2024.08.12 - Will making a good hammer bring nails? Why is it said that large model intelligent agent development platforms are doomed to fail

Title: 2024.08.12 – Does a Good Hammer Guarantee Nails? Why Large‑Model Agent Development Platforms Are Destined to Fail

Intent‑driven User Interfaces & 10× Programmer & Zhongzheng Pinghe & Busy on Tasks, Leisure in Mind

This Week’s Hot Topics

Does a Good Hammer Guarantee Nails? Why Large‑Model Agent Development Platforms Are Destined to Fail https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/713095064
Agent development is a hot spot for large‑model applications. OpenAI was already paying close attention a year ago and launched the GPT Store platform. This year, many domestic companies are building agent development platforms, but this article argues that such platforms are doomed to fail for three reasons: there is no genuine demand—purely tech‑driven products have never succeeded; real demand is limited, and vertical products are more reliable; and large models lack true intelligence and cannot serve as a “brain.” The article expands on these points. Also included:

• Can an AI make a data‑driven, visual story?
• OpenAI: Introducing Structured Outputs in the API
• How to integrate AI into your business
• How to use AI coding tools to learn a new programming language

Intent‑driven User Interfaces https://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?2073
Increasingly when I see designers defaulting to more UI controls and form elements in software interface designs, I encourage them to consider the implications of intent‑driven instructions. Here's why…

How I program in 2024 https://akkartik.name/post/programming-2024
I talk a lot here about using computers freely, how to select programs to use, how to decide if a program is trustworthy infrastructure one can safely depend on in the long term. I also spend my time building such infrastructure, because there isn’t a lot of it out there. As I do so, I’m always acutely aware that I’m just not very good at it. At best I can claim I try to compensate for limited means with good, transparent intentions.

Deep Reading

“10× Programmer” and the “Benevolent Dictator” https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/713341244
In short, this article was born out of reflections on the “10× programmer” concept. When personal capability hits a ceiling, I began looking for ways to boost productivity through teamwork. Yet collaborative coding inevitably creates “shi‑mountains” (messy entanglements) that drag everyone’s output down. Reflecting on this, the piece proposes a “dictator theory”: developers should have deep understanding and absolute control over their own code. To stay efficient, one must be the project’s dictatorial leader—i.e., a benevolent dictator. When collaborating, clear boundaries should be drawn to avoid meddling with each other’s implementations. In short, to avoid becoming a “0.1× programmer,” first become a “benevolent dictator.”

It’s Time To Talk About “CSS5” https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2024/08/time-to-talk-about-css5/
Have you ever wondered what happened after CSS 3? It’s common knowledge that we never saw a CSS 4, yet we now have a plethora of new features with no clear way to indicate when they were introduced. The W3C CSS‑Next community group is actively searching for better approaches to describe CSS evolution over time and to identify feature sets as effectively as we did with CSS 3 back in 2009 — and you can help.

The Art of Dithering and Retro Shading for the Web https://blog.maximeheckel.com/posts/the-art-of-dithering-and-retro-shading-web/
Spending time building, combining, and experimenting with custom post‑processing effects gave me an extra creative outlet, and among the many types I iterated on, I always had a particular affection for the several “retro” effects I created. Subtle details such as dithering, color quantization, or pixelation/CRT‑style RGB cells create a pleasant contrast between today’s web landscape and the long‑gone era of technology that 90s/early‑2000s kids sometimes long for.

Porting My JavaScript Game Engine to C for No Reason https://phoboslab.org/log/2024/08/high_impact
tl;dr: high_impact is a small game engine for 2D action games. It’s written in C, compiles to Windows, macOS, and Linux as well as to WASM for the Web. It’s “inspired by” my original Impact JavaScript game engine from 2010. The name high_impact nods to a time when C was considered a high‑level language.

This developer tool is 40 years old: can it be improved? https://stackoverflow.blog/2024/08/05/this-developer-tool-is-40-years-old-can-it-be-improved/
Would updating a tool few think about make a diff(erence)?

