[User] Twitter's new API is ready to come out of early access. The upgrade will provide more freedom to developers to build third-party Twitter clients. Twitter has removed restrictions from its Developer Policy to make it easier for developers to compete with Twitter in ways that the company didn't allow before. The company aims to let developers drive the future of innovation on Twitter, making its platform decentralized and becoming more of a communications protocol than a social network.

[Assistant] Twitter makes big changes for devs as it eyes decentralized future


[User] This repository contains engineering guidelines for building production-level deep learning systems which can be deployed in real-world applications. It goes through each module, recommended toolset, and framework, as well as best practices from practitioners that fit each component. A graphical overview of different components in a production level deep learning system is available.

[Assistant] A Guide to Production Level Deep Learning


[User] Ming-Chi Kuo has released a report that says that Apple will introduce new keyboard designs based on scissor switches, starting with the 2019 MacBook Air. The new design uses glass fiber to reinforce the keys and improve durability. It will also be cheaper to manufacture than the previous butterfly keyboard design. The butterfly keyboard received many complaints about stuck keys, repeated key inputs, and sound. Reverting back to the same key switch mechanism used in MacBooks before 2015 will be a change that is greatly welcomed by many users.

[Assistant] Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in 2019 MacBook Air and 2020 MacBook Pro


[User] Nreal's Light mixed reality glasses will be available at 20 Verizon stores in the US on November 30. The glasses will be available online starting on December 2. Wearers will be able to access Android apps without taking the glasses off. The glasses can be used as VR glasses, but the field of view will be limited compared to a dedicated headset. Verizon will be selling the glasses for $599. They are compatible with both Android and iOS devices, but Nreal recommends using a OnePlus 8 or recent Samsung Galaxy phone.

[Assistant] Nreal's Light mixed reality glasses arrive in the US November 30th


[User] In 2018, Ethereum mining used roughly as much electricity as Iceland. Ethereum developers, including creator Vitalik Buterin, are creating a new version in 2019 that will be able to complete transactions using just 1% of the energy currently required. The plan is to replace current Proof of Work algorithms where millions of processors simultaneously process the same transactions with Proof of Stake algorithms that randomly select one to do the job. Because Proof of Stake is less energy intensive, they are less costly so transactions should be cheaper as well.

[Assistant] Ethereum Plans to Cut Its Absurd Energy Consumption by 99 Percent


[User] Scientists from Austin, Texas were able to hide an encryption key within a special ink. They used sequence-defined polymers (SDPs), long chains of monomers that can carry a sequence of information, to store the encryption key. The SDPs were mixed with isopropanol, glycerol, and soot to create the special ink. Stored messages on SDPs can be decoded using depolymerization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The technique was able to successfully store 256 bits of data.

[Assistant] Scientists hid encryption key for Wizard of Oz text in plastic molecules


[User] Instagram is rolling out several new messaging features. The features include music sharing, replying while browsing, quick sending, online status, silent messages, polls, chat customization, co-watching videos, a lo-fi chat theme, and more. Some features will require users to allow for cross-app communication between Instagram and Messenger. Meta's other chat apps, Messenger and WhatsApp, also received updates this week.

[Assistant] Instagram upgrades its DM inbox with music sharing, statuses, polls, silent messages, and more


[User] A new AI developed by a team from the University of Helsinki and Copenhagen University can generate images of fake faces that an individual finds attractive by learning that person's preferences. The AI was trained by monitoring the person's brain activity as they viewed a series of AI-generated faces. Faces generated by the system were rated as attractive 87 percent of the time. The remaining 13 percent of the times the faces were 'too perfect' or there was something odd with the AI-generated image.

[Assistant] This AI Uses Your Brain Activity to Create Fake Faces It Knows You’ll Find Attractive


[User] Developer tools help developers get feedback and work more efficiently. In this Hacker News thread, developers discuss the tools they would like to be created and how these tools would help them with their workflows. Most replies to top comments contain suggestions on currently existing tools that do what the developer wants.

[Assistant] Ask HN: What developer tools would you like to see?


[User] As humans discover new laws governing the universe, we start to find out what our physical limits are, and also what we are not limited to. The discovery of new technologies opens up possibilities for us to build bigger things. Whenever a physical law is revealed as universal, the next natural step is to scale it up and to explore the theoretical consequences. Whether or not it is the right thing to do, it is possible to redesign Earth. Megascale engineering has already happened in parts of South East Asia, Europe, and the US. Even larger projects would require a high level of coordination. Each part of the project would need to function perfectly, as well as be maintained.

[Assistant] The 'megascale' structures that humans could one day build


[User] Underline is a new startup that wants to break up broadband monopolies across the US by building an open access fiber network. Multiple service providers will be able to use the network and offer service to customers, with a residential service starting at $49 per month for a 500 Mbps connection. Underline's first open access fiber network will be built in Colorado Springs. The network will consist of 400 miles of fiber and offer service to 55,000 residences and businesses. Underline has a target list of about 2,500 cities.

[Assistant] The startup that wants to disrupt big internet providers


[User] This is a big list of strings that can cause problems when inserted by users. Handy to check against if you're doing any sort of QA on a site that accepts text input from users.

[Assistant] The Big List of Naughty Strings


[User] A beta of the new MoviePass service will launch around September 5 with a tiered system costing up to around $30 per month.

[Assistant] MoviePass will return on September 5th with plans starting at around $10 per month


[User] Apple has revealed a new MacBook Air with an M2 chip. The new design is 11mm thick and weighs 2.7 pounds. There are two new color options, a dark blue 'midnight' and a light gold 'starlight'. Its 13.6-inch display can hit 500 nits of brightness and supports the P3 wide color gamut for a billion colors. The new MacBook Air has MagSafe charging and a full-sized Touch ID button. It has up to 18 hours of battery life. More details, including pictures of the new laptop, are available in the article.

[Assistant] Hands-on with the new, more colorful, M2-powered MacBook Air


[User] Facebook is rolling out a new feature called 3D photos, which uses AI to make it so you can add make-believe depth to photos. The effect basically allows you to rotate photos and peek behind objects (there's an example gif inside), it's pretty cool kind of like looking through a window and being able to see a picture from different angles. Currently the feature only works on iPhone 7 and above, but will eventually be rolled out ot other phones.

[Assistant] Facebook rolls out 3D photos that use AI to simulate depth


[User] GitHub is giving everybody free private repositories with up to three collaborators per repo. Pretty awesome, the announcement post is pretty short because a blog leaked the information a day early, this was actually meant to be announced tomorrow.

[Assistant] GitHub Free


[User] A YouTuber was able to use a neural network to upscale a very old, low-resolution, black and white video from 1896. The result was a clear 4K video that played at 60 frames per second. AI has been a hot topic in recent years, with the technology being applied to create technology such as autonomous cars. Denis Shiryaev used a mix of neural networks from Gigapixel AI and a technique called depth-aware video frame interpolation to improve the quality of the old video. The Gigapixel AI was trained to 'fill in' information in an image to upscale it and improve its quality. It is possible that the AI could introduce erroneous details, and it is much slower than conventional techniques. The network can be trained to colorize images and add in various missing patterns in objects like floors, windows, and vegetation. Some data scientists are attempting to create neural networks that can draw and paint. AI is getting so big that large tech companies are all racing to buy or invest in every new and obscure startup in the field.

[Assistant] YouTuber uses neural networks to upscale 1896 short film to 4K 60 fps


[User] Spotify recently gave all its Anchor creators the ability to make polls and Q&As and is testing interactive ads. Other platforms are also trying different ways to allow podcast listeners to interact with content. Podcasting apps in China are surprisingly interactive, with listeners being allowed to build listening circles and discussion groups. The challenge with interactive audio is that listeners are usually not using their devices. Being able to interact with podcasters and a community helps increase the chances of listeners returning.

[Assistant] The next big thing in podcasts is talking back


[User] Scientists have created human-mouse chimera embryos. Human stem cells were added to growing mouse embryos, resulting in mouse embryos with 4 percent human cells. Human-mouse chimeras could be valuable for studying diseases that affect humans more than other animals. There have been attempts at creating other human-animal chimeras but the results have not been as successful. Human cells grow slowly compared to mouse cells, but the human stem cells in the study sped up development to match the pace of their host's cells.

[Assistant] New hybrid embryos are the most thorough mixing of humans and mice yet


[User] Mcbroken is a service built by @rashiq that exploits McDonald's internal API to create a map that shows up-to-date information on which US locations have a broken ice-cream machine. No ice-cream was wasted in making the site.

[Assistant] I reverse engineered McDonald's internal api...


[User] Frenetic improves the efficiency of your Power Electronics team by 60% Is “hiring freeze” going to delay your projects? Frenetic automates the design and manufacturing of your Power Electronics, through a fully digital, AI powered, end-to-end platform. Check out how we make the difference.

[Assistant] Frenetic improves the efficiency of your Power Electronics team by 60%


[User] data2vec is a multi-modal artificial intelligence algorithm from Meta that attempts to replicate the general learning ability that the human mind possesses. The team aimed to create an AI that could learn to perform many different tasks, including unfamiliar ones. data2vec can learn from speech, vision, and text without needing labeled training data. The technology will eventually be built into Meta's AR glasses to aid a virtual assistant. Details about how the neural network works are available in the article.

[Assistant] Meta's 'data2vec' is the next step toward One Neural Network to Rule Them All


[User] Canada has arrested Huawei's CFO who is facing extradition to the United States on suspicion that she violated US trade sanctions against Iran. US authorities allege that Huawei has been shipping US products to Iran and other countries in violation of US export and sanctions laws.

[Assistant] Canada arrests Huawei's global chief financial officer in Vancouver


[User] Close to 1,000 schools around the world have created thousands of free online courses, known as Massive Open Online Courses. This website contains a list of over 620 free courses that can be started this month. Most courses are completely self-paced, and they are sorted by difficulty.

