The Daily Index — Monday, October 28, 2024 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

GOOGLE PLANS TO ANNOUNCE ITS NEXT GEMINI MODEL SOON

Google is aiming to release its next major Gemini model in December. Gemini 2.0 will be widely released at the outset as opposed to being rolled out in phases. While the model isn't showing the performance gains experts had hoped for, it will likely still have some interesting new capabilities. It appears that the top AI developers will continue to race to release ever-bigger and more expensive models even as performance improvements start leveling off.

theverge.com · 10 min

TLDR AI

WAYMO RAISES $5.6B

Waymo's driverless taxi service is well-loved. The company has raised extra capital to expand beyond the several cities and millions of miles already in operation.

waymo.com · 8 min

TLDR Web Dev

HOW WE SHRUNK OUR JAVASCRIPT MONOREPO GIT SIZE BY 94%

A Microsoft team working with a massive JavaScript monorepo (1JS) faced a challenge: the repository size had ballooned to 178GB. The issue stemmed from two key problems: keeping thousands of files in a single folder and a flawed packing algorithm that led to inefficient compression of files with similar names, especially CHANGELOG files. To address the folder issue, the team implemented a pull request and automated cleanup pipelines. The packing issue was tackled by repacking the repo with a larger window and utilizing a new path-walk algorithm, resulting in a reduction from 178GB to 5GB.

jonathancreamer.com · 7 min

TLDR InfoSec

FORTINET WARNS OF NEW CRITICAL FORTIMANAGER FLAW USED IN 0-DAY ATTACKS

Fortinet has announced a new critical 9.8 severity CVE in the FortiManager API that allows for stealing credentials, sensitive files, and IP addresses. The vulnerability lies in an authentication bypass in the FortiManager FGFM API. Fortinet has confirmed that the vulnerability is being actively exploited and has provided updated versions, mitigations, and IoCs.

bleepingcomputer.com · 4 min

TLDR Crypto

STRIPE'S ACQUISITION OF BRIDGE IS A STROKE OF GENIUS

Stripe's acquisition of Bridge allows it to tap into the $120 trillion B2B payment market, leveraging stablecoin infrastructure to bypass traditional banking fees and delays. By integrating Bridge's technology, Stripe can reduce transaction costs, enhance speed, and expand its payment offerings — potentially challenging banks' dominance in large-scale business transactions.

piratewires.com · 5 min

TLDR

THIS IS THE MAC MINI'S BIG MOMENT

Apple's Mac Mini's dimensions have remained the same since 2010, when it still had an optical drive. The incredible efficiency of Apple's new chips allows for all sorts of hardware designs that were technically unfeasible a handful of years ago. The new M4-powered Mac Mini is rumored to have a footprint similar to that of the Apple TV. The M4 Pro variant will include a total of five USB-C ports and an HDMI port, but will not have a USB-A port.

theverge.com · 2 min

TLDR

AWARD-WINNING IMAGE REVEALS A HIDDEN CULPRIT BEHIND ALZHEIMER'S

A neuroscientist at Augusta University has captured the precise moment brain tumor cells from mice interact in images by staining cellular components to reveal disruptions in support and transport structures. The research revealed how disruptions in a protein linking two cytoskeleton components together result in damage to the transport system, similar to what is seen in neurodegenerative diseases. Restoring normal cytoskeleton actin and myosin levels allowed the cells to transport their components normally again. The study shows how scientific imaging can help expose biological mysteries.

sciencealert.com · 2 min

TLDR

HUMANS ARE EVOLVING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU

Humans living in the high altitudes of the Tibetan Plateau, where oxygen levels in the air are notably lower than where humans usually live, have changed in ways that allow them to make the most of their atmosphere. Their adaptations maximize oxygen delivery to cells and tissues without thickening the blood. These traits developed due to ongoing natural selection. Learning about populations like these helps scientists better grasp the processes of human evolution.

sciencealert.com · 4 min

TLDR

SHOULD JAVASCRIPT BE SPLIT INTO TWO LANGUAGES? NEW GOOGLE-DRIVEN PROPOSAL DIVIDES OPINION

A proposal to split JavaScript into two languages has been presented to Emca TC39, the official standardization committee. The proposal argues that the foundational technology of JavaScript should be simple because security flaws and the complexity cost of the runtimes affect billions of users. New language features only benefit developers and applications that actually use those features to their advantage - adding them almost always worsens security, performance, and stability. The proposal suggests changing JavaScript's approach to one where most new features are implemented in tooling rather than in the JavaScript engines.

devclass.com · 3 min