Search the archive

DECODING SPEECH FROM BRAIN WAVES

Meta Scientists have developed a new method to understand the words and phrases people think or hear by studying their brain waves - without needing any surgery.

CTOC

Ctoc provides a lightweight tool for analyzing codebases at the token level.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: THE AI PAUSE DEBATE

A peek into the AI pause debate, considering what might happen if AI research was simply paused for 6 months, paused and restarted at exactly the right time, paused long enough to develop good regulation, paused until alignment was completely solved, or not paused at all.

CAN AI SOLVE COMPUTER SCIENCE’S GREATEST MYSTERY?

Computer scientists are using GPT-4 to address the longstanding P=NP problem. A group of researchers from Microsoft and Peking University guided GPT-4 using a Socratic Method with a series of prompts to explore the problem, leading to insights that suggested P does not equal NP. The method represents a new frontier in prompt engineering, potentially making chat sessions with AI more focused and in-depth.

LIFE IN A $68M AI HACKER HOUSE

Get an inside look at what it’s like to live in a $68M AI hacker house with other AI founders and builders.

GOOGLE DEEPMIND CREATES AN IMAGENET OF ROBOT ACTIONS

Google’s DeepMind, in collaboration with 33 research institutes, has developed Open X-Embodiment, a database akin to the ImageNet database in computer vision. This database, comprising over 500 skills and 150,000 tasks from 22 robot types, aims to propel robotics research by offering a shared resource to train more versatile robot models.

ARTIFACT WILL LET YOU GENERATE IMAGES WITH AI FOR YOUR POSTS

Artifact, originally an AI-driven news app by Instagram’s co-founders, now lets users leverage AI to create cover art for their posts. This enhancement, which crafts “eye-catching images” based on user-inputted keywords, further positions Artifact as a competitor to platforms like Instagram and X.

BANKS WOULD HAVE TO DISCLOSE CRYPTO HOLDINGS UNDER NEW BIS PLAN

Financial authorities are considering new regulations that would require banks to disclose crypto holdings. This comes from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, which determines norms for traditional finance lenders. Its proposal follows a turbulent year in cryptocurrency markets, including the fall of crypto exchange FTX and startup-focused banks Signature and SVB.

STATE OF CRYPTO FUNDRAISING - Q3 2023

Fundraising activity for crypto companies in Q3 2023 hit levels unseen since Q4 2020, with total quarterly funding clocking in at just under $2.1 billion across 297 deals. Funding trends showed a pivot to early-stage projects, indicating investors' strategy to back projects with high upside potential in the bear market. The prevalence of strategic investments suggests that harsh conditions have forced projects to seek short-term funding or look to be acquired.

ZKUNISWAP: A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ZKAMM

zkUniswap is a novel proof-of-concept demonstrating a version of UniswapV3 with an off-chain computation of a swap. Execution involves using a zero-knowledge proof-based system to validate transactions, potentially reducing on-chain computation costs. zkUniswap minimizes 'front running' by utilizing a pool locking system to prevent state changes during swap transactions. Despite the still-high computation cost, parallelization of swaps and alternative implementations of request methods could make zkAMMs increasingly efficient.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Volcano Energy and Luxor Technology have initiated El Salvador's first Bitcoin mining pool, dubbed Lava Pool, that leverages the country's geothermal energy resources. Volcano Energy will mine bitcoin exclusively via this pool and contribute 23% of its net income to the El Salvador government as part of a public partnership initiative. This move seeks to integrate Bitcoin into El Salvador's energy infrastructure and boost economic growth.

A LIST OF OPEN PROBLEMS IN CRYPTO - II

This blog post discusses an array of open problems in crypto from verticals like DeFi to ZK and even AI. Topics range from DeFi issues like automated risk scoring and managing risk for lenders to Mechanism Design issues like Restaking Equilibria, privacy-information tradeoff for DEXs, and Mechanism Design for a ZK World. Other topics discussed include issues in MEV, Zero Knowledge crossovers, pitching a ZK benchmark, issues around wallet security and user experience, gas derivatives, state rent issues, decentralized sequencers, Oracle systems, and reputation systems. Innovation in these areas is vital for the evolution and growth of the space.

MAKERDAO RESEARCH REPORT

This research report explains how MakerDAO, through its protocol, facilitates crypto-backed loans, generating significant revenue regardless of market state. Despite a recent dip in TVL, it remains a top DeFi protocol, with its $MKR token crucial for governance and system recapitalization, aligning holder interests towards prudent ecosystem management.

URBIT: BEYOND BLOCKCHAINS, A NEW PARADIGM FOR THE INTERNET

Urbit has created a completely new internet model from scratch. It consists of an operating system, an identity system, and a consensus network that delivers a peer-to-peer, sovereign implementation. While it is not a blockchain network (but rather a decentralized computing network), it can be a great complement to blockchains, extending their capabilities. This post provides a deep dive into how it works and why it’s a compelling model.

