Author: Awais

I recently became frustrated while working with Claude, and it led me to an interesting exchange with the platform, which led me to examining my own expectations, actions, and behavior…and that was eye-opening. The short version is I want to keep thinking of AI as an assistant, like a lab partner. In reality, it needs to be seen as a robot in the lab – capable of impressive things, given the right direction, but only within a solid framework. There are still so many things it’s not capable of, and we, as practitioners, sometimes forget this and make assumptions based…

What is the YouTube algorithm?The YouTube algorithm decides which videos users see, based on relevance, viewer satisfaction, and predicted watch behavior. The algorithm accounts for 70% of what users watch on the platform.YouTube’s core goal is simple. It wants viewers to enjoy watching and keep coming back. The platform is not focused on pushing videos randomly or rewarding short spikes in attention. It prioritizes content that keeps viewers satisfied over time.At its simplest, the YouTube algorithm works by predicting what each particular viewer wants to watch next. It uses watch history, search history, and user behavior to decide which video…

“What I cannot create, I do not understand” — attributed to R. Feynman After Vibe Coding, we seem to have entered the (very niche, but much cooler) era of Vibe Proving: DeepMind wins gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad, Harmonic solves a non-trivial problem in number theory, and for the first time in history AI systems appear to be doing serious mathematics. We are on the cusp of a profound change in the field of mathematics. Vibe proving is here.Aristotle from @HarmonicMath just proved Erdos Problem #124 in @leanprover, all by itself. This problem has been open for nearly 30…

These days when you want to engage with some media, you can choose from podcasts, videos, games, live performances — or books, one of the oldest and most popular ways to learn something new or escape (at least temporarily) from today’s troubled world.We polled the staff of The Verge to find out what books they read over the past year that really struck a chord — because the books were enlightening, educational, or just enjoyable. Here are some of the answers we got. (And please let us know what your favorite reads were in 2025 in the comments.)Brandt Ranj, commerce…

GeForce NOW is set to begin enforcing the GeForce NOW 100-hour cap on January 1, introducing a monthly playtime limit that changes how some subscribers plan their gaming time. The immediate question is whether the cap changes anything for you right away, or whether you are effectively on a longer runway. A Redditor has already tried to make sense of the policy, posting a chart that estimates what it could cost to go past 100 hours based on tier and add-on assumptions. It’s useful for rough planning, but it is not the same thing as official terms. Who gets capped…

Nothing beats Grandma’s treats. But you can get awfully close with Grandma’s favorite recipes. This holiday, add a taste of nostalgia to your Christmas dessert table and fill your home with the familiar scents and sweetness of the holidays. Whether you need a seasonal cookie or a white Christmas pie, grandmothers across the Allrecipes community offer their best recipes for all your winter festivities. Grandma Minecci’s Snowball Cookies Photographer: Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Annie Probst / Prop Styling: Kristen Schooley These dainty delights melt in your mouth and play the perfect counterpoint to fudge and other richer treats in…

This isn’t something you’ll see in Japanese planners. Instead, you’re given more free space to write in your own things like daily habit trackers or a daily schedule, rather than having those sections pre-made for you. You can also build a planner with different workbooks, like the Jibun Techo First Kit, which is reminiscent of refillable Filofax-style systems but with a much cooler aesthetic.As I got used to using Japanese planners, I found I actually prefer their open-ended customization. If my goals change during the year, I’m not locked into a concept I cooked up in January—it gives me a…

Using a pre-sliced spiral-cut ham makes this holiday centerpiece incredibly easy to prepare.A homemade maple, brown sugar, and orange glaze gives the ham rich flavor and glossy finish.Baking the ham low and slow before glazing keeps every bite juicy and never dry. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m just going to come out and say it: I look forward to ham more than turkey during the holidays. Maybe it’s because I’ve cooked dozens of turkeys over the years (usually in steamy July, when test kitchens are prepping their holiday recipes). Perhaps it’s the post-event dishes I’m most excited…

In just about a week, iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filed for bankruptcy. They’re very different companies — selling Roombas, lidar, and e-bikes, respectively — but as Sean O’Kane, Rebecca Bellan, and I discussed on the episode of the Equity podcast, they faced some similar challenges, including tariff pressures, major deals that fell through, and a failure to establish themselves beyond the products that first made them successful. You can read an edited preview of our conversation below, with Sean providing an overview of each filing, Rebecca weighing in on whether she has a Roomba, and me speculating…

Not every compelling crime story needs multiple seasons or a slow burn that takes half a dozen episodes to hit its stride. Sometimes, the strongest ones know exactly where they’re headed from the start. That’s where crime miniseries come into their own. With a clear beginning, middle, and end, these limited runs cut straight to the drama and the fallout that follows.Perfect for a weekend binge or a few late nights in a row, Netflix’s crime miniseries deliver the same gripping storytelling as a long-running procedural, without the long-term commitment. From dark mysteries to psychological cases and tightly wound thrillers,…