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MODIFYING LLMS FOR DIRECTED CHEMICAL SPACE EXPLORATION

By using supervised fine-tuning and DPO style data on open source language models, LLMs can be prompted to generate molecules that have interesting properties for drug development.

PLANNING IN NATURAL LANGUAGE IMPROVES LLM SEARCH FOR CODE GENERATION

One of the challenges of code generation is getting diverse candidate solutions. Oftentimes, even repeated sampling fails to generate enough novelty to solve a problem. However, if you plan in natural language first and brainstorm candidate solution paths, then generation is significantly more diverse and varied leading to improved code generation solutions.

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RUN AN LLM ON ESP32

This code shows how to run a tiny language model on an Arduino board.

DOCAI: STRUCTURED INFORMATION EXTRACTION FROM DOCUMENTS

Another example of cleverly using existing models to extract structured information from documents.

FLUXMUSIC

Text-to-music generation with a rectified flow transformer.

A PYTHON PACKAGE TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS

iText2KG is a Python package that uses large language models to extract entities and relationships from text, incrementally building consistent knowledge graphs.

WILL AI MAKE US OVERCONFIDENT?

Students are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT to solve challenging research problems, surprising educators with their rapid progress. AI-enhanced development tools, especially in coding, significantly boost ambition and productivity but come with risks of overconfidence and errors. Despite inaccuracies, AI provides valuable interactive entry points to complex tasks, potentially encouraging more proactive learning and cross-disciplinary exploration.

LLMS STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES

An interactive demo was used to test LLMs' ability to recognize and explain number sequences generated by random programs. The results showed that while LLMs often identify the correct sequence, their explanations for the patterns were frequently incorrect. This highlights the current limitations in LLMs' reasoning abilities despite their performance on standardized tests.

COLPALI AND QWEN2-VL FOR RETRIEVAL (GITHUB NOTEBOOK)

Merve has created a great resource for using language and vision models to improve retrieval.

TEXT TO X

Well curated list of “text to x” papers and projects.

COPILOT+ FEATURES ARE COMING IN NOVEMBER TO AI PCS POWERED BY INTEL AND AMD'S LATEST CHIPS

Microsoft announced that Intel's 200V processors and AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series chipset will support Copilot+ AI features starting in November.

Become an investor before the round closes on October 3rd→

KALSHI CLEARED TO OFFER CONGRESSIONAL PREDICTION MARKETS IN VICTORY AGAINST CFTC

Kalshi, a US-regulated prediction market platform, won its lawsuit against the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over launching markets on which party will control the Senate and House of Representatives after the November elections. Though Kalshi does not integrate blockchain, this is a win for prediction markets like Polymarket, which have been operating solely outside of the United States. The CFTC has filed an emergency motion to stop Kalshi from listing its markets.

THE BOOMING CRYPTO USE CASE THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

Bloomberg's ‘Odd Lots' podcast this week covered stablecoins and their legitimate use globally as a payment and settlement platform. Stablecoins significantly improve legacy payment systems by offering cheap, near-instant, and light-regulation options for citizens of any country to send US dollar-backed digital assets. This marks one of the leading legitimate use cases of the highly speculative crypto industry.

JAPAN'S THREE MAJOR BANKS TO TEST CROSS-BORDER STABLECOIN TRANSFER PLATFORM

MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho, the megabanks of Japan, are piloting a cross-border stablecoin transfer platform. The initiative, “Project Pax,” will use stablecoins issued by bank-backed Progmat and run by Datachain and TOKI. It will use SWIFT's existing APIs to settle on blockchain networks and be commercialized by 2025.

THE GRASS AIRDROP CHECKER IS LIVE

The Grass Foundation has launched an airdrop eligibility checker for its decentralized movement aimed at returning control of the internet to users. This first airdrop distributes 10% of the 1 billion GRASS tokens. Some users claim it is not yet live and others have warned about scams.

EIGEN SIMPLY EXPLAINED

EigenLayer repurposes Ethereum's existing security for new projects without needing separate validation processes. This simplifies the use of shared resources and improves overall network efficiency. The approach allows participants to leverage their original resources (that they have staked) across multiple applications, streamlining operations and governance within the Ethereum ecosystem.