ENSHRINEMENT: THE TOPIC DU JOUR IN BOTH ETHEREUM AND COSMOS

Enshrinement is becoming a prominent theme within Ethereum and Cosmos as these ecosystems contemplate incorporating important features directly into their respective protocols. Issues like centralization risks and user experience enhancement are driving this change. However, trade-offs, including unpredictable user behavior and potential disincentivization for builders, pose challenges.

ARE DEVELOPERS LEAVING CRYPTO? HERE’S WHAT’S GOING ON

Active open source crypto developers have nearly halved since January 2022, reaching a low since 2020, per data from Andreessen Horowitz and Electric Capital, but this may not be an accurate depiction of real activity in the space.

A scammer stole $385,000 in Ether within 24 hours via SIM-swap hacks targeting Friend.tech users, highlighting security vulnerabilities and prompting calls for enhanced safety measures.

PROPOSED GOALS FOR LIDO DAO TO CONSIDER

Hasu made a proposal for Lido’s governance DAO to lay out short and long-term goals and considerations for decentralization that should be incorporated into those goals.

ALAMEDA HAD A $65B LINE OF CREDIT AND ‘UNLIMITED WITHDRAWALS’

FTX co-founder Gary Wang revealed that Alameda had access to a $65B credit line, which allowed it to easily misuse FTX customer funds.

PATREON LAUNCHES NEW FEATURES, A REDESIGNED APP, AND A NEW LOOK

Creators can now chat with their Patreon supporters in a Discord-like chat. The company is also releasing Commerce, which allows creators to sell one-off digital goods and offer free subscriptions. The app redesign is based on a new logo and wordmark and includes changes to members' profiles and an updated home feed.

WINDOWS AND MAC

Microsoft has moved to the React JavaScript library and improved the Microsoft Teams design with the Fluent Design language system. The updated version is up to two times faster and uses 50 percent less memory.

GOOGLE ASSISTANT GETS GENERATIVE AI UPGRADE WITH BARD

Google has announced a new personal assistant to make conversations with artificial intelligence more natural, intuitive, and valuable. The Assistant with Bard will be able to help users with various tasks, such as planning trips, finding emails, creating lists, or writing social posts. Users will also be able to interact with it through text, voice, or images, and the assistant will be able to take actions for them, such as booking flights, ordering groceries, or sending messages.

TRUST

Research suggests that scarcity cues like countdown timers and limited quantity messages are techniques that might negatively impact user experience and erode consumer trust. A recent study provides additional evidence that scarcity cues negatively impact user experience. Designers should avoid using these tactics as they're perceived as manipulative and deceptive. Where used, scarcity claims should be specific and verifiable to build trust.

NINE SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL UX WRITING TIPS FOR DESIGNERS IN 2024

Effective UX writing enhances the user experience, boosts engagement, and improves conversion. Considering how often some UI elements are displayed to users, minor enhancements can make a huge difference. The nine tips outlined in the article include avoiding prepositions, using lists, making text more scalable, adopting and descriptive links.

MAKING A NICE NEON BUTTON

Making neon buttons look great is a challenging task. This practical tutorial shows you how to assemble astonishing neon buttons using three guidelines and neat CSS properties.

WEBWEAVE AI WEBSITE BUILDER

WebWave AI Builder, a tool for generating a multipage website from a description, is now in Open Beta. WebWave’s drag-and-drop interface is inspired by graphic design tools and allows users to completely change and customize the AI-generated website.

SQUARESPACE REFRESH 2023

Squarespace's latest refresh brings new features for creating and selling online courses, Squarespace payments, client invoicing, and Acuity scheduling. In terms of commercial tools, it introduces different fulfillment options, product variant buttons, mobile optimizations, and checkout improvements.

FREE PHOTOS OF PEOPLE'S FACES

UserStock is a collection of people's faces organized by gender, age group, and background style. All images are free for personal and commercial use.

CURIOSITY EATS CREATIVITY FOR BREAKFAST

The reason we struggle to come up with original ideas is not a lack of creativity but a lack of curiosity. Creativity is limited to what we already know, it is only the recombination of available information and experience. We need to shift our focus from creativity to insights and questions - experimentation is a low-hanging fruit and one of the fastest tracks we can use to get us there.

DARK MODE VS. LIGHT MODE: THE UX DEBATE SETTLED

Adopting light and dark modes impacts usability, accessibility, and even business metrics. Each method has its peculiarities - knowing its pros and cons is crucial for better design decisions. Dark mode tends to be easier on the eyes, while Light mode offers superior readability and less visual fatigue in bright environments. That's just one of many differences explained in this comprehensive guide.

ON CRAFT

A touching story of a grandpa, his passion for the craft, the value of cadence, and how it relates to the current way most software teams work.

