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CHINA'S OWN TESLA OPTIMUS? BEIJING'S AMBITIONS IN HUMANOID ROBOTS IN FULL DISPLAY AT EXPO

Chinese technology companies unveiled more than two dozen humanoid robots at the five-day 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing last week. The show attracted 400 industry experts and academics and more than 160 domestic and overseas robotic firms. While there seems to be growing interest in robots from consumers, there are still several hurdles to overcome before their use can become widespread. These include a lack of sufficient data to train the AI used in the robots, limited use cases, and high prices.

BUFFDB

buffdb is a lightweight and high-performance persistence layer for gRPC. It is designed to be used in environments where bandwidth is limited and performance is critical. buffdb uses protobuff as its messaging format of choice but support for other formats is planned. It has full support for SQLite and partial support for DuckDB and RocksDB.

RUROCO

ruroco is a tool that lets users execute commands on a server by sending UDP packets. It contains several security features that prevent port scanning and clients running unauthorized commands. It encrypts data sent from client to server using RSA and it runs server software in a way that uses as little operating system rights as possible. ruroco can be used for single packet authorization, enabling webservices, and more.

WHY DOES GETTING A JOB IN TECH SUCK RIGHT NOW? (IS IT AI?!?)

A lot of new CS graduates are finding it really hard to get a job. There is a massive confluence of factors, both on the demand and supply side of the market, that are contributing to it being harder to land a job in tech. There are more CS graduates than ever and employers are hiring fewer software engineers. AI is not replacing engineers' jobs yet and it probably won't happen for an incredibly long time. This article looks at all these factors in detail.

MERCHANTS OF COMPLEXITY

It's hard to sell simple because it looks easy. Clever and sophisticated beats basic and straightforward most days in the market. These products imply there is something special, which allows them to command premium prices. Tech companies tend to turn basic problems people could easily solve for themselves quickly and cheaply into challenges that only a sophisticated solution can solve - usually with a subscription. People can escape this cycle by deciding that all the extra complexity isn't worth it and daring to be basic.

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HOW WE BUILT TOWNIE

Townie is an app that generates fullstack apps.

ELON MUSK SAYS X STAFF CAN GET THEIR STOCK — IF THEY PROVE THEY DESERVE IT

Staff at X will have to submit a one-page summary to leadership on their contributions to the company in order to get their stock.

JS DATES ARE ABOUT TO BE FIXED

One of the changes coming to ECMAScript is a native object specifically designed to represent dates and times with their corresponding time zone.

HOW ELON MUSK GOT TANGLED UP IN BLUE

Elon Musk thought Twitter Blue, which allowed die-hard users to pay for premium features, represented an untapped financial opportunity.

CREATE AN INTERNAL CLI

Some companies use their own internal CLIs for org-wide things like installing useful tools, generating boilerplate code, or running complex AWS commands - this article discusses how to get started with your own CLI.

CORS IS STUPID

CORS is a giant hack to mitigate legacy mistakes, but none of its protections are actually sufficient to solve the intended problem.

APPLE IS STILL STANDING IN THE WAY OF EPIC'S APP STORE

Epic launched its iOS store in the EU last week thanks to new regulations opening up the platform. It's not clear whether Epic will be able to grow the store far beyond its own games. While Epic's game store may offer better terms for developers, every developer is still subject to fees from Apple. Epic is in active discussions with almost every one of the top 250 mobile developers about putting their apps on the Epic Games Store for mobile, but almost all of them have said they can't make it work on iOS.

GOOGLE IS SHOVING ITS APPS ONTO NEW WINDOWS LAPTOPS

Google's new desktop app, Essentials, will be included with many new Windows laptops. The app packages a few Google services, like Messages and Photos, and includes links to download many others. A full list of apps has not yet been announced. Users will be able to uninstall any part of Essentials or the whole thing.

