headline
stringlengths 8
699
| content
stringlengths 43
1.82k
| category
class label 5
classes |
|---|---|---|
Stephen Hawking's final warning for humanity: AI is coming for us | Stephen Hawking's posthumously published book "Brief Answers To The Big Questions", warns about the rise of AI. He writes, "Whereas the short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all." In the worst case, he imagines a scenario, "People asked a computer, 'Is there a God?' And the computer said, 'There is now,' and fused the plug." He also warned about other disasters, saying its "almost inevitable that either a nuclear confrontation or environmental catastrophe will cripple the Earth at some point in the next 1,000 years." He believes we need to expand to other planets, to not have all of our eggs in one basket. He also warns about gene editing, saying that the wealthy elite with access to gene editing technologies will become "superhumans" while normal people will probably "die out, or become unimportant." While he does have a lot of concerns, he believes that in the best case we can expand beyond Earth, and "elevate humanity, bring people and nations together, usher in new discoveries and new technologies." | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Letter from Tim Cook to Apple investors | Tim Cook wrote a letter to investors warning investors that first quarter earnings would be much worse than expected, at around $84 billion instead of $89-93 billion as forecasted. Most of this is because of a huge drop in Chinese demand. Other divisions of Apple actually rose 19% over the past year, but the iPhone is their primary business, and sales have been sluggish especially as battery replacements caused more people to stay with their old phones instead of upgrading. Apple stock dropped 10% on the news. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Microsoft wins U.S. Army contract for augmented-reality headsets, worth up to $21.9 billion over 10 years | Microsoft has won a contract with the Pentagon to build more than 120,000 custom HoloLens headsets for the US Army. The deal could be worth up to $21.88 billion over 10 years. Microsoft's HoloLens enables people to see holograms overlaid on top of their environments and interact with them. An earlier prototype made for the Army displayed a map and compass and had thermal imaging to reveal people in the dark. Some Microsoft employees are against the project, saying that they did not sign up to develop weapons. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
New ‘Morpheus’ CPU Design Defeats Hundreds of Hackers in DARPA Tests | A new processor with the codename Morpheus continually rewrites its own architecture, making it impossible for attackers to use side-channel attacks that affect conventional x86 processors. Morpheus was able to fend off 580 experts who spent a collective 13,000 hours trying to hack a system run by it. With Morpheus, even if a hacker finds a vulnerability, the information needed to exploit it disappears 50 milliseconds later. The approach doesn't stop every kind of attack that can be launched against it, but it demonstrates that better protection from side-channel attacks is possible. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Unmasking China's invisible fleet (11 minute read) | An investigation based on satellite data collected over two years has found that China's armada of illegal industrial fishing boats has displaced smaller North Korean boats and caused a sharp decline in the squid population. The Chinese vessels appear to violate UN sanctions imposed in 2017. Chinese Captains who were investigated by South Korean Coast Guard authorities have presented fishing permits signed by North Korean authorities. China has denied allegations of illegal fishing. | 4Miscellaneous
|
History in the Making: Microsoft Edge Overtakes Mozilla Firefox | Microsoft Edge has finally surpassed Mozilla Firefox to become the world's second most-used desktop browser. Chrome continues to be number one with 68.5% market share. Microsoft Edge recently switched to using Chromium, making it a fully-featured alternative to Google Chrome. Internet Explorer continues to be available in Windows 10 for compatibility purposes. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Amazon ‘destroyed the retail industry across the US’ says Treasury Secretary Mnuchin | According to the US Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, Amazon has destroyed the retail industry across the United States and should be investigated alongside other tech giants in the broad antitrust review that the Justice Department recently announced. The DOJ will be investigating big tech companies to see whether online platforms have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers. Amazon responded to Mnuchin's comments by pointing out that Amazon represents less than four percent of US retail sales and that 90 percent of retail sales still occur in brick-and-mortar stores. | 4Miscellaneous
|
OpenCTI (GitHub Repo) | OpenCTI is an open-source tool that allows organizations to manage their cyber threat intelligence and observables. Users can view technical and non-technical information linked to primary sources, and easily link different pieces of information together with additional details and custom datasets. It can be integrated with other tools such as MISP, TheHive, MITRE ATT&CK, and more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
US cybersecurity firm FireEye says it was hacked, probably by 'nation-state' | One of the largest cybersecurity companies in the US, FireEye, claims it was hacked by a foreign government. Internal tools used for testing clients' defenses were stolen in the attack. FireEye has an array of business contracts across the national security space in the US and around the world. The stolen kit targets a myriad of different vulnerabilities in popular software products. All of these vulnerabilities should already be public, but FireEye has not disclosed what systems may be affected. Typically, companies will release patches for known vulnerabilities, but users do not always download these patches. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Pet Cloning Becomes More Popular As Instagrammers Begin Replicating Deceased Pets | ViaGen Pets is a Texas-based company that can clone pets. It famously cloned Barbara Streisand's dog in 2018. The company can clone dogs for $50,000, cats for $35,000, and horses for an initial payment of $45,000. Cloned animals will have the exact same DNA profile as the original animal, but they will still develop their own temperaments and personalities. The process can take years and result in extra clones. Instagram users have been cloning their dead pets, bringing more attention to the practice. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Microsoft is building a Chromium-powered web browser that will replace Edge on Windows 10 | It looks like Microsoft is throwing in the towel on the Edge browser and it's rendering engine EdgeHTML and is now building a new browser based on Chromium, the open source rendering engine that powers Google's Chrome browser. This new browser, code named Anaheim, will eventually replace Edge as the default on Windows 10. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
