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If you dont get the job, you have nothing to lose by asking for feedback.
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E-Commerce
Whether youre streaming a show, paying bills online or sending an email, each of these actions relies on computer programs that run behind the scenes. The process of writing computer programs is known as coding. Until recently, most computer code was written, at least originally, by human beings. But with the advent of generative artificial intelligence, that has begun to change. Just as you can ask ChatGPT to spin up a recipe for a favorite dish or write a sonnet in the style of Lord Byron, now you can ask generative AI tools to write computer code for you. Andrej Karpathy, an OpenAI co-founder who previously led AI efforts at Tesla, recently termed this vibe coding. For complete beginners or nontechnical dreamers, writing code based on vibesfeelings rather than explicitly defined informationcould feel like a superpower. You dont need to master programming languages or complex data structures. A simple natural language prompt will do the trick. How it works Vibe coding leans on standard patterns of technical language, which AI systems use to piece together original code from their training data. Any beginner can use an AI assistant such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor Chat, put in a few prompts, and let the system get to work. Heres an example: Create a lively and interactive visual experience that reacts to music, user interaction, or real-time data. Your animation should include smooth transitions and colorful and lively visuals with an engaging flow in the experience. The animation should feel organic and responsive to the music, user interaction, or live data and facilitate an experience that is immersive and captivating. Complete this project using JavaScript or React, and allow for easy customization to set the mood for other experiences. But AI tools do this without any real grasp of specific rules, edge cases, or security requirements for the software in question. This is a far cry from the processes behind developing production-grade software, which must balance trade-offs between product requirements, speed, scalability, sustainability, and security. Skilled engineers write and review the code, run tests, and establish safety barriers before going live. But while the lack of a structured process saves time and lowers the skills required to code, there are trade-offs. With vibe coding, most of these stress-testing practices go out the window, leaving systems vulnerable to malicious attacks and leaks of personal data. And theres no easy fix: If you dont understand everyor anyline of code that your AI agent writes, you cant repair the code when it breaks. Or worse, as some experts have pointed out, you wont notice when its silently failing. The AI itself is not equipped to carry out this analysis either. It recognizes what working code usually looks like, but it cannot necessarily diagnose or fix deeper problems that the code might cause or exacerbate. Why it matters Vibe coding could be just a flash-in-the-pan phenomenon that will fizzle before long, but it may also find deeper applications with seasoned programmers. The practice could help skilled software engineers and developers more quickly turn an idea into a viable prototype. It could also enable novice programmers or even amateur coders to experience the power of AI, perhaps motivating them to pursue the discipline more deeply. Vibe coding also may signal a shift that could make natural language a more viable tool for developing some computer programs. If so, it would echo early website editing systems known as WYSIWYG editors that promised designers what you see is what you get, or drag-and-drop website builders that made it easy for anyone with basic computer skills to launch a blog. For now, I dont believe that vibe coding will replace experienced software engineers, developers, or computer scientists. The discipline and the art are much more nuanced than what AI can handle, and the risks of passing off vibe code as legitimate software are too great. But as AI models improve and become more adept at incorporating context and accounting for risk, practices like vibe coding might cause the boundary between AI and human programmer to blur further. Chetan Jaiswal is an associate professor of computer science at Quinnipiac University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
Adam Kucharski is a professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an award-winning science writer. His book, The Rules of Contagion, was a Book of the Year in The Times, Guardian, and Financial Times. A mathematician by training, his work on global outbreaks has included Ebola, Zika, and COVID. He has advised multiple governments and health agencies. His writing has appeared in Wired, Observer, and Financial Times, among other outlets, and he has contributed to several documentaries, including BBC’s Horizon. Whats the big idea? In all arenas of life, there is an endless hunt to find certainty and establish proof. We dont always have the luxury of being sure, and many situations demand decisions be made even when there is insufficient evidence to choose confidently. Every fieldfrom mathematics and tech to law and medicinehas its own methods for proving truth, and what to do when it is out of reach. Professionally and personally, it is important to understand what constitutes proof and how to proceed when facts falter. Below, Adam shares five key insights from his new book, Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty. Listen to the audio versionread by Adam himselfin the Next Big Idea App. 1. It is dangerous to assume something is self-evident. In the first draft of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers wrote that we hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable, that all men are created equal. But shortly before it was finalized, Benjamin Franklin crossed out the words sacred and undeniable, because they