[Assistant] 620 Free Online Programming & Computer Science Courses You Can Choose from to Kick Off 2020


[User] Add scheduling functionality to your web app using the Bryntum JavaScript component suite The Bryntum component suite lets you easily integrate project planning and resource scheduling widgets into your app. Our Gantt chart, Calendar, Scheduler, Grid, and Kanban board, are all compatible with leading JS frameworks including React, Angular & Vue! Our widgets are trusted by thousands, including Netflix, Samsung, and Intel. Learn more.

[Assistant] Add scheduling functionality to your web app using the Bryntum JavaScript component suite


[User] A Stanford team have identified a single gene that encodes a protein responsible for age-related cognitive losses and have successfully reversed the cognitive effects of aging on mice by blocking the gene using special antibodies. Microglia are a class of brain cells responsible for immune responses and cleanup, and their performance deteriorates with age. A test in a group of about 3,000 genes found that CD22 changed microglial eating patterns and also became more prevalent with age. Scientists blocked the gene in mice using special antibodies and the mice showed signs of cognitive improvement. This improvement was also seen in mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. CD22 is also found in the human genome but it is too early to say whether the therapy will be effective in humans.

[Assistant] Stanford team develops brain-rejuvenating antibodies that let old mice think like youngsters


[User] Cryo-electron microscopy is a technique for imaging molecules that produces images so detailed that individual atoms can be seen. The technique will allow researchers to understand the workings of proteins that cannot be studied using other imaging techniques. It works by firing electrons at flash-frozen samples and recording the resulting images. The technique has been around for decades, but recent breakthroughs in electron detection and in image-analysis software have made it the dominant tool for mapping the 3D shapes of proteins.

[Assistant] Revolutionary microscopy technique sees individual atoms for first time


[User] A memory prosthesis appears to boost people's ability to remember new information. It works by mimicking what happens in the region of the brain that plays a crucial role in memory. The prosthesis has been tested in 24 people who had implanted electrodes for studying their epilepsy. Those who had the worst memory performance saw the biggest improvements. The researchers hope that the device will be able to help people with memory loss due to brain injuries, aging, or degenerative diseases.

[Assistant] A memory prosthesis could restore memory in people with damaged brains


[User] The sea squirt belongs to a group of undersea animals called tunicates. Tunicates are saclike filter-feeders that live on plankton and organic matter. While they are squishy, they are part of the phylum chordata as they have many of the anatomical features of vertebrate animals in their larval stage. Sea squirts come in many shapes and sizes. They hatch into tadpole-like larvae that can swim for a short time. After they settle, they begin absorbing all the tadpole-like parts, including its brain, and becomes its adult form. There are many pictures of sea squirts available in the article.

[Assistant] Meet the creature that eats its own brain


[User] SpaceX's Starship prototype SN8 achieved a major milestone by flying to a height of around 40,000 feet. After reaching its peak, the Starship oriented into a horizontal position to glide back to Earth. Its engines re-ignited as the rocket approached the ground, reorienting itself to a vertical orientation for the descent. The landing was a little rough, resulting in an explosion that engulfed the rocket. Despite this, the test was deemed successful, as the test flight resulted in a ton of valuable data for SpaceX. SpaceX already has two more prototypes ready to go for follow-up tests.

[Assistant] SpaceX flies its Starship rocket to 40,000 feet, just misses the landing in explosive finale


[User] TLDR: Health food chain Tossed has just opened the UK's first cashless cafe, another step towards the death of cash, an alarming trend. A cashless society would make every payment traceable, allowing for unprecedented control by financial institutions and governments over the lives of citizens. In addition, it is primarily the poor who have been locked out of our financial system, how can those too poor to open a bank account or get a credit card even operate in a cashless society? Going cashless has the potential to further trap the poor in an endless cycle of poverty. Cash means total financial inclusion, something the well off too often take for granted.

[Assistant] Why we should fear a cashless world


[User] MemLab is a JavaScript memory testing framework that automates memory leak detection. It was developed by Meta to identify memory leaks and memory optimization opportunities across its products and infrastructure. MemLab is now open source. This article introduces MemLab and discusses the sources of memory leaks and how to use MemLab to deal with them.

[Assistant] MemLab: An open source framework for finding JavaScript memory leaks


[User] TikTok has overtaken YouTube in average watch time per user in the US and UK. YouTube is still the bigger site in terms of users and total video watched, but the average TikTok user watches more video than the average YouTube viewer. The data from the report only comes from Android devices, but there is no reason that iOS users would be different. TikTok was the most downloaded app last year. YouTube has been trying to fight off TikTok with YouTube Shorts, a TikTok clone.

[Assistant] TikTok passes YouTube in the US for average watch time


[User] Drata says there’s an easier way to achieve continuous SOC 2 compliance (also ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR and CCPA). Instead of screenshots, spreadsheets, and endless back-and-forth emails with auditors, Drata offers an autopilot layer that gathers evidence 24/7, with 75+ integrations for the most common SaaS services.Users seem to be impressed: Drata is the highest rated compliance software on G2. The CISO of Lemonade says: “Drata applies a level of integration and automation that I’ve not seen before. I reviewed a number of players in this space. Drata is the clear winner.”Check Drata out: TLDR readers get 10% off and waived implementation fees

[Assistant] SOC 2 is a resource drain. Can Drata’s auto-compliance tool make it quicker?


[User] PromptBase is a market that lets prompt engineers sell text prompts for AI image generators like OpenAI's DALL-E. For between $2 to $5, customers can purchase a paragraph of text with keywords describing the intended aesthetic, elements of the scene, and other tailored content. This article features an interview with one of the prompt engineers from the market where they discuss what makes a good commercial AI prompt. Examples of images generated with paid prompts are available in the article.

[Assistant] Professional AI whisperers have launched a marketplace for DALL-E prompts


[User] Meta is cutting the free laundry and dry-cleaning services at its offices. It will also begin serving dinner after the last shuttle departs campus, meaning that employees will have to choose between a free meal or a free ride home. Meta will be increasing annual employee wellness stipends from $700 to $3,000 per year to account for the changes.

[Assistant] Meta employees say goodbye to perks like on-site laundry


[User] Mice with metastatic melanoma who were treated with the mRNA cancer vaccine showed significant inhibition of tumors.

[Assistant] A major mRNA cancer vaccine breakthrough eliminates tumors in mice


[User] Researchers from MIT have developed a technique to produce wood products of any shape or size. The technique involves giving stem cell-like properties to normal plant cells and using a gel-based medium enriched with nutrients and hormones to stimulate the cells into becoming wood. Using this technique, the scientists were able to grow wood at a rate twice that of regular trees. The team was able to 3D print custom-designed structures out of the cells cultured in the gel. The research could eventually lead to the end of deforestation.

[Assistant] Scientists can now grow wood in a lab without cutting a single tree


[User] Google announced a series of updates to its product range at its I/O conference. All Google Home devices have now been rebranded as Nest devices. Alarms in Google Nest Hub (previously Google Home) can now be stopped just by saying the word ‘stop’. Maps now has an incognito mode, and Pixel users will start seeing augmented reality walking directions in the app. Google will now let users opt to automatically remove data at certain intervals. New Pixel phones were announced at $399 for the Pixel 3a and $479 for the Pixel 3a XL, with both phones boasting a 30 hour long battery life. Google Assistant has received a massive speed boost and features a new driving mode that provides less distraction for drivers. Android Q will have a live caption capability that works on videos offline and it will also feature a dark mode. Other improvements to AR features and Duplex were also announced.

[Assistant] Everything Google Announced at I/O 2019 That Matters


[User] Swarmia integrates with the tools you already use like GitHub, Jira/Linear, and Slack to give you visibility into your engineering workflow and bottlenecks."In just three months, Swarmia helped us decrease our average cycle time by 48%." Jeremy Krebs Co-Founder & CTO of MateraStart shipping faster today!

[Assistant] Ship better software faster


[User] How can AI improve your testing? Developers use Testim so they can spend less time creating, editing, and updating UI tests - and more time innovating in their apps. It’s flexible, it’s scalable, and it’s used by the best engineering teams (Microsoft, JFrog, and NetApp to name a few).Scale cross-browser testing today with Testim. Start testing free

[Assistant] AI-based UI testing improves stability and eliminates false test failures


[User] AutoFoley is an AI that can synthesize background sound effects based on a scene. It analyzes the movement in video frames and then creates artificial sound effects to match the scene. In a study, a majority of people who viewed clips generated with AutoFoley believed that the fake sound effects were real. Three examples of sound effects generated by AutoFoley are available in the article.

[Assistant] New AI Dupes Humans into Believing Synthesized Sound Effects Are Real


[User] Samsung has launched Samsung Money in a partnership with fintech company SoFi. The service will act similar to a bank account or credit union. Samsung Money accounts are FDIC insured for up to $1.5 million. Users will be able to check their balance, pause or restart spending, freeze or unfreeze their card, and change their pin from the Samsung Pay app. Samsung Money will be available to Samsung Galaxy users in the US later this summer.

[Assistant] Samsung unveils Apple Card competitor dubbed 'Samsung Money by SoFi'


[User] Square Financial Services has started operations. The bank's main purpose is to offer business loan and deposit products. Square received conditional approval to operate the bank late last year. The bank is not expected to have a material impact on the company's balance sheet, net revenue, gross profit, or adjusted earnings. It will operate under an asset-light business model by selling loans to third-party investors.

[Assistant] Square’s in-house bank kicks off operations


[User] Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have developed a transparent material that is hard and self-heals when cracked. It is based on a piezoelectric organic material that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy and vice versa. The arrangement of the material results in a strong attractive force that can heal fractures when they occur. It may still be some time before the material appears on any smartphones.

