How AI works, Explained with Mushrooms ! (Easiest Explanation )
How ChatGPT and other AI chatbots actually work, explained with mushrooms: training, weights, tokens, how an answer is built one piece at a time, temperature...
Codetown
Codetown ::: a software developer's community
Codetown is a software developer's community. It's a technical networking and educational group focused on software development.
Videos
Photos
JavaSpecialists
Issue 337 - Module Imports
Module imports are a new feature in Java 25 and are like a wildcard import for *all* the types in a module. If you hate wildcard imports, you'll despise this even more. But if, like me, you don't really care whether someone uses a wildcard or single-type import, this is for you.Issue 336 - CopyOnWriteArrayList.subList() ConcurrentModificationException
Java's CopyOnWriteArrayList gives us a snapshot iterator for fast reading. However, its subList() is not snapshot, and will break if the list is changed. In this newsletter we look at a way to make a safe subList() copy, using the iterator and an AbstractList.Issue 335 - ZGC Mysteries
In our previous newsletter we posted a puzzle about ArrayList creation in ZGC. Lots of Java programmers sent in their ideas, and we are still looking for the perfect answer. Here are some more thoughts on the idea, whilst we wait for The Z Garbage Collector Book to arrive.Issue 334 - ArrayList vs LinkedList Puzzle
Every schoolboy knows that arrays are faster than linked structures, no matter the language. In this newsletter we present a puzzle where we find LinkedList outperforming ArrayList for ZGC. Let's see who comes up with the most thorough explanation why.Issue 333 - Surprising += Cast (Rerun)
Surprisingly, the compound arithmetic expression contains a cast that can produce some interesting side effects. In this newsletter we explore this and other edge cases in the Java Language Specification.Birthdays
Birthdays Tomorrow
Badge
Who Reads Codetown?
Events
March 23
Tuesday
Blog Posts
What is vibe coding?
Posted by Michael Levin on June 9, 2025 at 9:37am 0 Comments 0 Likes
Vibe coding isn’t a formal technical term, but it’s become a slang or colloquial expression among programmers and tech communities—especially on social media and in creative coding circles.
What “vibe coding” usually means:
- Coding based on intuition or feel
Instead of rigidly planning everything out, you’re:- Freestyling as you…
JavaFX and SteelSeries gauges using FXML
Posted by Jim Clarke on June 25, 2012 at 9:30pm 0 Comments 1 Like
Gerrit Grunwald, aka @hansolo_ on twitter, has just ported his Swing based gauges and meters framework known as SteelSeries to JavaFX as part of the JFXtras-lab project. I can't tell you how many times since Java AWT first came out, that I have had to use meters…
ContinueCeylon OJUG & GatorJUG Talk - Please Yo me!
Posted by Michael Levin on June 27, 2014 at 11:15am 4 Comments 0 Likes
Dear Codetown JUGGIES:
We have a chance for a special Ceylon talk on either Mon 10/13, Fri 10/17, Mon 10/20, or Fri 10/24 in Orlando at OrlandoJUG and/or Gainesville at GatorJUG.
As you all know, OJUG meets 4th Th and GatorJUG meets 2nd Wed and these are Mondays and Fridays, so I need your…
ContinueWhat's bit.ly?
Posted by Michael Levin on March 22, 2009 at 12:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Groups
-
Jobs
75 members
-
Spring Town
47 members
-
iPhone Development
40 members
-
Android Town
35 members
-
JEE Town
28 members
-
SunJUG Town
27 members
-
Groovy and Grails
25 members
-
Startup City
24 members
-
Community Corral
23 members
-
Web2.0 Town
19 members
-
.Net Town
18 members
-
Cloud Computing Village
16 members
-
Computational Linguistic…
15 members
-
Python
15 members
-
Ruby Town
14 members
-
Java SE Town
14 members
-
Flex Loft
13 members
-
Database SIG
13 members
-
JUG-AFRICA
12 members
-
Freelance Village
11 members
Forum
Java books for any library 5 Replies
What books should be on the bookshelf of EVERY Java programmer, no matter what specific technologies they are working on?The two that come to my mind areThinking in JavaJava Concurrency in PracticeWhat else am I missing?Continue
Started by David Moskowitz in Java. Last reply by sneha gulati Feb 8, 2019.
Error trying to use Fragment
I am new to Android. I have been working thru some examples in a book called Head First Android Development. I entered a small program using fragments and get a Casting Error.cannot cast andoid.app.fragment to…Continue
Tags: Fragment
Started by Robert Sobol in Java Oct 10, 2017.
Fragment Syntax Problem
My name is Rob Sobol.I have been working through a book called Head First Android Development.I hit a syntax error in a simple exercise that uses one fragment. I have been trying to figure out the error for days. I am hoping some in the forum can…Continue
Tags: Fragments
Started by Robert Sobol in Java Oct 10, 2017.
Hadoop getting old?
An article just came out in InfoWorld about trends, which is always an interesting subject. Funny, they said Hadoop wasn't hot. Spark is. It's a good read. …Continue
Tags: codetown, infoworld, programming, hadoop, trends
Started by Michael Levin in Trends Apr 10, 2017.
What's functional programming, anyway?
Can you believe people are still trying to come up with a good definition or explanation of what functional programming is? Paul Krill is a journalist with InfoWorld. Here's an article he just wrote: …Continue
Tags: functions., codetown, lambdas, clojure, programming
Started by Michael Levin in Functional Programming Feb 21, 2016.