NIH, FBI accuse scientists in US of sending IP to China, running shadow labs | Three senior researchers have been dismissed at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. An investigation by the NIH and FBI found that the researchers were colluding with Chinese associates by sharing intellectual property and running ‘shadow laboratories’ abroad. This is part of an ongoing investigation into the theft of US intellectual property, which costs the country between $225 to $600 billion a year. At least three other institutions are being investigated for similar offenses. A report by the US Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property named China as the world’s principal IP infringer. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike explains his vision for the app — and what he sees as the biggest threats to privacy | Secure chat app Signal saw a huge spike in growth last year. People are attracted to the app as it makes private communication simple and accessible. Encryption is important as we will never be able to build secure computers, so it is the best way to protect our data. Consumers are now more aware of how technologies are not serving them anymore. The amount of data collected by companies is concerning, and governments are unlikely to try to intervene and regulate the tech industry. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Apple exploring AirPods that take your temperature and monitor posture | Apple is exploring new health-focused features for its AirPods, including the ability for the AirPods to take a wearers' temperature, monitor their posture, and improve their hearing. The functions aren't expected to be released any time soon, and they may never be rolled out to consumers. Integrating health features into commercial products is difficult due to medical regulatory standards. Apple has been exploring the possibility of adding monitors for blood pressure, temperature, sleep quality, blood oxygen, and blood sugar into the Apple Watch. It has increasingly focused the marketing of its products on their health and fitness applications. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Learn CSS (Website) | This course breaks down the fundamentals of CSS. Its modules are designed to create well-rounded developers that are ready to take on any user interface. Each module contains interactive demos and self-assessments. The course was created for developers of all skill levels. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
This Weirdly Smart, Creeping Slime Is Redefining Our Understanding of Intelligence | Physarum polycephalum is a yellow slime mold that can learn, solve complex puzzles, and remember novel substances. It doesn't have a central nervous system or any specialized tissues. Scientists have always assumed that thought required a brain or some type of higher information processing system, but the mold proves otherwise. While the mold is acellular, it still has parts that operate independently, sharing information with its neighboring sections. The article contains pictures and videos of the mold. | 4Miscellaneous
|
New Rocket Mining System Blasts Through Moon Rocks to Reach Ice | Masten Space Systems is a Californian-based startup that is developing a robotic rover system to mine ice on the Moon. The Rocket M rover will extract lunar ice using controlled rocket blasts. It can travel at speeds of up to 2.14 mph and climb 20 percent inclines. The rover can electrolyze stored water for power. Lunar ice can be used for vital resources in future missions. A 5-minute video explaining how the rocket mining system works is available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Apple won’t allow villains to use its products on screen | According to movie director Rian Johnson, Apple has rules against its products being used by villains on-screen. The company takes extra steps to ensure that no bad guys ever use its phones in movies. It is unknown whether Apple approves every instance of iPhone usage in every movie or television show. Apple has always been obsessed with its image, as its products are marketed as status symbols. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Stories Creator (Web Tool) | This is a nifty tool by Buffer that makes it really easy to create nice-looking stories for Instagram/Snapchat/etc. No sign up required! | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Netflix is bringing an audio-only mode to its Android app | Netflix is rolling out an audio-only mode to its Android app users. Users who have the feature will now see a new Video Off button at the top of the full-screen video player. There is a new Audio Only option in settings that lets users choose when they want to default to the mode. Screenshots from the Netflix Android app are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Microsoft's 'Netflix-for-gaming' service launches on iPhone and PC this week | Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service will roll out in beta on iOS and PCs this week. It is already available for Android. The release on iOS was delayed due to changes to the App Store rules made in September. Xbox Cloud Gaming allows users to stream games without having to download them. People who have the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan will be able to stream more than 100 titles, as long as they have a fast enough internet connection. The service will initially roll out in 22 countries. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Apple Is Planning 3-D Cameras for New iPhones in AR Push | Apple is rumored to launch iPhones with more powerful 3D cameras in 2020. Current cameras have a 3D range of about 25-50 centimeters, while the new cameras will work up to 15 feet from the device. This may be a prelude to Apple releasing their own Augmented Reality (AR) headset device. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Discord is testing forums, new mod tools and homepages that surface hot topics in some servers | Discord is testing three new features starting this week aimed at helping users stay on top of the conversation. It will test a forum-like channel for more organized conversations, a homepage-style feature that collects hot topics, and automated moderation tools. The experimental features will only be available via a close beta on some large servers. A screenshot showing the forum-like feature is available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Architecture Playbook (Website) | Creating good IT architectures can be complex and time-consuming, but you don't have to start from scratch. This interactive playbook teaches existing architectures and introduces the tools needed to develop these systems. It focuses on providing usable content and tools for creating quality architecture. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
To Boldly Go Where No Internet Protocol Has Gone Before | Vinton Cerf, one of the creators of the internet, also played a pivotal role in establishing an interplanetary internet. Expanding the internet to space is challenging due to the astronomical distances and factors such as planets getting in the way and potentially blocking signals. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a standard used on Earth for transferring data. It doesn't work at interplanetary distances, so Cerf and a small team of researchers designed a set of protocols that do. Bundle protocols have properties that terrestrial internet doesn't have, such as nodes that can store information. Using these protocols, data can be sent throughout space without regard for the planets' positions. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Vultr: Bare Metal Simplified (Sponsor) | Vultr: Bare Metal Simplified . Stay in full control of your environment with high performance, single-tenant dedicated servers in the cloud, blending uncompromising performance from the latest AMD EPYC processors with our easy-to-use developer experience. TLDR readers can try Vultr Bare Metal for FREE with this $200 credit. | 0Sponsor
