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Apple Glass could adjust lenses to match user's prescription | Apple was recently granted a patent for smart glasses or a headset that could potentially adjust its lenses to correct the wearer's vision. The company proposes to use a stack of lenses for each eye that can be precisely adjusted to control how much light passes through. An eye-tracking system could be used to provide more advanced adjustment to the user's vision. Many more details about the technology, including figures from the patent, are available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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SpaceX moves to beam Starlink internet into cars, boats, and aircraft | SpaceX is seeking regulatory approval to connect its Starlink network to cars, trucks, shipping boats, and aircraft. The FCC filing asks for a blanket license authorizing the operation of Starlink terminals on Earth Stations in Motion. Starlink has over 1,000 satellites in space, with at least 10,000 users. The vehicular user terminals will be similar to other terminals. A qualified installer will be required to set up the vehicle antennas and mounts. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Good at StarCraft? DARPA wants to train military robots with your brain waves | Engineers from the University at Buffalo, New York, have received funding from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to train machines to think like humans when playing a strategy game. Participants in the study will be connected to an electroencephalogram so that their brain activity can be recorded and then processed using machine learning algorithms. The aim of the project is to create an AI that can improve coordination between large teams of autonomous air and ground robots. Swarm intelligence is a branch of computer science that deals with collective, decentralized, and self-organized systems, both virtual and robotic. Many applications can be completed with swarms of cheaper robots rather than using single expensive robots. By using a swarm of robots that are all trained to complete different tasks, the group can coordinate and complete many different tasks. It is difficult to train many different robots in a wide range of tasks. The scientists hope that they will be able to speed up the process by studying brain activity when making decisions. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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In A World First, Scientists Made Human Milk Outside of the Breast | A company called BIOMILQ recently announced that it has produced the world's first cell-cultured human milk. The milk is intended to be a healthier and more eco-friendly alternative to bovine-based infant formula. It has a macronutrient profile that matches the types and proportions of nutrients present in breast milk. The company makes it clear that its milk is not exactly the same as breast milk, and that its product is to be used as a supplemental feeding option. BIOMILQ's milk was developed in just 11 months. The company is partly funded by Bill Gates. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Some AI Systems May Be Impossible to Compute | There are fundamental theoretical limits to how stable and accurate AI systems can be. While there is mathematical proof that stable and accurate neural networks exist for a wide variety of problems, there may be no algorithms that can successfully compute them. There are limitations to what computers can achieve that can not be overcome with more data, computing power, or time. Knowledge about these limits could inspire more research. The limits imply the existence of a classification theory for describing neural networks that can be computed by algorithms. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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How We Built r/Place (19 minute read) | Place was a project by Reddit where users could place a single colored tile on a collaborative canvas every few minutes. Each tile placed was relayed to observers in real-time. This article discusses how multiple engineering teams worked together to create Place. A link to the code for Place is available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Amazon's latest advertising play involves free samples delivered right to your door | As part of its push into advertising, Amazon is now sending free samples of products to customers based on their order history and profile data. Amazon's website says "Amazon surprises select customers with samples that we think will be delightful and helpful." You don't have to purchase or review anything and you can opt out of the program anytime you want. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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SpaceX Wants to Launch 4 Tourists Into Super High Orbit | SpaceX wants to launch up to four tourists into a super high orbit by the end of next year. It will be working with Space Adventures Inc., a company that has already helped put tourists into orbit while working with the Russian space program. Ticket prices are expected to be in the millions. The passengers will fly to an orbit two to three times higher than the ISS, at roughly 500 to 750 miles above Earth. SpaceX will use the same type of Dragon capsule that NASA will use in a few months to launch astronauts to the space station. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Google Pixel Watch leak shows off round, all-glass design | An official render of Google's Pixel Watch has leaked. Google tried to launch a Pixel Watch in 2016, but the design did not match the Pixel brand so they were released under LG branding. The hardware details are still unknown, but the chip that Google chooses to use for the device will be major news as there has been a lack of capable smartwatch chips. More details about the watch could be released at Google I/O on May 11. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Citing revenue declines, Airbnb cuts 1,900 jobs, or around 25% of its global workforce | Airbnb is laying off around a quarter of its workforce due to revenue declines and a need to curtail costs. The layoffs will impact several internal product groups. Airbnb anticipates that it will receive less than 50% of 2019's revenue in 2020. It has recently taken on more debt to provide extra liquidity in its business. The company had previously promised a 2020 IPO. Separated employees will receive 14 weeks of pay, with an additional week of pay for every year served at the company. Airbnb will allow employees who are laid off with under 12 months of tenure to buy their vested options and it will also be providing 12 months of health insurance for the former employees. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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'Computers are marvellous!': older people embrace internet in lockdown | The pandemic has encouraged older people to venture online. Many are now discovering online shopping, video chat, and all the other things the internet has to offer. The internet has helped many seniors connect with other people during a time of isolation. This article contains stories from several seniors who have had their lives changed by the internet during lockdown. | 4Miscellaneous