SPACEX'S POLARIS DAWN IS SENDING ASTRONAUTS TO A LITERAL RADIATION BELT TO TEST NEW SPACESUITS

Polaris Dawn, a collaboration between SpaceX and Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman, will launch on Monday. The mission will send four astronauts in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on an orbit that will carry them through the innermost of the Van Allen belts, the bands of high-energy radiation that surround our planet. Two of the crew members will complete a spacewalk midway through the 5-day mission. The mission will be the first flight test of SpaceX's new pressure suits for extravehicular activities.

A NEWLY APPROVED ‘LIVING DRUG' COULD SAVE MORE CANCER PATIENTS' LIVES

Iovance Biotherapeutics has developed a 'living drug' made up of immune cells from patients' own tumors. The therapy involves taking the immune cells from the patient's tumor, growing them in the lab, and then infusing them back into the body. The massive influx of immune cells zeros in on and attacks cancer cells, and in some cases, appears to wipe out every last one. The drug doesn't work for everyone, but it can still be a lifesaver for some patients. It has been approved in the US for advanced melanoma.

CHAMPIONS PROGRAM. Get the whitepaper

INSTANT

Instant is a client-side database that makes it easy to build real-time and collaborative apps. Users just have to write relational queries in the shape of the data they want and it handles all of the data fetching, permission checking, and offline caching. It also handles optimistic updates and rollbacks. Instant supports ephemeral updates and it has SDKs for JavaScript, React, and React Native.

CONTINUOUS REINVENTION: A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLOCK STORAGE AT AWS

This post provides a history of Elastic Block Store, one of AWS's foundational services. It covers queuing theory, the importance of comprehensive instrumentation, and the value of incrementalism versus radical changes. EBS's development team's approach, which was to make a series of incremental improvements over time, allowed them to develop customer value sooner and course correct as they learned more about changing customer workloads. They were able to make significant improvements to the service without taking it online.

THE TOP 100 GEN AI CONSUMER APPS

This post looks at which generative AI apps people are actually using. Creative tools are still drawing in consumers. ChatGPT is still the number one product on web and mobile by a large margin, but the competition is starting to heat up. New use cases are emerging, with some apps giving users beauty tips and others helping users uplevel their dating messages. Discord traffic is a leading indicator for apps that will climb the web and mobile ranks.

THE SILICON VALLEY CANON: ON THE PAIDEÍA OF THE AMERICAN TECH ELITE

Most Silicon Valley types make time to read books, book reviews, or listen to podcasts about books enough to fool others into thinking they have read a book. Books have an inordinate impact on the Silicon Valley mindspace. These books often have no obvious connection to software. They form a sort of vague tech canon. This article presents the list of books that form the Silicon Valley canon. These books cover the major ideas that are influential in tech.

career-focused learners. Inquire here (must be US-based)

THE TOP PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES 2024

Python ranks as the most popular language, and it's pretty popular with employers too.

IOS 18 ADDING DEFAULT APP CONTROLS FOR MESSAGING, PHONE CALLS, NAVIGATION, AND MORE IN THE EU

Apple is extending default app controls, making additional first-party apps deletable, and updating the browser choice screen in the EU.

CAN AI SCALING CONTINUE THROUGH 2030? (3 HOUR READ)

By 2030, it will very likely be possible to train models that exceed GPT-4 in scale to the same degree that GPT-4 exceeds GPT-2 in scale.

AHEAD OF OCTOBER LAUNCH, JEFF BEZOS' BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET EXPLODES DURING TESTING

An upper portion of the rocket exploded during stress testing and a separate portion imploded.

QUARKDOWN

Quarkdown is a Markdown parser and renderer that provides support for functions and many other syntax extensions.

THE COMPOUNDING LOOPHOLE

Compounding pharmacies, pharmacies that make some drugs on site, may be the answer to how the economy will handle the supply of expensive drugs in high demand like GLP-1 agonist drugs.

Read more on the WorkOS blog→

MICROSOFT WILL RELEASE CONTROVERSIAL WINDOWS RECALL AI SEARCH FEATURE TO TESTERS IN OCTOBER

Microsoft will release its Recall search feature for Windows users to test beginning in October. Recall takes screenshots of screen activity so people can search for information they saw earlier. Security researchers are concerned about the risks associated with the feature as it may make personal information easily accessible to attackers. Microsoft says it is committed to security enhancements for the feature.

