[User] This article introduces Node-RED, a popular open-source tool used to connect different types of hardware and APIs. You’ll learn core concepts of flow-based development with Node-RED and how to create workflows, through an example of storing sensor data using an MQTT broker and InfluxDB. Read the tutorial

[Assistant] Tutorial: IoT Data Flows with Node-RED and InfluxDB


[User] A team at the University of California-Davis has created jelly ice cubes made out of hydrogel that hold their shape at all temperatures. The hydrogel is made up of 10 percent organic gelatin and 90 percent water. The cubes can be cut into any shape or size and used like regular ice cubes, except that they won't melt when they thaw. Each cube can be reused up to 12 times without degradation and composted once discarded.

[Assistant] Freezable hydrogel offers a reusable alternative to ice cubes


[User] Microsoft is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will provide cloud computing services to the artificial intelligence research lab in order to develop new technologies. Originally, OpenAI started as a nonprofit research lab focused on developing AI in a safe and democratic fashion, but earlier this year OpenAI announced that it needed more money to continue work. A new for-profit firm to seek outside investment was created, with clear rules to restrict the amount of potential return that investors could expect. OpenAI is dedicated to creating artificial general intelligence and has so far created many impressive projects, but none that come close to actual AGI.

[Assistant] Microsoft invests $1 billion in OpenAI to pursue holy grail of artificial intelligence


[User] This Twitter thread discusses the features of the new Next.js router.

[Assistant] Update on the new Next.js router


[User] Start SSHing In Minutes with Tailscale Say goodbye to jump servers and bastions, and to all-or-nothing access to your network or home lab. Tailscale makes SSH easy and secure. Our free plan is free forever. Install now.

[Assistant] Start SSHing In Minutes with Tailscale


[User] Grab an easy-to-remember .app or .dev domain, free for the first year with Porkbun Porkbun is a user-friendly domain registrar that prioritizes intuitive UX and timely support. Show off your new app with a .app domain (used by Square's Cash App and Shopify's Shop App) or a new project with a .dev domain (used by projects like Go, React Native, Dart, Flutter, and more!). Get your free domain today.

[Assistant] Grab an easy-to-remember .app or .dev domain, free for the first year with Porkbun


[User] Square is building an open developer platform to make it easier to provide non-custodial, decentralized financial services. Its primary focus will be Bitcoin. The initiative will be open source. It will be different from Square Crypto. Square will establish Twitter and GitHub accounts to provide updates on the project.

[Assistant] Square to Create a New Bitcoin Platform for Financial Services


[User] An AI-based judge will be used in Estonia to settle small claims cases. The AI will take case submissions from both parties in a trial and determine the outcome without an actual human judge making the decision. If the parties disagree with the decision made, then they can further appeal to a human judge and a full case. The government is planning up to 50 different applications for AI in the public sector by 2020.

[Assistant] Estonia to Empower AI-Based Judge in Small Claims Court


[User] OpenAI, a non-profit organization created in 2015 to ensure AI benefits humanity, today announced the creation of OpenAI LP, a for-profit company that is owned and controlled by the OpenAI board of directors. The goal of creating the new company was to accelerate the development of a safe Artificial General Intelligence system. Investors in OpenAI LP will have pre-negotiated caps in their returns, and any excess profit will be donated to the OpenAI project. As OpenAI LP focuses on the development of safe AI technologies, OpenAI will continue to focus on educational programs and policy initiatives.

[Assistant] OpenAI launches new company for funding safe artificial general intelligence


[User] Xiaomi's Mi TV Lux OLED Transparent Edition is a TV that looks like a piece of glass when it is turned off. The 55-inch TV will cost 49,999 yuan and will go on sale in China on August 16th. It is unlikely that the TV will be sold outside of Asia. Images of the device are available in the article.

[Assistant] Xiaomi unveils a ridiculous see-through TV


[User] Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories (GTL) has developed ultra-lightweight cryogenic tanks that have a 75% mass reduction compared with other aerospace cryotanks. A 12 kg tank from GTL is able to hold over 150 kg of hydrogen. The weight reduction means that hydrogen-fueled aircraft may be able to fly at least four times as far as comparable aircraft running on jet fuel while completely eliminating carbon emissions. It could also mean increased cargo or passenger capacity.

[Assistant] Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete


[User] The Pirate Bay was born in 2003, and despite many attempts at closing down the website, it still remains an internet giant today. It uses torrents, a system which decentralizes the location of files so that users are downloading from their peers rather than a website. Many countries have attempted to block the site, and the Swedish government attempted to charge the creators of the website for copyright infringements, resulting in a year of prison and a $3.5 million fine for the four defendants. While piracy has dropped over the years due to streaming services like Netflix, which made content conveniently available and affordable, the piracy rate has raised recently due to the splitting of streaming services. Consumers are finding it more convenient to pirate again, rather than pay for multiple streaming services.

[Assistant] After 15 Years, The Pirate Bay Still Can’t Be Killed


[User] Australian startup Synchron has implanted its first brain-computer interface device in a US patient. It implanted the 1.5-inch device into the brain of an ALS patient. The device was designed to allow the patient to communicate by using their thoughts to send emails and texts. Synchron has already implanted the device in four patients in Australia. Unlike Neuralink's device, Synchron's device can be inserted into a human skull without cutting into it.

[Assistant] A brain-computer startup beat Elon Musk's Neuralink to implanting its first chip in a US patient


[User] This repository contains code for basic face movement tracking that can convert face movement into keyboard commands. Two demo games are available.

[Assistant] Realtime Face Movement Tracking


[User] Somniacs AG is a startup that offers a VR setup that aims to fulfill the common human dream of flying. Users lie on their front on the machine with their arms spread out. They are able to choose from a range of scenarios and locations. For example, users can choose to fly over New York City or fly over a prehistoric landscape filled with animated dinosaurs. A sea-turtle edition is to be released in the near future. Birdly was first produced in 2014 and around 50 units have been sold primarily to museums and other institutions in North America and Europe. While no Japanese company has purchased a machine, one was exhibited at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies in Chiba. VR is a rapidly growing industry with active usage in fields outside of gaming, such as in sports training.

[Assistant] Reality is for the birds: New VR simulator lets people 'fly' over cities of the world


[User] Elon Musk has challenged Parag Agrawal to a public debate about Twitter bot percentages.

[Assistant] Musk wants public debate with Twitter CEO instead of that upcoming court trial


[User] A Hong Kong tycoon is suing the salesman that convinced him to use a supercomputer to handle his trading, a decision which cost him more than $20 million. It is the first known instance of people going to court over investment losses triggered by trading algorithms. While algorithms may be able to make decisions and trade faster than humans, they might not always make the right decisions, or the algorithm might not be suitable for the task. In this case, the tycoon claims that the advertised stop-loss abilities of the trading bot were inappropriate for volatile trading, and this was the cause of the losses. The case opens up the question as to whether humans are to blame when their robots make the wrong calculations, or malfunction in other ways.

[Assistant] Who to Sue When a Robot Loses Your Fortune


[User] NeMo is a framework-agnostic toolkit for building AI applications powered by Neural Modules. Researchers can define and build new speech and NLP networks easily using applications built with NeMo.

[Assistant] NVIDIA Neural Modules: NeMo


[User] MindGeek is the company behind some of the world's largest porn sites. Despite its size, it is relatively unknown as it tries to keep itself out of the spotlight. This article discusses the many controversies that the company has been involved in over the years, including how it built its empire on stolen content, how it forced many production studios and performers out of business, its handling of content takedown requests, and more. MindGeek boasts access to big data on the next level, allowing its employees to uncover user habits overnight that might take other companies months to find. Around 15 terabytes of data is uploaded to its sites every day.

[Assistant] MindGeek: The secretive owner of Pornhub and RedTube


[User] 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.

[Assistant] How the Entertainment Industry Solved Piracy, Then Made It Popular Again


[User] Most online courses suck. You feel uninspired, lonely, and the content isn’t great because the instructor spends all their time promoting the program instead of building expertise.Maven offers career-building cohort-based courses that actually support ambitious professionals to excel and grow by empowering experienced operators to teach. Maven’s collection features courses led by the ex-Head of Marketing at Asana and Carta, the former VP of Sales at Yelp and Marketing Expert in Residence at First Round Capital.Check out their Fall 2022 season of courses here.

[Assistant] Maven - Online Courses That Don’t Suck


[User] TikTok has announced a program that lets viewers pay to subscribe to specific live streamers they want to support. Live Subscription will give fans access to perks such as a subscriber-only chat, creator-specific emotes, and badges. It will give TikTok creators a predictable monthly income. Users will have to be 18 or over to either offer or purchase a paid subscription. Live Subscription will launch in beta on May 26 on an invite-only basis for creators with over 1,000 followers.

[Assistant] TikTok’s launching Twitch-like subscriptions in beta on Thursday


[User] The Pentagon has contracted SpaceX to develop rockets to deliver packages around the planet in under an hour. One of the US Military's strongest points is its ability to move troops, weapons, and supplies quickly. It was using C-17 transport planes but the planes are no longer being made. The partnership will allow SpaceX to keep the rights to the patents developed during the research. There is no timeline for when the project will be complete.

[Assistant] The Pentagon Wants Elon Musk to Yeet Cargo Around the Planet In an Hour


[User] Sony Picture Entertainment Inc. has bought Crunchyroll through Funimation, its American anime distributor. The deal is estimated to be worth $1.175 billion. By adding Crunchyroll to its portfolio, Sony will achieve more influence over Japan's anime industry. Sony has been involved in anime production for decades and it has been strengthening its portfolio of international streaming services through acquisitions over the last five years. Crunchyroll has been growing its brand successfully in recent years, launching a yearly convention in 2017, creating its own games publishing label in 2018, and purchasing the European branch of Viz media in 2019.