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Facebook launches CatchUp, an audio-only calling app that shows who’s ready to chat now | CatchUp is a new app from Facebook that makes it easy for friends and family in the US to coordinate phone calls or set up group calls with up to eight people. The app is audio-only and it flags when users are available. Users won't need a Facebook account for the app to work as it works with the device's contacts list. One of the main reasons people no longer make phone calls is that they don't know when someone is free and they don't want to interrupt them. CatchUp solves this issue by allowing users to broadcast their availability to their contacts list. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Juul Shipped At Least A Million Contaminated Pods, New Lawsuit Says | A former Juul executive claims that the startup shipped out one million contaminated e-cigarette pods earlier this year without telling customers or issuing a recall. The executive has filed a lawsuit against Juul, claiming that he was retaliated against for raising concerns about the contaminated shipment. He had other concerns about the actions of the company, including the company shipping out pods that were almost a year old. Juul claims that the executive was terminated due to a lack leadership qualities. The company says that that the allegations about the safety and quality of its products are meritless. A nationwide lung injury outbreak now stands at 1,604 cases and 34 deaths. These illnesses are likely linked to vaping black-market THC. However, the connection to nicotine vaping products, such as those produced by Juul, has not been fully ruled out. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Hyperapp (Website) | Hyperapp is a JavaScript framework for building web interfaces. It uses a declarative syntax that is readable and natural to write. Hyperapp is a modern VDOM engine, state management solution, and application design pattern all-in-one. Tutorials, guides, and other resources are available on the site. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Alphabet’s latest X project is a crop-sniffing plant buggy | Mineral is a computational agriculture project from Alphabet's X lab. It is focused on sustainable food production and farming at large scales using the latest breakthroughs in technology. Over the last few years, Mineral has developed computational agriculture tools that collect and analyze information from plants. One of these tools is a four-wheel rover-like prototype that studies crops, soil, and other environmental factors using cameras, sensors, and other equipment. The data collected is combined with satellite imagery and weather data to create predictive models for how plants will grow. Using this data, Mineral hopes to help farmers optimize the yield from their crops. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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New experimental Lockheed supersonic jet starts production | NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to design a quiet supersonic jet. Currently supersonic jets are banned because they cause loud "sonic booms". The slender design of this jet would be able to reduce noise to a level where supersonic flight is tenable. The new X-59 will cruise at a speed of about 940 mph at an altitude of 55,000 feet, and will be about as loud as a car door closing. It is expected to conduct its first flight in 2021. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Launching Today: Free Wolfram Engine for Developers | The Wolfram Engine for Developers implements the full Wolfram Language as a software component that can be plugged into any standard software engineering stack. Developers have access to the full Wolfram Knowledgebase through a free subscription to the Wolfram Cloud. Wolfram Language is designed to be so simple that people would take it for granted that their computer is able to identify objects in images, solve equations, or complete many other tasks. The Wolfram Engine for Developers is free to use for all pre-production and open source projects. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Responsive Snakes! And what they can teach you about CSS | This article takes the 'If a snake was responsive...' web dev meme and uses it to discuss four different CSS implementations. Each implementation produces very different results and would have different real-world applications. The article presents the code for each implementation with a short statement of how the technique can be used in real life. A code sandbox is provided at the end of the article for experimenting with the examples. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Tesla rides Model 3's popularity to its first profit in two years | Tesla just had its first profitable quarter since 2016, earning $311 million in profit. This is due mostly to the popularity of the Model 3 and Tesla's ability to fix its old production issues. There are still 455,000 people on the Model 3 waitlist (Tesla shipped 56,065 Model 3s this quarter). Due to an SEC settlement regarding Elon Musk's tweets, the company is still looking for a replacement chairman of the board. Tesla is also planning on opening a Gigafactory to build Model 3s in Shanghai in 2019 to avoid the 40% tariff caused by the US-China trade war. Elon Musk also said that he has signed off on the final prototype of the Model Y, a crossover SUV that Tesla plans on building in 2020. Musk says he's personally most excited about the Tesla pickup, which he claims will feature "some next level stuff". | 1Big Tech & Startups
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What’s next for the popular programming language R? | Languages evolve over time, and programming languages are not exempt from this rule. R has changed significantly in the last few years. Older users would barely recognize how the language is typically used today. Hadley Wickham is R's most important developer. He built 'tidyverse', a set of popular data analysis and visualization libraries which has become the standard for new learners. Wickham has seen many changes in R in the last decade, for example, the R community has grown more welcoming, and the introduction of R Markdown has allowed code to be presented more easily. He sees Python and R as having separate use cases and both being powerful in their own areas. Wickham hopes that R and Python will continue to grow together and for R to fit more seamlessly into the data science workflow. R will continue to be developed so that it can handle cutting edge data science, with a focus on its visualization capabilities. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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The World's First Carbon Concrete Building Is Under Construction | The Cube is the world's first carbon concrete building. Its concrete is reinforced with carbon fibers rather than steel rods, making it four times stronger and lighter than traditional concrete. As carbon fiber doesn't rust, the concrete is more durable over a longer period. It also allows for the same structural strength while using far less material. Carbon concrete can reduce CO2 emissions from construction by up to 50 percent. A video outlining the construction process of The Cube is available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Apple releasing iOS 14 public beta today with redesigned home screen, widgets, more | The first public betas of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 are now available. People interested in signing up for Apple's public beta testing program can do so via the Apple website. The new iOS features support for widgets on the home screen, picture-in-picture, App Library, and more. Testers should expect performance and stability issues when running the beta. The full version should be released in the fall. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Why NASA wants to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon | Kilopower is a lightweight, mobile nuclear fission reactor developed by NASA, it can pump out 10 kilowatts of electrical power continuously for at least 10 years, more than twice as much as NASA thinks will be needed to run an outpost on the Moon or Mars. Lead engineer Marc Gibson says "Kilopower gives us the ability to do much higher-power missions, and to explore the shadowed craters of the Moon. When we start sending astronauts for long stays on the Moon and to other planets, that's going to require a new class of power that we've never needed before." Kilopower has already passed rigorous testing that included simulated power reduction, failed engines, failed heat pipes, and a 28-hour, full-power test that simulated a mission. It will first be used on a spaceflight mission in 2020. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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APISIX (GitHub Repo) | APISIX is a cloud-native microservices API gateway based on OpenResty and etcd. It is able to handle traffic to the API service and also between services. APISIX provides dynamic load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and other plugins. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Elon Musk mocks SEC as 'Shortseller Enrichment Commission' days after settling fraud charges | Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted "the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work" mocking the SEC. It is worth noting that the settlement earlier this week between the SEC and Tesla for fraud charges has not actually been approved, a federal judge has ordered the two parties to justify the agreement as "fair and reasonable". This could get really awkward if the deal isn't approved and the two parties have to renegotiate. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Finnish PM calls for a 4-day-week and 6-hour-day | Sanna Marin is Finland's new prime minister and the youngest female head of government worldwide at 34. The Finnish government is a coalition of five parties, all with female leaders. Marin is calling for shorter work hours, saying that the Finns should have to work for only four days a week, for six hours per day. A five day a week, eight hour per day schedule is currently normal in Finland. A city in Sweden reduced working time to six hours a day in old people's homes and at the municipal hospital in 2015, and it resulted in happier, healthier, and more productive employees. Six-hour workdays are normal in Sweden's tech industry, where the schedule has proven to increase productivity, efficiency, and as a result, profitability. | 4Miscellaneous
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Modern Data Engineer Roadmap - 2020 (GitHub Repo) | The Modern Data Engineer Roadmap provides a picture of the modern data engineering landscape and serves as a study guide for aspiring data engineers. It covers computer science fundamentals, programming languages, testing, database fundamentals, and much more. A typical data engineer will master only a subset of the tools listed in the roadmap over several years. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Apple WWDC 2019: Mac Pro, iOS 13, Marzipan, and What Else to Expect (10 minute read) | Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held next Monday. iOS 13 will receive a new Dark Mode option and a lot of official Apple app updates. Details for the Apple Arcade subscription service may be released, but Apple still has some time before Fall, so the announcements may be delayed. MacOS will gain the ability to run iPad apps and iTunes will finally break up into separate apps. There will be support built into MacOS to use an iPad as a second monitor. A new Mac Pro is expected to be announced as well as a 31.6 inch, 6K pro display. Updates will also be announced for WatchOS and TVOS. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Computers Can't Read Minds Yet, but This Headset Developed by MIT Researchers Is Getting Close | MIT graduate students have created a prototype of a headset that takes input from the neuromuscular activity involved in speech and uses it like Alexa uses voice commands to perform tasks. The headset also includes a bone-conduction audio transmitter to send audio through the back of your head so you can hear responses without having anything over your ears, so you can give commands and receive responses completely silently. Arnav Kapur, one of the students, says "The experience is like having the entire internet in your head, and a little AI agent, who can do things for you, perched on your shoulder." | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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How Elon Musk got everything he wanted out of Twitter | Elon Musk had already decided not to take a board seat at Twitter before he spent the weekend making a series of tweets questioning Twitter's business and future. If Musk had joined the board, he would have had a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, which he has so far shown no interest in. Musk is already dealing with many legal issues. This article looks at Musk's recent purchase, why he may have decided not to become a Twitter board member, and what will likely happen next. | 4Miscellaneous
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Hacktoberfest (Website) | Hacktoberfest is a program by DigitalOcean and Dev where developers can win a t-shirt by making four pull requests to any open source project on Github during October. The goal of Hacktoberfest is to encourage contributions to the open-source ecosystem. There are also events happening globally during the month to help developers meet and collaborate. Anyone can participate in Hacktoberfest. Registration is open throughout the whole of October. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company | TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the company just months after his appointment. The role that Mayer signed up for will change significantly due to the US Administration's decision to force the company to sell off its US business. Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's US general manager, will be the interim global head at the company. TikTok must be sold by September 15 or it will be banned in the US. The company filed a lawsuit against the US Government on Monday claiming that it was deprived of due process. If the lawsuit is successful, it could delay the ban and give TikTok more time to negotiate a better deal. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Twitter’s first fact-check on President Trump calls out “false claims” | A fact-checking notice appeared next to a tweet by President Donald Trump after he claimed that mail-in voting was inherently fraudulent. Twitter's notice linked to other sources but it also contained original text directly stating that the President's claims were false. A representative from Twitter confirmed that the text was generated by its global curation team. Trump responded to the notice by comparing it to electoral interference and stating that Twitter was stifling free speech. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Google Earth is now a 3D time machine | Google Earth just had its biggest update since 2017, with a new 3D time-lapse feature that lets users fly around the virtual globe and view satellite imagery from the past 37 years. Google gathered more than 24 million satellite images from 1984 to 2020 to create Timelapse. It took more than two million processing hours to compile the 20 petabytes of data. Not all places are ready yet. Google is pitching the feature as a teaching tool for climate change. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies | Chinese researchers recruited couples earlier this year for a gene-editing experiment. They used CRISPR to remove a gene called CCR5 in order to make children resistant to HIV, smallpox, and cholera. The embryos were edited with CRISPR in a lab before being transferred into the women's uteruses. Now, one couple in the trial has reportedly given birth to twin girls. If the reports are true, they would be the world's first gene edited babies. Some people have raised ethical concerns about genetically altering embryos, while others are concerned about unforeseen side effects and mutations. Currently, using a genetically engineered embryo to establish a pregnancy would be illegal in the United States and most of Europe. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End (25 minute read) | Theoretical physicists can now say with confidence that information can escape a black hole. While most physicists have long assumed this, a new set of calculations has confirmed it. In the new theory, information gets out through the workings of ordinary gravity with a single layer of quantum physics. Einstein's general theory of relativity states that the gravity of a black hole is so intense that nothing can escape it, but scientists have found that additional semiclassical effects become dominant when black holes get extremely old, transforming the black hole into an open system where information can spill out. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Flying Car Company Boss Completes 'First Ever' Commute in $83K Space-Age Vehicle | The trip was a momentous occasion for the electric vertical take-off and landing sector. | 4Miscellaneous
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Facebook names first members of oversight board that can overrule Zuckerberg | Facebook's new content oversight board will focus on challenging content issues, including hate speech, harassment, and people's safety. The board consists of 20 members who have lived in 27 countries and speak at least 28 languages. Members include a former prime minister and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The board will eventually grow to 40 members. It will initially focus on cases where content was removed, and Facebook expects it will only take on dozens of cases to start. The board’s case decisions must be made and implemented within 90 days, though Facebook can ask for a 30-day review for exceptional cases. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Scientists create an optical illusion that feels like an expanding black hole | A psychologist from Japan has created an optical illusion that makes the viewer feel as if a black hole is getting bigger. The image looks like a black hole surrounded by tiny black dots. The illusion affects the dilation of pupils in human eyes. It works even when the size or color scheme is changed. Test subjects' pupils underwent contraction when they were shown white-colored holes instead of black. Optical illusions are essential applications for studying how the brain functions and responds to different stimuli. The optical illusion is available in the article. | 4Miscellaneous
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This is Tinder’s new video chat feature, Face to Face | 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. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Raspberry Pi announces the Pico W, a $6 microcontroller equipped with Wi-Fi | Raspberry Pi has announced the Pico W, Pico H, and Pico WH. The Pico W is a version of the Pico with a wireless antenna. Its wireless chip is capable of Bluetooth, but Bluetooth is not currently enabled. The Pico H and Pico WH are versions of the Pico and Pico W with pre-attached pinheaders and debug connectors. The Pico W and H are available now and the Pico WH will be available in August. More details about the hardware are available in the article. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Britain funds research into drones that decide who they kill, says report | Since 2015, the UK has declined to support UN proposals to ban fully autonomous weapons. Reporters have now discovered that the British military and defense contractors have been funding dozens of AI defense initiatives, including Taramis, an experimental supersonic stealth drone that can "hold an adversary at continuous risk of attack...penetrate deep inside hostile territory, find a target, facilitate either kinetic or non-kinetic influence upon it, assess the effect achieved, and provide intelligence back to commanders." The Ministry of Defence claims that unmanned aircraft probably won't be able to "independently locate and attack mobile targets" until close to 2030, and that there is currently no intent to develop weapons systems that "operate entirely without human input." | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Lyft test program offers drivers more rides in exchange for 10% pay cut | Lyft released a new feature for drivers in September called priority mode, which gives drivers more rides for 10% less pay. The ride-hailing industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with many people around the world sheltered in place with nowhere to go. Many drivers have voiced their complaints online, but the company says that the program was expanded due to the positive feedback it received. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Robinhood rocks banking with 3-percent savings interest rate | Fintech investing platform Robinhood is launching free checking and savings accounts that earn 3% annually. You also get access to 75,000 ATMs. Early signups start now, the accounts will launch in early 2019. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Revolutionary microscopy technique sees individual atoms for first time | 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. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Scientists looking for aliens investigate radio beam 'from nearby star' | A narrow beam of radio waves appears to have come from Proxima Centauri. All other radio waves detected so far that have appeared to come from outer space have been attributed to human-made interference or natural sources, but scientists have yet to find a source for this signal. A shift in its frequency was consistent with the movement of a planet, adding to the mystery of the finding. There are at least two planets that orbit Proxima Centauri, one that is believed to be a rocky world where the temperature is right for water to flow and pool. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Japan developing wooden satellites to cut space junk | Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are working together to develop wooden satellites. Space junk is becoming an increasing problem. 60% of the nearly 6,000 satellites currently circling Earth are defunct. Nearly a thousand satellites will be launched every year this decade. Sumitomo Group was founded more than 400 years ago and it is currently developing wooden materials that are highly resistant to temperature changes and sunlight. Wooden satellites would burn up in the atmosphere without releasing harmful substances or raining debris to the ground. Current satellites burn and create tiny alumina particles that float in the upper atmosphere for many years, which will eventually affect the environment of the Earth. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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sr.ht, the hacker's forge (Public Alpha) | Some of you may know Drew Devault through his excellent blog. Anyway, he's just launched a shockingly ambitious one man project, a fully open source alternative to Github. Basically, it manages git repo hosting, bug tracking, CI, wikis, etc. Each component is a standalone piece of software that integrates deeply with the rest of sr.ht and with the rest of the ecosystem outside of sr.ht, for example you can use sr.ht's continuous integration to compile Github pull requests. The flagship product is the continuous integration platform, which Drew claims is the only platform which can scale to the automation needs of an entire Linux distribution (he's working on getting a few distributions on board). Really cool stuff, definitely worth checking out if you're a developer. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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European project sets a record for fusion energy produced by a tokamak | The Joint European Torus (JET) has set a new record for released energy, releasing 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds. It is still well short of the break-even point where the fusion energy released matches the energy input required to trigger the fusion. The results are still an important validation of the approach being taken at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). JET is being used as a testbed for the technologies and materials that will go into ITER. ITER is expected to begin experimental runs in 2025. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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The Architecture Behind A One-Person Tech Startup (25 minute read) | This article breaks down the setup used to run a one-person Software as a Service business. It covers the tech stack, how traffic is directed to the cluster, deployment, scaling, managing subscriptions and payments, and much more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Facebook cancels F8 developer conference due to coronavirus concerns | The in-person portion of Facebook's F8 developer conference has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. Facebook will replace the main F8 conference with locally hosted events, videos, and live-streamed content. While Facebook considered allowing the conference to continue, many international developers would not be able to attend. Many companies have pulled out of GDC 2020 and the Mobile World Congress was canceled earlier in February due to the coronavirus outbreak. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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TeaVM (Website) | TeaVM is a compiler for Java bytecode that outputs JavaScript and WebAssembly that runs in a browser. It doesn't require source code, only compiled class files. TeaVM can compile Kotlin and Scala. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020? (Hacker News Thread) | The most recommended skill to learn is cooking. It is a versatile skill that can help enrich many other parts of a person's life. Knowing how to cook can help you save money, increase overall health, and help with socializing and dating. It is also an enjoyable pastime for many. Building something that you need can be a practical way to learn a new set of skills. Other hobbies, such as photography, have well-documented guides on sites like Reddit and communities that can help you learn skills. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Writing for Engineers (12 minute read) | Writing is an important skill that is required for senior software engineers to advance their careers. This article contains tips on how to become a better and more productive writer. It covers the things to consider before writing, how to write well, and how to practice writing. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Photino (Website) | Photino is a lightweight framework for building native, cross-platform desktop applications. It allows developers to use WebUI in native applications instead of learning platform-specific UI technologies. A 6-minute quick start video is available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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github.🏄♂️ (GitHub Repo) | github.🏄♂️ opens up GitHub pages in a browser-based VS code environment and allows developers to easily explore code on GitHub. It can be activated by replacing '.com' with '.surf' on GitHub, by using the Chrome browser extension, or through CLI. Examples are provided in the repository. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Taro (GitHub Repo) | Taro is a lightweight 3D game engine for the web. It features a 3D rigid-body physics engine, an entity component system, 3D positional sounds, and the ability to script game behaviors in JavaScript. Examples are available on the Taro website. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Ticketmaster admits it hacked rival company before it went out of business | Ticketmaster will pay a $10 million fine after admitting its employees used stolen passwords and other means to hack into a rival company's computers. The employee who provided Ticketmaster with the stolen credentials had also provided Ticketmaster with internal financial documents and information about the flaws in the rival company's systems. They were later promoted to director of client relations and given a raise. In a related case, a former head of Ticketmaster's artist services division pled guilty to conspiring to hack the rival company and engage in wired fraud. Ticketmaster has agreed to maintain a compliance and ethics program to prevent future incidents. | 4Miscellaneous
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Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft has six passenger seats and lots of windows | Virgin Galactic has released images of what the interior of its VSS Unity spacecraft will look like. It will be able to carry up to six passengers and fly at altitudes above 80km. Passengers will be able to view the planet via two dedicated windows and two cameras that will record their experiences. The seats will become nearly horizontal during the zero-gravity phase of the flight, maximizing the room inside the cabin. It has taken nearly two decades for the project to reach this stage. Virgin Galactic is now setting up its New Mexico facilities and finalizing the design of the VSS Unity. The images are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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SpaceX will launch NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon | NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October 2024 from the Kennedy Space Center on top of a Falcon Heavy rocket. The contract with SpaceX for the launch is worth approximately $178 million. Congress had originally wanted NASA to use its Space Launch System to launch the Europa Clipper, but a single SLS launch was estimated to cost over $2 billion. If the Europa Clipper launches on time, it will reach Jupiter's orbit in April 2030. It will be investigating whether Europa has conditions suitable for life. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Prisma (GitHub Repo) | Prisma is an ORM that makes it easy for two services with incompatible types to communicate. It can be used in any Node.js or TypeScript backend application. Prisma provides a clean and type-safe API for submitting database queries that return plain JavaScript objects. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Telegram Now Lets You Delete a Received Message From Sender's Device | Telegram users have been able to unsend messages sent within 48 hours for a while now, but a new update will allow users to delete any message in their private chats, regardless of who sent it and when it was sent. To access this feature, users just have to hold down on any message and an option will pop up to delete the message from both devices. Another feature has also been introduced that will let users send anonymous messages that can't be linked back to their account profiles. Other changes include searchable settings and emojis, and Voiceover and Talkback are now enabled. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Apple Card’s interest-free iPhone installment plan goes live, now with 6% back on Apple holiday purchases | Apple will launch a new program that will allow Apple Card users to purchase an iPhone over 24 months with no interest. Previously, customers could pay for iPhone purchases interest-free through a loan from Citizens One, but this involved some other fees. Customers can also bundle in AppleCare over the 24-month period. The payment plan may lay the groundwork for larger subscription offerings in the future. Apple is already experimenting with small subscription bundles that offer both Apple Music and Apple TV+ at a lower price for students. Customers who use their Apple Card to buy Apple products will receive a 6 percent cashback between December 10 and December 31. The cashback offer is available for purchases made at Apple Stores, on Apple.com, or through the Apple Store app. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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NYC subway riders will be able to swipe in with Apple Pay starting Friday | New Yorkers on the 4, 5, 6 line will be able to start using Apple Pay to catch a ride. The system will be trialed in 16 stations between Grand Central and 42 Street in Manhattan, and Atlantic Avenue to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Commuters will only be able to purchase single-ride passes during the trial. More fare options will be available in 2020, and the city expects to have expanded their Apple Pay capabilities to all subways and buses by that time. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Spotify Car Thing is a $90 thing that plays Spotify in your car | Spotify has released its Car Thing dashboard smart music player. The device provides a way to listen to Spotify in the car without needing to look at a phone or use clunky built-in car interfaces. It costs $90 and users will need a Spotify Premium subscription to use it. Car Thing can be controlled using voice commands. Spotify has planned updates for the device based on feedback from its initial release. Pictures of the device are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Pentagon Announces Task Force to Study UFOs | The Department of Defense has approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force to detect, analyze, and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to US national security. There is a long history of government research into UFOs. The UAP Task Force will work with multiple agencies. Congress has requested information regarding unidentified aerial objects and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is evaluating the proposal and how best to respond to the request. | 4Miscellaneous
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What do you do as a DevOps? | Working in DevOps means that you end up working with many different technologies. The role is varied and the definition can change depending on the job. It requires a wide knowledge of coding languages, infrastructures, security, networks, and also the ability to work and communicate effectively with a team. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Palantir to relocate headquarters from Silicon Valley to Colorado | Palantir Technologies is relocating its headquarters to Denver, Colorado from Palo Alto, California. It is unclear how many of Palantir's employees will be affected by the move. Reasons for the move include the increasing intolerance and monoculture of Silicon Valley and the high housing prices in the area. Palantir announced in early July that it had filed confidentially for a public stock offering. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Framework startup designed a thin, modular, repairable 13-inch laptop | Framework is a startup that will soon be launching its first product, a 13.5-inch laptop. The laptop will have a modular design, with components that can be easily configured, replaced, or upgraded. It features easily accessible sockets for RAM, storage, and Wi-Fi, and the company pledges to offer future motherboard swaps and CPU upgrades, without replacing the entire laptop. A marketplace will be created for third parties to design, build, and sell compatible modules for the laptop. The laptop is expected to become widely available this summer. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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The story of how Google could have killed Facebook with the flick of a switch | In 2013, Facebook depended on an application called Power Editor for 25% of its revenue. Power Editor was responsible for everything that could be done on ads on the platform. It was huge, complex, user-unfriendly, and it depended on WebSQL, which was a deprecated technology. WebSQL had already been removed by all other browsers but Chrome, and Google was well within its rights to do the same. It took over 3 years to rewrite the 150k lines of code in Power Editor while in production and also improving the app. | 4Miscellaneous
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DeepMind AI Reaches 'Human-Level Performance' In Modded 'Quake Arena III' | Alphabet’s DeepMind has created an AI that can play a modded version of Quake III Arena at human-level performance. It has previously created AI to play other games, such as Starcraft II. The version of Quake III Arena that the AI trained on was much more simplified than the original version, with only spherical models to represent players and a ‘tag’ system instead of shooting. Despite the modifications, the AI agents still had the same information a human player would usually see in a game. In a tournament against 40 human players, some DeepMind’s AI agents were able to surpass even the highly-skilled players’ win-rates. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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I'm a driver for Uber and Lyft — here's exactly how much I make in one week on the job (14 minute read) | Working as a rideshare driver, your income can vary widely depending on demand and tips. Some days can be busy, with generous customers tipping on every ride. Other days can be more difficult. Customers can sometimes have unreasonable demands, even asking drivers to break laws. Unexpected events can occur, especially with motor vehicles, and sometimes these can cost drivers significant amounts of money and time. One of the main benefits of the job is that it is extremely flexible and drivers can choose when to work. | 4Miscellaneous
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U.S. Space Force's First Offensive Weapon Is a Satellite Jammer | The US Space Force has developed a new weapons system designed to prevent military or intelligence combatants from accessing their military satellites. It is able to neutralize orbiting satellites in a matter of minutes. The system can be attached to planes or mounted to ground transports. Pictures of the system are available in the article. There is no public information about how the system works. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Wasp (Website) | Wasp is a declarative domain-specific language for developers who want to use a modern web dev stack without writing boilerplate. It unifies frontend, backend, and deployment under one concise language. Wasp is designed to be easy to use and scale. Examples of deployed apps are available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Deep-Learning-in-Production (GitHub Repo) | This repository contains notes and references about deploying deep learning-based models in production. Topics include converting PyTorch Models to C++, Mobile & Embedded Devices Development, GPU Management Libraries, and much more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Announcing Jetpack Compose Beta! | Jetpack Compose is a UI toolkit designed for building responsive Android apps with less code. It is built to integrate with existing Android apps and Jetpack libraries. Compose is designed to work with Android Views. The beta features coroutines support, accessibility support for talkback, easy-to-use animations, and more. Resources for learning Compose are available in the article. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Spinning Up in Deep RL (Website) | Spinning Up in Deep RL is an educational resource by OpenAI for learning about deep reinforcement learning. Reinforcement learning is a machine learning approach for teaching agents how to solve tasks by trial and error. The site includes an overview of reinforcement learning, an essay about how to get into an RL research role, a curated list of papers, and more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Airbnb will start designing houses in 2019 | Airbnb has launched an initiative called Backyard, that will "design and prototype new ways of building and sharing homes". The project will concentrate on using sophisticated manufacturing techniques, smart-home technologies, and insight from the Airbnb community to design the homes of the future. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia says "Backyard isn't a house, it's an initiative to rethink the home". | 1Big Tech & Startups
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One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority | hina’s large citizen surveillance network is being used to target the Uighur people, a largely Muslim minority. Facial recognition technology is being used to identify Uighurs and track their movements. This is the first time this kind of technology has been applied to the persecution of a certain type of person. China has an advantage when it comes to developing AI as scientists are less concerned with moral consensus. While using technology to target ethnic minorities is not new in China, it is a topic that can not be discussed in public. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Awesome Podcasts (GitHub Repo) | This GitHub Repo contains an organized list of podcasts targeted at software engineers. Each entry gives a quick description of each podcast, how often episodes are released, and the average play time. There are over 30 topics, each with several podcasts listed. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Facebook’s Meta watch has a camera notch, according to first leaked image | Leaked images of Facebook's smartwatch show a camera notch that is clearly visible when the watch's screen is off. The watch will have LTE support and health, fitness, and messaging features. It will also have a second detachable camera. Facebook originally planned to release the device in Summer 2022, but the company has not confirmed any dates. A picture of the smartwatch is available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Samsung's CES 2021 robots will clean your house and pour you a glass of wine | Samsung unveiled three new robots at its virtual CES press conference on Monday. This year, the company emphasized the importance of AI to all of Samsung's products. Many of Samsung's AI applications run in the background, with the goal of being more personal and predictive. The JetBot 90 AI Plus is a robot vacuum that uses object recognition technology to identify the best cleaning path. It can empty itself, and it doubles as a home monitoring device. Bot Care is a robot assistant and companion that can learn about you and send you reminders throughout the day. The Samsung Bot Handy was designed to be an extra hand around the house. It can pick up and move objects and do things like sort dishes after a meal. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Huawei partners with TomTom for Google Maps alternative | Huawei is unable to use anything made by Google on its phones due to a US ban on the Chinese tech company. TomTom and Huawei have struck a deal to build a Google Maps rival called Map Kit, which will support real-time traffic reports and augmented reality features. Huawei was able to skirt the US government's trade ban as TomTom is a Netherlands-based company. Its phones are still powered by Android, but they lack Google's apps and services, including the Play Store. This has impacted Huawei's ability to sell its phones outside of Asia. It has been looking for software alternatives just in case it is forced to ditched Android entirely. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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WarGames for real: How one 1983 exercise nearly triggered WWIII (23 minute read) | 32 years ago, the world was the closest it had ever been to nuclear armageddon. The KGB had constructed software to forecast if the US and its allies were planning a nuclear strike. A war game staged by the US over two weeks in November 1983 triggered the forecast. The procedures and tactics used in the war games were things that the Soviets had never seen, and to the Soviet leadership, it looked like a cover for a genuine surprise attack planned by the US. With many other factors in consideration, the Soviets had good reason to think that the US believed it would win a nuclear war. As the US military increasingly turns to machine learning, the lesson of what can happen when an algorithm gets it wrong should not be forgotten. | 4Miscellaneous
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Recreating Real-World Terrain With React, Three.js & WebGL Shaders | Flight Simulator uses data from Bing maps to generate its maps in real-time, resulting in some of the most accurate recreations of real-life places. Players can even spot their own houses when they fly over in-game. This article is a guide to building something similar, but in much lower detail and on a much smaller scale using React, Three.js, and WebGL. An interactive working example is available. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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fselect (GitHub Repo) | fselect allows you to use SQL-like grammar to find files. It can handle complex queries, search within archives, search by various file attributes, and more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Dapr (GitHub Repo) | Dapr is a portable, serverless, event-driven runtime for building resilient, stateless, and stateful microservices that run on the cloud. It codifies best practices for building microservice applications into building blocks to enable development with the language and framework of your choice. Dapr can transition seamlessly between platforms and underlying implementations without rewriting any code. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Facebook launches an ‘Audio’ hub in the U.S. for podcasts, live audio, and short-form clips | Facebook has announced a new Audio destination in its mobile app for users in the US. The feature can be accessed through the Watch tab. It allows users to discover podcasts, Live Audio Rooms, and short form audio. Facebook is working on tools that will help it identify and act upon audio content that violates its Community Standards to prevent the platform from spreading more misinformation. Screenshots of the new feature are available in the article. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Verily details drive-through COVID-19 testing in new video | Verily has published a video of its in-person drive-through COVID-19 testing process. To qualify for testing, people must first take an online screening questionnaire on Verily's website. Once qualified, Verily issues a reference ID and sets an appointment and location for testing. The testing site will have three stations. The first station is for ID verification, the second station matches your ID to a lab kit, and the third station is where the nasal swab is performed. Results will be available two to four days later. Testing is limited to Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, and it is not sure whether the program will expand beyond California. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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Amazon workers in Minnesota walk out as Prime Day orders roll in | Amazon fulfillment center workers in Minnesota staged a protest for 6 hours during the period that overlaps morning and evening shifts on Prime day. Over 2,000 Amazon employees in Germany also participated in a strike over wages and bargaining power for employees, but Amazon says that the protests won’t affect operations or deliveries. Prime day is one of the biggest sales days for Amazon and is estimated to generate $5.8 billion in sales globally this year. The protestors at Minnesota say that Amazon does not acknowledge their religious practices. While the protestors are claiming that they are underpaid, Amazon says that they had already improved wages and working conditions and that protestors should focus on improving the national minimum wage rather than targeting Amazon. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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A New Strain of Drug-Resistant Malaria Has Sprung Up in Africa | Global malaria deaths declined to 409,000 in 2019, compared to 585,000 in 2010. Several countries have eliminated the disease, or are about to. A new strain of the parasite has shown resistance to one of the most commonly used malaria treatments. The new strain could lead to more deaths, an increased spread in the resistance itself, and a loss of confidence in malaria treatments. Increased funding for more testing and research capacity, as well as more effective use of drugs by providers and patients, will help limit the spread of the new strain. The mutation was seen in Southeast Asia in 2013, and it is being held at bay there with the careful use of drugs. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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In Finland, scientists are growing coffee in a lab | The amount of land suitable for coffee plantations is shrinking due to climate change. Researchers in Finland are experimenting with growing coffee from plant cells in bioreactors. They are using the same techniques that others are using to make lab-grown meat. It is easier to grow plants using this method compared to meat as the nutrient media for plant-cell cultures are much less complex and plant cells grow freely without attaching to surfaces. Coffee created with this technique tastes and smells like ordinary coffee. The process can be modified to generate different blends of compounds. | 4Miscellaneous
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Career Advice Nobody Gave Me: Never ignore a recruiter (12 minute read) | This article gives readers tips on how to best interact with recruiters and negotiate the best career advances. While there are many reasons to not respond to recruiters, they can be one of the best career resources available. Recruiters have real insight into how much any role pays and can help further a career without the worker putting in the effort to search for a role. They can help you to stay aware of your market value and job options. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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The New York Times removes its articles from Apple News | The New York Times has ended its partnership with Apple News and its articles will no longer appear in the Apple News app. While other services send readers to publishers' websites, Apple News generally keeps readers in the app, meaning that NYT was not able to build a direct relationship with paying readers. The Times prefers a platform where it can control the presentation of its reports, the relationship with its readers, and the business rules. | 1Big Tech & Startups
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Remove the pain of website bug and feedback management with BugHerd (Sponsor) | ⚡ Give & receive feedback with a simple point and click.🔗 Get technical information even from non-tech clients.⏰ Stop back & forth emails & calls.Learn more. | 3Programming, Design & Data Science
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Samsung's folding screen tech has been stolen and sold to China | Samsung's game-changing new foldable screen technology that will be used in its upcoming foldable smartphone/tablet hybrid has been stolen and sold to two Chinese firms for $14 million. 11 people have been indicted, three of them have been detained. Samsung says it's "surprised and appalled at the results of the investigation by prosecutors." | 1Big Tech & Startups
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A Possible Meteor Was Just Seen Exploding in The Sky in Turkey | A possible meteor exploded above northern Turkey on Wednesday. It was visible from several provinces in the area, appearing around 8:30 pm local time. Footage of the supposed meteorite is available in the article. The object has yet to be officially identified, but meteorologists have stated that the footage shows what appears to be a meteor shower. Meteor showers are fairly common. It is estimated that millions of meteors and micro meteors enter Earth's atmosphere every day. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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China Building “Artificial Moon” Facility That Simulates Low Gravity With Magnets | Chinese researchers are developing a facility to simulate the gravity of the lunar surface. The artificial Moon will be built in only a few months. It will create low gravity environments using a vacuum chamber and a powerful magnetic field. The chamber will only be 60 centimeters in diameter, but that will be big enough for researchers to test certain equipment and tools to see how they react to the Moon's low-gravity environment. The artificial Moon was inspired by an experiment that earned a Russian physicist an Ig Nobel Prize in Physics. | 2Science and Futuristic Technology
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TSMC: How a Taiwanese chipmaker became a linchpin of the global economy (16 minute read) | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the largest chipmaker in the world. It is building a new plant to make 3-nanometer chips that are expected to be up to 70 percent faster and more power-efficient than the most advanced chips in production now. The company has largely gone unnoticed as the chips it manufactures are sold in branded products. Due to global chip shortages, in combination with political factors, TSMC is possibly the most important company in the world that few people have heard of. | 4Miscellaneous
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The Booming Underground Market for Bots That Steal Your 2FA Codes | Hackers who obtain username and password data may sometimes need to also bypass two-factor authentication. There are a growing number of services that help hackers bypass this barrier by using automated bots. When a hacker is ready to enter an account, they can activate a bot that calls the victim and convinces them to reply with a legitimate two-factor code that the hacker sends at the same time. The bots can cost a few hundred a month to hire, with vendors boasting thousands of subscribers. | 4Miscellaneous
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