[Assistant] Scientists Create the World’s Toughest Self-Healing Material


[User] This is a handy SQL cheatsheet, great for anyone like me who can never remember which JOINs are which. It's short, sweet, and to the point.

[Assistant] Quick SQL Cheatsheet


[User] Weilan, a tech firm based in China, has developed a robodog similar to Boston Dynamics' Spot robot. The robot is the fastest on the market, moving at a speed of almost 9 mph. AlphaDog uses 5G technology to make it operate autonomously. The company sold more than 1,800 units in its first month of sales. Weilan hopes to eventually enable the robots to help guide the visually impaired. A short video made by Weilan to introduce AlphaDog to the world is available.

[Assistant] Meet AlphaDog: China's Answer to Boston Dynamics' Spot the Robot


[User] Facebook is pushing ahead with its plans for a cryptocurrency-based payment system with Novi, a digital wallet that has secured licenses or approvals in nearly every state. The wallet will offer free peer-to-peer payments and earn profits from merchant services. Facebook's currency Diem, formally known as Libra, will be backed by a bank holding company and will have its value pegged to the US dollar. It will run on a permissioned-blockchain by the Diem Association. There are still many regulatory roadblocks to overcome before the system can be launched.

[Assistant] Facebook pushes ahead with crypto wallet plan in bid to 'fix broken payment system'


[User] The construction of a 60-foot-tall walking Gundam robot will start in Yokohama in October this year. Gundam first aired in 1979, leaving an indelible mark on Japanese culture and the world of animation. Sales of Gundam miniature figurines approached half a billion back in 2015. This is the fourth full-size Gundam attraction that designer Masaki Kawahara has worked on. The robot will weigh around 25 tons and have 24 degrees of motion. Building the robot will stretch the limits of common motor, materials, and actuator technologies. It will be developed using the open-source Robot Operating System and Gazebo simulation software. A full-scale virtual copy of the robot will be released so that aspiring programmers can play with it and develop their own actions and poses. The seven-minute press conference announcement video is linked at the bottom of the article.

[Assistant] Japan is building a 60-foot-tall, walking Gundam robot


[User] Scientists have discovered life in the extremely cold and salty waters of the Lost Hammer Spring in the Canadian Arctic. The microbes had adaptations that allowed them to thrive in water with temperatures of around minus five degrees Celsius, less than one part per million of dissolved oxygen, and around 24% salinity. They don't depend on organic material or oxygen to survive. Similar environments may exist on ocean worlds like Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus.

[Assistant] Life Has Been Found in a Low-Oxygen, Super-Salty, Sub-Zero Arctic Spring


[User] Tesla's Autopilot kept working during Storm Dennis in the southern part of the UK and seemingly managed to save eight lives. Two Tesla Model X vehicles were involved in an accident caused by Storm Dennis. The vehicles were coming towards each other from opposite directions when a 400-year-old oak tree fell onto the path of the vehicles. Both families in the vehicles credit Autopilot for saving their lives by engaging their Automatic Emergency Breaks just in time.

[Assistant] Tesla Autopilot Saved 8 Lives In Storm Dennis


[User] In December, explorer and investor Victor Vescovo and scientist Alan Jamieson, will begin exploring the deepest parts of each of the world's oceans in a $48 million submarine. 45% of the ocean has been essentially ignored by explorers, so they will be diving in 5 spots, and they're hoping they will find a new deepest spot in the ocean (the deepest known spot is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, which is almost 7 miles down). All five of their dives into the "Five Deeps" will be between 5 and 7 miles down. There will be no rescue crew.

[Assistant] Humans are about to touch the deepest corners of the ocean for the first time — an endeavor as dangerous as landing on the moon


[User] Frustrated with your project management software? Shortcut is a goldilocks solution for software engineers, product managers, and designers, providing the ease of use of a simple tool with the power and flexibility of an overly complex one. Learn more.

[Assistant] Don’t let your issue tracker be a four-letter word. Use Shortcut.


[User] Billions of dollars are being poured into AI-based projects by governments around the world to change how low-income people will interact with the state. Governments are looking into ways to automate how welfare payments are distributed amongst those who need them. They claim the new systems will speed up benefits payments, increase efficiency and transparency, reduce waste, save money for taxpayers, eradicate human fallibility and prejudice, and ensure that limited resources reach those most in need. However, many have seen their payments reduced or stopped, and unexplainable mistakes often occur. Victims of these mistakes often have no way of seeking remedies. The technology is also being used to demand repayments from those who have been overpaid, with some cases where up to 30 years of overpayments were demanded to be repaid.

[Assistant] Digital dystopia: how algorithms punish the poor


[User] Chinese scientists have managed to clone primates after editing their genes. This used to not be possible because of the way genes lock down when faced with stress. The scientists produced five infant macaques with the exact same genes, including a copy of a gene that had been inserted into the original monkey using CRISPR. Creating clones helps limit variables in experiments, because each animal is identical to the last, making it easier to notice subtle effects that otherwise could be missed.

[Assistant] Chinese Scientists Have Cloned a Genetically Altered Primate For The First Time


[User] Strateos is a robotic cloud lab that automates the laboratory process so that researchers can perform experiments remotely. Lab work is time-intensive and prone to human error. Using automation, multiple experiments can be performed simultaneously and perfectly and the results are more accurate. Many instructions in chemistry are ambiguous, but Strateos' experiments are all defined by code, which means that all experiments can be perfectly replicated. Strateos provides a web app where scientists can define their experiments. The platform allows anyone to access state-of-the-art equipment for their experiments. This video explains how Strateos works while showing footage of what goes on inside the lab.

[Assistant] Inside the Lab Where Robots Run Their Own Experiments


[User] This video follows the Hacksmith team as they build a real plasma protosaber. A real lightsaber would require a tiny portable nuclear reactor to power it, which just isn't possible at the moment. The backpack uses LPG fuel due to its energy density, outputting 50 times more energy per kilogram than a Li-po battery. It uses an array of laminar flow nozzles to create the highly concentrated gas required for a plasma beam. The resulting beam burns at around 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. Its color can change depending on what salts are burned with the gas. The follow-up video showing the team using the protosaber to cut stuff is now available.

[Assistant] 4000° PLASMA LIGHTSABER BUILD (RETRACTABLE BLADE!)


[User] Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted monitoring tool that can monitor uptime for HTTP(s), TCP, and ping. It has a fancy UI and notifications. Screenshots are available.

[Assistant] Uptime Kuma


[User] This repository contains a list of system design resources. It contains articles, books, videos, and tools. Topics include distributed computing, microservices, case studies, and more.

[Assistant] Awesome System Design


[User] China will send a trio of spacecraft to Mars on July 23rd on top of the Long March 5 rocket. An orbiter will study Mars from above, while a lander and rover will be sent to the surface. Tianwen-1 will be China's first big interplanetary mission. China has recently landed a rover on the far side of the Moon and has other space projects planned for the future. The spacecraft will reach Mars sometime in February 2021 where it will stay in orbit for about two or three months before deploying the lander and rover. Tianwen-1's rover will map out Martian geography, look for water-ice in the soil, measure the climate of the surface of the planet, and more. It is equipped with a ground-penetrating radar that can identify different rocks and search for reservoirs of water-ice underneath the surface.

[Assistant] China is about to launch a trio of spacecraft to Mars — including a rover


[User] The Pentagon is working on a nuclear thermal propulsion engine that will fly satellites around in space. It will enable the US to better mine resources from the moon as well as serve as a weapon. The project is called the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO. NASA and the military believe this technology would be a good complement for its plans to return to the moon by 2024. Attaching a small nuclear reactor onto a rocket will allow for the creation of highly mobile satellites.

[Assistant] The Pentagon Is Working on a Nuclear Thermal Rocket


[User] Dark matter is an invisible force that is theorized to be causing the universe to expand faster than normal calculations can account for. Experts have theorized that if it is real, it must be ubiquitous, but a team of astronomers say that they have found six galaxies that appear to have either very little or no dark matter. The researchers found the movements of gas in these galaxies were perfectly explainable by normal matter alone. If the team is correct, it is strong evidence proving that not every galaxy holds the elusive force.

[Assistant] Mysterious galaxy without dark matter puzzles astronomers


[User] This article describes a general approach to rasterization and using the GPU to render vector paths.

[Assistant] Vector graphics on GPU


[User] I am launching a new crypto newsletter on January 10th, 2022 to follow tech and innovation within the blockchain space. Please remember to hit enter after signing up, if you don't see the confirmation screen you haven't been added to the list!

[Assistant] Sign Up for TLDR's Crypto Newsletter


[User] This repository has a list of resources for Chief Technology Officers, with an emphasis on startups and hyper-growth companies. Topics include hiring, management, architecture, technology, marketing, and more.

[Assistant] Awesome CTO


[User] This article describes a vulnerability that allows for third-party tracking across different desktop browsers on the same device. The vulnerability affects Tor users. It allows for targeted advertisement and user profiling without consent. The exploit has been possible for more than five years. Until it is fixed, the only way to have private browsing sessions not associated with your primary device is to use another device altogether.

[Assistant] Exploiting custom protocol handlers for cross-browser tracking in Tor, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox


[User] JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages. This article contains 10 JavaScript hacks for writing cleaner code, saving resources, and optimizing efficiency. Each tip includes example code snippets.

[Assistant] 10 JavaScript Hacks Every Web Developer Should Know


[User] SkyDrive Inc has successfully carried out a test flight of its flying car with a person on board. The vehicle, which looks like a slick motorcycle with propellers, flew several feet off the ground and hovered around for four minutes. SkyDrive hopes to have a real-life product by 2023. At the moment, the vehicle can only fly for up to 10 minutes. Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles have the potential to offer quick point-to-point personal travel but there are still many challenges to overcome such as battery sizes, air traffic control, and other infrastructure issues. Pictures of the vehicle are available in the article.