[Assistant] Sony’s Funimation acquires anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion


[User] This repository contains a set of flow charts showing different career paths and the technologies required to enter into those fields. The charts were designed for people interested in becoming experts in data science, machine learning, or artificial intelligence. A link to an interactive version with additional resources is available.

[Assistant] AI Expert Roadmap


[User] Users will be able to start selecting specific interests for restaurants and businesses in the Yelp app on iOS and Android. The feature will roll out over the course of the next year. Yelp will categorize businesses based on information from user-generated reviews, photos, questions, and answers. The Yelp app will provide personalized search results using a machine learning algorithm. This is the first time Yelp has offered personalization options, and it shows how the company is expanding its focus beyond food. Businesses won't have to do anything on their side.

[Assistant] Yelp now offers personalized results based on your diet and lifestyle


[User] Large language models (LLMs) are being used for a wide range of applications, but these programs have serious problems, including biases and failing tests of logical reasoning. DeepMind recently conducted research on whether adding more data and computing power would overcome these limitations. It created a language model with 280 billion parameters called Gopher and confirmed that scaling up LLMs offers improved performance on benchmark tests for sentiment analysis and summarization. There are still some issues inherent to language models that scaling does not seem to fix, such as models perpetuating stereotypical biases.

[Assistant] DeepMind tests the limits of large AI language systems with 280-billion-parameter model


[User] Rocket Lab, a Californian-based spaceflight company, is planning a robotic astrobiology mission to Venus in 2023. Venus used to be a planet with oceans, lakes, and rivers, before the planet became hot and dry. Scientists believe that there could be life in the planet's atmosphere, where potentially habitable pockets have temperatures and pressures similar to the Earth's surface environment. The Venus mission will involve deploying probes into the planet's atmosphere using Rocket Lab's Photon satellite platform. When Photon becomes available for customers, it will significantly lower the cost of doing science in space.

[Assistant] Rocket Lab aims to launch private Venus mission in 2023


[User] This is a cool little command line utility that will allow you to change your desktop background to a randomly selected high-resolution photo from Unsplash, just by typing "splash -c" into your terminal.

[Assistant] Splash CLI


[User] The prominent crime site Maza was hacked earlier this week. It was a long-standing destination for all types of criminal activity. The forum was considered elite and hard to join. The hackers obtained usernames, email addresses, and hashed passwords, and then subsequently dumped the stolen data on the dark web. Two other Russian cybercrime forums were recently hacked. It is impossible to know who the hackers are, but it is possible that the site takedowns were done by law enforcement.

[Assistant] Someone Is Hacking the Hackers


[User] Wasmtime is a standalone WebAssembly runtime that can be used for microservices and serverless platforms, plugin systems, databases, portable clients, and more.

[Assistant] Wasmtime Reaches 1.0: Fast, Safe, and Production Ready!


[User] Airbrake can tell you exactly where an error is in your app, right down to the line of broken code. Plus, it will show you what happened leading up to the error, including clicks, keypresses, navigational updates, and more. Click here to learn more about this cool Airbrake feature!

[Assistant] Cut JS Debug Time in Half Using Airbrake


[User] An Israeli startup called Embryonics is using AI to improve the odds of success during in vitro fertilization. The company will use the software to analyze which embryos are most likely to survive, as well as for improving hormonal stimulation. Every woman who goes through IVF or fertility preservation has to be injected with hormones for up to two weeks to induce the ovaries to produce numerous eggs. The process at the moment requires a lot of trial and error, which the company hopes to remove with the use of AI. It is still in the very early stages of research, so it is unknown whether the project will succeed.

[Assistant] This startup says its AI can better spot a healthy embryo — and improve IVF success


[User] Google is bringing Google Chat and Gmail's merger with Google Chat, Google Docs, and Google Meet to consumer accounts. The features were rolled out to paid Google Workspace accounts last August. The new Gmail UI has a segmented sidebar with Google apps on it. Users can open Google Docs files inside Gmail through links in Google Chat. Google Hangouts users will be upgraded to Google Chat at some point, after which Hangouts will finally shut down.

[Assistant] Gmail’s big merger with Google Chat, Meet, and Docs launches for everyone


[User] Okay, I know I put stuff like this in the newsletter all the time but I just can't help myself. I love dark mode. I love browser extensions. If you make a dark mode browser extension, it will probably end up in this newsletter. Dark reader is a simple open source browser extension that works on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari that turns on "Dark Mode for Everything". I've been using it all day and it's great, it has an easy toggle on and off and you can change settings like brightness and contrast with the built in sliders.

[Assistant] Dark Reader


[User] Framework is a startup that will soon be launching its first product, a 13.5-inch laptop. The laptop will have a modular design, with components that can be easily configured, replaced, or upgraded. It features easily accessible sockets for RAM, storage, and Wi-Fi, and the company pledges to offer future motherboard swaps and CPU upgrades, without replacing the entire laptop. A marketplace will be created for third parties to design, build, and sell compatible modules for the laptop. The laptop is expected to become widely available this summer.

[Assistant] Framework startup designed a thin, modular, repairable 13-inch laptop


[User] Spotify will start testing video podcasts in its app starting with Zane and Heath: Unfiltered. 50 percent of Spotify podcast listeners will be able to see the videos for the show's three most recent episodes. Users will only know that the podcast has video enabled once they start playing the podcast. The video will sync up with audio if the user turns off the screen and it will pause when ads are playing. Spotify will not be translating the videos for a global audience.

[Assistant] Spotify is testing video podcasts with two YouTube stars


[User] An international team of scientists has developed a technology that can selectively rearrange atomic bonds within a single molecule. The method allows for an unprecedented level of control over chemical bonds and could open up many possibilities within the field of molecular machinery. It involves using the tip of a scanning probe microscope to apply different voltage pulses. The reactions are reversible, so the technique can switch molecules between different molecular structures in a controlled manner.

[Assistant] Chemistry breakthrough offers unprecedented control over atomic bonds


[User] Doggo is a four-legged robot that costs less than $3,000 to build and is completely open source. It was designed to be accessible so that labs around the world could build it and use it for their own experiments. Doggo performs better than many more expensive models available on the market while being less expensive. Legged robots are becoming more and more useful in the real world, and increasing accessibility to the technology will allow labs and universities to develop more applications for the technology.

[Assistant] Meet Doggo: Stanford’s cute open-source four-legged robot


[User] Elon Musk plans to list Starlink on the market in several years when revenue growth is smooth and predictable. Starlink is an important new revenue stream for SpaceX. It is racing to offer broadband internet commercially by the end of 2020. Musk tweeted that he would give small retail investors top priority in the initial public offering.

[Assistant] Musk plans IPO for SpaceX's Starlink business


[User] This GitHub gist contains two snippets of CSS code designed to make websites look good on most displays.

[Assistant] CSS to look great nearly everywhere


[User] Since 2012, the United States has been conducting reconnaissance into the control systems of the Russian power grid. Now, the strategy is shifting more towards offense, as the US moves to give warning to Russia and other countries who try to conduct cyber offensives against the US. It is unknown how deeply US code has penetrated Russian systems. Russia has also likely installed malicious code within US power systems. Cyber attacks against the US by Russia have so far elicited little response or retaliation. As the attacks continue, the US is required to take countermeasures in case a serious incident occurs, such as a nation-wide blackout during the 2020 elections, which experts believe may possible.

[Assistant] U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid


[User] Websites that are 100 percent AI-driven will soon be a significant force. People have used machine learning in the browser to identify drawings, control smart lights, control video game characters, detect indecent content, and more. A free 5-day mini-course is linked that helps people to understand the basics of in-browser machine learning. Another beginner course for machine learning with TensorFlow.js is also available. It teaches real-world skills in order to properly apply machine learning to anywhere JavaScript can be applied.

[Assistant] AI in the Browser


[User] Elon Musk had already decided not to take a board seat at Twitter before he spent the weekend making a series of tweets questioning Twitter's business and future. If Musk had joined the board, he would have had a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, which he has so far shown no interest in. Musk is already dealing with many legal issues. This article looks at Musk's recent purchase, why he may have decided not to become a Twitter board member, and what will likely happen next.

[Assistant] How Elon Musk got everything he wanted out of Twitter


[User] Moxie Marlinspike is stepping down as CEO of Signal, leaving executive chairman Brian Acton to serve as acting CEO until a replacement is found. Signal, founded in 2014, is one of the most trusted apps for encrypted messaging. It has more than 40 million monthly users and it is regularly recommended by security experts. The company is a nonprofit, so it relies on donations and a recently launched sustainer program.

[Assistant] Moxie Marlinspike steps down as CEO of Signal


[User] Instagram is testing features with some users that make the app more like TikTok. The new feed shows as much algorithmically targeted video content as possible and tries to maximize engagement wherever practical. It removes the ability for users to mute or unmute videos by tapping on them. The feed has also switched from an infinite scroll to an item-by-item flipping style. When users reach the end of their organic content, the feed now presents half an algorithmically selected post to encourage users to continue.

[Assistant] Instagram gets worse with dark patterns lifted from Tiktok


[User] China has created an "artificial sun", a nuclear fusion reaction that reaches 100 million degrees Celsius. The reaction is completely under control and can be turned off at any time. The project is the result of a collaboration between 35 countries including China, Russia, and the US. The scientists working on the project will continue to work on maintaining a stable fusion reaction for a longer period of time and at an even higher temperature.