SAMSUNG'S NEW ODYSSEY MONITOR LETS YOU PLAY GAMES IN GLASSES-FREE 3D

Samsung's new Odyssey gaming monitor lineup uses eye-tracking technology to convert 2D visuals into glasses-free 3D. Users can seamlessly switch between 2D and 3D modes. The monitor, which features a 4K QLED panel with a 165Hz refresh rate, a 1-millisecond response time, and support for AMD Free Sync, will be available in 27- and 37-inch sizes. It is set for global release within this year.

SECOND PATIENT IN TRIAL FOR ELON MUSK'S NEURALINK USES DESIGN SOFTWARE, VIDEOGAMES

Neuralink's second patient is able to play first-person shooter video games and use design software. They have so far avoided the issue that nearly derailed the first patient's implant. Neuralink hopes to implant its device into eight more people this year. This article contains an animated slideshow that explains how Neuralink's device works.

THE NEW GENERATION OF HEAVY LIFT ROCKETS IS RISING TO CHALLENGE SPACEX

While SpaceX is the undisputed leader in launch, with a record 96 launches last year, it has a growing number of competitors that say they can bring much-needed supply and competitive pressure to the market. This article looks at the current medium-, heavy, and super-heavy lift rocket landscape. While some are yet to be operational, if any of these projects succeed, it will change everything in the industry.

the ebook here

HANDWRITER.TTF

This proof-of-concept project implements a synthesizer that generates and rasterizes handwriting-style font. It uses a super-lightweight Recurrent Neural Network for handwriting synthesis. Video of the handwriting synthesizer in action is available. A prebuilt Docker image is provided as it is not easy to build the library from scratch.

RECESSION AND CRISIS IN THE IT INDUSTRY: 7 MONTHS OF INTERVIEWS WITH 50 MANAGERS FROM EUROPE AND THE USA – A SUBJECTIVE VIEW

The tech industry is not very optimistic at the moment. Companies need to distance themselves from the trends that the vast majority of IT companies have begun to follow. Businesses that focus on investing in their people, developing their skills, and creating a collaborative workplace have the opportunity to develop competitive advantages. Companies should bet on providing a sense of security for customers and members of the organization.

I'VE BUILT MY FIRST SUCCESSFUL SIDE PROJECT, AND I HATE IT

This post explains how a developer built a successful side project that earned them over $15,000. The project was a TradingView indicator that users had to pay to access. Throughout the project, the developer encountered issues such as people constantly trying to get the product for free and fraud from 'customers'. After a while, responding to customer questions and requests became tiring, especially since the developer had to also work their full-time job. They tried selling the project but eventually decided to automate more of the business and keep it running.

LINUX MARKET SHARE REACHES NEW PEAK: JULY 2024 REPORT

Linux has achieved a 4.45% market share for desktop operating systems worldwide. Its market share has been slowly but steadily growing over the past year. Several factors, such as a growing sentiment that Microsoft's Windows is faltering, the impending end-of-life for Windows 10 in October 2025, the launch of the Steam Deck, and improvements to the user experience have contributed to Linux's increasing popularity. With current trends, Linux may reach a 5% market share by the end of the year.

100% online degree. Start here (US learners only)

MICROPLASTICS ARE INFILTRATING BRAIN TISSUE, STUDIES SHOW: ‘THERE'S NOWHERE LEFT UNTOUCHED'

Microplastics have been found accumulating in critical human organs, leading researchers to call for more urgent actions to deal with plastic pollution.

PLASMO

Plasmo is a browser extension SDK with first-class React and TypeScript support.

APPLE IS SHAKING UP HOW IT MANAGES THE APP STORE

AMAZON CLOUD CEO PREDICTS A FUTURE WHERE MOST SOFTWARE ENGINEERS DON'T CODE — AND AI DOES IT INSTEAD

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said in a June fireside chat that AI will replace coding in a few years, which means developers will have to think more about the end product.