implied divine authority. Instead, he replaced them with the famous line, We hold these truths to be self-evident. The term self-evident was borrowed from mathematicsspecifically from Greek geometry. The idea was that there could be a universal truth about equality on which a society could be built. This idea of self-evident, universal truths had shaped mathematics for millennia. But the assumption ended up causing a lot of problems, both in politics and mathematics. In the 19th century, mathematicians started to notice that certain theorems that had been declared intuitively obvious didnt hold up when we considered things that were infinitely large or infinitely small. It seemed self-evident didnt always mean well-evidenced. Meanwhile, in the U.S., supporters of slavery were denying what Abraham Lincoln called the national axioms of equality. In the 1850s, Lincoln (himself a keen amateur mathematician) increasingly came to think of equality as a proposition rather than a self-evident truth. It was something that would need to be proven together as a country. Similarly, mathematicians during this period would move away from assumptions that things were obvious and instead work to find sturdier ground. 2. In practice, proof means balancing too much belief and too much skepticism. If we want to get closer to the truth, there are two errors we must avoid: we dont want to believe things that are false, and we dont want to discount things that are true. Its a challenge that comes up throughout life. But where should we set the bar for evidence? If were overly skeptical and set it too high, well ignore valid claims. But if we set the bar too low, well end up accepting many things that arent true. In the 1760s, the English legal scholar William Blackstone argued that we should work particularly hard to avoid wrongful convictions. As he put it: It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer. Benjamin Franklin would later be even more cautious. He suggested that it is better 100 guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer. We dont want to believe things that are false, and we dont want to discount things that are true. But not all societies have agreed with this balance. Some communist regimes in the 20th century declared it better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one truly guilty person walk free. Science and medicine have also developed their own traditions around setting the bar for evidence. Clinical trials are typically designed in a way that penalizes a false positive four times more than a false negative. In other words, we dont want to say a treatment doesnt work when it does, but we really dont want to conclude it works when it doesnt. This ability to converge on a shared reality, even if occasionally flawed, is fundamental for science and medicine. Its also an essential component of democracy and justice. Rather than embracing or shunning everything we see, we must find ways to balance the risk that comes with trusting something to be true. 3. Life is full of weak evidence problems. Science is dedicated to generating results that we can have high confidence in. But often in life, we must make choices without the luxury of extremely strong evidence. We cant, as some early statisticians did, simply remain on the fence if were not confident either way. Whether were sitting on a jury or in a boardroom, we face situations where a decision must be made regardless. This is known as the weak evidence problem. For example, it might be very unlikely that a death is just a coincidence. But it also might be very unlikely that a certain person is a murderer. Legal cases are often decided on the basis that weak evidence in favor of the prosecution is more convincing than weak evidence for the defendant. Unfortunately, it can be easy to misinterpret weak evidence. A prominent example is the prosecutors fallacy. This is a situation where people assume that if its very unlikely a particular set of events occurred purely by coincidence, that must mean the defendant is very unlikely to be innocent. But to work out the probability of innocence, we cant just focus on the chances of a coincidence. What really matters is whether a guilty explanation is more likely than an innocent one. To navigate lawand lifewe must often choose between unlikely explanations, rather than waiting for certainty. 4. Predictions are easier than taking action. If we spot a pattern in data, it can help us make predictions. If ice cream sales increase next month, its reasonable to predict that heatstroke cases will too. These kinds of patterns can be useful if we want to make predictions, but theyre less useful if we want to intervene in some way. The correlation in the data doesnt mean that ice cream causes heatstroke, and crucially, it doesnt tell us how to prevent further illness. Often in life, prediction isnt what we really care about. In science, many problems are framed as prediction tasks because, fundamentally, its easier than untangling cause and effect. In the field of social psychology, researchers use data to try to predict relationship outcomes. In the world of justice, courts use algorithms to predict whether someone will reoffend. But often in life, prediction isnt what we really care about. Whether were talking about relationships or crimes, we dont just want to know what i likely to happenwe want to know why it happened and what we can do about it. In short, we need to get at the causes of what were seeing, rather than settling for predictions. 