[Assistant] China's 'artificial sun' operates at temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius


[User] Loon has launched its first commercial service in Kenya. Alphabet's fleet of around 35 floating balloons will provide 4G LTE service to Telkom Kenya subscribers within a 50,000 square kilometer region across western and central areas of the country. Loon has been testing its balloons in Kenya for several months now, connecting 35,000 unique users to the internet. The balloons fly at roughly 20 km above the ground, analyzing the weather to ride around on stratospheric winds. They stay in the air for over 100 days before returning to earth. The balloons were designed to supplement existing connectivity options rather than to replace them.

[Assistant] Alphabet’s Loon balloons provide their first commercial internet service in Kenya


[User] Onboarding into a new role can be scary. The first few months are the most important. This article provides some guidelines for tech workers in mid to senior roles for onboarding effectively. It discusses mindsets as well as a structure for planning out the first 100 days. Investing in learning and relationships can help with making good decisions and shipping early wins, which leads to building trust and strong relationships.

[Assistant] What I Wish I Knew About Onboarding Effectively


[User] k0s is a single binary Kubernetes distribution that can make building a Kubernetes cluster just a matter of copying an executable to every host and running it. It provides a robust and versatile base for running Kubernetes in various setups, while attempting to minimize the number of add-ons bundled in. k0s is not yet 100% stable, with the team aiming for a 1.0.0 release out in early 2021.

[Assistant] k0s - Zero Friction Kubernetes


[User] SpaceX plans to use a giant tower with arms to catch its rockets. Mechazilla will be around 145m tall and will be outfitted with at least three arms. Construction started a few weeks ago, and the tower is almost complete. Pictures of the tower are available in the article.

[Assistant] SpaceX is almost ready to start turning Starship’s launch tower into ‘Mechazilla’


[User] Action Transformer (ACT-1) is a model that can use several software tools. Users can type in high-level requests that ACT-1 will then carry out, for example, searching for properties on a real estate website or entering new leads into Salesforce. The model can look up Wikipedia to learn and it can be coached with feedback. It can complete tasks that require multiple programs. Video demos of ACT-1's capabilities are available in the thread.

[Assistant] Action Transformer


[User] Warner Bros. has posted Tenet's opening six minutes on YouTube ahead of its digital release next week. Christopher Nolan and other directors have been vocal about the importance of movies being seen on the big screen. Despite this, Warner Bros. will release all 17 of its 2021 films on HBO Max on the same day as theatres. Tenet performed poorly in the United States, and with coronavirus cases surging around the world, Warner Bros. decided to bet on its growing HBO Max service. Tenet will be available digitally and on Blu-ray on December 15.

[Assistant] Watch the first six minutes of Tenet now, from home, on YouTube


[User] Astro is a web framework for building fast, content-focused websites. It features server-side rendering, image optimization, Markdown support, and a custom build engine. Version 1.0 was recently released.

[Assistant] Astro 1.0


[User] Papers With Code is a website that contains links to free resources on Machine Learning, including papers, code, and evaluation tables. Anyone can contribute to the database and to the project. The site is organized so users can look for the most cutting edge research straight away, or they can browse by specific topics.

[Assistant] Papers With Code


[User] The in-person portion of Facebook's F8 developer conference has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. Facebook will replace the main F8 conference with locally hosted events, videos, and live-streamed content. While Facebook considered allowing the conference to continue, many international developers would not be able to attend. Many companies have pulled out of GDC 2020 and the Mobile World Congress was canceled earlier in February due to the coronavirus outbreak.

[Assistant] Facebook cancels F8 developer conference due to coronavirus concerns


[User] Neat is a simple, opinionated HTML template that weighs in at around 2kb uncompressed.

[Assistant] Neat CSS


[User] Uber has announced a ten-year-long partnership with autonomous vehicle developer Nuro to deliver food to Uber Eats customers around the US. Texas and California will be the first states to receive the service. Nuro is the first full-autonomous vehicle developer to operate in three separate states. A video showing off Nuro's autonomous delivery electric vehicles is available in the article.

[Assistant] Uber Eats deliveries will be served by mini autonomous EVs in US markets starting this fall


[User] Apple and Meta are in a very deep, philosophical competition to build the metaverse, according to Mark Zuckerberg. Meta is positioning itself to be open and cheaper while Apple is doing everything themselves. Zuckerberg has been pushing for the concept of interoperability for the metaverse. Meta recently helped stand up the Metaverse Open Standards Group, which Apple is not a part of, to spur the creation of open protocols.

[Assistant] Zuckerberg says Meta and Apple are in ‘very deep, philosophical competition’ to build the metaverse


[User] Turn any SQL database into an API and no-code app Directus is an open-source library built using TypeScript that installs on top of any SQL database, automatically creating a REST+GraphQL API and no-code app that enables anyone to connect, manage, and visualize data."Tripadvisor is using Directus to bring our products, data and content closer together." - Antoine Veliz, VP Design, TripadvisorLearn more or check us out on GitHub!

[Assistant] Turn any SQL database into an API and no-code app


[User] Researchers in China have designed a type of tiny wind turbine that can scavenge wind energy from small breezes, like those generated by walking. It is made of two plastic strips in a tube that flutter or clap together when there is airflow. It generates electricity through a phenomenon called the triboelectric effect. The device can generate power using a breeze as gentle as 1.6 m/s. It performs best when the wind velocity is between 4 to 8 m/s. With a high wind-to-energy conversion efficiency of 3.23%, the team hopes the device can bring wind power to areas where traditional wind turbines can't reach. Videos of the device are available in the article.

[Assistant] Tiny Triboelectric Nanogenerator Can Harvest Energy From the Breeze You Make When You Walk


[User] To land enterprise deals, your business needs SOC 2. But getting SOC 2 compliant is complex, time-consuming, and expensive. Uncomplicate SOC 2 with our guide for growth-minded founders. Turn compliance from a pain point into a competitive advantage. Download Now

[Assistant] Is SOC 2 a thorn in your side? Make SOC 2 painless


[User] This article is about sexual harassment by high level Google executives including Android creator Andy Rubin. Andy Rubin was having an extramarital affair with a woman, who claims that he "coerced" her into oral sex. Google investigated, and felt the claim was credible enough that Larry Page asked Rubin to resign, and gave him a $90 million severance package (Google had approved a $150 million stock grant for him just weeks earlier so this was a bit of a downgrade). Rubin denies that the sex was non-consensual. Rubin had previously had his pay docked for having porn on his work computer. In his 2015 divorce proceedings, his ex-wife provided evidence that he had multiple "ownership relationships" with other women, one of whom he emailed saying "You will be happy being taken care of. Being owned is kinda like you are my property, and I can loan you to other people." Richard Devaul, a director at Google X, told a female interviewee that he and his wife are "polyamorous", and invited her to Burning Man where he asked her for a back rub. She refused, so he settled for an awkward neck rub. She did not get the job. Amit Singhal a senior vice president in charge of search, groped an employee at an off-site event. He resigned and was given an exit package worth millions.

[Assistant] How Google Protected Andy Rubin, the 'Father of Android'


[User] The best issue tracking software is one that software developers are actually happy to use. Shortcut provides the ease of use of a simple project management tool with the power of an overly complex one that you wish you weren’t being forced to use. Learn more.

[Assistant] Go Beyond Issue Tracking with Shortcut


[User] Michael Packard, a New England lobster diver, recently survived being trapped in the mouth of a humpback whale off the coast of Cape Cod. He was able to keep breathing through his scuba tank. After half a minute, the whale surfaced and vomited him out. Packard was taken to hospital and discharged later that day. A humpback's esophagus won't accept anything larger than a melon, so the whale likely panicked. The area that Packard was diving in is known for gatherings of juvenile humpback whales.

[Assistant] ‘My God, I’m in a whale’s mouth’: lobster diver on brush with hungry humpback


[User] Scientists have recorded the activity of a dying human brain for the first time. A patient was being monitored with an EEG for seizures when they had a heart attack and died. About 15 minutes of brain activity was recorded around the time of death. The recordings showed brain waves involved in processes such as dreaming, meditation, and memory retrieval. The observation indicates that the brain is capable of coordinated activity even after blood stops flowing through it.

[Assistant] First-ever recording of dying human brain reveals dreaming-like activity


[User] An MIT project called CityHome, started in 2014, aimed to build robotic furniture that could appear as needed, allowing people to utilize the space in smaller apartments more effectively. The project eventually became a company called Ori, which has now made a deal with Ikea to create customizable furnishings for customers. Ori is now raising funds and working with investors in city planning, retail, and hospitality to change the way buildings are made in order to integrate the technology directly into the building, rather than installing separate furnishings. The furniture Ori creates can change the way people live at scale, but only if the buildings are designed to house these robotics in the first place.

[Assistant] Alphabet and other giants are betting that the future of real estate is robotic


[User] Apple is rumored to be visiting several car manufacturers in Asia to mass-produce a branded car by 2024. The company will likely make its EV batteries in the US, but it might seek partnerships with established vehicle makers to do so. Apple is developing a new battery design to reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle's range. While Apple aims to begin production in 2024, the ongoing global health crisis and current chip shortage could cause delays.

[Assistant] Apple Reportedly in Talks With Toyota About Apple Car Production Starting 2024


[User] Uber and Lyft must classify their drivers as employees unless their emergency appeal to block the ruling is successful. The companies have been under pressure for months to reclassify their workers. A law signed in September provides a test for determining if someone is a contractor or an employee but the companies have denied that drivers are central to their ride-hailing business. Reclassifying workers to employees means that they will receive traditional benefits like minimum wage, health insurance, and workers' compensation. Uber and Lyft claim that the ruling will result in fewer jobs and that a vast majority of drivers wish to remain independent workers.