GROWING TOGETHER: UX WRITING METHODS AND A HAPPIER COMMUNITY GARDEN

An example of improving sign-up rate from 65% to 90% with the use of friendlier, more natural, and personal language, easing user concerns, anticipating and answering possible questions, repeating important information, and identifying and clarifying potential confusion.

FINISH

The Master’s Pupil is a video game inspired by the biography of Claude Monet. Players are placed inside the eye of the Father of Impressionism through a character that needs to solve a series of puzzles. Game developer Pat Naoum spent seven years perfecting the Monet-esque atmosphere that details the game.

WORLD OF MODERN DATING

Many funny and awful date stories are swirling around nowadays - there's an enormous appetite for them. Illustrator and author Tess Smith-Roberts has been taking inspiration from the modern dating world with a series of dating comics that have now become a full-length graphic novel, Disaster Dates and Lucky Escapes.

SAAS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH ELEGANT LLM FEEDBACK MECHANISMS

While Google may be behind a bit in the AI game, they are leaning hard into their advantage of all-the-eyeballs-in-the-universe. The feedback loop on making sure results are positive is tight and depending on how they utilize it, could be a differentiator. Don’t count the GOOG out just yet.

GLOBAL VENTURE FUNDING IN Q3 2023 FALLS AGAIN

A great recap of Q3 funding across a variety of sectors. The short version: things are down except for the hot spaces and no end in sight for the IPO market slump.

THE HYPER-PERSONALIZATION OF EVERYTHING

A detailed take on how AI is going to impact the digital world as it relates to the individual consumer. Just as in media, hyper personalization makes it tough to build (or maintain) a juggernaut but also opens up so many opportunities for niche brands that can find their users.

HUBSPOT MARKETING VS. KLAVIYO: TWO TITANS, TWO PATHS

With so much of their data out in the open as public companies, it’s hard not to compare and contrast these two behemoths. One is focused on e-commerce, while the other takes a broader approach. They are both growing at crazy rates.

THE THIN LINE BETWEEN BOLD AND RECKLESS

This article explores the Vanderbilt of yesteryear and asks whether we could possibly be as reckless again today. History always repeats itself and looking at it, especially with a lens on the current technology cycle, always yields helpful insights.

FOUNDERS

This article is a deep dive into funding options outside of equity. It is the first part of a multi-part series that covers debt options for startups. It is a great primer for those new to (or revisiting) the topic.

DATALENS

A modern business intelligence and data visualization system.

WHEELS OF JUSTICE SLOW TO ACCEPT LEGAL TECH AS FUNDING FALLS

Even with the onslaught of AI company funding in the last year, legal tech has slowed significantly. The view from the trenches is there is a lot of noise out there with new companies appearing regularly but not a lot of meat on the bones or sales on the books just yet. It will be curious to see if this is a trend or just a blip.

OPEN SOURCE AI BUSINESS MODELS & BRAND MOATS

We’ve seen how open source models can work and thrive over the last 25+ years and even as they mature and become more “closed” (*cough* Redhat *cough*), the model has lasting impacts. In the face of AI, not all playbooks are the same. This article provides a thoughtful and in-depth review of open source models and how AI will play in this.

GIVING AND RECEIVING ADVICE

Giving and receiving advice is fraught with complexities due to varying motivations and the presence of ambivalence in advice-seekers. It's vital to navigate advice with discernment, acknowledging that valuable guidance can sometimes come from unexpected sources.

WHAT DO VENTURE CAPITALISTS DO?

A nostalgic look at a research paper from 1984 around what VCs do all day and a view on how all of that has changed. And boy, has it changed.

VENTURE CAPITAL TERM SHEET: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

When a venture fund wants to invest in a startup, it sends the founders a term sheet. As the name suggests, this short document details the terms and conditions upon which the fund intends to invest.

MEDIOCRE SUCCESS IS WORSE THAN OUTRIGHT FAILURE

For startups, ambiguous "mediocre successes" in experiments are more detrimental than clear failures, as they hinder decisive learning and growth.

LYCA MOBILE SERVICES SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTED BY CYBERATTACK

Lyca Mobile has confirmed that its services were significantly disrupted in recent days due to a cyberattack. The attack impacted services in all markets, except for the US, Australia, Tunisia, and Ukraine and the company is still trying to find out if it has resulted in a data breach.

GLIBC’S LD.SO

Qualys discovered a glibc dynamic loader vulnerability that enables a local privilege escalation that grants full root privileges on the default installations of Fedora 37 and 38, Ubuntu 22.04 and 23.04, and Debian 12 and 13. It is recommended to update as soon as possible as it is a critical vulnerability.

HIGH SEVERITY VULNERABILITY FOUND IN LIBCURL AND CURL

The maintainer of the curl project posted an update that a security issue is “probably the worst security problem found in curl in a long time.” The patched version will be released on October 11 along with details of the CVEs.