[Assistant] Japan's 'flying car' gets off ground with a person aboard


[User] Wing will be launching a test program in Virginia with Walgreens, FedEx, and Sugar Magnolia. It will deliver snacks, over-the-counter medicines, and other selected packages. Only 22,000 people in Montgomery County will be eligible as Wing continues to figure out what works and what doesn't. When customers place an order, Wing's delivery drones head to a specific delivery location, where a human operator hooks a package onto the drone. The drone cruises at about 60-70 mph to the delivery location, where it lowers the package to the ground to be released. Packages can be up to 3 lbs. Delivery during the test phase will be free, and the first delivery will begin next month.

[Assistant] Wing will test drone delivery in the US with Walgreens and FedEx


[User] YouTube and Amazon have finally ended their feud after a year of negotiations. The YouTube app will now return to Amazon’s Fire TV products, and the Amazon Prime Video app will be adding Chromecast support. No dates have yet been set for when these changes will occur, but Amazon users can still access YouTube through the built-in browser while they wait. There are still disputes yet to be resolved between Amazon and Google, for example, Amazon still won’t stock some of Google’s devices on their marketplace.

[Assistant] YouTube is finally coming back to Amazon’s Fire TV devices


[User] Tired of online returns or wasting time in stores? unspun is an ultra-sustainable denim brand, recently named one of TIME's Best Inventions. They guarantee their $200 bespoke jeans will be your new favorite pair, and they're recruiting beta testers to give UX feedback in exchange for a $40 gift card — sign up above.

[Assistant] unspun - custom-built jeans via 3D iPhone scans


[User] Scientists who were testing the effects of virtual reality on mice brains discovered a new type of brain wave that could be involved with learning. It appears that VR causes processing in the brain to occur differently than in real life. The study could lead to changes to what we know about the brain's learning abilities. It may mean that VR could be used as a way to treat learning and memory impairments.

[Assistant] How Virtual Reality Unveiled a Unique Brain Wave That Could Boost Learning


[User] Amazon announced in November that it was planning to build a new headquarters in New York. However, recent protests have caused debates on whether the company will continue its plans. Government opposition may halt further development, but the mayor continues to support the project. If Amazon brings its offices to Queens, it could mean creating between 25,000 to 40,000 jobs.

[Assistant] Amazon HQ2 Deal Stirs New Tensions in New York


[User] Scientists have been able to connect an artificial neuron with a biological one, getting them to communicate with dopamine. Previous attempts at hybrid neural circuits only focused on electrical computing. Chemical computing would bring brain-machine interfaces closer to reality. It is theoretically possible to use these neuromorphic chips as replacement parts for damaged brains. The chips demonstrated the ability to learn. A lot more research is still required before the technology can be used for any practical applications.

[Assistant] Scientists Used Dopamine to Seamlessly Merge Artificial and Biological Neurons


[User] Case Study Club is a weekly newsletter that contains case studies about the specific design choices and thought processes that go into building a product. Curated by Jan Wennesland, a designer since 1996!

[Assistant] Case Study Club


[User] This article covers five common types of tech interview questions. They include trivia-type questions, questions asking about technical specifics, questions obfuscated with fuzzy wording, and questions with unspecified behavior or missing context. The article also discusses how interviewers can improve on these questions and the best way for candidates to answer them.

[Assistant] 5 coding interview questions I hate


[User] GPT-3 can generate explanations of how code works. It is shockingly effective at this. This article demonstrates how GPT-3 can be used to explain code with Python, Regex, JavaScript, SQL, and math examples. It provides tips on how to craft the right questions for GPT-3.

[Assistant] Using GPT-3 to explain how code works


[User] Google's latest breakthroughs in image super-resolution can turn low-resolution photos into detailed images. A recent post detailed two approaches to image super-resolution. SR3 is a super-resolution diffusion model that works well on upscaling portraits and natural images. CDM is a class-conditional diffusion model that upscales photos in a cascade. Examples of upscaled images using these techniques are available in the article.

[Assistant] Google’s New AI Photo Upscaling Tech is Jaw-Dropping


[User] Doctors in China have conducted remote surgery on a test animal, removing its liver by controlling robotic surgical arms over a 5G connection. This is possible because 5G is so fast that despite the 30 mile distance between the doctor and the patient, the lag time was only 0.1 seconds so surgery was still possible. The hope is that this technology could be used to help people in disaster areas, or for doctors at large hospitals to help colleagues in smaller institutions.

[Assistant] China completes world’s first 5G remote surgery in test on animal


[User] This repository contains a list of hardware gadgets for Red Team hackers, pentesters, and security researchers. More than a hundred tools are listed, classified into eight categories. All tools are available for purchase online.

[Assistant] The Hacker's Hardware Toolkit


[User] Facebook just announced a newsletter product called Bulletin. Bulletin allows writers to publish free and paid newsletters on the web, to subscribers' emails, or on Facebook. Facebook won't take a fee from writers at launch, and writers retain full ownership of their content and subscriber lists. Facebook has signed up writers already to cover topics from sports to finance. Newsletter platforms are growing in popularity as they offer a way for creators to monetize their work. Bulletin is not currently accepting writers.

[Assistant] Facebook announces Bulletin, its Substack newsletter competitor


[User] Billions of dollars have been pumped into clean hydrogen research and development due to the Inflation Reduction Act and the war in Ukraine.

[Assistant] 2022—The Year the Hydrogen Economy Launched?


[User] While the Macbook Pro has amazing specs, Apple has demonstrated its inability to be reliable. The original poster has had to repair their MBP three times since they purchased it in January 2019 and they are worried about being charged for repairs after the warranty runs out. Top recommendations are for the Dell XPS series. Most of the discussion centers around an analogy between macOS and Linux, comparing it to living in a hotel vs living at home. On the Mac ecosystem, everything is stylish and cared for, but there is little freedom to change things. However, on Linux, you need to do many things yourself, but it is completely yours.

[Assistant] Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?


[User] Transient Plasma Systems' advanced ignition system replaces the conventional spark plugs in a vehicle's engine with an ignition module that uses very short pulses of plasma to ignite the fuel/air mixture within the cylinder. It will still be many years before internal combustion-powered vehicles are no longer allowed on roads, so it is worth developing technologies that lower carbon emissions in current vehicles. The plasma ignition system can be integrated into existing cars with very little modification and it increases fuel efficiency by up to 20%. Transient Plasma Systems is now in discussions to take the technology to market.

[Assistant] This plasma ignition system can increase engine efficiency by 20%


[User] This repository contains a learning path for Laravel. It lists topics to learn in order and provides links to resources.

[Assistant] Laravel Learning Path


[User] Mercedes Benz's future Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving cars will choose to save drivers before pedestrians in the event of an accident. Driverless vehicles may have to make decisions concerning lives, for example, in a collision with a pedestrian, it might have to choose between saving the life of the driver or saving the life of a pedestrian. Engineers at Mercedes have decided that in any situation, autonomous vehicles should save the lives inside the car since that is where the engineers have the most control. While autonomous vehicles may sometimes have to make these kinds of decisions, they will most likely create a safer driving environment, resulting in less fatal accidents.

[Assistant] Self-Driving Mercedes Will Be Programmed To Sacrifice Pedestrians To Save The Driver


[User] Linux Mint now has its own version of the Chromium web browser. Maintaining Chromium was a significant time investment for the Ubuntu Desktop Team, so they switched to using Snap to distribute Chromium. This resulted in security issues that Mint developers felt they needed to fix. In June, Mint cut Snap and the Snap-based Chromium from their distro. Up-to-date builds of Chromium are finally now available for Mint users. There was a delay as Mint needed to automate the process of detecting, packaging, and compiling new versions of the browser.

[Assistant] Linux Mint introduces its own take on the Chromium web browser


[User] Scientists from South Korea have succeeded in running a stable reaction at 100 million°C for 30 seconds. The approach the scientists used boosts temperatures at the core of the plasma and lowers them at the edge. The reaction was stopped due to limitations with hardware. Longer periods should be possible in the future. Some scientists believe that the challenges left in fusion research should be achievable, but it will be difficult to commercialize the technology.

[Assistant] Korean nuclear fusion reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds


[User] Signal was launched in 2014 by Moxie Marlinspike. The end-to-end encrypted messaging service has grown largely since then, with bursts of growth corresponding to periods of social and political upheaval. Signal is able to bring a sense of normalcy to the internet, allowing people to share their thoughts with their friends without having the conversation analyzed for data. This article details a meeting with Marlinspike and discusses the rise of Signal and its future.

[Assistant] Taking Back Our Privacy


[User] TLDR: Amazon employees in China are offering internal sales metrics and reviewers' email addresses, as well as a service to delete negative reviews and restore banned Amazon accounts. The going rate for deleting a negative review is $300, while you can download the email addresses of customers who write reviews for a lower price. Amazon says that it is investigating the issue.

[Assistant] Amazon Investigates Employees Leaking Data for Bribes


[User] Geoponic farming has many of the advantages of hydroponic vertical farms, while still growing its crops in real soil. Vertical Fields is a company that makes container farms that can grow geoponic crops on-site, right next to where they are needed. Each container farm offers a growing space of 400 square feet and yields about 200 pounds of produce per month. The containers can be kept bug free because they are sealed off and automated. Staff tending the farms won't need any special training to work with them. A one-minute video that shows what one of Vertical Farm's container farms is like is available in the article.