[Assistant] Uber and Lyft ordered by California judge to classify drivers as employees


[User] Elon Musk has announced that Tesla will likely begin retrofitting its new, more powerful processing chip into older vehicles before the end of the year. Tesla claims that the new FSD chip, which was developed in-house, performs 21 times better than the previous Nvidia chips. The new chips cost 20 percent less than the Nvidia chips while only consuming a little more power. Newer Model S, X, and 3 cars have been shipping with the new chip since before its announcement. Around 500,000 existing cars are currently compatible with the new chip, and Tesla owners will receive the upgrade for free if they have purchased the Full Self-Driving add-on package.

[Assistant] Elon Musk says free self-driving chip upgrade could come to older Teslas this year


[User] The Public Interest Registry, the agency that manages the .org domain, announced last week that it will be selling itself to private equity firm Ethos Capital. Internet experts and activists are concerned about the sale despite the Internet Society stating that the deal is a good thing for the future of .org. The deal will provide funding and resources for the Internet Society to continue to make the internet more open, accessible, and secure. ICANN has recently made the controversial decision to lift .org fee price caps. PIR had previously stated that it would not raise prices unreasonably and that it had no specific plans to impose rate hikes. However, the new owners are free to make price changes as they see fit.

[Assistant] Private Equity Is Going to Ruin the .Org Domain System and Screw Nonprofits


[User] Researchers from Harvard and Sony have created a surgical robot inspired by origami that is around the size of a tennis ball and weighs about the same as a penny. The mini-RCM was built using a custom manufacturing technique. Three linear actuators are used to control the mini-RCM's movements in multiple directions. The mini-RCM is 68 percent more accurate than a hand-controlled tool and was able to perform some precision medical maneuvers successfully.

[Assistant] Harvard and Sony built a tiny surgery robot inspired by origami


[User] Cold temperatures can stimulate the release of a molecule that reverses obesity-related inflammation, resulting in reduced body weight in mice.

[Assistant] Cold temperatures induce anti-inflammatory molecule that counters obesity


[User] Apple experienced far-reaching network outages yesterday that affected many of its services. The outage affected both services used by customers and internal tools. Apple Store employees had to use pen and paper to keep the stores running during the outage. All services have been restored. A list of the affected services is available in the article.

[Assistant] Massive outage brought down most Apple services, including iCloud and iMessage


[User] An 18-month, privately funded program which started in February involving 125 people in Stockton, California, found that when needy people received a $500 a month guaranteed income from the government, they spent most of the money on things such as food, clothing, and utility bills. The mayor of Stockton has committed to publicly releasing data from the experiment to convince lawmakers to implement the program statewide. Many people associate those who are struggling economically with vices like drug use, alcohol use, and gambling. Critics of the study say that it doesn't provide any useful information due to the study's limited size and duration. The behavior of people on a short term basic income program may be different if participants knew the income was permanent.

[Assistant] Stockton Residents Who Received $500 a Month in Basic Income Experiment Spent Money on Food, Clothing, and Bills


[User] NASA is offering $2.6 billion in contracts to nine American companies to get back to the moon's surface by 2022. The idea is to use these contracts as an incentive to drive private sector competition and get the cost of space travel down for everyone. Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, says "When we go to the moon, we want to be one customer of many customers in a robust marketplace between the Earth and the moon." NASA has bigger goals, they want to figure out how to get useful resources on the Moon back to Earth and build a permanent lunar space station to launch further deep space exploration.

[Assistant] NASA is offering private companies up to $2.6 billion to get the US back to the moon's surface


[User] Apple has updated the MacBook Pro, with the 13-inch base model sporting an 8th generation quad-core Intel chip, and all models now featuring the Touch Bar and Touch ID. The 12-inch MacBook has been removed from the product lineup, and the MacBook Air has had a slight update to its display and a new $1,099 price tag. No other updates were made to the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro now starts at $1,299 with a 128GB SSD, or $1,499 with a 256GB SSD.

[Assistant] Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro, discounts the Air


[User] Biologists from the Central University of Punjab have discovered a new species of moss in Antarctica. It took the scientists five years to confirm that Bryum Bharatiensis was a completely new species. They named the moss after Bharati, the Hindu goddess of learning. It mainly grows in areas where penguins breed in large numbers, using the nitrogen in the penguin manure as food. The scientists still haven't determined how the moss survives without sunlight in extremely low temperatures.

[Assistant] India discovers new plant species in Antarctica


[User] Motion One is an animation library built on the Web Animations API. It is small and responsive, using hardware-accelerated animations where possible. Motion One features keyframes, timelines, paths, and more. A quick start guide is available.

[Assistant] Motion One


[User] Story Studio is a new video editing app from Snap that is designed to give creators more precise editing control over vertical videos and allow them to add elements like text, audio, and AR lenses. Videos can be downloaded and shared without watermarks on any platform. Snap has paid out more than $250 million to 12,000 creators on its Spotlight platform since its launch. Story Studio is only available to iOS users in the US, UK, and Canada.

[Assistant] Snap launches Story Studio, a standalone video editing app for mobile


[User] Verified students on GitHub can apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, a program which represents almost $45,000 in savings for students. Students will receive GitHub Pro at no charge during their time in school, as well as receive special offers from the many GitHub Education partners who contribute to the program. The list of partners includes companies such as DigitalOcean, Microsoft, Amazon, JetBrains, and Stripe.

[Assistant] The GitHub Student Developer Pack is back


[User] The Digital Markets Act being considered by the EU could require messaging apps to work together if it is passed. The law will require developers of big messaging apps to make their apps interoperable with smaller messaging platforms on request. It is unclear which big apps will be targeted by the law. The new rules include fines of up to 20% of a company's annual global revenue for repeated infringements. If the law passes, the EU Commission will be able to prevent companies from making acquisitions if they systematically break the rules.

[Assistant] New EU law could require iMessage and WhatsApp to work with other, smaller platforms


[User] Google took out an ad on the Vegas monorail system for the CES conference advertising Google Assistant. Apple took out a gigantic ad on the side of a hotel right next to the monorail that says "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone" with a link to Apple's privacy page.

[Assistant] Apple trolled Google with a massive billboard at the world's biggest tech show, which it's not even attending


[User] SpaceX's newest Starship prototype passed its static fire test on Tuesday night. A link to the video is available. The company will start preparing the prototype for an uncrewed test flight. SpaceX is already building the next prototype. The final Starship will be able to carry 100 passengers to the moon and Mars. It will launch on top of SpaceX's Super Heavy rocket. Both Starship and Super Heavy will be fully and rapidly reusable.

[Assistant] SpaceX's Starship SN4 prototype fires rocket engine for 1st time


[User] GPU.js is a JavaScript acceleration library that can be used for general-purpose computations on GPUs using JavaScript. It can fall back onto the regular JavaScript engine if there is no GPU on the device. This article is an introduction on how to use GPU.js. It includes examples and benchmarking results.

[Assistant] Using GPU to Improve JavaScript Performance


[User] Apple will use Tesla battery packs at its big battery storage project in Northern California. The setup will consist of 85 Tesla lithium-ion megapacks, which will store up to 240 megawatt-hours of energy. They will allow Apple to store energy generated by its 130-megawatt solar array. The battery system could power more than 7,000 homes for a whole day.

[Assistant] Apple will use Tesla’s ‘megapack’ batteries at its California solar farm


[User] A team at Boston University have created an ‘acoustic meta-material’ that is able to catch certain frequencies from the air and reflect it back to its source, effectively creating a sound barrier. The 3D-printed ring was mathematically designed and is completely open, which means that air and light can pass through it, but not sound. This design can be applied to HVAC systems, drones, MRI machines, and used to create quiet and visible office spaces. There is no limit to the possibilities for this material, but each application will need a tailored design. A 30 second video is available demonstrating the effectiveness of the material.

[Assistant] Scientists have discovered a shape that blocks all sound–even your co-workers


[User] Open Props provides CSS custom properties to help accelerate adaptive and consistent design. It can be easily implemented and it is useful in any framework. Props can be customized from the command line or mapped from JS. Examples of sites built with Open Props are available.

[Assistant] Open Props


[User] The Unique Punctureproof TIre System (UPTIS) is an airless tire from Michelin. Michelin has been working on the tire since 2005. The company recently took the tires out in public for the first time, inviting a limited number of people for a test drive. UPTIS has a flexible load-bearing structure made out of glass fiber reinforced plastic. The company plans to eventually make the tires with all organic or recyclable materials. Michelin has not released prices yet. The tires are expected to reach the market by 2024.

[Assistant] Michelin's New Airless Tires Just Hit Public Streets For the First Time


[User] CPU efficiency is key when working in the field, as is seamless data replication between edge and cloud systems. DEVCOM, a U.S. Army research unit, achieves this by using InfluxDB in both field (IoT) and lab (cloud) to monitor power meters, collect environmental data, and analyze sensor array signals. Read the blog post to learn more about DEVCOM’s use cases and data architecture

[Assistant] How DEVCOM Uses InfluxDB to Analyze Sensor Data in Uncertain Network Conditions


[User] Google employees reportedly have access to a program known as 'Android Lockbox' that allows them to see data on how Android users interact with non-Google apps and services. The program is apparently used to keep tabs on rival services. Google is currently facing an antitrust investigation in almost every US state. The investigations are focused on the company's search and ad businesses. Google stated that it is open about its data collection activities and that users have control over the usage of their data.