CREATING SOLANA MINI APPS

The Solana starter kit for Telegram simplifies creating mini apps, facilitating user authentication via Phantom with features like easy transaction signing. It may potentially integrate with Solflare.

ZILLIQA RETROSPECTIVE

Zilliqa is an alt L1 from the 2017 bull market that was similar to Solana but never gained traction. Though it had good tech, the protocol pivoted to focusing on RWAs and enterprise projects instead of developer tooling and experience. Solana, who focused primarily on DevEx, exchange integrations, and ecosystem growth, ultimately won.

WEAK NARRATIVE FORMATION IN CRYPTO

The Twitter ‘For You' feed emphasizes engagement-farming and election-related posts instead of quality content. With the recent sentiment around too much infra and not enough apps, we are now seeing copycat projects of existing apps like Polymarket and Pump.fun. Both of these projects could have indirectly benefited from the emphasis on election content and short-term attention spans.

THE REAL BULL MARKET HASN'T STARTED YET

The halving impacts how much Bitcoin mining companies can sell to cover operational expenses, increasing the Bitcoin price by not providing as much sell pressure.

AN OBSERVATION ON THE LACK OF IDEAS WITHIN CRYPTO

In the crypto industry, social consensus and mimetic thinking drive both the valuation and innovation cycles.

ETHEREUM L1 PROTOCOL REVENUE DOWN SINCE DENCUN

This chart shows the decline in operating expenses (corresponding decrease in Ethereum L1 protocol revenue) for various Ethereum L2 platforms from December 2023 to September 2024, highlighting a sharp decrease in costs after a peak in early 2024.

TETHER ACQUIRES STAKE IN ARGENTINIAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCER

Tether has acquired a 9.8% stake in Adecoagro, a major Latin American agricultural company with extensive operations in milk production in Argentina and sugarcane cultivation in Brazil.

VANECK CLOSING ETHEREUM FUTURES ETF BECAUSE OF SPOT ETF APPROVAL

Since its spot Ethereum exchange-traded product was approved, VanEck is closing its Ethereum Futures ETF.

JONY IVE'S LOVEFROM REINVENTS THE BUTTON WITH MONCLER

LoveFrom, founded by Jony Ive, partnered with Moncler on a modular shell jacket collection featuring a down-filled vest with interchangeable outer layers. The key to this design is the innovative "duo button," which uses magnets to seamlessly swap jacket layers, eliminating the fuss of traditional fasteners. The partnership is also symbolized in the duo button's design, which features logos of both brands and fun, cartoon-inspired details inside the jacket.

WHY THE DUOLINGO OWL SUDDENLY LOOKS ‘DISGUSTING'

Duolingo's owl mascot, Duo, has undergone a controversial redesign. The owl appears sick with a runny nose, drooping eyes, and sweaty face. This change is a marketing strategy intended to boost user engagement by grabbing attention. Despite the alarming new look, the app and Duo's in-app appearance remain unaffected. Users have had mixed reactions - some find the latest look creative, while others are disturbed or confused by the sickly appearance.

CONTROVERSIAL OAKLAND AIRPORT REBRAND SEEMS TO BE CONFUSING PASSENGERS

The rebranding of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport needs to be clarified, as some passengers are mistakenly heading to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) instead. Since the name change, SFO has recorded several incidents of confusion between the two airports, leading to a legal dispute over trademarks between the two rival hubs. The Port of Oakland has countersued, arguing that SFO itself isn't technically in San Francisco, further complicating the situation.

JUST OUR TYPE: THE STORY OF CREATING FIGMA SANS

Figma has rebranded to reflect its expanding community of product builders, with a complete overhaul of its visual identity. The rebrand includes a new custom typeface, Figma Sans. The new typeface, developed with Grilli Type, embodies flexibility, legibility, and a modern grotesque style that aligns with Figma's bold, evolving design language.

DUOLINGO'S ONBOARDING: 2 YEARS ON

Since 2018, Duolingo has seen a 4.5X increase in daily active users and a 40% reduction in churn, driven by personalization and improved onboarding. Onboarding in 2024 is quicker, more personalized, and enhances user engagement with features like interactive goals and an enhanced role for Duo the owl.