[Assistant] Vertical farms grow veggies on site at restaurants and grocery stores


[User] The InSight lander has discovered that Mars' magnetic field will occasionally pulsate in ways that have never been observed before. InSight has been gathering information on Mars such as upper crust temperature, the sounds of alien quakes, and the strength and direction of the planet's magnetic field. It has found that Mars' crust is far more powerfully magnetic than scientists expected. There is a peculiar electrically conductive layer about 2.5 miles thick deep beneath the planet's surface. This layer may be a global reserve of liquid water, similar to Earth's groundwater. Mars' crustal magnetic field is ten times stronger than Earth's, suggesting that it once also had a major global magnetic field. Magnetic fields can be used to find the presence of underground water, but it is too early to tell exactly what is causing the fields and the magnetic pulses. A gallery of images taken on Mars is available.

[Assistant] Mysterious magnetic pulses discovered on Mars


[User] The US Department of Justice has been given the green light to investigate Apple for potential antitrust violations. Google is also currently under scrutiny by the DOJ for antitrust violations in its advertising and search businesses. The Federal Trade Commission has also recently been authorized to investigate Facebook and Amazon. Apple is currently facing investigation in the European Union over its music streaming service. It will have to face an antitrust lawsuit brought on by iPhone app buyers. Apple is one of the companies that Senator Elizabeth Warren says should be broken up as they own both the products and the platform that the products are sold on.

[Assistant] Justice Department reportedly authorized to investigate Apple under antitrust rules


[User] An international team of scientists successfully treated 37 patients suffering from Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a disease that causes optic nerve degeneration and rapid vision loss. LHON can cause people to become legally blind within a few weeks of disease onset. It affects 1 in 30,000 people, mostly men, starting in their 20s and 30s. A majority of patients carry a specific mutation, which the scientists targeted using a technique called mitochondrial targeting. While the treatment was only applied to one eye, both eyes improved for 78% of the patients. The scientists theorized that this was due to the transfer of viral vector DNA from the injected eye, which was confirmed later with experiments on macaques. The same technology can be used to treat other mitochondrial diseases.

[Assistant] Gene therapy injection in one eye surprises scientists by improving vision in both


[User] This article teaches readers how to create a Python package, how to set up automated testing and code coverage, and how to publish packages.

[Assistant] How to create a Python package in 2022


[User] Apple is opening up its Find My tracking network to third-party manufacturers. It is also offering a chipset specification for companies to integrate with its Ultra-Wideband systems. Users will be able to add selected items to be tracked by the Find My app starting today. Companies interested in adding this feature to their products can apply through the Made For iPhone program for authorized accessories.

[Assistant] Apple officially starts letting your iPhone help find lost third-party products


[User] Apple has removed Pocket Casts from the Chinese App Store at the request of the local government. A request was made to Apple by the Cyberspace Administration of China to remove the app after the Pocket Casts team repeatedly turned down government requests to take down podcasts. This is not the first time Apple has removed apps following a request by the Chinese government.

[Assistant] Apple removes Pocket Casts podcast player from App Store in China at government request


[User] Individual podcast results will start showing up in search results in Google, and the feature will soon be implemented into Google Assistant as well. Google has been automatically transcribing all the podcast episodes that it finds and has indexed over 2 million shows. It uses certain signals to determine which shows will be displayed first in search results, such as how many people listen to the show or whether the show comes from a publisher with a lot of authority. Podcasts have always lacked discovery tools, but this new functionality may change how people find new shows. Shows may also start changing their formats in order to become more visible to the search engine, similar to how websites compete with search engine optimization.

[Assistant] Google will start surfacing individual podcast episodes in search results


[User] Bulletproof React is a collection of good practices for building production-ready React applications. The repository contains a guide on how to do things in React with a project structure that scales well. It uses real-world problems in a practical way to help developers write better applications.

[Assistant] Bulletproof React


[User] All 16,000 buses in Shenzhen are now electric. This will cut the city's CO2 emissions by 48% and help tackle their smog problem. Each bus costs 1.8 million yuan, so it's pretty expensive, but more than half the cost was paid for by government subsidies. Charging stations are a big bottleneck, so the city has built 40,000 charging stations. The buses can get 200 km per charge. By the end of the month, Shenzhen will require all 22,000 of the city's taxis to switch to electric as well. An interviewed passenger said "It's quieter, smoother and I only pay the same fare as before. I would say most people here are happy with the switch."

[Assistant] Shenzhen's silent revolution: world's first fully electric bus fleet quietens Chinese megacity


[User] Youtube is now showing about 100 full-length movies for free, including "Legally Blond", "Terminator", and "Rocky". The terms of Youtube's deal with Hollywood studios are undisclosed, but Youtube Director of Product Management Rohit Dhawan says that the selection is expected to expand, and that eventually advertisers could have a way to sponsor individual movies, and even offer complimentary views and exclusive screenings.

[Assistant] Youtube is now showing ad-supported Hollywood movies


[User] Samsung's 55-inch Odyssey Ark features a huge quantum mini LED panel with a 1000R curve, great visuals, and surprisingly good sound.

[Assistant] Samsung's 55-inch Odyssey Ark: Taking gaming monitors to a whole new dimension


[User] Recent benchmark tests found that old iPhones, for example, the iPhone 7, run slightly faster after switching regions to France. A few years ago, Apple was found to intentionally reduce the performance output of old iPhones. Apple had to pay a fine in France, but it avoided paying fines in most other regions by adding battery health options in iOS and introducing a policy to reduce the price of replacement batteries. The reduction of iPhone performance doesn't affect new iPhones. Performance test results are available in the article.

[Assistant] Old iPhones become faster if you change the region to France


[User] Noted leaker Evan Blass unveiled a lot of the upcoming news from Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event in a series of tweets recently. The tweets revealed two new Galaxy foldables, a new Galaxy FE phone, two new Galaxy Watches, and a new set of Galaxy Buds. Each tweet includes a GIF that shows off the device. The event will likely take place on August 11. The tweets are available in the article.

[Assistant] Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked device lineup may have been entirely spoiled in huge new leak


[User] Vending machines in Singapore now sell a variety of foods, such as salmon and Wagyu beef. Many entrepreneurs are turning to vending machines as the barriers to entry are low, and a compact, densely populated city like Singapore is ideal. The variety of food is increasing, and some machines are now selling other items, such as books and cacti. Vending machines played a key role in Singapore's pandemic response, with 1,200 of them installed around the island to dispense free masks.

[Assistant] Singapore vending machines now dispense salmon, crab, and even cacti


[User] Rolls-Royce's 'Spirit of Innovation', an old-school tail-dragger airplane powered by an electric motor, has hit a top speed of 387.4 mph, smashing the speed record for electric airplanes. Electric airplanes aren't practical yet as batteries are 50 times less energy-dense than jet fuel, but they could be potentially used for short trips. The battery pack used in Rolls-Royce's plane is the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled. A picture of the plane is available in the article.

[Assistant] Rolls-Royce's all-electric airplane smashes record with 387.4 MPH top speed


[User] We've been talking with developers about JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) and the questions that usually come up are around how to secure them, pros and cons, and how to revoke JWTs. Here are the answers to all of your burning JWT questions. Download the eBook today!

[Assistant] Breaking Down JSON Web Tokens


[User] A quantum phenomenon known as entanglement might help remove a major roadblock to implementing quantum machine learning. The 'no free lunch' theorem suggests that machine learning algorithms are limited by the amount of data available. This could eliminate the edge quantum computing has over classical computing as the amount of training data that a quantum computer needs would increase exponentially as systems grow larger. A team of scientists has discovered that entangling extra qubits can help the quantum machine-learning circuit interact with many quantum states in the training data at the same time, resulting in a performance boost and bypassing the 'no free lunch' issue.

[Assistant] Spooky Action Could Help Boost Quantum Machine Learning


[User] The People's Bank in China is rumored to be almost ready to launch a digital version of the renminbi. It is unknown whether it will use blockchain technology or how private the system will be. The announcement of Facebook's Libra has apparently accelerated China's plan to roll out its own digital currency. China aims to use the currency to protect its monetary sovereignty. There are many electronic payment methods in China already, with private companies handling trillions of dollars' worth of transactions per quarter. A government-owned currency would be more secure in the case of a private company declaring bankruptcy. The currency is likely to be similar to Libra. China aims to strike a balance between anonymous payments and preventing money laundering. The new digital tokens will be able to be used without an internet connection.

[Assistant] China is about to launch its own digital currency. Here’s what we know so far


[User] The Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) recently latched onto an old communications satellite while in orbit. The mission is Northrop Grumman's second successful docking of an object in space. MEV-2 launched last year and spent six months raising its orbit to meet a 17-year-old satellite more than 22,000 miles from Earth. The satellite had operated for beyond its lifespan, but MEV-2 will extend its life by at least another 5 years. Northrop plans to launch an upgraded satellite servicing system called the Mission Robotic Vehicle by 2024.

[Assistant] A robotic spacecraft just latched onto an active satellite in orbit


[User] Apple's upcoming low-cost iPhone will begin mass production next month and will be officially unveiled as early as March. Production of the phone is split between Foxconn, Pegatron, and Winstron. The name of the device has not been revealed but it has been commonly referred to as the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone 9. It is said to feature Touch ID, an A13 processor, and a design similar to the iPhone 8. Reports predict that the phone will have a starting price as low as $399. The phone is mainly targeted at iPhone 6 users, who will need to upgrade their phones if they want to run iOS 13.

[Assistant] Bloomberg: New low-cost iPhone entering production next month, could be released in March


[User] A new processor with the codename Morpheus continually rewrites its own architecture, making it impossible for attackers to use side-channel attacks that affect conventional x86 processors. Morpheus was able to fend off 580 experts who spent a collective 13,000 hours trying to hack a system run by it. With Morpheus, even if a hacker finds a vulnerability, the information needed to exploit it disappears 50 milliseconds later. The approach doesn't stop every kind of attack that can be launched against it, but it demonstrates that better protection from side-channel attacks is possible.