[Assistant] Google reportedly keeps tabs on usage of rival Android apps to develop competitors


[User] An asteroid known as the 99942 Apophis will be streaking past Earth at 30 kilometers per second in April 2029. There is a possibility that the Earth's gravity will tug on the asteroid's trajectory such that when it flies past again in 2036, it could make a devastating impact on Earth. MIT researchers have devised a framework for deciding which course of action to take to deflect an incoming asteroid. It takes into account the asteroid's mass, momentum, its proximity to a gravitational keyhole, and the amount of warning time that scientists have of an impending collision. It might be better to prevent asteroids from entering gravitational keyholes rather than waiting for a last-minute deflection. The team has developed a simulation tool to estimate the success of deflection missions.

[Assistant] MIT Engineers Devise the Best Way to Deflect an Incoming Planet-Killer Asteroid


[User] Apple has won a patent for a surround sound-like technology that will make watching media on a laptop feel significantly more immersive. The acoustic system will send noise out at angles to create the illusion that sound is coming from different directions. Sound has been a focus for Apple as they try to create the best experience for consuming Apple TV+ content on a Mac. While Apple now owns the patent, it may still be some time before the feature will appear in MacBooks, if at all.

[Assistant] Apple patents surround sound-like technology for a MacBook


[User] Italian hospitals may have to turn away coronavirus victims from intensive care if they are more than 80 years old or in poor health. A crisis management unit in Turin has proposed a protocol for determining which patients receive treatment in intensive care if there are insufficient spaces. Intensive care capacity is running short in Italy as the virus continues to spread. Doctors need to be able to balance the clinical needs of patients and the effective ability of intensive resources. More than 15,000 people in Italy have been infected with the virus, with 1,000 people dead. Italy has 5,090 intensive care beds.

[Assistant] Italians over 80 'will be left to die' as country overwhelmed by coronavirus


[User] A Chinese research team has developed a wireless brain-to-brain system that allowed a human to control and move a ‘rat cyborg’ through a maze. Researchers were able to translate signals from an electroencephalogram attached to humans into instructions that stimulated a rat’s brain to move in a certain direction. While scientists have previously been successful in creating other brain-to-brain control systems, this is the first time it has been used to solve a complex navigation task.

[Assistant] Scientists connect a human brain and 'rat cyborg' brain together


[User] Microsoft will launch two next-generation Xbox consoles for the 2020 holiday season. A cheaper, less powerful Xbox codenamed 'Lockhart' and flagship console called 'Anaconda' will replace the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. Anaconda will be able to generate 10 teraflops of graphical power. Lockhart will not have a disc drive and will display graphics at 1440p instead of 4k. Both consoles will feature an SSD drive. Prices have not yet been announced, but it is likely that Microsoft will offer a subscription service bundle.

[Assistant] Microsoft planning second next-gen Xbox that’s cheaper and less powerful


[User] This video shows Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley giving a tour of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. It begins with Hurley naming the capsule 'Endeavour'. The spacecraft features touch panel interfaces and a button panel. There are two windows and an entry/exit hatch. The astronauts are in zero gravity and demonstrated a zero gravity maneuver. Tremor the plush dinosaur was selected to accompany the astronauts by the astronaut's sons. The astronauts attempted to show the view of the Atlantic ocean from the window, but it was obstructed by a reflection.

[Assistant] Tour from Space: Inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft on Its Way to the Space Station


[User] Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, causing sugar to build up in the bloodstream. There is no cure, though there are treatment options. As the disease is caused by an incorrect immune response, a diabetes vaccine would need to inhibit the immune response rather than boost it like conventional vaccines. Inverse vaccinations can affect the entire immune system, so scientists have been studying antigen-specific vaccines. Several vaccines are already in trials.

[Assistant] Scientists Are Creating Vaccines For Type 1 Diabetes


[User] Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine used an artificial perfusion system called BrainEx to restore cellular function in the brains of 32 dead pigs killed hours earlier. BrainEx is a system that pumps an experimental solution into the brain to mimic blood flow. Some brains were kept alive for up to 36 hours. The brains never approached neural activity anywhere near consciousness due to preventative measures. This technology raises many ethical issues. Its use could shrink the pool of eligible organ donors.

[Assistant] Yale scientists restore cellular function in 32 dead pig brains


[User] PayPal has announced that it will acquire Honey Science Corporation for $4 billion in mostly cash. Honey makes a deal-finding browser add-on and mobile application. The acquisition will make PayPal part of the deal discovery process. PayPal will add Honey's product discovery, price tracking, offers, and loyalty features to its products. Its merchants will gain the ability to offer targeted and more personalized promotions to customers. Apple, Google, Facebook, and other tech companies have entered the payments market in recent years. With Honey, PayPal shifts the battle away from the checkout page to the shopping experience.

[Assistant] PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B


[User] Google has announced a $1 billion investment in housing across the Bay Area. Over the next 10 years, $750 million of Google’s existing lands will be repurposed from commercial space into residential housing, allowing the development of at least 15,000 new homes. The homes will cater to all income levels, including housing options for middle and low-income families. A $250 million investment fund will be established to enable developers to build at least 5,000 affording housing units across the market. In addition, $50 million will be donated to nonprofits focused on the issues of homelessness and displacement. Other projects are also underway to help communities succeed in the long term and to make sure that everyone has access to opportunity.

[Assistant] $1 billion for 20,000 Bay Area homes


[User] NASA and Rocket Lab will fly a privately built satellite to a special orbit that is neatly balanced between the gravity of the Earth and the Moon. The mission will test out the parameters of this orbit and verify its stability. NASA intends to assemble a small space station in the orbit. This will be the first interplanetary mission launched by a small liquid-fueled rocket. More details about the mission are available in the article.

[Assistant] For the first time, a small rocket will launch a private spacecraft to the Moon


[User] The most common issue for new data scientists is that they don't question their own results. It is important to validate the results that are generated from machines as the models aren't always correct and they may make the wrong predictions. A good data scientist is critical of their own work and will seek to find out where they might have gone wrong. Newer data scientists should learn how to estimate processing times, follow basic coding practices, learn how to say 'no' especially if the task is impossible, value product knowledge, learn the industry, and learn from others in the industry. If a data scientist is unfamiliar with the business they are working for, the results and predictions they generate may be useless for their company.

[Assistant] Experienced data scientists, what are the most common issues you see newly graduated students have when they start working for the first time?


[User] NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered an asteroid that is made almost entirely of metals. It is believed to be the dead core of a planet that failed to form. '16 Psyche' is located in the Solar System's main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It measures 140 miles across and its metal content could be worth 10,000 times the global economy as of 2019. The NASA Discovery Mission Psyche will launch in 2022 and head towards the asteroid. It will arrive near the asteroid in early 2026.

[Assistant] NASA Discovers a Rare Metal Asteroid That’s Worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000


[User] Police in the UK and EU have arrested 746 suspects after infiltrating an encrypted chat platform where the suspects openly discussed murder and arranged hits, illegal drug purchases, gun sales, and other alleged crimes. 77 guns, two metric tons of drugs, 28 million pills, 55 high-value cars, and more than £54 million in cash was seized in the operation. Encrochat is an encrypted communications platform used widely in the European underground. Infiltrating the platform allowed law enforcement to essentially have an inside person in every top organized crime group. The platform itself was not compromised. Law enforcement installed malware on suspects' devices that allowed them to read messages before they were sent, record and alter lock screen passwords, and more.

[Assistant] Police infiltrate encrypted phones, arrest hundreds in organized crime bust


[User] Practically every animal ever studied can distinguish between different numbers of objects in a set or sounds in a sequence. This ability seems to be a general ability that has evolved multiple times throughout the animal kingdom. Researchers are uncovering increasingly complex numerical abilities in animals, with some displaying the capacity to grasp the quantitative concept of zero, a concept that very young children sometimes struggle with. Researchers are now trying to pin down the genetic mechanisms underlying numerical ability and have identified genes that seem to be associated with a math learning disability in humans.

[Assistant] Animals Can Count and Use Zero. How Far Does Their Number Sense Go?


[User] The Android Game Development Kit (AGDK) is a range of tools and libraries for developing, optimizing, and delivering high-quality Android games. The libraries were built and tested with performance in mind using C or C++ APIs and they work across many different Android versions. A 16-minute video that introduces the AGDK is available in the article.

[Assistant] Introducing the Android Game Development Kit


[User] Blocks have shown up in almost every blogging tool, web editor, note-taking app, and content management system, but they are almost all proprietary and non-standard. Blocks are often limited to platforms, so developers are either stuck with a specific platform or they have to rewrite blocks they want to use. This article discusses the creation of the Block Protocol, an open standard that will allow any block to be used in any application that follows the protocol. Using Block Protocol will make life easier for app developers and block developers will only need to develop blocks once to have them work on any platform.

[Assistant] Making the web better. With blocks!


[User] Google Research has published a paper on a text-to-image AI called Imagen. The model takes a text input to generate a small image, then it does two super-resolution passes to enlarge the image up to 1024x1024 pixels. It creates new details using the original as a basis while it upscales the image. Google's tests show that people rated the images generated by Imagen better in terms of accuracy and fidelity than images generated by OpenAI's DALL-E 2. Imagen was trained using large datasets known to include inappropriate material. The model is still in an experimental phase and is not available to the public.

[Assistant] OpenAI: Look at our awesome image generator! Google: Hold my Shiba Inu


[User] Arm chips are everywhere, including phones, TVs, cars, laptops, and data centers. The chip design company designs instruction sets for modern chips, then it licenses the instruction sets to companies like Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung who then make the chips with customizations. This article contains an interview with Rene Haas, the new CEO of Arm. The interview covers how Arm's business model works, who Arm's customers are, and whether the company was affected by the chip shortage as it doesn't actually make chips.