Fresh Picks

Django 5.1 released libcurl is 24 years old OpenStreetMap at 20: The Days Are Long but the Years Are Short Verso: A web browser that plays old‑world blues to build new‑world hope

Products & Others

Claudia Meh – Medicine Without Borders: Building Bridges in a World of Walls https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/S7rWLwwY-Im4p8hzJFuMWw
Dr. Meh has half a century of medical study and practice. At age 10 she saw an acupuncturist cure her father’s asthma, planting a seed for Chinese medicine in her heart. After graduating from medical school she studied TCM in various places, apprenticing with Grandmaster Jacques on classical acupuncture and later working with Master Li Xin in Beijing, co‑authoring Returning to the Source. In retirement she founded the “Blue Tree” Society in France to preserve Eastern and Western natural‑medicine traditions for the benefit of more people. The Society’s mission is “building bridges, not walls.” “Being a doctor is the life I want,” she said in a talk. “A doctor must see the patient as a whole life, a real person, not merely a set of problems.”

Liu Lihong – The “Zhongzheng Pinghe” of Form and Spirit https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yoQxD1x412w7gqCYmCfudA
A gentleman does not get angry; a gentleman practices forgiveness. From this we infer what “forgiveness” is: the original, untainted state of the heart. Hence the text says, “When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure have not yet arisen, we call it ‘central’; when they arise but remain within proper limits, we call it ‘harmonious.’” Can emotions arise? Yes, but they must be appropriate and balanced. Nowadays we often let emotions run wild, “rolling up sleeves and legs,” deviating from the middle way. Cultivating harmony keeps the heart and spirit in a balanced, peaceful state, leading to health.

Busy on Tasks, Leisure in Mind https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/WGQebFxfChtjFdNQdJSxGQ
Practice certainly includes standing meditation, sitting, or martial arts at specific times, but the core is “moving‑still meditation.” Every day we should maintain the state of “busy on tasks, leisure in mind,” which is called moving‑still meditation. “Moving” refers to our actions; “still” refers to rest or quiet moments, flowing naturally between the two. Thus, whatever we do each day, we should keep a relaxed, leisurely mind.

Do These 9 Small Things Right and Open the Door to TCM https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pP8inmu2BWzSTnC4vXo1AA
Teacher Li Xin says: “Learning traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t require mastering many concepts. If, while riding the subway or walking, you stay in a relaxed, effortless state, you’re already practicing TCM.” Eat, listen to music, exercise, comb your hair, press your navel…pay attention to your body’s real sensations. When these experiences resonate with new knowledge, you can internalize external information and gradually establish your own reference point. If you’re interested, try these everyday practices with classmates starting today.

The Body’s Big BOSS Return Path https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/112JQrzSN8hzAXJOXxHHoQ
When Professor Xu cites the “wind moves, sail moves” example from the Huangdi Neijing, he tells us that the ultimate driving force of the universe comes from the “spirit.” Behind every material motion there is an invisible operator. The human body, a tiny universe, is no different. This issue explores how student Shu understands the body’s “qi” and the CEO that drives it. The biggest takeaway from the Houpu Health Camp is a deeper understanding of qi. The most important fixed asset in life is actually a bundle of qi—it helps you lose weight, beautify, heal without medicine, and stay calm and far‑sighted. Where does qi come from?

Open‑Source TCM Textbooks – So Everything Can Be Open‑Sourced https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4JsVb_SypWMffZsbihyQQQ
The Guangming TCM textbook was compiled in 1985 by the former Guangming TCM Correspondence University, with contributions from many top TCM experts. It has long held a prestigious place in the field and is a rare learning resource, strongly recommended by senior TCM practitioner Li Ke. After the Guangming TCM College closed in 2005, Professor Fan Zhuwen became the main custodian of the textbooks. Only a few dozen paper copies remain, many damaged from age. To prevent loss, the Guangming TCM Online School, under Professor Fan’s guidance, has digitized the textbooks.

Li Xigui: Six Traits Every Excellent School Must Have https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gl9qqyyyglIWsg2O9-wz2A https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_wZFRwafg_3XTGrxIxhBbA
Maintain an inspiring culture, use multi‑evaluation teams, grant autonomy that feels more satisfying than any over‑eager service, keep meetings as a last‑resort exception, balance management and education, and anchor core values. In school administration, sometimes “not over‑exerting” is also wisdom. Principal Li Xigui’s view: do the best actions with the least effort. What counts as “least”? What kind of “effort”? What defines the “best action”?

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on Web技术周刊 (Web Tech Weekly). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.