and take-home challenges, were no longer effective due to the widespread use of AI tools by applicants. He noted that many applicants were using AI-generated cover letters, teleprompters during interviews, and even using LLMs to complete coding challenges.
Herval also found that initial phone calls with candidates were a waste of time because most applicants were unmotivated or didn't know which company they were talking to. He suggested that the best signals come from candidates who proactively reach out on LinkedIn and show genuine interest in the position.
Another example was provided by a senior director of engineering at a full-remote, 1,000-person SaaS scaleup. The company recently had to fire a recently hired senior data engineer after discovering that they had lied about their past experience and used AI tools during interviews. As a result, the company is considering introducing in-person final interview loops for candidates, despite being a full-remote business.
The article concludes by suggesting that companies will need to rethink their hiring strategies in this age of AI tools, and may need to focus on referrals and trial periods to evaluate new hires more thoroughly.
Ideas: Andrea Davanzo - The systemic failure of implementing CSS principles
Andrea Davanzo reflects on the history and evolution of CSS, focusing on the systemic failure in implementing CSS principles effectively. Before CSS was introduced, HTML did not have a version for styling, and developers had to use inline styles or clunky table layouts. In 1996, CSS was introduced as a separate standard with the aim of separating content from presentation. However, the widespread adoption and effective use of CSS has been slow and inconsistent due to various factors such as complexity, maintainability, scalability, performance, and collaboration.
The article also introduces several approaches to CSS architecture that have emerged in response to these challenges: BEM (Block, Element, Modifier), SMACSS, Atomic CSS, OOCSS (Object-Oriented CSS), and ITCSS (Inverted Triangle CSS). These methodologies emphasize organizing and structuring CSS to improve maintainability, scalability, and collaboration.
Andrea Davanzo argues that while these approaches focus on organizing and structuring CSS, they have lost sight of the original role of CSS: separating structure (HTML) from presentation (CSS). Andrea Davanzo criticizes modern CSS architectures for not adhering to the principle of Separation of Concerns and for using long class attribute strings that make it difficult to write elegant, semantic HTML and well-structured CSS.
GitHub Repo: Scalar
An offline first API Client built for OpenAPI
Minimal, powerful & open-source
Integrates with dozens of API Frameworks (Elysia, Hono, FastAPI, etc)
Syncs directly with your server frameworks with our Watch Mode
First class OpenAPI (formerly Swagger) support
Environment variables and dynamic parameters
Save and organize requests into collections
GitHub Repo: Tiptap UI Components
Tiptap UI Components is a library of modular, MIT-licensed React components, templates, and primitives that help you build rich text editor UIs faster, on top of the headless Tiptap framework.
This repo also includes a CLI tool to scaffold your editor setup or install individual components with zero config.
Use the components as-is, customize them to match your design system, or drop them into an existing Tiptap setup. They're optional, composable, and built for dev speed.
Ideas: Simon Wistow - Making the Internet Sustainable— Starting from Its Infrastructure
Simon Wistow shares their ideas on the growing concern about the environmental impact of internet infrastructure and digital services, which are significant contributors to energy consumption. Organizations are starting to address this issue by adopting sustainability standards like SustainableIT and developing frameworks to optimize digital media delivery, such as reducing unnecessary computational work and implementing edge computing and serverless architectures.
The cryptocurrency boom has also had a considerable environmental impact, with Bitcoin's estimated annual energy consumption exceeding that of Sweden in 2025. However, the decline of crypto is being followed by the rise of AI as an energy-intensive industry due to the high power requirements for training large models like GPT-4o, LLaMA 3, and Google's Gemini.
To reduce waste and environmental impact, the article suggests optimizing AI model training, caching AI responses, rethinking data center locations (e.g., moving them to areas with abundant renewable energy sources), and prioritizing the use of green colocation providers. The article encourages companies, developers, and policymakers to take responsibility for creating a more sustainable digital future by optimizing infrastructure, pushing for stronger regulation, and holding themselves accountable for their environmental impacts.
Ideas: Rob McKaughan - Introducing Kermit: A typeface for kids
Rob McKaughan introduces "Kermit," a new typeface designed by Underware for children that aims to make reading easier and more enjoyable.
Kermit is designed to be child-friendly with legibility as a priority, featuring large x-heights, thick strokes, generous spacing, and familiar letter shapes. It also incorporates science-based methods to help children with dyslexia improve their comprehension by representing prosody through boldness, width, and vertical shifts of letters.
Kermit is more than just a typeface; it is a platform for exploring new ways to help children read, particularly those with reading difficulties like dyslexia.
Ideas: Tanya Combrinck - These digital artists have made progress in the fight against unethical AI
Tanya Combrinck discusses the efforts of artists, activists, and organizations such as the Concept Art Association and European Guild for Artificial Intelligence Regulation (EGAIR) to combat the unauthorized use of their work in training AI image generators. Lawsuits have been filed against major AI companies alleging copyright infringement, with ongoing cases in both the US and UK.
Progress has been made in Europe with the approval of the EU's AI Act, which requires AI companies to obtain consent from rights holders before using their material to train models, label AI-generated content as such, and provide a summary of the data training data. EGAIR was instrumental in achieving these victories, but the work is not over as AI companies will seek to influence the final draft of the Act as it passes through the last stages of becoming law.
Tanya Combrinck also highlights the importance of keeping the public and art community informed about the issues surrounding AI use, and the growing awareness and distaste around AI-generated material. Eva Toorenent, EGAIR's representative for the Netherlands, emphasizes the importance of artists knowing their rights and calling out companies and people who use unethical generative AI.
Ideas: OnlyCFO - Guide to Survive a Recession
To survive and potentially thrive during uncertain times like a recession, companies should:
Re-evaluate the team for recession readiness
Take fewer, but higher conviction bets
Consider layoffs when necessary
Lead sales metrics, focusing on efficiency and reducing hiring when leading indicators weaken
Shorten CAC payback periods to reduce risk and improve cash flow
Reduce burn multiples and extend runway
Accelerate AI adoption for cost savings and efficiency improvements
Review tech and marketing spend, aiming for higher ROI and cutting waste
Update plans more frequently to adjust to changing circumstances
Position products as money savers or mission-critical tools
Strive for default alive and investable status, ensuring a cash-flow positive future and the ability to raise funds during a recession
Be prepared with a plan B and maintain a strong cash position
Ultimately, disciplined companies that adapt will not only survive but also seize opportunities presented by economic downturns.
GitHub Repo: Justniffer
Justniffer is a network traffic analysis tool that allows you to analyze and trace HTTP traffic in a network. Justniffer allows capturing network packets and decoding HTTP data, providing detailed information about HTTP requests and responses, such as the IP address of the client and server, the requested URL, header fields and message content.
Justniffer is written in C++ and uses the libpcap network packet analysis library to capture network packets. Justniffer is able to decode network packets so that the data can be viewed in a clear and easy-to-read format, allowing for efficient traffic analysis.
Justniffer is one of many options available for HTTP traffic analysis, some of which are tcpdump, Wireshark, mitmproxy, Charles, and Fiddler.
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