[Assistant] How Arm conquered the chip market without making a single chip


[User] A company from Finland, Solar Foods, is planning to sell a protein powder that is made out of CO2, water, and electricity. The idea for Solein originally began at NASA, and it is made by capturing CO2 from the air then combining it with solar energy, water, nutrients, and vitamins to promote a natural fermentation process similar to the one that produces yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Solein contains 50 percent protein, up to 10 percent fat, and 20 to 25 percent carbs. It can be produced indoors, so production is not dependent on the outside environment. The impact of meat production is one of the main drivers behind many of the planet's problems, so creating food from two of the most renewable things on the planet, CO2 and sunlight, will help provide food for our growing population without increasing our impact on the planet. Solein is expected to be available in 2021.

[Assistant] NASA worked out how to make food out of thin air - and it could feed billions


[User] The /e/ Foundation is now offering Google-free Android handsets in the US. The Foundation has been offering refurbished smartphones without Google software in Europe since 2019. It is starting in the US with the Samsung Galaxy S9 for $380 and the Galaxy S9+ for $430. The phones are carrier unlocked and will be backed with a one-year warranty. They will run a version of Android called /e/ OS, which has removed most of the code that sends data to remote servers without user consent.

[Assistant] Google-Free Android Smartphones Are Now Available in the US


[User] A study in China successfully created a chimeric combination of monkey and human cells. The study started with 132 macaque embryos injected with 25 human pluripotent stem cells each. After 10 days, 103 of the embryos were alive and still developing. However, by day 19, only three remained alive. The embryos were terminated after 19 days, in line with the experimental parameters. The experiment revealed several communication pathways that could be enhanced to increase the efficiency of chimerism in host species more evolutionarily distant to humans.

[Assistant] Controversial 'Chimera' Embryos Made by Scientists Are Part Human, Part Monkey


[User] Blue Origin is planning an astronaut rehearsal during its launch on April 14. The rehearsal will include boarding, preflight operations, and then returning to a staged version of an exit capsule. It will be similar to the procedure that private astronauts will perform during a real launch. The flight will have a test dummy on board to measure data about what the launch would be like for people. Blue Origin will launch at 8 AM CDT from West Texas. A live feed will be available an hour before launch.

[Assistant] Blue Origin will run an “astronaut rehearsal” during a launch this week to prep for human spaceflight


[User] Submarines are valued primarily for their ability to hide and they are key to the strategy of mutually assured destruction. Technology that can make the oceans effectively transparent could undermine the peace of the world. While engineers have created faster, quieter submarines over the years, detection technology has also improved significantly. A recent Australian study predicts that submarines may not be able to elude detection by 2050. This is an issue now as the budget for designing and building a submarine is spread out over at least 60 years.

[Assistant] Will AI Steal Submarines’ Stealth?


[User] California's new law, which requires employers to include pay scales in their job postings and maintain job title and wage histories for each employee, will take effect on January 1.

[Assistant] California companies must include salary ranges in job postings under new law


[User] This repository contains documents that detail the best practice guidelines that Google has developed. There are two documents, the Code Reviewer's Guide and the Change Author's Guide.

[Assistant] Google Engineering Practices Documentation


[User] The Composable Architecture is a library of core tools that can be used to build applications in a consistent and understandable way. It can be used in SwiftUI, UIKit, and more, on any Apple platform. The repository contains many examples of how to solve common and complex problems.

[Assistant] The Composable Architecture


[User] GitHub Sponsors is a hub that connects developers and their community in order to fund projects. Raised funds up to $5,000 within the first year are matched by GitHub. There are no fees charged to the developers for funding; all raised funds will go directly to the developer. Developers can sign up to a waitlist to join the program in order to receive sponsorship.

[Assistant] GitHub Sponsors


[User] Over four years ago, the US Department of Justice took down AlphaBay in the biggest dark web market bust in history. The market's number-two administrator has relaunched AlphaBay with revamped technical protections. Users can now only use Monero, a cryptocurrency designed to be difficult to trace. The site can be accessed using I2P as well as Tor. It features a new system called AlphaGuard that will allow users to retrieve their funds even if the site has been taken offline. Many more details about the marketplace are available in the article.

[Assistant] He escaped the Dark Web’s biggest bust. Now he’s back


[User] Kryptology is a cryptographic library from Coinbase that enables developers to create novel crypto innovations with state-of-the-art cryptography. Crypto was founded on cryptographic innovation and cryptography is a driver for innovation in crypto. Kryptology contains a toolbox of secure, audited, and easy-to-use APIs that are designed to be misuse-resistant. It is now open source.

[Assistant] Meet Kryptology: Coinbase’s Open Source Cryptography Library


[User] GitHub's annual State of the Octoverse report shows that Python is now the second-most popular language in GitHub's repositories. While Dart and Rust were the fastest growing languages, Python growth was still up by 151 percent. 10 million new GitHub accounts were created in 2019, with most new developers coming from Asia. Python's growth is linked to the increasing interest in data and machine learning. GitHub was acquired by Microsoft last year.

[Assistant] Python overtakes Java to become second-most popular language on GitHub after JavaScript


[User] It is possible to fake a positive Covid-19 lateral flow test using soft drinks. The effect is likely caused by the acidity of the drinks deforming the antibodies used in the test, impacting their function. Fake positive tests revert back to negative if they are washed with a buffer solution. The article contains a detailed explanation of how the Covid-19 test works.

[Assistant] How children are spoofing Covid-19 tests with soft drinks


[User] There is a growing acceptance that gaming skills are transferable, with even the military focusing on hiring gamers due to their ability to assimilate information, react swiftly, and co-ordinate actions while remaining calm under pressure. Studies have shown that gaming can make students more successful. A startup called Game Academy wants to transform casual gamers into conscious ones in order to develop skills by applying critical thinking. While some employers will still need the science before considering game achievements as a hiring factor, there are many examples of people who attribute their success to skills they gained from gaming.

[Assistant] How playing video games could get you a better job


[User] Family Tree DNA, one of the largest providers of at-home genetic testing allowing for people to trace their ancestry, is working with the FBI. The FBI is using Family Tree DNA’s vast database of information to find DNA matches for unsolved crimes. Prior to the partnership and announcement, Family Tree DNA had a database of well over a million profiles. Collaborations of this type obviously have grave privacy implications for consumers whose genetic data is being tracked.

[Assistant] One Of The Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working With The FBI


[User] Google.com is rolling out a dark mode to every user over the next few weeks. It can be switched on through the Google.com settings under a new 'Appearance' section if the feature has been enabled on the account. Screenshots of the new mode are available in the article.

[Assistant] Google.com dark mode is rolling out to everyone


[User] Amazon has announced plans to acquire Eero, a company that develops internet routers. Smart home devices have been a focus for Amazon, with its recent acquisition of Ring, a video doorbell maker, and Amazon’s own Echo smart speaker device. Eero devices currently cost $199 and are able to reach a range of 1,500 feet with a single device. Booster devices are available at $149 to extend the range.

[Assistant] Amazon is acquiring home Wi-Fi start-up Eero


[User] Susan Wojcicki quietly held talks about leaving Google to become Elon Musk's second-in-command at Tesla in 2014.

[Assistant] Susan Wojcicki was in talks to be Elon Musk's number two at Tesla before taking YouTube CEO role, book says


[User] Batten disease is a genetic disease where the waste disposal system for cells is affected, causing a loss of vision, impaired cognition, mobility problems, seizures, and early death. It affects between 100 and 150 children in the UK. There are several types of Batten disease, which is inherited from parents that both carry a rare recessive gene mutation. Scientists have used CRISPR-Cas9 to create sheep that have the disease in order to test treatments. Treatments that are successful in a large mammal with a brain that is of similar size and complexity to a human child's brain are more likely to be relevant to humans than treatments only tested in mice, rats, and cell cultures. Several treatments, all of which were developed first using traditional methods, will be tested on around 10 animals.

[Assistant] Mutant sheep are being bred in lab to fight lethal child brain disease


[User] The UN has unveiled a design for a floating city that can withstand natural disasters. It consists of connected hexagonal platforms, each housing 300 residents, that connect into bigger villages with around 10,000 residents, an ideal number for each village to achieve full autonomy. There will be no cars, and rubbish will be collected through pneumatic tubes and sent directly to a sorting facility to be repurposed. Food will be obtained through ocean farming and the goal is for the cities to be completely self-sufficient. While the cities will be floating, they will still be moored to the ocean floor. The designers recognize that most people will continue to live on land, but the concept of living on the ocean will still appeal to many.

[Assistant] The UN just unveiled a design for a new floating city that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes


[User] LG is expected to release OLED TVs that roll up like posters in February of 2019. They initially debuted the concept last January, but it wasn't ready for an actual commercial launch. The TVs are expected to be 65-inches and will retract automatically when you press a button, like a garage door.

[Assistant] LG will make OLED TVs that roll up like posters a reality in 2019


[User] Robots are being deployed in Walmart stores and they will be tasked with fulfilling online orders. The new robots are able to collect items about 10 times faster than a human worker. Walmart is transitioning into an increasingly automated model, and it is hiring fewer workers as a result. Brick and mortar retail stores are struggling against online-only sites. Walmart offers a service where customers can place orders online and have them delivered to their home or to the store parking lot. This system has issues, such as keeping track of stock, and using robots will significantly improve the service. Walmart already employs a fleet of robots that can scan store shelves three times faster than humans can. Brick and mortar companies have the added cost of maintaining a physical retail space, and so it makes sense that they will try to cut costs in order to remain competitive.