[Assistant] New ‘Morpheus’ CPU Design Defeats Hundreds of Hackers in DARPA Tests


[User] Stop sending cover letters and scouring job postings looking for “front-end ninjas”. There’s a better way! Sign up to Hired (free), answer a few questions, and you’re done. Employers will reach out with job descriptions and salary details (!) upfront. Compare offers, choose the best one - and go. At an 84% acceptance rate, the odds are on your side.Join Hired for free and get new job offers in days

[Assistant] What if you could get a new job without applying?


[User] In the fast-food chain’s largest acquisition in 20 years, McDonald’s has acquired personalization company Dynamic Yield for a rumored amount of more than $300 million. McDonald’s plans to use the technology developed by Dynamic Yield to build drive-thru menus that are tailored to things such as weather, current restaurant traffic, and trending menu items. The new menus will also offer additional items based on what has been selected. These new menus have already been tested in several locations in the US in 2018 and will be rolled out to other areas in the US in 2019 before moving into international markets. Dynamic Yield will continue to operate as a standalone company and will serve existing and future clients while continuing the development of its personalization technology.

[Assistant] McDonald’s is acquiring Dynamic Yield to create a more customized drive-thru


[User] 80% of new day traders lose money. The reason: human emotions Smart investors let algorithms invest for them:“Buy Tesla when Ford drops 10%”,“Sell AAPL when Bitcoin hits $50,000.”But unless you can code, algo-trading has been out of reach — until now. Composer lets you build algo-strategies in a snap - no code or spreadsheets required. Composer gives you the financial firepower that quantitative hedge funds hire armies of computer scientists to build internally. Try Composer for free today.**Investing in securities involves risks, including the risk of loss.

[Assistant] 80% of new day traders lose money. The reason: human emotions


[User] Gene edited foods are expected to be in stores by early next year. Genetically modified (GMOs) basically means that a plant/animal is mixed with another species' DNA to introduce a specific trait (like GMO corn is resistant to pests and weed killers). Gene editing tools like CRISPR can alter foods more precisely by editing the DNA directly instead of mixing in foreign DNA. The industry is proceeding cautiously because there could be unintended consequences of editing a piece of DNA but the potential benefits are pretty huge (wheat with triple the fiber, mushrooms that don't go brown, pigs immune to viruses etc.). NC State professor Jennifer Kuzma says "we think it's going to really revolutionize the industry".

[Assistant] Next generation of biotech food heading for grocery stores


[User] Some Netflix TV users have started seeing a notification prompting them to get their own accounts if they don't live with the owner of the account. It is unclear whether all users need to be on the same IP address to be considered in the same household. Netflix terms state that accounts cannot be shared with individuals outside of a household. Netflix has not done anything to police this term until now, except to set limits on simultaneous streaming.

[Assistant] Netflix Begins Test to Crack Down on Password Sharing Outside Your Household


[User] Radix Colors is a color system for designing websites and apps. It features multiple combinations that are guaranteed to pass WCAG contrast ratio, dark mode, and transparent variants for UI components that need to blend into colored backgrounds.

[Assistant] Radix Colors


[User] Robinhood experienced a second day of outages, keeping clients from being able to trade on a historic market rally. The issue was reported as fixed by Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday's stock session was volatile after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an effort to stem slower economic growth due to the coronavirus outbreak. Robinhood was last valued at $7.6 billion and has around 10 million users. Some users have threatened Robinhood with a class-action suit, but the company stands behind its customer agreement which says that the platform isn't responsible for any temporary interruptions as the company doesn't warrant that servers will be available and error-free every minute of the day. Despite this, Robinhood expects there to be class-action lawyers launching nuisance lawsuits. As a broker-dealer, Robinhood is required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Securities Exchange Commission to have a backup plan in case something like this happens, so it might still face consequences from these organizations.

[Assistant] Trading app Robinhood experiences ‘major outage’ for a second day amid heavy volume market action


[User] Samsung is making screens that can be stretched in all directions like rubber bands. It recently created an OLED display that can be stretched by up to 30 percent while operating as normal. The display can be used to measure and check biometric data directly on the skin. It still works as normal after being stretched 1,000 times. The displays built with this technology are basic and can only be used for simple applications.

[Assistant] Samsung shows off stretchable OLED screen in prototype heart rate monitor


[User] The US government has expanded its trade blacklist to include some of China's top artificial intelligence startups. 20 Chinese public security bureaus and eight companies have been targeted. The firms targeted will not be able to buy components from US companies without US governmental approval. A filing by the Commerce Department states that the firms were targeted as they were implicated in China's violations of human rights against various ethnic and Muslim minority groups.

[Assistant] U.S. widens blacklist to include China's top AI startups ahead of trade talks


[User] The next-generation test automation platform used by Microsoft, Okta, and Salesforce enables developers and testers to catch visual and functional bugs across different browsers and devices in seconds.Create a free account and add Applitools in just minutes to experience the power of Visual AI.

[Assistant] Ship visually perfect applications with an extra set of eyes from Applitools 👀


[User] Thinkers around the world were asked questions about the future of our world. These questions include: Who will run the world? Which country will have the most powerful economy? What kinds of companies will be most important? What will cause the biggest conflicts? How will people earn a living? There are many more questions. The top three answers are displayed on the main page. More answers are linked to provide deeper insight into how people think the future will turn out.

[Assistant] We asked some of the boldest thinkers what the world will be like in 50 years. Here’s what their answers tell us about the future


[User] Dropbox is letting go of 315 employees, about 11% of the company. Its chief operating officer will leave the company on February 5. Dropbox shifted to remote work in October and plans to continue to do so after the pandemic ends. It will open Dropbox Studios in San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Dublin for its employees to work together in person when it is safe to do so. Dropbox's stocks have dropped by more than 6% since Wednesday.

[Assistant] Dropbox to cut 11% of its global workforce


[User] Samsung's leader, Lee Jae-yong, has returned to prison after his case was retried. The new ruling reduces Lee’s sentence from 5 years to 30 months in prison. As he has already served one year, he only has a year and a half left to serve. Lee was accused of bribing a government official for favorable rulings related to the merger of two Samsung affiliates. Samsung makes anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of South Korea's GDP, and Samsung executives have received reduced sentences or presidential pardons for their crimes for years. The company is currently going through a major transition after its chairman, Lee Kun-hee, passed away in October.

[Assistant] Samsung’s top executive gets 30 months in prison for bribery


[User] Facebook came out with it's own smart home device, it's sort of a tablet with a speaker attached to the base. It's called Facebook Portal, and it comes in two sizes, a 15-inch display for $349 and a 10-inch display for $199. You can sync your Facebook account to it and make video calls through Facebook Messenger. It also has a "AI-powered Smart Camera", which means that the camera swivels and follows you as you move around the room, so you can stay in the video. Portal comes with Amazon Alexa integration built in, and is available for pre-order today (the first units ship in November).

[Assistant]
Facebook is audaciously launching a video gadget for your home, called Portal. Is that a good idea?
Facebook came out with it's own smart home device, it's sort of a tablet with a speaker attached to the base. It's called Facebook Portal, and it comes in two sizes, a 15-inch display for $349 and a 10-inch display for $199. You can sync your Facebook account to it and make video calls through Facebook Messenger. It also has a "AI-powered Smart Camera", which means that the camera swivels and follows you as you move around the room, so you can stay in the video. Portal comes with Amazon Alexa integration built in, and is available for pre-order today


[User] Iberospinus natarioi, a newly identified 8-meter-long predatory dinosaur, represents a new genus and species of spinosaurid, a group that includes the Spinosaurus. An analysis of the spinosaurid's jaws found that it grew teeth to replace those that broke or got lodged in prey. Replacement teeth aren't uncommon in spinosaurids, but this species' system allowed for a much faster turnaround time. Its teeth were also serrated. The dinosaur had a complex system of nerves in its lower jaw that probably helped it sense prey more effectively.

[Assistant] Newly identified dinosaur had teeth that were constantly replaced


[User] Diamonds are usually created from pressure and heat far beneath Earth's surface over billions of years. Scientists in Australia have created two types of diamond at room temperature in minutes by applying immense pressure in a twisting force to carbon. The process was able to create diamonds hard enough to be used to cut through ultra-solid materials on mining sites. A close up image showing one of the diamond rivers from the experiment is available in the article.

[Assistant] Scientists create diamonds at room temperature in minutes


[User] Australian researchers have concluded that humans are still evolving and have changed quickly over the last 250 years. The study was carried out by tracking the rate of retainment of different body parts throughout generations. It found that more people now have an extra artery that increases blood supply to the hands, smaller jaws, and extra bones in their legs and feet.

[Assistant] Human 'microevolution' sees more people born without wisdom teeth and an extra artery


[User] Frustrated with your project management software? Shortcut is a goldilocks solution for software engineers, product managers, and designers, providing the ease of use of a simple tool with the power and flexibility of an overly complex one. Learn more.

[Assistant] Don’t let your issue tracker be a four-letter word. Use Shortcut


[User] Join our free engineering leadership virtual conference on April 7th Join engineering leaders from Netflix, Slack, Stack Overflow, American Express, & more at INTERACT, a free, virtual, community-driven engineering leadership conference.1 day, 20 speakers, all selected by the thousands of engineering leaders in the Dev Interrupted community.If you are a developer, team lead, VP, or CTO looking to improve your team, this is the conference for you! Register for free today.

[Assistant] Join our free engineering leadership virtual conference on April 7th


[User] Jeff Bezos today announced the Bezos Earth Fund, a project that will help scientists, activists, NGOs, and any real effort to help preserve the earth from the impact of climate change. Bezos has committed $10 billion towards the fund. The Bezos Earth Fund will begin issuing grants in the summer. Worth about $130 billion, Bezos hasn't always been as vocal as others about his philanthropy, although he has polled Twitter for philanthropy ideas in the past. In 2018, Bezos announced that a network of free nonprofit schools would be built in low-income communities.