Santafe College 2 Replies
Santafe just added a new BAS bachelor's program of study. 5651 ProgrammingContinue
Started by Dan Lackey in Dynamic Languages. Last reply by Michael Levin Feb 15, 2016.
Using SQL with Node,.js 1 Reply
All the tutorials and books for node.js seem to use Mongo as the database. I am not sold on 'document' databases and would like to know how difficult it is to use any version for plain old tried-and-true SQL with Node.js.Does anybody have any…Continue
Tags: 'document, databases', SQL, node, node.js
Started by Kevin Neelands in Dynamic Languages. Last reply by Lou Caudell Nov 10, 2015.
The advantages of a RESTfull web-based API 5 Replies
I need to get a better handle on the advantages of a RESTful web-based API. People tell me they scale better than other methods, but I don't see how they reduce database access or have any other feature that helps handle large amounts of traffic.…Continue
Tags: API', 'web-based, RESTful
Started by Kevin Neelands in Dynamic Languages. Last reply by Kevin Neelands Oct 25, 2015.
Want a Job? 1 Reply
Hi, Not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this sort of things (forgive me if its not). My company (really nice company btw) is looking to hire two junior and two senior Java Developers. Please forward me your resume to slaassel@gmail.com…Continue
Started by Saad Laassel in Java. Last reply by Theresa Wizorek-MacIntyre Oct 15, 2014.
Storing Sensitive Data ( like SSNs ) 1 Reply
We might have to store Social Security Numbers. We REALLY don't want to do this in our own database, we'd like some external 'vault' service that stores them encrypted and getting to them is difficult. Does anyone have any ideas along these lines?Continue
Started by Kevin Neelands in Java. Last reply by Michael Levin May 7, 2014.
Latest Activity
"This looks good! https://www.anaconda.com/docs/anaconda-desktop/tutorials/chatbot-tutorial"
Apple Watch paired with iPhone
I recently read an article describing how to pair an Apple Watch with an iPhone. Looks great. You can leave your iPhone someplace and then use your Apple Watch as a phone. I don’t know anything about Apple watches, but they have them at Costco and of course at the Apple Store. What’s the latest, best one to get And Ann what do you know about this idea?…See More
Apple Watch paired with iPhone
I recently read an article describing how to pair an Apple Watch with an iPhone. Looks great. You can leave your iPhone someplace and then use your Apple Watch as a phone. I don’t know anything about Apple watches, but they have them at Costco and of course at the Apple Store. What’s the latest, best one to get And Ann what do you know about this idea?…See More
Why local AI's the way forward, and the best way period
#devwithserdar With hardware prices spiraling, AI vendors ramping up token costs, and models becoming drastically slimmer and more economical, running AI mod...
Happy 10th year, JCertif!
Notes
Welcome to Codetown!
Codetown is a social network. It's got blogs, forums, groups, personal pages and more! You might think of Codetown as a funky camper van with lots of compartments for your stuff and a great multimedia system, too! Best of all, Codetown has room for all of your friends.
When you create a profile for yourself you get a personal page automatically. That's where you can be creative and do your own thing. People who want to get to know you will click on your name or picture and…
ContinueCreated by Michael Levin Dec 18, 2008 at 6:56pm. Last updated by Michael Levin May 4, 2018.
Looking for Jobs or Staff?
Check out the Codetown Jobs group.
InfoQ Reading List
Airbnb Cuts Recommendation Staleness from 2 Days to Seconds with Chronon
Airbnb extended its Chronon feature platform with Push Mode and Near Real-Time Model Transform to update sequence-based recommendation embeddings within seconds. The architecture reduced embedding staleness from nearly two days to under a minute and improved offline NDCG by 1.67%, while online testing increased uncancelled bookings by approximately one-third of a percent.
By Leela KumiliPresentation: Wrangling Telemetry at Scale: A Guide to Self-Hosted Observability
Colin Douch shares battle-tested strategies for building and scaling self-hosted observability stacks. He explains how to effectively correlate metrics, structured logs, and distributed traces using open-source tooling like Prometheus, VictoriaMetrics, and Jaeger, while navigating the engineering trade-offs of avoiding SaaS vendor lock-in.
By Colin DouchMicrosoft's October Security Update Fixes 1,400+ Vulnerabilities, One Exploited in the Wild
Microsoft's latest monthly security update addresses 1415 vulnerabilities across multiple products. One vulnerability affecting Windows Shell has been exploited in the wild, while 85 are classified as critical. Affected products include Windows OS, Office, Exchange, .NET, Edge, as well as potentially Hyper-V and Azure components.
By Sergio De SimoneChrome Opens Trial for the Email Verification API: Letting Sites Verify Without Sending Emails
Google has opened a Chrome origin trial for the Email Verification API, a WICG proposal that lets the browser confirm email ownership without sending a message. Gmail is the first provider. Developers add form hints and validate a signed token server-side. Commenters question the privacy benefit, and the API is best used as a progressive enhancement.
By Daniel CurtisArticle: Building an Offline-First AI Coding Tutor for Low-End Android Phones
This article is about engineering an offline-first app for low-end devices based on our experience in Nigeria and India. The interesting problems in this space are storage, quota, cold start, and failure-path design. Our approach applies to any product whose users are on constrained devices and intermittent connections, when the assumption they have a laptop and broadband access do not hold.
By Chidi Nwaogu
© 2026 Created by Michael Levin.
Powered by