[Assistant] Walmart Robots To Begin Fulfilling Grocery Orders, Replacing Workers


[User] Many popular sites allow anyone to detect if users are logged into their website. This can be exploited to understand user behavior, profile users, phishing, and de-anonymization. The redirect mechanism provided by almost all popular websites can confirm whether a user has visited a site as well as whether a user is logged into the website. Users can avoid this by using proper browser isolation, privacy badger, plugins, disabling third-party cookies, or incognito mode.

[Assistant] How to detect if your visitors use Facebook, Google and MOST other websites


[User] Grid is a cloud-based data science tool that combines a spreadsheet view with a Python scripting environment, allowing users to explore, manipulate, and analyze data directly in the browser. It is possible to define your own spreadsheet functions. Cells can be defined as variables and manipulated easily using Python code.

[Assistant] Grid studio


[User] Chinese scientists have invented a paste made of plant cellulose that helps sand retain water, nutrients, and air, transforming sand into soil that can grow crops. The paste is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, cheap, and suitable for mass production. A section of the Ulan Buh Desert in Inner Mongolia has been turned into arable land using this method, allowing farmers to grow crops in the desert.

[Assistant] Chinese scientists turn sand into soil


[User] Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wants people to be able to choose which algorithm controls their social media content from a marketplace, rather than relying on a single company to get it right. This will be a part of how decentralized social networks will work. Companies will have access to much more data on a decentralized network. They will compete based on how they can serve relevant content to users. Decentralization could help platforms deal with laws around user-created content. Twitter has been developing Bluesky, a decentralized social network, since the end of 2019. It is still firmly in the research phase.

[Assistant] Twitter’s Jack Dorsey wants to build an app store for social media algorithms


[User] Instacart is still seeing a surge in customer demands and has recently announced that it will hire another 250,000 shoppers on top of the 300,000 shoppers it hired last month. Workers have complained that the company hasn't made safety gear available to employees yet. Employees will have to complete a daily wellness check in order to log into the Instacart app. Those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or forced into quarantine will receive up to 14 days of financial assistance. Instacart will continue offering a contactless delivery option and has expanded its Costco pharmacy deliveries nationwide. Customers are now able to order up to two weeks ahead.

[Assistant] Instacart is hiring another 250,000 grocery shoppers


[User] 47 tech companies have signed an open letter to the Government Communications Headquarters in the UK protesting its new ‘ghost protocol’ proposal. Intelligence agencies have been trying to figure out a way to access end-to-end encrypted communications without undermining the privacy, security, or confidence of users. The ghost protocol proposes that messaging services enable law enforcement agents to silently enter into private chats as a third party, effectively creating a group chat that can be monitored. Implementing this change would mean that all chat apps would need to change their encryption methods, and they would also have to mislead customers by suppressing the usual notifications that appear when a new user joins a chat. In response to the letter, the National Cyber Security Center stated that the proposal was hypothetical and was intended to begin a discussion on methods for law enforcement to access private data.

[Assistant] Apple, Google and WhatsApp condemn UK proposal to eavesdrop on encrypted messages


[User] Asahi Linux for Apple Silicon is the first Linux distribution to offer native support for Apple M1 chips. It is now available in an alpha release targeted at developers and power users. Running the operating system will not require a jailbroken device and it won't affect the security level of any macOS installs on the machine. There are still a number of hardware features that don't work. A video showing a MacBook Air booting up Asahi Linux is available in the article.

[Assistant] Asahi Linux Is The First Linux Distro To Support Apple Silicon


[User] App Store developers will be required to provide privacy information for their apps starting on December 8th. Apple's privacy 'nutrition labels' list what information an app collects and presents the information visually on the app page. An example of a privacy nutrition label is available in the article. Developers will be required to keep their labels up to date, making sure that users know how their information is used before any app is allowed on their phones.

[Assistant] Apple will require apps to add privacy ‘nutrition labels’ starting December 8th


[User] Space Perspective has successfully conducted the first test flight of its prototype stratospheric passenger balloon. The balloon prototype, Neptune One, reached an altitude of 108,409 feet during its almost 7-hour flight. Neptune One can be tested without a pilot, so Space Perspective is able to thoroughly test it to ensure its safety. The balloon will eventually be flown by a pilot and carry eight passengers up to an altitude of 100,000 feet. Its first commercial flights will begin in 2024.

[Assistant] A Gigantic "Space Balloon" Just Completed Its First Flight


[User] This repository contains a list of default credentials. It was created as a tool to assist pentesters. There are 3523 products listed.

[Assistant] Default Credentials Cheat Sheet


[User] Researchers at Stanford Computational Imaging Lab have expanded on a technique called non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging so that a single point of laser light entering a room can reveal what objects might be inside. NLOS imaging uses algorithms to generate images based on reflected light, usually from lasers. The new technique's results are lower quality than other NLOS methods, but it still provides enough details to make guesses on the size and shapes of hidden objects. The research could one day result in a way for police or military to assess the risks of entering rooms.

[Assistant] A Single Laser Fired Through a Keyhole Can Expose Everything Inside a Room


[User] HTTP/3 is here and it provides major improvements to web performance. It uses a new transport protocol called QUIC that allows clients to create a series of stateful streams over UDP. This article provides an explanation of the new protocol along with benchmark results comparing site load speeds in various countries.

[Assistant] HTTP/3 is Fast


[User] Incident response is stressful and overwhelming, but it doesn't need to be. Identify the root cause of an incident, understand its potential impact on other services, and fix the issue everywhere in your codebase so it won't reoccur with Sourcegraph. Learn more.

[Assistant] Identify the root cause of an incident with a single search


[User] France and Germany have agreed to block Facebook's Libra currency, stating that no private entity can claim monetary power, which is inherent to the sovereignty of nations. Concerns still persist about sovereignty and financial risks in Europe, so introducing a new cryptocurrency should not be allowed.

[Assistant] France and Germany agree to block Facebook's Libra


[User] Microsoft's systems were infiltrated by hackers who could view source code from a number of repositories. The hackers didn't have access to modify any code or systems. Microsoft says the culprit is a very sophisticated nation-state actor. The US government and cybersecurity officials have implicated Russia in the attack. A recent attack on SolarWinds exposed an extensive list of sensitive organizations. Microsoft assumes that adversaries can view its source code, so it doesn't rely on secrecy to keep its products secure.

[Assistant] Microsoft says hackers were able to see some of its source code


[User] Mozilla has released an internal memo that explained that the reason behind its firing of 70 employees today was the slow rollout of the organization's new revenue-generating products. There may be further layoffs as Mozilla reassesses its France and UK operations. Mozilla had around 1,000 employees worldwide in 2018. Earnings from its new subscription products were much lower than expected in 2019. Laid-off employees will receive generous exit packages and outplacement support. Mozilla is dedicating $43 million to its innovation fund in order to develop new products. It is investing in innovation in order to become less reliant on income from search partnerships and to create new revenue channels.

[Assistant] Mozilla lays off 70 as it waits for new products to generate revenue


[User] You can’t fix what you can’t find: Sourcegraph helps you quickly find vulnerabilities across your entire codebase, fix them in an automated, streamlined fashion, and track your remediation initiatives to completion. Identify incident root causes with confidence, improve production stability, and reduce the time to recovery.

[Assistant] Find security problems in hours, not days


[User] The plant is capable of supplying the local grid with more than 132 GWh of electricity annually and save around 42,000 tons of coal from being burned in power stations.

[Assistant] China turns on the world's largest compressed air energy storage plant


[User] Companies that hire internationally sometimes have policies that adjust employee pay depending on location. This can be demotivating for people who can't move to higher paid locations. This Hacker News thread discusses location-based pay and the reasons for and against it. The commenters talk about how companies determine how much they pay employees, negotiating higher salaries, and different perspectives on location-based pay.

[Assistant] Ask HN: Location based pay is killing my motivation, how do others handle it?


[User] The product analytics suite you can host yourself With PostHog's open source analytics platform, customer data never has to leave your infrastructure.Featuring product analytics, session recording, feature flags, heatmaps, and more - all available for free.The best part is everything is seamlessly integrated, so you can spend less time configuring different tools and more time getting valuable insight into user behavior. Learn more.

[Assistant] The product analytics suite you can host yourself


[User] Eager to leave Big Tech behind? Try Vultr for Free! With 19 global locations and better price-to-performance than the other guys, it's no wonder Vultr is the preferred cloud infrastructure provider for developers like you. Now TLDR readers have access to a special offer: $100 in credit just for signing up with this link!

[Assistant] Eager to leave Big Tech behind? Try Vultr for Free!


[User] A group from the New York University School of Medicine has developed a brain-machine interface (BMI) that connects two brain regions together to detect and kill pain in real-time. One part of the BMI is connected to a region of the brain that detects pain, and another part dampens pain when activated. The implant only works when there is pain, so it doesn't constantly stimulate the brain. It has so far only been tested on rats, but it seems to be an effective strategy for pain therapy. While it may seem to be overkill, it could be a preferable choice to drugs for chronic pain sufferers.

[Assistant] A New Brain Implant Automatically Detects and Kills Pain in Real Time


[User] A recently published report includes details about the physical appearance of the Apple Car. The latest design features four seats that face inwards and a curved ceiling. Apple's designers are experimenting with a trunk compartment that rises for easy access and large seat-back screens. Apple's former design chief Jony Ive has remained involved with the project as a consultant. The vehicle is still years away from release, but Apple is now discussing how to disguise vehicle prototypes during testing in the public.

