The Daily Index — Wednesday, January 31, 2024 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

CHATGPT USERS CAN NOW INVOKE GPTS DIRECTLY IN CHATS

Paid ChatGPT users can now bring third-party apps powered by OpenAI's AI models into a conversation by typing '@' and selecting a GPT from the list. The selected GPT will have a full understanding of the conversation. Different GPTs can be tagged for different use cases and needs. OpenAI plans to eventually introduce monetization for GPTs, but the company may have to get traffic up first. Moderation of GPTs is proving to be a challenge to OpenAI.

techcrunch.com · 2 min

TLDR AI

POEM/1 AI POWERED CLOCK

A delightful gadget that shows the time via a poem has been launched. It uses clever prompt caching and is beautifully designed.

fastcompany.com · 6 min

TLDR Web Dev

META REVEALS THEIR SERVERLESS PLATFORM PROCESSES TRILLIONS OF FUNCTION CALLS A DAY

Meta’s internal serverless platform called XFaaS processes trillions of function calls a day thanks to unique software optimizations. This article describes how XFaaS works and the optimizations Meta has performed to make its platform efficient, such as utilizing just-in-time compilation. XFaaS solves common problems that serverless platforms face, like lengthy cold start times, high load variance, and overloading downstream services, with creative solutions. The platform offers lessons for public Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) providers, like AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. It is useful for software engineers working with cloud providers to understand how to make serverless functions more efficient.

read.engineerscodex.com · 10 min

TLDR InfoSec

ACTIVELY EXPLOITED VULNERABILITY IN HITRON DVRS: FIXED, PATCHES AVAILABLE

The Akamai Security Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) has discovered vulnerabilities in multiple Hitron DVR device models that are actively being exploited. The vulnerabilities allow an authenticated attacker to achieve OS command injection using default credentials. Hitron Systems has released new firmware versions to address the vulnerabilities and advises users to upgrade to firmware version ≥ 4.03.

akamai.com · 3 min

TLDR Crypto

SEC LIKELY TO APPROVE SPOT ETHEREUM ETFS ON MAY 23: STANDARD CHARTERED BANK

Standard Chartered Bank is anticipating that the SEC will approve spot Ethereum ETFs by the final deadline of May 23, following the same path the regulators took with the Bitcoin ETFs. It is predicting a runup in ETH’s price leading up to the anticipated approval, emulating Bitcoin’s performance prior to its ETF approval. Experts believe there is a strong argument for approval since Ethereum has already been listed as a regulated futures contract on the CME.

theblock.co · 3 min

TLDR

RESEARCHERS APPROACH NEW SPEED LIMIT FOR SEMINAL PROBLEM

The traveling salesperson problem asks for the ideal route through a list of locations, minimizing mileage. It is notoriously difficult, but a mathematical model called linear programming is able to approximate the problem as a set of equations and find the best solution. Integer linear programming (ILP) is a variant of linear programming that optimizes for problems solving whole-number amounts. A researcher from the University of Washington has combined geometric tools to create a new, faster algorithm for solving ILP in almost the same time as a trivial binary case. It is the first major improvement to ILP solvers in nearly 40 years.

quantamagazine.org · 4 min

TLDR

WHY FARCASTER FRAMES ARE IMPORTANT

Facebook's somewhat-forgotten Open Graph Protocol has been resurrected to power Frames inside Farcaster. Farcaster is a social network protocol built on the blockchain. Frames provide an easy way to run apps while users are still inside other apps. They make it possible to have a real and universal graph of user actions across consumer apps.

blog.spindl.xyz · 7 min

TLDR

READING THE FINE PRINT OF APPLE’S DMA RULES: 25 THINGS APP DEVELOPERS NEED TO KNOW

The EU's Digital Markets Act requires Apple to make changes to increase competition in the app industry. Several large companies have come out against Apple's changes, which seem to be designed to ensure Apple's ability to profit from apps continues regardless of how they're discovered and installed. This article covers details about Apple's new rules that developers should know. The article will be updated as more is uncovered from within Apple's documents.

techcrunch.com · 9 min

TLDR

SHOULD 4 PEOPLE BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE EQUIVALENT OF A NUKE?

Artificial General Intelligence will be an evolution of AI that can understand, learn, and apply intelligence to a wide range of problems. It will enable solutions to complex global issues, but also potentially lead to consequences as impactful and irreversible as those of nuclear war. While this is something the OpenAI board takes very seriously, the events in late November, which resulted in the previous six-person board of directors dropping down to one holdover member and two new people, are troubling. It is still unknown why the board did what they did. This article looks at the impacts of the November event and AI governance in general.

politico.com · 9 min