TLDR 2024-11-25

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ANDROID 16 COULD GIVE GEMINI THE POWER OVER APPS ASSISTANT NEVER GOT

Google is working on an API for Android 16 that will let system apps perform actions on behalf of users inside applications. The API will be guarded by a permission granted to the default assistant app. Apps will be able to create functions by defining a service that can only be bound by a system process. Details on the new API are scarce, but it appears it will allow Gemini to control apps in a way that Google Assistant never managed to do.

AMAZON'S MOONSHOT PLAN TO RIVAL NVIDIA IN AI CHIPS

Nvidia has transformed from a niche chipmaker to the main supplier of the hardware that enables generative AI over the past two years. The demand for the chipmaker's latest hardware will outstrip supply for several quarters. Nvidia's biggest customers, which include cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, are eager to reduce their reliance on - or replace - Nvidia's chips. This article looks at Amazon's chip development journey and how it plans to compete with Nvidia.

TWEAKING NON-NEURAL BRAIN CELLS CAN CAUSE MEMORIES TO FADE

Astrocytes, non-neuron brain cells, can be artificially manipulated to suppress or enhance specific memories while leaving all other memories intact. These cells play various roles in the brain, many focused on the health and activity of their neighboring neurons. Scientists hope to be able to develop an astrocyte-targeted treatment for disorders such as PTSD.

A STUDY SAYS GRAY HAIR MAY BE REVERSIBLE

Researchers have discovered one of the causes of gray hair: stuck stem melanocyte stem cells. The cells usually travel between compartments of developing hair follicles. They can't make the protein needed to pigment hair when they get stuck, unable to move back to the germ compartment. Making them move again could result in the production of pigment and the return of colored hair.

ZERO DISK ARCHITECTURE

The idea of Zero Disk Architecture is simple: instead of writing to a storage server, write instead to S3. This means you won't have to manage any storage server - this is all offloaded to AWS. The cost and latency of S3 are both going down as the technology improves. While there are still some tradeoffs to consider, Zero Disk Architecture can be very attractive for systems that don't care about latency.

FOURSQUARE'S 104M POINTS OF INTEREST

Foursquare recently made its Points of Interest dataset freely available. This post looks into the dataset. Foursquare was likely earning a good amount of revenue from the dataset as there isn't a lot of competition from the freely available data sets. Companies that produce these datasets can charge yearly rental fees that run into the six-figure territory.

BLUESKY IS ON THE VERGE OF OVERTAKING THREADS IN ALL THE WAYS THAT MATTER

The Bluesky app has exploded to 3.5 million daily active users. Its user base has increased by 300% since Election Day. Journalists, academics, and companies are fleeing X and going to Bluesky instead of Threads possibly due to Threads' decision to downplay political content on the platform. Bluesky is quickly becoming the platform for political and cultural debate.

AMAZON TO INVEST ANOTHER $4 BILLION IN ANTHROPIC, OPENAI'S BIGGEST RIVAL

Amazon is investing an additional $4 billion into Anthropic. Its total investment into the artificial intelligence startup is now $8 billion. Amazon will retain its position as a minority investor. Anthropic will use Amazon Web Services as its primary cloud and training partner.

THIS WEBSITE IS HOSTED ON BLUESKY

This post explains how to host a website on Bluesky.

‘I HAVE NO MONEY': THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS SEE THEIR SAVINGS VANISH IN SYNAPSE FINTECH CRISIS

The situation highlights the risks of fintech startups.

THE DEAL

The return you get from making bets and investments in people you admire and work well cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

HOW DECENTRALIZED IS BLUESKY REALLY?

Bluesky is currently not meaningfully decentralized nor federated - to claim that it is moves the goalposts of both those terms.

AI EATS THE WORLD

Slides from Benedict Evans' yearly presentation on macro and strategic trends in the tech industry.

EMERGING DETAILS OF CHINESE HACK LEAVE U.S. OFFICIALS INCREASINGLY CONCERNED

Chinese hackers closely linked to the country's Ministry of State Security were lurking undetected inside the networks of the biggest US telecommunications firms for more than a year.