[Assistant] Jeff Bezos commits $10 billion to fight climate change


[User] Magic Leap, a company that makes wearable technology, has laid off roughly 1,000 employees and will be backing away from the consumer market to focus more on its enterprise customers. The company is also in the process of exploring a sale, with an estimated value of $10 billion. CEO Rony Abovitz stated that the company was moving its focus to the enterprise market due to COVID-19 complications.

[Assistant] Magic Leap reportedly slashes 1,000 jobs and steps away from consumer plans


[User] Tesla will open up its Supercharger network to other automakers by September 2022. The network is the most extensive electric vehicle fast-charging network in the world. It has over 25,000 Superchargers at over 2,700 stations globally. The decision to share the network will depend on how costs will be divided. Tesla uses a proprietary plug on its vehicles and charging stations in North America. It will be easier to open up its network in Europe, where there is a standard connector for the region.

[Assistant] Tesla confirms plan to open Supercharger network to other automakers next year


[User] De-identifying Analytics Data with Skyflow - Architecture and Practical Use Cases Can analytics and data privacy go together? Sensitive data often finds its way into analytics pipelines, where it’s rarely needed and adds enormous security and compliance risk. However, blindly purging such data from analytics pipelines can break key use cases.Learn how a data privacy vault and tokenization can help you preserve privacy while enabling analytics - including scenarios that require PII. This white paper discusses example architectures to support several common analytics use cases.Download the PDF: De-identifying Analytics Data with Skyflow

[Assistant] De-identifying Analytics Data with Skyflow - Architecture and Practical Use Cases


[User] Hong Kong's 'cage homes' are rooms that are often smaller than 100 square feet, with space only for a bed and some clothes. Bathrooms are mostly communal and there are usually no kitchens. Rooms are usually divided by makeshift or removable walls. It is difficult to practice social distancing. Nine in 10 people in Hong Kong live in an area smaller than 70 square meters, and yet they pay some of the highest rent and property prices in the world. As many public places are closed due to the pandemic, people who live in cage homes are suffering as they have nowhere to escape their tiny spaces. Landlords are quick to kick out tenants who are unable to pay rent, despite job losses. Hong Kong has recorded fewer than 1,050 infections and 4 deaths from COVID-19 since January.

[Assistant] Social distancing in 100 square feet: Hong Kong's cage homes are almost impossible to self-isolate in


[User] DoNotPay has released a Google Chrome extension that allows users to share paid subscription services. Users will not have to share passwords as the extension works by transferring the cookie that stores your existing login status, rather than the password. All users have to do is click on the extension icon, and it will generate a link that users can share to give others access to their accounts. While there is usually no limit for how many people you can share an account with on services such as Netflix, there might be limits on the number of devices that can simultaneously stream content.

[Assistant] DoNotPay made an extension for sharing Netflix passwords with friends


[User] Disney Plus is introducing a cheaper, ad-supported subscription in the US this year and internationally next year. It has not specified the new tier price or launch date. Many other streaming services offer tiers that include ads for a lower subscription price. Disney aims to reach 230 million to 260 million subscribers by 2024. It had almost 130 million subscribers at the beginning of this year.

[Assistant] Disney Plus to Add a Cheaper Tier With Ads Late This Year


[User] Apple plans to terminate Epic Games' access to its App Store and app development tools by August 28. This includes the development tools required to create software for the Unreal Engine. Epic has filed a court order in Northern California to remove the restrictions that Apple has placed on it. The dispute started when Epic attempted to introduce a direct payment system in its Fortnite app to defy Apple's App Store rules.

[Assistant] Apple Threatens to Terminate Epic Games' Developer Accounts on August 28


[User] Google is launching a new effort called the Simplicity Sprint to improve efficiency and employee focus. CEO Sundar Pichai told employees at a meeting last Wednesday that Google's productivity as a company isn't where it needs to be with the headcount it has. The company recently reported its second consecutive quarter of weaker-than-expected earnings. The Simplicity Sprint aims to crowdsource ideas for quicker product development through an internal survey.

[Assistant] Google CEO tells employees productivity and focus must improve, launches 'Simplicity Sprint' to gather employee feedback on efficiency


[User] Software supply chain attacks have become an important issue since the Solarwinds security breach. Students from the University of Minnesota tried to put a vulnerability into the Linux kernel for a study, which resulted in the university being banned from all future contributions to the project. The group had previously published a paper on submitting buggy patches and had a history of submitting purposefully buggy code. Introducing vulnerabilities into open-source code on purpose can be extremely dangerous, especially in the case of the Linux kernel codebase.

[Assistant] Greg Kroah-Hartman bans University of Minnesota from Linux development for deliberately buggy patches


[User] Microsoft has released data on how people are using its Teams app. Video call usage went up by more than 1,000 percent in March. Microsoft engineers are challenged with the task of making sure that Teams' infrastructure has enough capacity for this increase in usage. New features have been prioritized, and Microsoft is working on increasing the number of participants allowed per meeting. Despite coronavirus restrictions lifting in China, Microsoft reports retaining many of its new customers, with a growing number of daily active users still. This indicates that we might start seeing a cultural change in the way we work, and working from home might become normal for many. Give feedback by replying here or messaging me on Twitter @tldrdan! If you don't want to receive future editions of TLDR, please click here.

[Assistant] Microsoft thinks coronavirus will forever change the way we work and learn


[User] Google will be launching new Chromebook Enterprise devices with Dell in an effort to start challenging Windows in the enterprise computing market. Dell will be offering both a 14-inch clamshell and a 13-inch 2-in-1 option for its Chrome OS Latitude laptops, which have been modified to ensure that the devices are ready for IT needs. The laptops will have a range of Dell's cloud-based support services and will be able to integrate easily into existing Windows environments. Both devices will have LTE options and USB-C docking and will be able to be configured with up to Intel's 8th Gen Core i7 processors, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Google's deal with Dell is not exclusive, and it will be making similar deals with other OEMs.

[Assistant] Google and Dell team up to take on Microsoft with Chromebook Enterprise laptops


[User] In the next months Moderna Inc, Sinovac Biotech, and Oxford-AstraZeneca are expected to begin late-stage trials of their experimental coronavirus vaccines. Moderna's mRNA vaccine was able to stop the virus from replicating in the lab and will be tested on 30,000 volunteers in the US. Sinovac's inactivated vaccine will be tested in Brazil starting July, with 9,000 participants in the late-stage trial. Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine will also be testing in Brazil and the team has the capacity to create 100 million doses by the end of the year if the trials prove successful.

[Assistant] How close are we to a coronavirus vaccine? All you need to know


[User] Google has shut down the development of its tablet devices and has started to reassign its employees to work in other areas. The Pixel Slate was released in 2018 and Google had been working on two smaller-sized tablets. Pixel phones and the Pixelbook won’t be affected by this decision. In fact, a new Pixelbook may be revealed before the end of the year. The Pixel Slate will continue receiving regular software updates until 2024 as promised, and the Chrome OS team will continue to focus on both laptops and tablets.

[Assistant] Google's officially done making its own tablets


[User] Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully tested a rotating detonation engine (RDE), lifting a 30-foot single-stage rocket 146 miles within four minutes. The flight lasted eight minutes in total. RDEs use detonation waves to combust a fuel and oxidizer mixture. They release significantly more energy using significantly less fuel mass compared to combustion engines. JAXA calculates that RDE-based rockets could be in use by 2026. The article discusses other types of engines currently being developed for space travel.

[Assistant] Japan's New Rocket Engine Uses Shock Waves As Propellant


[User] A group of architects in Dubai were commissioned to design an experimental Martian city that covers 176,000 square meters of desert. The United Arab Emirates government budgeted $135 million for the Mars Science City project. It will help engineers and scientists understand how we can best mitigate risks associated with living on Mars. Renders of the design are available in the article.

[Assistant] Architects are planning a beautiful Martian city in the Dubai desert


[User] The advantages of choosing a STEM major fades after the first job, and by age 40, the earnings of people who majored in fields like social science or history have caught up. This may be because older workers in STEM areas have to learn on the job, whereas their younger counterparts learn skills in school, making them more competitive when entering the job market. Those who major in other fields usually develop stronger soft skills, which have long-run value in a wide variety of careers. With technology changing all the time, those who learned skills that were in demand would receive a short-run salary premium, but when the technology changes, these workers will have to compete with people who graduated while learning the new technology. People who took non-STEM majors were more likely to develop skills that eventually put them into high-paying management positions.

[Assistant] Engineers Sprint Ahead, but Don’t Underestimate the Poets


[User] An image of Google's Pixel 4A was mistakenly published on its Canadian store. The image is available in the article. It features the 4A in a matte black finish with a light blue power button. The phone has one camera and a headphone jack. It supposedly passed FCC approval last month, suggesting it might be released soon. The screen inside the image has a date of May 12th, indicating that Google had originally planned to launch the phone during its annual developer's conference before it was canceled.

[Assistant] Google just put a photo of the Pixel 4A on its store


[User] This repository contains a curated list of space-related code, APIs, data, and other resources. Each link has a summary that describes its contents. Topics include spacecraft hardware and software, mission design, solar system data, and space debris.

[Assistant] Awesome Space


[User] A team from Georgia Tech has unveiled a 3D-printed rectifying antenna that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals and use it to power devices. The playing card-sized device could turn 5G networks into wireless power grids. It is flexible and works well even when bent. Millimeter-wave energy harvesting has been possible for some time, but it hasn't been practical due to the large size of previous antennas. The device can harvest more than enough energy to power a range of small sensors and devices by using energy that would otherwise have been wasted.

[Assistant] Energy-harvesting card treats 5G networks as wireless power grids


[User] The High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system is a 60-kilowatt laser system that is able to burn boats, shoot down drones, and damage electro-optical sensors. A $150 million contract had been awarded to Lockheed Martin to build two systems for the US Navy, one which will be sent to a testing faculty and another that will be mounted on an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. The weapon will theoretically be able to fire unlimited shots using a ship's onboard electrical generation system. A two minute video shows HELIOS in action.