|
DoNotPay made an extension for sharing Netflix passwords with friends | DoNotPay has released a Google Chrome extension that allows users to share paid subscription services. Users will not have to share passwords as the extension works by transferring the cookie that stores your existing login status, rather than the password. All users have to do is click on the extension icon, and it will generate a link that users can share to give others access to their accounts. While there is usually no limit for how many people you can share an account with on services such as Netflix, there might be limits on the number of devices that can simultaneously stream content. | 4Miscellaneous
|
This freaky sci-fi speaker beams sound directly into your brainhole | Noveto's SoundBeamer 1.0 is a speaker that beams ultrasonic sound waves directly to a person's ear as they move around, allowing them to privately listen to audio without the need for headphones. It features a 3D sensing module that detects ears and then targets them with sound waves, creating pockets of sound around the user's head. The SoundBeamer 1.0 can work in spatial 3D mode, immersing the user into a world of three-dimensional sound without blocking any outside sounds. Noveto will be launching the device this Friday. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Humans had never seen a spacecraft land on another planet — until now | NASA has released a video showing several viewpoints of last week's Mars landing. The video shows the descent starting from the release of the parachute. About 30GB of data was captured during the descent. The footage will be used to sharpen knowledge about future entry, descent, and landing technology. One problem identified by the footage is the large amount of dust that was kicked up by the descent stage, which will be an important issue for larger spacecraft. The video of the landing is available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
After 10 years of building consumer social apps, I've decided to start exploring new areas | Building consumer social apps can be a grind. This Twitter thread contains advice from a developer who has been making social apps for a decade. It includes tips on how to test apps, how to increase retention, how to target an audience, and much more. | 4Miscellaneous
|
First look at Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Model S with prototype color | Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin in Germany is expected to be completed in 2021. It features the world's most advanced paint shop, producing layers of colors that subtly change with curvature. A picture of Elon Musk's personal Tesla Model S showing off a new prototype color is available in the article. Tesla has reduced color options to streamline its production and simplify service repairs in recent years. Other factories will be upgraded over time as there are issues with retrofitting an operating paint shop. | 4Miscellaneous
|
How Miami Seduced Silicon Valley (27 minute read) | Miami is rebranding itself to attract tech companies and startups. Many tech investors, cryptocurrency bulls, new-media tycoons, start-up founders, and other wanna-be billionaires have been buying up property in the city. Miami was the top migration destination for homebuyers in the US in July, while San Francisco had the largest homeowner exodus. This article discusses how Miami is making itself more attractive to investors and the impact that this migration has had on the city and the tech industry. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Can artificially altered clouds save the Great Barrier Reef? (11 minute read) | In March, Australian researchers conducted an experiment that involved using a mist machine to convert seawater into clouds of nano-sized droplets engineered to brighten clouds and block sunlight. The experiment was part of the $300 million Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program that aims to save the country's reefs. Geoengineering is a controversial topic amongst scientists and research has struggled to attract funding. However, the technology may be vital one day if humans are not able to stop climate change. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Vulture (GitHub Repo) | Vulture finds unused code in Python programs to make it easy to clean up code or find errors in large codebases. It complements pyflakes and supports Python 3.6 and above. Vulture can be customized with whitelists. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Here’s how Google’s experimental 3D telepresence booth works | Project Starline is a 3D video chat booth from Google that aims to replace one-on-one 2D video conference calls. Google recently released a research paper detailing the tech behind its demo of Project Starline at this year's I/O conference. The system consists of a large 65-inch 8K panel running at 60Hz, three capture pods for collecting imagery and depth data, four tracking cameras, four microphones, two loudspeakers, and infrared projectors. It captures a total of seven video streams. Processing this data requires transmission bandwidth of between 30Mbps to 100Mbps and four high-end Nvidia graphics cards. More details, including diagrams and a video demonstrating the technology, are available in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
The Great Resignation is here. What does that mean for developers? | 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs at the end of November 2021. Resignation rates were highest among those who worked in fields that experienced extreme increases in demand due to the pandemic. Many developers feel burnt out due to an increased workload. The demand for developers has increased as more industries start relying on software. Many people have changed how they see their lives due to the pandemic. This article explores how these factors, among many others, have resulted in the Great Resignation, and how this will affect the labor market. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
The new Flying-V substantially upgrades speed and carries passengers in its wings | The Flying-V is a novel plane design that improves fuel efficiency, speed, and passenger room. Its passenger cabin, cargo compartment, and fuel tanks are all located in its wings. The aerodynamic form of the Flying-V lowers fuel consumption by 20% compared to contemporary aircraft. A video that explains the design is available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
How I Got Pwned by My Cloud Costs | Cloud computing can be expensive if not set up correctly. This article follows the story of how a developer received an $8,000 bill after running a service on a cloud unmonitored. It discusses how the developer diagnosed and found the issue as well as mitigation strategies to prevent surprise bills like this from happening. Costs can gradually creep up without developers noticing, so it is important to set up cost alerts and act on them. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