EVERYONE HATES THE NEW CAPRI SUN BOTTLES — AND THAT'S ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE BRAND

A false rumor about Capri Sun changing its iconic pouch design sparked a nostalgia-driven backlash, mainly from adults who hadn't used the product in years. Capri Sun has clarified that the original design will stay, turning the incident into a promotional opportunity and highlighting the power of nostalgia in driving consumer buzz.

REDLINE

Redline is a minimalist Mac to-do app that focuses on completing tasks one at a time without distractions or unnecessary features. It is always visible in the menu bar.

ACCESSIBLE COLOUR PALETTES

This plugin offers over 50 AAA-accessible color palettes inspired by London and Manchester to help designers create more inclusive web projects while meeting W3C accessibility guidelines.

LOADER/SPINNER ANIMATION

This plugin provides a simple, scalable animated loader/spinner with a fade-out effect, designed for use in mockups and prototypes using interactive components.

FLYSOCIETY BRANDING: SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH MINIMALIST DESIGN

FlySociety's rebranding uses minimalist design to capture the essence of luxury and efficiency in private jet travel. The new logo, color palette, and design system emphasize streamlined service, sophisticated aesthetics, and direct travel experiences.

SEEKING A “MINIMUM VIABLE SOFTNESS”

"Minimum Viable Softness" examines how boundaries in life, while appearing solid, are flexible narratives that shape our reality. It critiques rigid, linear approaches to problem-solving and management, advocating for more adaptable, non-linear thinking.

IS THE ‘BRAND NAMER' THE NEW GRAPHIC DESIGNER?

ICON IQ: TEST YOUR DIGITAL ICON KNOWLEDGE WITH A QUIZ

Effective icons help our designs achieve many benefits that optimize usability, such as enhanced clarity, increased findability, and greater visual appeal.

HOW TO ORGANIZE USER FEEDBACK WITH A SEVERITY SCALE

A user feedback severity scale helps prioritize issues by considering frequency and severity, ensuring critical problems are addressed first.

HOW TO DRIVE MEANINGFUL CHANGE WITH YOUR USER RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

User research presentations should prioritize key insights and recommendations to guide decision-making rather than just presenting objective data.

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‘DOOMER' AGENDA: VC, FOUNDER OPPONENTS TO CALIFORNIA AI SAFETY BILL WEIGH IN

A new California bill aimed at regulating AI safety has sparked intense debate within the tech community, with some prominent figures and companies opposing the legislation as premature and overly broad. Critics argue that the bill's requirements, including safety audits and civil liability for harm caused by AI models, could stifle innovation and entrench incumbent companies. Proponents, on the other hand, see the bill as a necessary step to prevent potential harm and ensure responsible AI development.

UNIONS, UNIONS EVERYWHERE

The role of unions in the modern workplace is a complex issue, with both positive and negative aspects. While unions have historically helped prevent worker exploitation and improve working conditions, they can also be seen as obstacles to competitiveness and innovation. As the tech industry continues to grow and mature, the relationship between tech companies and organized labor will likely evolve, with some companies already taking steps to acknowledge and address the needs of their workers.

LEGACY BEYOND NAMES: THE ENDURING IMPACT OF IDEAS

INSIDE ROUNDS IN VENTURE CAPITAL

An inside round is a type of funding where the majority of investment comes from existing investors rather than new ones. While inside rounds offer benefits such as speed, efficiency, and lower costs, they also have potential drawbacks like limited access to new networks and resources. Inside rounds are most common in later-stage funding, bridge or extension rounds, and during times of market uncertainty.

THE FOUNDER'S GUIDE TO YOUR FIRST SALES HIRE

The ideal time to hire your first salesperson is when you have a well-defined ideal customer profile, are generating enough leads to keep them busy, and understand your sales process. Look for a well-rounded candidate with relevant experience selling to your target customer and a consultative or demonstrative sales approach that matches your product. Provide hands-on training, have them meet everyone in the company, and focus their compensation more on equity than variable pay to attract the right fit for an early-stage startup.