[Assistant] The Navy Plans to Put HELIOS Laser Weapon on Destroyer by 2021


[User] Local officials unanimously voted to clear a $51 million financial package for Amazon if it decides to build its second headquarters in Virginia. After Amazon abruptly pulled out of its plans to build their HQ2 in New York, other states that had previously been on the shortlist are now being considered. There was a vocal minority opposition in Virginia still, with the opposition protesting against Amazon’s business practices, including its treatment of employees. Housing prices have already started rising amidst speculations that Amazon will bring their headquarters into the state. The project will cost Amazon approximately $2.5 billion and create more than 25,000 jobs, generating more than $3.2 billion in tax revenue.

[Assistant] Amazon's second headquarters clears blocks in Virginia funding vote


[User] Tinder has introduced a new video call feature called Face to Face in 13 countries, including several regions in the US, Australia, Brazil, and France. Only a select group of members will have access to the feature as the team continues to develop the service. Both users will have to opt into the service before they can make video calls to each other. Users will have to agree to behave during calls and they will be given the opportunity to report someone after the call if they did something inappropriate. The call will be in split-screen so that users will see exactly what the other person sees on their device. There will be a moderation process but Tinder says that it has no intention of recording calls. The team will lean heavily towards trusting user reports.

[Assistant] This is Tinder’s new video chat feature, Face to Face


[User] Feb 17: Join Chief Measurement Strategist at Google, Neil Hoyne, for a moderated Q&A where your questions are answered live! We have new and exciting developments in store for you during our upcoming Digital Experience Summit, February 16-17! On day one, qualified attendees receive a complimentary $15 toward lunch on us. On day TWO we're hosting an exclusive, live "Ask Me Anything" with Neil Hoyne, Chief Measurement Strategist at Google, author of "Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts".Book Now!

[Assistant] Feb 17: Join Chief Measurement Strategist at Google, Neil Hoyne, for a moderated Q&A where your questions are answered live!


[User] Google will start having employees in the Bay Area and several other US locations return to the office starting the week of April 4. The steady decline in cases means the company can officially begin the transition to the hybrid work week. Employees will return to the office based on local conditions. Most workers will come to the office three days a week and have two days of remote work. The company has dropped its mask and testing mandates for fully vaccinated employees and reopened its amenities.

[Assistant] Google tells employees in Bay Area and other U.S. locations to return to offices in April


[User] China's new ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle is able to burn through human skin and ignite flammable targets from a kilometer away. The US military has recently developed large laser-firing cannons designed for ships or trucks, but laser rifles are still out of reach. China says that the Chinese police will use the weapon in its anti-terrorism operations. The weapon weighs about three kilograms and is powerful enough to burn through a gas tank and ignite the fuel inside. It is entirely silent and the beam is invisible. At around $20,452 per rifle, the weapon is relatively inexpensive, considering that it will not need additional ammunition as it runs on batteries. The United Nations' Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons bans weapons specifically designed to cause permanent blindness, but there are no mechanisms for enforcement. A promotional document on a Chinese government website discusses the weapon's potential use against protestors.

[Assistant] China Claims To Have A Real-Deal Laser Gun That Inflicts 'Instant Carbonisation' Of Human Skin


[User] Cloning technology has become more common since Dolly the sheep was born in 1996, with companies now cloning animals commercially. Recently, a Przewalski's horse was produced through cloning. The breed of horse hasn't been seen in the wild since 1969 as humans and livestock took over the land they inhabited. Scientists used cryopreserved cells from San Diego Zoo's Frozen Zoo to create the horse. The original horse was born in 1975 and its cells were preserved for 40 years before being used. When the cloned horse matures, it will add much-needed genetic variation to the species.

[Assistant] This Baby Horse Was Cloned Using DNA That Was Frozen for 40 Years


[User] SBI Holdings and the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) have partnered together to build the Osaka Digital Exchange (ODE), a blockchain-based stock exchange to compete against the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The exchange will allow investors to trade digital securities using blockchain technology. SBI and SMFG will set up the ODE in March. The exchange will start trading digital securities in 2023.

[Assistant] Japan to Have Blockchain-Based Stock Exchange in 2022


[User] Square plans to buy Australian company Afterpay for $29 billion in stock. Afterpay offers 'buy now, pay later' services, which have become increasingly prevalent across the web. The company serves more than 16 million customers and nearly 100,000 merchants. Square and Afterpay expect the sale to finalize in early 2022. Apple is reportedly working on a similar service called Apple Pay Later.

[Assistant] Square to buy Afterpay, which offers a ‘buy now, pay later’ service, for $29 billion in stock


[User] Amazon is launching a new program called Fulfillment by Amazon Donations. From September 1, unsold or unwanted products that sellers wish to dispose of will be donated to a network of nonprofits and charities. Sellers can opt out of the program if they want. Amazon routinely discards unsold inventory, sending products to landfills instead of to people in need. Amazon charges 50 cents to return unsold inventory to sellers, and 15 cents for disposal.

[Assistant] Amazon is launching a new program to donate unsold products, after reports that millions were being destroyed


[User] Go has introduced new support for vulnerability management to help Go developers learn about known vulnerabilities that may affect them.

[Assistant] Vulnerability Management for Go


[User] Google's latest Pixel-exclusive feature is the ability to track heart rate and respiratory rate using only the existing cameras. Some Samsung phones have been able to track heart rate for a while now, but they use a special sensor to achieve this. Pixel users will be able to measure their heart rate by placing a finger on their phone's rear camera, and they will be able to measure their breathing rate using the selfie camera. Google claims the heart rate sensor is accurate within two percent, but it doesn't have FDA approval for any of these new features.

[Assistant] Google Pixel phones will soon track heart rate using only the camera


[User] Animal Crossing has become a place for many to gather during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Hong Kong protestors have started to use it to congregate without flouting social distancing rules. Players in the game can customize environments, appearance, and clothing, and pro-democracy content for the game has gone viral on social media. Nintendo has gained 27% in share price thanks to the game, which has sold more than 2.6 million copies since release.

[Assistant] Nintendo’s ‘Animal Crossing’ becomes new Hong Kong protest ground


[User] Taiwan has become indispensable to both the US and China due to its ability to fabricate advanced semiconductors. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) has technology crucial to cutting-edge digital devices and weapons. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would threaten US military and technological leadership. Both the US and China are spending billions to break their dependency on TSMC's Taiwanese foundries. This could affect Taiwan's future position in the global supply chain.

[Assistant] Taiwan chip industry emerges as battlefront in U.S.-China showdown


[User] Apple has announced a new 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring a Magic Keyboard and optional Intel 10th Gen processors. Starting at $1,299, the base model comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB RAM. It can be upgraded to 32GB of ram and 4TB of storage. The new Macbook Pro is now available to order on Apple's website and will arrive in select stores and retailers later this week.

[Assistant] Apple announces new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard


[User] Collaborative programming in open source projects has been a cornerstone of software development since the birth of the internet. Many important projects are built completely by volunteers with code that can be reviewed by anyone who wishes to do so. However, while the system of open peer review and community collaboration sounds great in theory, sometimes it does not work out in practice. Vice investigates the world of open source development and its relationship to privately funded code development, highlighting examples of projects such as OpenSSL, which is used by almost everybody on the internet.

[Assistant] The Internet Was Built on the Free Labor of Open Source Developers. Is That Sustainable?


[User] Tinder will be launching its own original content in the form of a television series with an apocalyptic storyline that has a relationship subplot. The story will not involve Tinder's dating app. Tinder is owned by Match, who is owned by IAC, a company founded by Hollywood legend Barry Diller. Swipe Life is a lifestyle website launched by Tinder that includes articles and videos about dating and relationships. Offering original content is an increasingly popular and effective strategy for attracting devoted users as it engages customers even when they are not using a company's services. Walmart, Airbnb, and Costco are also developing original videos. It is unknown when Tinder's first series will be available or how it will be promoted.

[Assistant] Exclusive: Tinder breaks into scripted original content, wraps filming first video series


[User] Rising sea temperatures due to climate change have been killing off the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists in Australia are attempting to restore the Great Barrier Reef by using in-vitro fertilization style techniques on coral. They're taking millions of eggs and sperm from the annual coral spawning, then putting them in these floating pools for about a week until the larvae are ready, then reintroducing these larvae to the most damaged parts of the reef. Coral spawning happens once a year and began earlier this week for about a 48-72 hour period. Professor Harrison, one of the project leaders, says the project is "the largest larval restoration project that's ever been attempted not only on the Great Barrier Reef but anywhere in the world".

[Assistant] Great Barrier Reef to be restored by 'coral IVF'


[User] Falcon Heavy launched the Arabsat-6A satellite on Thursday in Florida. The Arabsat-6A satellite is a high-capacity communications satellite that will provide television, radio, internet, and mobile communications to customers in the Middle-East, Africa, and Europe. There is a video of the launch and a press-kit with more information available.

[Assistant] ARABSAT-6A MISSION


[User] Glassmorphism is the new UI Design Trend of 2021. Neumorphism, the design trend for 2020, had issues with accessibility, which Glassmorphism improves on significantly. This article contains a tutorial on how to use Figma to create a design using Glassmorphism.

[Assistant] UI Design Trend of 2021


[User] MultiNeRF is a project from Google Research that includes algorithms that can figure out what images should look like without noise generated by imaging sensors. The algorithms can remove noise from images to significantly improve their quality, especially in low-light scenes. They can also vary exposure, tone maps, viewpoints, and focus. A video showcasing the technology is available.

[Assistant] Google research AI image noise reduction is out of this world