The Boring Company tests its ‘Teslas in Tunnels’ system in Las Vegas | The Boring Company started tests on its Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) tunnels this week. There are three stops in the LVCC system, two above ground and one in the middle of the tunnels. The system uses Tesla vehicles to transport passengers. Passengers use an app to summon cars for rides. The loop turns a 45-minute walk into a two-minute ride. There was some confusion with customers during the tests. Scaling the current system might be an issue for the company, which wants to eventually build a massive tunnel system throughout the whole city. Footage from some of the test rides is available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Quick SQL Cheatsheet (Github) | This is a handy SQL cheatsheet, great for anyone like me who can never remember which JOINs are which. It's short, sweet, and to the point. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Fitness app Supernatural is becoming part of Meta after Facebook touts VR fitness | The studio behind VR workout game Supernatural is joining Meta's Reality Labs. Meta has purchased many popular VR studios over the last few years. While the company is doing this to add popular games to its roster, it is raising concerns that Meta may end up owning the entire virtual reality market. Meta says that the purchase will help the company make better hardware for VR fitness apps. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Scientists Predict Fish Behavior from Real-Time Brain Monitoring | Scientists studied the activity patterns of zebrafish brains in order to predict the decisions that they make. Using the patterns found in the data they collected, the scientists were able to predict the timing and direction of a fish's movement with brain imaging techniques. Larval zebrafish have much simpler brain systems, so they are the best place to start to look for activity patterns that might be distributed and hard to connect. Brains do not execute the exact same responses every time, even for the same activity. The scientists monitored neural activity simultaneously from about 5,000 individual neurons in the brains of the fish during training. Results from the study suggested that the cerebellum was a major contributor to decision-making, despite its well-known role in motor control. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
MapLibre GL (GitHub Repo) | MapLibre GL is a community fork of mapbox-gl before their switch to a non-OSS license. mapbox-gl provides interactive, customizable maps in the browser. An example on how to migrate from mapbox-gl is available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin lands a Pentagon contract to design nuclear-powered spacecraft | Blue Origin has been awarded a $2.5 million contract by the Pentagon to design a nuclear-powered spacecraft. Lockheed Martin and General Atomics are also a part of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. The Pentagon wants to test nuclear thermal propulsion technology, which provides the power of chemical-based propulsion with the efficiency of electrical-based systems. It aims to have a nuclear-powered spacecraft in orbit in 2025. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Scientists say they can read nearly the whole genome of an IVF-created embryo | A Californian company claims that it can decode almost all of the DNA in days-old embryos created using in vitro fertilization. The technique requires fully sequencing both parents' DNA and reconstructing the embryo's genome with the help of the data. While the technique could be used to screen for genetic diseases, the science of screening embryos for genetic diseases is still new and primarily used only in research. There are still many limitations to the technology and scientists are still learning about what works. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
AI-powered test automation for modern software teams (Sponsor) | Fast releases drive innovation in modern software development teams. Yet, too often, those processes are held up by antiquated testing practices. Testim helps teams accelerate software testing with fast authoring of AI-powered, resilient tests. Sign up for your free account and start testing today! | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Alright folks, gather round and let me tell you the story of (almost) | In 2016, Uber was still in its hyper-growth phase. The app was starting to show some cracks, and the team was constantly doing hotfixes. As the design was scaling badly, Uber formed a team to build a new mobile architecture for the app. After a few months, the project was looking good, but as soon as the company-wide rollout began, problems started to show up. At this point, Uber had already invested too much to back out of the project, so the team continued to work to fix it. After fixing a long list of issues, the app was finally released, and the engineers stopped working 90 hour work weeks for a while. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
AT&T will automatically block fraud calls for new customers | AT&T will start automatically blocking fraud calls for new customers at no extra charge. Customers are able to opt out of this service if they don’t want the company to screen their calls for them. Existing customers will have to wait a few months for this feature to be added automatically to their accounts, or they can turn on the feature using the AT&T Call Protect app or through their myAT&T account settings. While there are no extra fees for this service, there are no rules that prevent AT&T from raising its subscription rates for offering the service. | 4Miscellaneous
|
CRYPTOHACK (Website) | Cryptohack is a platform for learning modern cryptography. It provides a series of interactive puzzles and challenges for users to learn about modern cryptographic protocols. There is a scoreboard for users to measure their progress and compete against other challengers. New challenges are added regularly. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Your CS Degree Won’t Prepare You For Angry Users, Legacy Code, or the Whims of Other Engineers | Many people start their first jobs thinking that they have no idea what they are doing. While a computer science degree may cover many essential technical skills, there will always be real-world knowledge and skills that graduates will need to learn on the job. Dealing with angry customers, other engineers, and old code are usually unexpected challenges for new graduates. The field is also ever evolving, so engineers must continue learning throughout their careers. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Holograms, light-leaks and how to build CSS-only shaders (10 minute read) | WebGL and tools like threejs bring a whole new level of visual effects to the browser. CSS now has access to many of the most common shading techniques, It is possible to build surprisingly high-quality effects without the need for any JavaScript dependencies. This article discusses CSS shaders and how to use them to create visual effects. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Ford Self-Driving Vans Will Use Legged Robots to Make Deliveries | Ford’s new autonomous delivery vans will carry a two-legged robot that will bring boxes from the curb to the doorstep. The company is aiming to launch a self-driving vehicle service by 2021. Digit is designed to move in a dynamic fashion and can walk over uneven terrain, climb stairs, and carry 20 kilogram packages. It may take a few years of operation before the robot is able to perform completely autonomously. A two minute video is available that shows Digit in action. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Amazon's search could push customers toward in-house products | Amazon directed search traffic towards products that were more profitable for the company by tweaking its product-search algorithm. Employees were pressured to make sure that Amazon products were placed higher on the search results, resulting in more visibility and sales. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are all being invested as part of a federal anti-trust probe. Apple recently changed its algorithms so that its apps are no longer displayed first in results. Google has been fined $2.7 billion by the EU for promoting its own products in search results. While Amazon has tried to justify its algorithm, it is unclear whether regulators will agree. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Dark Web Price Index 2020 | The Dark Web is known to be a place where people can purchase illegal items. Horror stories where people have their identities or bank accounts stolen are not unheard of, and they could be justified given the prices and items available for purchase. This article contains a list of items that can be purchased on the dark web, their price ranges, as well as some detail on how the purchase process works. Protecting yourself from identity fraud involves being careful about where you give out information, checking ATMs for signs of tampering, checking your computer for malware, securing your internet connection, and making sure your online accounts are secure. A more detailed guide to protecting your identity is available at the end of the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Op-Eds From the Future (Website) | As our technology develops, things that were impossible in the past may soon be possible in the future, such as altering human DNA, extending human life-spans, and creating cyborgs. Other decisions made today may also drastically alter our future, for example, our environmental and social policies. This series of Op-Eds explores our possible futures as a commentary on our world today. | 4Miscellaneous
|
We asked some of the boldest thinkers what the world will be like in 50 years. Here’s what their answers tell us about the future (Website) | Thinkers around the world were asked questions about the future of our world. These questions include: Who will run the world? Which country will have the most powerful economy? What kinds of companies will be most important? What will cause the biggest conflicts? How will people earn a living? There are many more questions. The top three answers are displayed on the main page. More answers are linked to provide deeper insight into how people think the future will turn out. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Google is planning a new Silicon Valley campus with hardware hub, plans show | Google is planning to build another Silicon Valley campus, dubbed 'Midpoint', with a center partly devoted to hardware. The company spent more than $389 million on land in north San Jose in 2018 and has recently filed a detailed preliminary proposal for the space. Midpoint will feature five office buildings connected via a pedestrian bridge over a road. It will accommodate up to 3,500 employees and will only require landscaping and construction updates rather than totally new development. The campus will have areas for outdoor gatherings and transit services for employees. The leaked plans are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Reusable "Microballoons" could give satellites a run for their money | Urban Sky's Microballoon system can take high-res aerial photographs at a much lower cost than satellites, drones, or full-sized aircraft. Each Microballoon consists of a reusable stratospheric balloon and a payload module that houses a high-res optical camera. The system can image approximately 1,000 square kilometers per hour. Microballoons are already being used by a handful of paying clients. Urban Sky recently won a contract from the US Air Force to develop Microballoons for real-time monitoring of forest fires. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Josh (GitHub Repo) | Josh (Just One Single History) combines the advantages of monorepos with those of multirepos. It can be used for partial cloning of repositories, to simplify code sharing and dependency management, and more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Bitsy is the small video game engine with a big community | Bitsy is a video game engine released five years ago that allows users to easily create narrative games in 8-bit pixel art. It has been used to tell jokes, write poems, and share stories. The app was originally created so the developer could make games on their phone while commuting to work. Bitsy now has a community of creators who make games as well as extensions to the engine. Links to several Bitsy games are available in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Google I/O 2022 preview: What to expect from this year's event | Google I/O 2022 starts on May 11. This article speculates on what Google might be announcing at the event. It is likely that Google will make announcements about Android 13, Wear OS 3, the Pixel Watch, Smart Home, the Pixel 6a, and Google Pay. Google will probably not mention the Pixel 7 or Project Iris at the event. While the Pixel Watch may be talked about at the event, it will likely be a pre-announcement similar to how the Pixel 6 series was introduced last year. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Microsoft's New Molecular Controller Makes DNA Writing 1,000 Times Faster | DNA storage will help meet humanity's exponential desire for data storage, but it is expensive, at around $3,500 for synthesizing 1 megabit of information. The technology offers incredible storage density at over 1 exabyte per cubic inch and it may have a lower carbon footprint than traditional computer storage. Researchers at Northwestern University recently announced a new method that can write DNA in hours rather than days. The increase of writing throughput will greatly reduce the cost of writing synthetic DNA code and help to enable commercial DNA storage in the future. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Facebook Preparing Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple for 'Unfair' Approach to Privacy and Default Apps | Facebook plans to launch an antitrust lawsuit against Apple for anticompetitive behavior regarding App Tracking Transparency and iMessage. The suit claims that Apple abuses its power by enforcing App Store rules that Apple itself doesn't have to follow. Facebook claims that Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature is unfair as its prompts don't appear on Apple's apps, offering them a competitive advantage. Apple's apps do not track users or share data for advertising purposes. Facebook also claims that Apple's refusal to allow third-party messaging apps to be installed as the default option is an attempt to prevent people from switching to competing brands. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Meta Reveals VR Headset Prototypes Designed to Make VR ‘Indistinguishable From Reality’ (11 minute read) | Meta recently unveiled a collection of VR headset prototypes. The company is aiming to develop a headset that can completely convince the visual system that what's inside is actually real. It has identified four key visual challenges that VR headsets need to solve before the visual Turing Test can be passed. The prototype headsets function as proof-of-concept for potential solutions to these challenges. Details about the challenges and the prototype headsets are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down | Elon Musk announced during a conference call on Wednesday that Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel will be stepping down as an executive at Tesla. Drew Baglino, vice president of technology, will take over his duties. Straubel was responsible for some of Tesla's most important technology, especially around batteries. Unlike other high-profile executives who left Tesla this year to join Apple, Straubel will be involved with a company called Redwood Materials, which focuses on recycling technology. | 4Miscellaneous
|
U.S. SEC halts Telegram's $1.7 billion digital token offering | The Securities and Exchange Commission has received a temporary restraining order against the entities that were selling Grams, Telegram's digital token. Telegram was set to sell 2.9 billion digital tokens, of which 1 billion was to be sold in the US. The SEC claims that the digital tokens were securities offerings, which meant that they were subject to the SEC's offering rules which require firms to file registration and disclosure documents. Telegram was set to launch its tokens on October 31. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Here's what the world's first floating city in Busan, South Korea, could look like | The South Korean city of Busan recently unveiled a prototype for a floating city. Floating cities could be a way to mitigate the effects of climate change. Busan is a critical port city that will have to adapt to rising sea waters. The floating city will have modular pieces, each designed for a specific use. Artist renderings of the project are available in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
China’s 640-Ton ‘Iron Monster’ Can Erect Colossal Bridges In a Few Days | SLJ900/32 is a bridge construction machine that lifts, carries, and sets prefabricated track sections to build bridges fast. It is being used by China for the country’s Belt and Road initiative, which aims to create land and sea routes to link about 70 countries. The machines have a lifespan of about four years and can lay up to 1,000 bridge spans. A video of one of the machines laying a section of a bridge is available in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
eBay Executives Accused of Horrifying Harassment Campaign Against Journalists | Six former eBay directors and employees allegedly sent a box of cockroaches and a package of fly larvae, among other items, to intimidate a pair of journalists who they believe negatively covered the company. CEO Devin Wenig was apparently aware of the campaign and may have helped direct it. The targets were a couple in Massachusetts who ran an e-commerce review website. Threatening messages were sent to the couple using anonymous email accounts, cell phones, and internet connections. Packages containing disturbing items that were sent to the couple were paid for with prepaid debit cards. The company also engaged in other acts of harassment which are listed in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Advice for Tech Workers to Navigate the Most Heated Job Market of All Time (11 minute read) | The job market is on fire across the globe, with demand for employees outstripping supply. While the root causes of the heated hiring market are longer-term forces, the easing of lockdowns means it may cool down by early 2022. This article contains advice for tech workers, both junior and more experienced, on how to make the most out of this heated market while it lasts. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Apple has reportedly cut production of its 3 newest iPhone models after lower-than-expected demand | Apple has cut production targets for all three iPhones it released in September (the XR, the XS, and the XS Max) due to low demand. Analysts believe that the iPhone could start seeing year-over-year declines in sales as soon as the first quarter of 2019. Apple recently announced that it would no longer be reporting iPhone unit sales. The XR model is doing especially poorly, and Apple has told producers to cut production by a third (originally they asked for 70 million units between September and February). | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
You Deserve Privacy Online. Here's How You Could Actually Get It | This op-ed by Tim Cook calls for US Congress to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation. Companies should avoid collecting identifying information if possible, tell people what data is collected and why, and allow people to delete their personal data. This legislation should also target online data brokers, who buy your purchasing data from online retailers and sells it to other buyers, all without your knowledge. Cook wants the FTC to shine a light on this practice. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Glassdoor's Best Places To Work 2019 (List) | This is Glassdoor's annual best places to work list. Bain (the consulting firm) comes in at #1, Zoom Video (the teleconferencing software) comes in at #2, and In and Out Burger makes it in at #3! For big tech companies, LinkedIn is #6, Facebook is #7, Google is #8, Salesforce is #11, and Microsoft is #34. It looks like Netflix and Amazon didn't make the top 100 list. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Neuropod (GitHub Repo) | Neuropod makes it easy to run deep learning models from multiple frameworks by providing a uniform interface. It currently supports TensorFlow, PyTorch, TorchScript, and Keras. Researchers can use Neuropod to build models and optimize code that will run on multiple platforms, four or five versions of each supported framework, and five versions of Python. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Google Allegedly Infiltrated by "Cult-Like Religious Sect" | A group called the Fellowship of Friends may be controlling the hiring at Google. The group believes that most people exist in a state of 'waking sleep' and its founder claims to have been contacted by angelic incarnations of deceased art figures. The group allegedly built its influence by running a hiring agency that hired contractors from the sect. A previous case in 2008 awarded an employee $6.5 million in damages for failing to be promoted for not being a Fellowship member. | 4Miscellaneous
|