5. Technology is changing our concept of proof. In 1976, two mathematicians announced the first-ever computer-aided proof. Their discovery meant that, for the first time in history, the mathematical community had to accept a major theorem that they could not verify by hand. However, not everyone initially believed the proof. Maybe the computer had made an error somewhere? Suddenly, mathematicians no longer had total intellectual control; they had to trust a machine. But then something curious happened. While older researchers had been skeptical, younger mathematicians took the opposite view. Why would they trust hundreds of pages of handwritten and hand-checked calculations? Surely a computer would be more accurate, right? Technology is challenging how we view science and proof. In 2024, we saw the AI algorithm AlphaFold make a Nobel Prize-winning discovery in biology. AlphaFold can predict protein structures and their interactions in a way that humans would never have been able to. But these predictions dont necessarily come with traditional biological understanding. Among many scientists, Ive noticed a sense of loss when it comes to AI. For people trained in theory and explanation, crunching possibilities with a machine doesnt feel like familiar science. It may even feel like cheating or a placeholder for a better, neater solution that weve yet to find. And yet, there is also an acceptance that this is a valuable new route to knowledge, and the fresh ideas and discoveries it can bring. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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E-Commerce
Back in 2023, social media management platform Buffer wrote a blog post about how it had received 1,518 applicants for a single role on its marketing team. While thats a jaw-dropping number, its a common occurrence for companies with well-paying jobs that boast a great company culture. In the present job market, many job seekers are discouraged knowing theyre competing against hundreds (if not thousands) of applicants. For some roles, a résumé will only get you so far. A personal brand helps you stand out before you ever apply for a job, making the application process tip in your favor. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} You can break out of the résumé mold Résumés often have very prescriptive formats. Youve probably heard the common advice: Keep it to one page, highlight your accomplishments, make it easy to read. These days, résumés are often fed directly into an applicant tracking systemso any creativity is stripped, and a résumé reviewer only sees text. Yet many companies have a required field on their applications: the URL of your LinkedIn profile. This is where you can shine. Anyone can have a polished headshot, colorful banner, and interesting headline. But you can set yourself apart with a compelling About section, links to projects in the Featured section, and recommendations from former colleagues. Your LinkedIn profile is like your résumé with a microphone. Instead of passively waiting for someone to review your work, youre amplifying it. Of course, to do this, you need to create content. Start with a small, manageable posting schedule LinkedIn can be a very intimidating place, especially if youve never shared content there before. The feed is full of people who are Excited to announce a new job or want to tell you how to “10x your career.” One Gen Z user referred to LinkedIn as the overachievers Facebook in an article for the New York Post. Creating content is a way to showcase your personality in a way that your résumé and profile cant. You dont have to set out to be an influencer, but you can share relevant experiences from your careerand even a peek into your personal interests (if youre comfortable doing so). I started with one post per week, sharing anything work-related that popped into my head. I had no particular goal in mind, but recognized that LinkedIn was the platform where work and opportunities happen. Eventually, I started becoming more strategic and shared content that showcased my expertise and personality, but not until my weekly writing habit was well-established. You can bypass gatekeepers and make connections A personal brand will open doors in a way that a résumé wont. In an intense job market, you need anything and everything that distinguishes you from other job seekers. With a personal brand, you can make connections with potential hiring managers and rely on those connections when applying for a job. Do this before you apply. Start connecting with people in your industry or at companies youd like to work for. Engage with them and continue posting content. When a role opens up, you can apply and also send a DM saying: Hey! Just wanted to let you know that I applied for XYZ role. Really excited about the opportunity. It might move your résumé to the top of the pile. Significant attention A personal brand might also bring offers directly to youwithout needing to apply. You might catch the attention of hiring managers or recruiters who will reach out with potential opportunities. Im self-employed, so my experience isnt the same as a traditional job seeker. Still, I can attest that I get a significant amount of attention on LinkedIn after several years of building a personal brand. Connections have brought opportunities my way that I would not have had otherwise. Because of my content, people know who I am, understand what I do, and trust that my personal brand matches my work ethic. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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Like a good pair of Basquiat Crocs, there are innumerable bad ways to license an artists work. So when Airstream looked to partner up on a project with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the aluminum-clad trailer brand could have just printed one of the architect’s famous patterns on a limited run of its vehicles and called it a day. It probably would have even sold well. But that is decidedly what Bob Wheeler, Airstreams president and CEO, did not want to do. We said, All right, let’s make sure that everything has a purpose and a functionthat way it’s not just a pastiche, or some kind of lame attempt to mimic something, Wheeler recalls. We didn’t want it to seem overdone or kitschy. Instead, the brand embarked on a multiyear collaboration with the experts at Wrights Taliesin West home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, and today the two are rolling out the 28-foot Airstream Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian Limited Edition Travel Trailer. With just 200 numbered vehicles that retail for $184,900 on offer, youlike memight not be able to afford one at the moment, but they just might also restore your faith in the art of the artist collab at large. [Photo: Airstream] BETTER LATE THAN NEVER Wheeler has a passion for midcentury design (as you might expect of Airstreams CEO), so it tracks that hed be a natural fan of Wrights organic architecture. Honestly, this has been a dream of mine for the last 20 years, which is about as long as I’ve been president of Airstream, he says. Why are Wrights designs so celebrated today? It’s because they’re timeless. I think there are values there that incentivize someone to buy an Airstream that overlap in some meaningful ways. Though Wright and Airstream founder Wally Byam were active at the same time and likely shared some of the same design fan base, theres no record of them ever meeting. But a collaboration between the two ultimately proved inevitable when Wheeler reached out to Wrights foundation in 2022. Foundation historian Sally Russell says her team wasnt initially sure how robust a joint project could be. They eventually toured the Airstream factory in Ohio where the trailers are handmade using 3,000 rivets over the course of 350 hours, and saw how much customization was truly possible. Then she realized that it could be a great showcase of Wrights work. Beyond an Airstreams signature aluminum exterior, Wheeler says the trailer is essentially a blank canvas. And that’s where we can really flex some design muscle and allow others to do so. Russell says the foundation first explored whether to make the trailer feel like an adaptation of a specific Frank Lloyd Wright home. The answer to that was no, she says. We didn’t want to try to re-create the Rosenbaum House and shove it into the size of a trailer. It didn’t make sense, because Frank Lloyd Wright certainly designed for each of his individual projectshe created something new, something that expressed the individual forms of the project, the needs of the client. So there was a great awareness of wanting to continue that legacy through the work that we did on the trailer. The two teams ultimately homed in on the concept of Usonian design, a style that aimed to democratize design via small, affordable homes with a focus on efficient floor plans, functionality, and modularity. In other words: an ideal fit for an Airstream. [Photo: Airstream] COLLAPSIBLE CHAIRS AND CLERESTORY WINDOWS When you approach the trailer, the connection to Wright is immediate on the custom front door featuring the Gordon leaf pattern, which the architect commissioned his apprentice Eugene Masselink to design in 1956. Its a tip of the hat to nature, presumably an Airstreamers destination, and can be found subtly throughout the trailer in elements like sconces and cabinet pullsbut not too much, per the design mission at the outset. (At one point we had a lot more of that Gordon leaf in there, Wheeler notes. We dialed that way back.) With the push of a button, the bench seating converts into a king-size bedone of Wheelers favorite elements. It is the largest bed in any Airstream, and is a first for the company, he says. [Photo: Airstream] Another convertible element, in line with that focus on modularity, is the living space at the front of the trailer. Here, a dining table, desk, and seating inspired by the slant-back chairs that Wright used throughout his career collapse into a wall cabinet. Wheeler says Airstream used to deploy clever featres like this in the midcentury era, before modern preferences trended toward built-in furniture. So in some ways, this is a bit of a flashback to an earlier design in the 50s, which is appropriate. The teams also honored Wrights focus on natural light, relocating Airstreams usual overhead storage in favor of clerestory windows, which are prominent in Usonian homes. Meanwhile, the overall color palette comes from a 1955 Wright-curated Martin-Senour paint line. Russell says the team selected it for its harmonious blend with the natural settings where the trailer is likely headed, featuring ocher, red, and turquoise. Ultimately, It’s like a Frank Lloyd Wright home, where you walk into it, and it’s a completely different experience from any other building, Russell says. I hope that he would be very happy to see that design legacy continue, because he certainly did that with his own fellowship and the apprentices that he worked with. [Photo: Airstream] USONIAN LIFE Starting today, the limited-edition, numbered trailers will be available for order at Airstream dealerships. Wheeler says the company was originally going to release just 100 of them, but got so much positive feedback from dealers and others that they doubled the run. On the whole, the collaboration comes in the wake of a boom time for Airstream, which is owned by Thor Industries. Airstream experienced a surge during the pandemic, resulting in a 22% jump in sales in 2021 as people embraced remote work or realigned their relationship to the world. We’ve come back to earth now, and now we’re much more tied to actual market retail rates, which is what we know, Wheeler says. In its third-quarter financials, Thor reported $2.89 billion in revenue (up 3.3% from previous year). While the company declined to provide Airstream-specific numbers, its overall North American towable RV division is up 9.1% from the same period in 2024. But theres a problem afoot: The current administrations tariffs, which Wheeler says made settling on the price for the Frank Lloyd Wright collaboration tricky. He adds that the company is struggling with shortages caused by the disruption in the supply chain, and high interest rates are also a problem. [Photo: Airstream] Look, we’re 94 years old, he says. We’ve been through more of these cycles than we can count, so we’re fine, and we’ll continue to trade on authenticity, quality, great service and support, a great dealer network, and a brand that really has become part of the fabric of the U.S. traveling adventure.
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E-Commerce
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