The Daily Index — Thursday, April 18, 2024 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

THIRD-PARTY IPHONE APP STORE ALTSTORE PAL IS NOW LIVE IN EUROPE

AltStore PAL, a third-party iOS app store, is now live in the EU. Access to the store costs €1.50 (plus tax) per year to cover Apple's Core Technology Fee for installing the marketplace. AltStore PAL will integrate its marketplace with Patreon for monetization. It will support developers who want to distribute beta apps as a reward for crowd-sourced funding. AltStore PAL is open to submissions from third-party developers.

theverge.com · 4 min

TLDR AI

MISTRAL SEEKING FUNDING AT $5B VALUATION

There have been reports of the open source pioneer Mistral seeking several hundred million dollars of funding to train more models.

reuters.com · 1 min

TLDR Web Dev

HARDEST PROBLEM IN COMPUTER SCIENCE: CENTERING THINGS

Centering UI elements is surprisingly hard due to factors like font metrics (which can be inconsistent), line height complexities, and the difficulty of aligning text with icons. This article shows multiple examples of non-centered text on websites from companies like Apple, Slack, Microsoft, GitHub, and Google. Some tips to align elements properly: stop using fonts for icons, understand your font metrics, and pay more attention to alignment in the first place.

tonsky.me · 8 min

TLDR Crypto

LUMMIS, GILLIBRAND INTRODUCE BILL PROHIBITING UNBACKED ALGORITHMIC STABLECOINS AMONG OTHER REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and pro-crypto Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act to regulate the stablecoin industry. The act would require stablecoin issuers to hold one-to-one cash or cash-equivalent assets and prohibit unbacked algorithmic stablecoins. If an issuer experiences insolvency, there would be an FDIC conservatorship and resolution. There are some concerns that the bill is too strict with its definition of cash equivalents and that it could prohibit innovation with new stablecoin designs.

theblock.co · 2 min

TLDR Design

VIRGIN WINES CELEBRATES THE 'JOY OF WINE' IN ITS FIRST MAJOR REBRAND IN 20 YEARS

Virgin Wines partnered with Norwich agency Borne for its first major rebrand in 20 years, unveiling a new logo and color palette aimed at highlighting the joy of wine and enhancing perceptions of expertise and quality. The swirling logo, inspired by wine in a glass, features gradient colors representing various wine types and reflects Virgin Wines' commitment to authenticity and premium experiences.

links.tldr.tech · 2 min

TLDR

TIKTOK NOTES STARTS ROLLING OUT AS A NEW RIVAL TO INSTAGRAM

TikTok Notes is now rolling out to select Android and iOS users for download and limited testing in Australia and Canada. Besides a couple of small tweaks, the app is similar to Instagram. The messaging around TikTok Notes suggests that the app may be populated with users' existing and future public TikTok photo posts unless they opt-out. It is uncertain when TikTok will roll out the app to the US and elsewhere.

theverge.com · 2 min

TLDR

BOSTON DYNAMICS' NEW HUMANOID MOVES LIKE NO ROBOT YOU'VE EVER SEEN

Boston Dynamics' next-generation Atlas robot features all-electric 360-degree joints that enable it to move in inhuman ways. The company has retired the previous Atlas' hydraulic system to create a new robot a fraction of the size and weight that also looks like a product. It has some impressive capabilities, like being able to stand up from a lying face-down position. A short video of Atlas demonstrating the new way it moves is available in the article.

arstechnica.com · 6 min

TLDR

NASA CONFIRMS NUCLEAR-POWERED DRAGONFLY DRONE IS GOING TO TITAN

NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft mission is heading to Titan, one of Saturn's moons. The mission has been approved for a 2028 launch with a scheduled arrival at Titan in 2034. The Dragonfly dual-quadcopter drone, powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, is expected to travel hundreds of kilometers during its planned two-year exploration of Titan. The total lifecycle cost of the mission is currently $3.35 billion, approximately double the proposed cost, with increases blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and design changes.

theregister.com · 3 min

TLDR

STABLE DIFFUSION 3 API NOW AVAILABLE AS STABLE ASSISTANT EFFORT LOOMS

Stability AI has released its next-generation Stable Diffusion 3 generative AI model. The model is now available for use via an API on the Stability AI developer platform. Making the model production-ready was a key focus for the company as part of the API release. Stability AI has implemented a number of safeguards to prevent the model's misuse. It is planning to release an open model soon. Stability AI has also just released an early beta preview of Stable Assistant, a chatbot powered by Stability AI's text and image generation technology.

venturebeat.com · 4 min