BlockLike.js (GitHub Repo) | BlockLike.js is an education JavaScript library that bridges the gap between block-based and text-based programming. It was designed following Scratch concepts, methods, and patterns. BlockLike.js is environment independent and can be used anywhere modern JavaScript runs. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Facebook is building an operating system so it can ditch Android | Facebook doesn't want its hardware to be at the mercy of Google and its Android operating system, so it has started to develop its own operating system from scratch. Using its own OS, Facebook will have more control over social features and privacy. One possibility is that a custom OS may be developed specifically for augmented reality. Facebook's previous attempts at developing its own custom OS have failed. A new office for the AR/VR team will house around 4,000 employees and allow the public to come to play with Facebook's augmented reality and virtual reality products. Facebook is considering implementing a retail space so people can also purchase devices. It has been focusing heavily on hardware, as it aims to keep up with new technologies in order to continue to data-mine. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Apple granted patent for software that would let you take socially distant group selfies | Apple has been granted a patent for software that generates synthetic group selfies. The software is likely a method for taking group selfies for social media even during social distancing. Users would be able to invite others to take part in a group selfie and the software would then arrange the images together into a single picture. The resulting picture will be customizable, so users should be able to modify the position of the people in the photo or store the original images separately. Apple first filed for the patent in 2018 and it was just granted at the beginning of June. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Twitter rolls out Stories, aka ‘Fleets,’ to all users; will also test a Clubhouse rival | Twitter has launched Fleets to its global user base. The feature allows users to post content that disappears after 24 hours. Twitter plans to test an audio-based social networking feature that will allow people to gather for live conversations. The feature is similar to a core feature in Clubhouse, an app that has faced several high-profile incidents of moderation failure, despite still being in a private, invite-only testing phase. Twitter has yet to prove that it can successfully combat online abuse, harassment, and trolling. Standard voice tweets are coming soon to Android. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
What happens when ... Kubernetes edition! (35 minute read) | Kubernetes handles the deployment of workloads across infrastructure using user-friendly APIs. Most of what it is doing is hidden from the user. This article details what happens 'under the hood' in Kubernetes after you enter in the command to deploy nginx to a cluster. It aims to help readers understand what Kubernetes actually does in order to fully understand the value it offers. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Gene Editing a “Factory Reset” for the Brain To Cure Anxiety and Excessive Drinking | A study by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago has found a potential gene-editing treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence. Binge drinking in adolescence alters brain chemistry in the enhancer region of the Arc gene and reduces Arc expression in the amygdala for both rodents and humans. This contributes to a predisposition to alcohol use disorder in adulthood. Rats that had been exposed to alcohol during adolescence showed fewer indicators of anxiety and lower alcohol consumption when Arc gene expression was increased using CRISPR technology. Normal rats showed more indicators of anxiety and increased their alcohol consumption when Arc gene expression was decreased. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Markwhen (GitHub Repo) | Markwhen is a tool that converts markdown-ish text into a cascading timeline. It supports simple US/EU date styles, ISO8601, images, links, locations, and more. Examples are available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
CBP says traveler photos and license plate images stolen in data breach | The US Customs and Border Protection agency has confirmed that photos of travelers and vehicles passing through US borders have been stolen in a data breach. A subcontractor had copied the images directly to their private network, and the data was later obtained by a third party via a malicious cyber attack. The subcontractor, who has not been identified, is now having their other CBP-related work reviewed. According to the CBP, its networks remain secure. Less than 100,000 people were affected by the data breach, and no passport or travel document information was stolen. It is unclear whether the stolen data came from the CBP’s new facial recognition initiatives or from standard data collection procedures. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Cerebras’ wafer-size chip is 10,000 times faster than a GPU | Cerebras Systems is the maker of the WSE, the world's largest computer chip. It recently announced that its CS-1 system is 10,000 times faster than a graphics processing unit (GPU). This means that AI neural networks that would previously take months to train can now train in minutes. The CS-1 system has 1.2 trillion transistors, much more than Nvidia's largest GPU, which has 54.2 billion transistors. A single chip is 26 inches tall and requires a custom wafer-scale processing engine for power. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Microsoft uses GPT-3 to let you code in natural language | Microsoft is now using OpenAI's GPT-3 natural language model in its Power Apps service to translate spoken text into code. Power Fx focuses on Power Apps formulas, making the tool similar to the natural language query functions available in Excel, PowerBI, or Google Sheets. Users will still have to understand the logic of the application they are building, but Power Fx will give more people access to advanced app building and also help train people to use low code tools. The new features will go live for users in North America by the end of June. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Moderna’s HIV Vaccine Has Officially Begun Human Trials | The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Moderna have announced that human trials for an experimental HIV vaccine have officially begun. The first shots were administered on Thursday. While modern medicines have proved effective at slowing the spread of HIV and reducing its mortality, it is still a threat to global health. The HIV vaccine builds on the mRNA vaccine technology developed by Moderna for the Covid-19 vaccine. The human trials are expected to conclude in 2023. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
PayPal abruptly cuts off Pornhub’s payroll, leaving performers with few payment options | Pornhub has announced that PayPal will no longer support payments to Pornhub performers. Paypal's acceptable use policy forbids certain sexually oriented materials or services. Performers who are part of Pornhub's Model Program will have to update their payment information to use one of the many other payment options available. Other payment options are not guaranteed to be safe. For example, some banks refuse to serve sex workers. PayPal's sudden decision to drop Pornhub means that over a hundred thousand performers have to quickly update their details or risk receiving their payments late. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Charity Water Thirst (Book) | This book costs $17, I usually don't put paid products here but I'm making an exception since this is a charity. Basically if you buy the book (which is about the Founder/CEO of Charity Water's journey from being a nightclub promoter to running a charity that's provided clean water to 8.4 million people), Charity Water gets $30, and they get another $30 if you tweet/instagram about the book. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