[Assistant] Apple Car Design Goals: No Steering Wheel or Brake Pedal, Flat Seats for Sleeping, Large Screens, and More


[User] Apple has changed its App Store rules to allow developers of reader apps to share a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their accounts. Reader apps are apps that allow users to access previously purchased content, but do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase. Apps like Netflix, Spotify, and Kindle will now be allowed to directly link customers to their own sign-up website. The change was made to close an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission into a suspected violation of the Antimonopoly Act.

[Assistant] Apple concedes to let apps like Netflix, Spotify, and Kindle link to the web to sign up


[User] Elon Musk has shown off some of the technology that his company Neuralink has been developing for the last few years. Neuralink’s goal is to develop devices that can be implanted in paralyzed humans, allowing them to control devices with their thoughts. The company has developed thread sensors that are thinner than a human hair and can provide high-resolution signals from the brain. A robot was created in order to implant this device, as the threads were difficult to implant with current technology. Neuralink is also developing a custom chip that can read, clean up, and amplify signals from the brain. The aim is to eventually create a wireless version that can be implanted in a safe and non-invasive procedure, similar to Lasik.

[Assistant] Elon Musk unveils Neuralink’s plans for brain-reading ‘threads’ and a robot to insert them


[User] This progammer decided to take a month off from using all computing devices. He literally went out and bought a watch, a camera, a map, a compass, and a notepad. He was initially scared of being bored, but he found it was actually pretty easy to be entertained taking pictures, reading books, and travelling a bit. He came to the conclusion that digital technologies haven't changed the world, they've created a parallel world. He believes that the reason we are nervous and never have enough time is because we are now living two lives in these two separate worlds. He noticed that he felt his "personality dissolving" a bit, because in the analog world, he only had access to things that were popular (popular music, popular books, etc.) There is a long tail of hobbies and interests that the internet helps facilitate. He also lost a bit of motivation because seeing other people achieve great things always motivated him. He also gained an appreciation for social networks, people dismiss Facebook and Twitter as not being "real communications" but it really does help keep in touch with people across long distances. He thinks that month long breaks are too much, but if you want to try this, you can get a lot out of taking 2 weeks away from computers!

[Assistant] How a Month without Computers Changed Me


[User] D614G, a new strain of the coronavirus, is making its way across Southeast Asia. Malaysian health officials say it could be more infectious than COVID-19. The strain has been detected in several countries across the continent. There is still little information on the strain.

[Assistant] New coronavirus strain in Malaysia could be more infectious than COVID-19


[User] This guide discusses how to onboard new hires effectively. A well-planned onboarding process can greatly increase long-term retention and increase new-hire productivity. Most organizations don't onboard well despite its importance. Onboarding programs should cover basic administrative tasks, have activities to help new hires assimilate to their teams and work environments, and help the new hire become productive and contribute to the team.

[Assistant] The Ultimate Guide to Onboarding New Developers: Industry Best Practices and How to Plan the First 90 Days


[User] Sperm counts in the West have dropped by 50 percent due to pesticides, plastics, and other chemicals. Chemicals used to make plastic soft and flexible, like phthalates, are endocrine disruptors that cause men to produce less testosterone. Most phthalate ingestion is through food, and a lot of chemicals are absorbed through the skin. Processed foods have a high risk of containing phthalates. A lot of chemicals are put into personal care products specifically to increase skin absorption. It is possible to increase sperm quality by eating a Mediterranean diet and avoiding foods with pesticides.

[Assistant] An Alarming Decline in Sperm Quality Could Threaten the Future of the Human Race, and the Chemicals Likely Responsible Are Everywhere


[User] Webinar: Move Fast and Don’t Break Privacy Not all data is created equal. Some data is special and requires better protection.In this webinar, we will discuss how leading companies like Netflix and Apple secure and protect sensitive data with zero-trust data privacy vaults. We will introduce and demo Skyflow, a data privacy vault delivered as an API, and answer live questions.Join Skyflow’s Head of Developer Relations, Sean Falconer, tomorrow April 13th at 10am PT for ‘Move Fast and Don’t Break Privacy’.Register now.

[Assistant] Webinar: Move Fast and Don’t Break Privacy


[User] The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide has been around since 2001. Most copies available on the web only describe old 2.6.x kernels. This repository keeps the guide up to date, with working examples for recent 5.x versions. A link to the book is available.

[Assistant] The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide


[User] There’s a lot to look forward to in this year’s Semantic Layer Summit - don't miss your last chance to join! What's on the agenda? Keynotes by Bill Inmon and Kirk Borne. Expert sessions by an all-star lineup of data leaders (from Bank of America, Starbucks, Cigna, and others). Networking opportunities.Join the free virtual event this Wednesday

[Assistant] Last chance to join the Semantic Layer Summit 2022 - save your spot for free


[User] Top engineers are generally more autonomous than others. They are able to self-educate, source information, clearly understand the needs of a project and the problems it solves, self-manage, and prioritize tasks. Compared to other engineers, top performers require less direction and management and are able to produce better, higher quality, well-thought-out solutions. Users tend to always find the strangest ways to break a system, and good engineers are able to predict and design around these situations.

[Assistant] Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?


[User] Career development doesn't stop once you become a Senior Software Engineer. It is useful to assess your growth and find ways to continue growing. This article discusses growth from a Senior Software Engineer's perspective and covers both the mental aspects as well as some practical aspects of continual career development.

[Assistant] Things I Learned to Become a Senior Software Engineer


[User] magniX, an Australian engineering firm, in a partnership with Harbour Air, a Canadian air-ferry service, has performed the first fully-electric commercial aircraft test flight. The 15-minute flight took place in Vancouver along the Fraser River. Electric flight technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines and zero emissions. Civil aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of carbon emissions. Electric motors require significantly less upkeep, resulting in savings in maintenance costs. Further tests are still required before Harbour Air will be able to electrify its fleet of more than 40 seaplanes. Current battery power will allow the seaplanes to fly about 160km, which is sufficient for short-haul flights.

[Assistant] World's first fully electric commercial aircraft takes flight in Canada


[User] The Department of Defense has approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force to detect, analyze, and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to US national security. There is a long history of government research into UFOs. The UAP Task Force will work with multiple agencies. Congress has requested information regarding unidentified aerial objects and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is evaluating the proposal and how best to respond to the request.

[Assistant] Pentagon Announces Task Force to Study UFOs


[User] An AI system was able to predict the time and place of lightning strikes using standard weather station data. It was trained using data from four basic weather parameters: atmospheric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The data was gathered over a 10-year period in urban and mountainous regions and cross-referenced with recordings from lightning detection and location systems. Researchers were able to predict the location and time in which lightning would strike at around an 80 percent accuracy rate. Using AI, more accurate prediction systems that require fewer inputs can be developed. This system will be able to cover more areas as it doesn't require external data from radars or satellites.

[Assistant] AI tech predicts time and place of lightning-strikes


[User] Nearly all of Coinbase will shut down for four separate weeks throughout the year so that employees can enjoy their downtime without work piling up. The breaks will ensure that the company's growth pace is sustainable for the long term. Coinbase has tested recharge weeks before, adding more when it was discovered that employees weren't taking enough time off. The company's flexible time-off policy will remain the same, but employees are encouraged to schedule vacations during recharge weeks when they can.

[Assistant] Coinbase will shut down for four weeklong breaks this year


[User] Miami has launched its own cryptocurrency called MiamiCoin. Revenue from the coin will be diverted to the city treasury. Mining the coin is less energy-intensive and less difficult than mining Bitcoin or Ethereum. The Miami government will have its own wallet and a portion of the coins mined will end up in that wallet to be used to improve the city. Speculators can purchase the coin on exchanges, which will ideally raise the value of the coin. The project aims to incentivize stakeholders to participate in the city's success.

[Assistant] Miami Launches 'MiamiCoin' to Make Millions and Fund the Police


[User] Developers who want people to benefit from their work or contributors for their projects need to be able to get the word out about their products. They need to be able to explain why other people should take the time to learn and potentially contribute to their projects. This article features interviews with three experts who answer questions about how to promote projects to users and contributors. It covers how to make projects stand out, what parts of a project to focus on when marketing, brands and communication styles, and speaking at events.

[Assistant] Marketing for maintainers: Promote your project to users and contributors


[User] In June of last year, an affiliate group of the REvil and Ragnar Locker ransomware cartels posted a job listing on a hacker forum, making it clear they were serious by depositing $1 million worth of bitcoin into their forum wallet. This article follows investigators as they apply for the position to find out more about the organization. The investigation revealed that the cybercriminals had an insider contact at a crypto exchange that helped them convert their 'earnings' into cash.

[Assistant] Million-dollar deposits and friends in high places: how we applied for a job with a ransomware gang


[User] Two 3D-printing companies in Italy have designed and printed 100 respirator valves in 24 hours. A prototype for the respirator valves was created three hours after a hospital found out that it had run out of the part. The companies worked for free to print the parts, but the design will not be released to the public. A second hospital has contacted the companies requesting more valves.

[Assistant] Coronavirus: 3D printers save hospital with valves


[User] A US academic has uncovered a database used by Shenzhen Zhenhua, a Chinese company known to work with intelligence, military, and security agencies. The database contains information that could be used to conduct influence operations against prominent and influential people outside China. It contains information on influential individuals and institutions across a variety of industries. The data allows Chinese analysts to track key influencers and how news and opinions move through social media platforms. Using the information, China can craft messages to target individuals to manipulate them.

[Assistant] Chinese database details 2.4 million influential people, their kids, addresses, and how to press their buttons