The Daily Index — Thursday, October 31, 2024 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

APPLE UPDATES THE MACBOOK PRO WITH M4 PRO AND M4 MAX CHIPS

Apple has announced 14- and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pros via a low-key press release. The M4 Pro-equipped laptops will start at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch, with the basic 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro starting at $1,599. The M4 Pro laptops will have 24GB of base RAM while the basic M4 model will have 16GB. Preorders are available now - the new MacBook Pros will be available on November 8.

theverge.com · 3 min

TLDR AI

PUSHING THE FRONTIERS OF AUDIO GENERATION

DeepMind has talked a little bit more about the audio generation models used to power NotebookLM.

deepmind.google · 6 min

TLDR Web Dev

USECONTEXTSELECTOR: SPEEDING UP REACT APPS WITH LARGE CONTEXT

Using large contexts in React applications can lead to performance problems, as changing a single value in a large context can cause unnecessary re-renders of components. There are several proposed solutions: splitting components, splitting contexts, and using state management libraries. The `use-context-selector` library, which this article dives deeper into, provides a way to optimize performance by selecting and re-rendering only the parts of a context that have changed.

marmelab.com · 10 min

TLDR Crypto

BLACKROCK'S IBIT DOMINATES AS SPOT BITCOIN ETFS RECORD $870 MILLION IN DAILY INFLOWS, LARGEST SINCE JUNE

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw record inflows of $870M on Tuesday, with BlackRock's IBIT ETF leading the increase with $642M inflows and reaching its highest trading volume since March. Spot Ethereum ETFs also recorded positive flows, with BlackRock's ETHA attracting ~$13.6M in net inflows, as both Bitcoin and ETH prices rose amidst increased trading activity.

links.tldrnewsletter.com · 2 min

TLDR Design

AMAZON JUST TWEAKED ITS CONTROVERSIAL APP ICON AGAIN

In 2021, when Amazon updated its app icon from a trolley design to resemble a cardboard box with tape, users compared it to Hitler's mustache. Recently, Amazon further modified the icon by adding stripes to the tape. This tweak surprised some users, briefly making the app harder to recognize.

creativebloq.com · 1 min

TLDR

ZOOX CUSTOM ROBOTAXIS ARE FINALLY COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO AND LAS VEGAS

Zoox, which was founded a decade ago and acquired by Amazon four years ago, will start rolling out its robotaxi service in San Francisco and in Las Vegas in the coming weeks. It will start by offering employees rides in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco and on the Las Vegas Strip. The company has been working closely with local and federal safety regulators and will take a measured approach to rolling out its robotaxi service. It plans to scale production in 2026.

techcrunch.com · 3 min

TLDR

WE DIGITIZED SCENT

Scientists from Osmo have fully digitized and reprinted the scent of a fresh summer plum using AI. They created a system that can analyze air molecules to determine scents and then print the scents as a clear liquid. The printed scents smell the same as the original scents, showing that the team was able to give their computers a sense of smell. A video from Osmo explaining its technology is available.

threadreaderapp.com · 1 min

TLDR

BELGIUM IS CONSTRUCTING THE WORLD'S FIRST ARTIFICIAL ISLAND TO HARNESS OFFSHORE WIND

Belgium is constructing a massive artificial island in the North Sea. Set to be completed by 2027, the island will enhance Belgium's renewable energy capabilities, integrating an impressive 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity into the Belgian power grid, enough clean electricity to power over three million homes. The project, which will cost €650 million ($702 million), is being funded by the European Investment Bank. The initiative is a key part of the EU's plan to phase out fossil fuels and fully commit to sustainable energy.

techspot.com · 2 min

TLDR

OCTOVERSE: AI LEADS PYTHON TO TOP LANGUAGE AS THE NUMBER OF GLOBAL DEVELOPERS SURGES

Developers are building AI models into applications and engaging with AI projects on GitHub in large numbers. Python overtook JavaScript as the most popular language on GitHub in 2024 and Jupyter Notebooks use skyrocketed. Both are technologies heavily used in data science and machine learning. The number of developers on GitHub has rapidly grown since tools like GitHub Copilot started going mainstream in early 2023, with significant gains in the global south. There are signals that AI is driving interest in software development.

github.blog · 35 min