Zoom closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist “to comply with local law” | A paid Zoom account associated with US-based nonprofit Humanitarian China was temporarily shut down after broadcasting an event commemorating the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Zoom stated that the account was closed down to comply with local laws. Some of the participants of the event were based in China where free discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement is forbidden. Zoom is a US-based company, but much of its product development was based in China, with some Zoom calls routed through Chinese servers. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Facebook announces Bulletin, its Substack newsletter competitor | Facebook just announced a newsletter product called Bulletin. Bulletin allows writers to publish free and paid newsletters on the web, to subscribers' emails, or on Facebook. Facebook won't take a fee from writers at launch, and writers retain full ownership of their content and subscriber lists. Facebook has signed up writers already to cover topics from sports to finance. Newsletter platforms are growing in popularity as they offer a way for creators to monetize their work. Bulletin is not currently accepting writers. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Microsoft remote work study: Average length of workweek has increased 10% during pandemic | A Microsoft study published last week revealed a decrease in cross-company communication and an increase in the length of the average workweek after the shift to remote work. The decrease in collaboration and communication is expected to impact productivity and innovation. While the data showed an increase in the length of the average workweek, this increase doesn't necessarily mean that employees are working more hours within the longer workweek. The researchers warn that it is too early to make long-term policies on remote work. | 4Miscellaneous
|
5 Best Practices for Securing SSH (Sponsor) | In this article, Teleport explores five SSH best practices you should observe to boost the security of your infrastructure. Learn more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
UIBOT(Website) | UIBOT replaces the process of designing UIs with a bot. The project is a concept at the moment, and will only generate a UI for a specific, predetermined interface. UIBOT was designed to investigate the advantages and limitations of using automation to design UIs. Users only need to click a button to generate a random design. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Top Five Reasons to Re-Evaluate Your Privacy Posture (Sponsor) | Top Five Reasons to Re-Evaluate Your Privacy Posture . Every organization has a privacy posture, a set of systems, rules, and principles for how to govern and protect their stakeholders’ (i.e. customers’) sensitive information. Regardless of whether your company has defined its privacy posture, it’s important to periodically review how well your data architecture and processes safeguard sensitive stakeholder data. Learn more about the best practices to improve your company’s privacy posture with this on demand webinar: Top Five Reasons to Re-Evaluate Your Privacy Posture | 0Sponsor
|
NASA to Fly Drones on Saturn’s Moon Titan Searching for Alien Life | A mission that will send a quadcopter to Saturn's largest moon to look for signs of life has been announced by NASA. Dragonfly will be launched in 2026 and land on Titan in 2034. Titan has a nitrogen-based atmosphere similar to Earth, and researchers believe that the moon's weather and surface processes have the potential to create life. Dragonfly will land on the equatorial sand dunes of Titan and then travel five miles at a time over the next three years. It will end up at the Selk impact crater, where there could be evidence of water and possible life. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
|
How the Entertainment Industry Solved Piracy, Then Made It Popular Again | For the last few decades, the entertainment industry has been fighting piracy by suing and vilifying potential customers or lobbying for copyright laws like DMCA, rather than offering better, cheaper products. The introduction of streaming services saw a drop in piracy as people had an attractive, legal alternative. As more and more streaming services enter the market, consumers are forced to sort through the many different offerings to find the shows that they want to watch. If consumers want to watch shows that are on different platforms, they have to pay for both. This is causing some consumers to return to piracy. Data suggests that piracy is an invisible competitor and a metric of consumer dissatisfaction. | 4Miscellaneous
|
All of Italy is being placed on lockdown due to coronavirus | The whole of Italy has been placed on lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19. People are no longer allowed to assemble in public and many businesses will be closed. There are more than 9,100 confirmed cases in Italy, with more than 460 people dead. Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in all regions of the country. The disease has now infected more than 113,000 people globally and caused nearly 4,000 deaths. | 4Miscellaneous
|
Google Lens coming to desktop Chrome as new integrated image search tool | Google is bringing Lens to the desktop via Chrome browser. Users will soon be able to search images with Google Lens through the right-click menu. The desktop version of Lens allows users to crop and focus. Users can retry their search with Google Images if Lens doesn't provide the right results. The update will roll out with version 92 of Chrome. | 1Big Tech & Startups
|
Elon Musk says Tesla will make ventilators for hospitals if needed | Elon Musk has offered Tesla's help in making ventilators for hospitals in the event of a shortage. The US is likely to have a mechanical ventilator shortage in the coming months as it deals with the COVID-19 outbreak. An estimated 960,000 people will need the roughly 200,000 ventilators currently in the US. While Musk has said he can make the ventilators, he noted that it will take some time to produce. The offer arose from a conversation discussing the partial closure of Tesla's Fremont factory due to shelter-in-place orders. Tesla is allowed to operate with a quarter of its workforce and no cars will be manufactured in the factory. | 4Miscellaneous
|
DeOldify (GitHub Repo) | DeOldify uses NoGAN, a new type of GAN training which provides the benefits of GAN training while spending minimal time doing direct GAN training, to recreate old black and white images and video in color. There are many images and GIF examples in the repository, as well as details on NoGAN and how it works. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Subsets and Splits