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LLAMA TTF

This post shows how to run a small Llama language model in a font file.

ABILITY AI RAISES $1.1M PRE-SEED ROUND

Ability AI, a marketing startup, has raised a round to build its marketing agent technologies.

JUNE

June is a local voice chatbot that combines the power of Ollama, Hugging Face Transformers, and the Coqui TTS Toolkit.

JUMP CRYPTO'S PRESIDENT, KANAV KARIYA, RESIGNS

Kanav Kariya, who rose from intern to president of Jump Trading's crypto division by 25, is leaving the company. Kariya saw the company through major challenges like the $300 million Wormhole hack and the Terra/Luna collapse. Fortune recently reported that the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating Jump's crypto activities.

TETHER DISCONTINUES SUPPORT FOR ALGORAND AND EOS

Tether announced that it will discontinue USDT minting on EOS and Algorand but continue to support USDT redemptions on these blockchains for the next 12 months. This is part of its larger strategy to focus resources on platforms that maximize security, efficiency, and user engagement across the broader crypto landscape.

ASYNCHRONOUS PROGRAM EXECUTION (APE) IN SOLANA

Asynchronous execution allows consensus votes to happen independently of all other functions. Two primary Execution Domains, VoteExecutionDomain (VED) and UserExecutionDomain (UED), must be implemented to allow validators to vote before complete transaction execution. This article details the components of VED, the process of computing VED and UED states, and how funds can be moved between domains. The system aims to improve Solana's efficiency and scalability while maintaining integrity.

IGLOO INC AND THE FUTURE OF PUDGY PENGUINS

Pudgy Penguins have found real-world success with its Walmart toy line, racking over 20 billion GIF views and millions of social media followers. Igloo Inc, its new parent company, will create an end-to-end ecosystem for organic crypto adoption through the Penguins. OverpassIP, its other product, simplifies licensing NFT IP to support more NFT-based merchandise.

WHAT ARE SGX PROOFS?

SGX is a trusted execution environment from Intel that allows information to be stored and processed in private hardware memory called an enclave. Rollups can use SGX to privately execute state transition functions while still being verifiable. However, SGX requires trusting Intel, and zkEVMs would benefit from a multi-prover setup to mitigate potential exploits. Taiko's Raiko multi-prover supports several zkVMs and SGX.

PREDICTION MARKETS: BOTTLENECKS AND THE NEXT MAJOR UNLOCKS

This deep dive explores the current state and potential future of prediction markets. It explains how they work, focusing on the order book and AMM models. The article also identifies bottlenecks preventing wider adoption, like lack of liquidity, leverage, and information asymmetry, and proposes solutions.

CRYPTO MAINTAINS DECENTRALIZED ORIGINS WHEREAS AI IS COMPARATIVELY CENTRALIZED

While AI and crypto are both transformative technologies, they differ fundamentally in their origin and function. AI has developed in a centralized fashion and generates a lot of data, making verification challenging. Crypto has developed in a decentralized fashion and is used to authenticate data.

STATE OF SOLANA DEPIN 2024

Solana DePIN, which includes category leaders Helium, Hivemapper, and Render, has a combined market cap of $4 billion. Solana's focus on performance and network effects and the Solana Foundation's support of DePIN have given it a first-mover advantage with dozens of projects that have built innovative networks. This article details projects in wireless, storage, sensor, compute, service, and other categories of DePIN on Solana. It predicts more sectors, rollups, and convergence with RWAs, ultimately resulting in a parallel infrastructure system.

INTRODUCING THE BLAST FOUNDATION

Blast has announced the Blast Foundation in anticipation of its upcoming decentralization and airdrop on June 26.

PROGRAMMABLE RUNES

The Runes Bitcoin standard is getting a sub-protocol to allow EVM-based computations using Runes.

UPBIT TO LAUNCH BLAST PAIRS ON JUNE 26TH

South Korea's largest crypto exchange, UpBit, will begin offering trading pairs for the Blast token against BTC, USDT, and Korean won.

ETH ETF EXPECTATIONS

An Ethereum ETF is expected to be launched soon.

OPENAI UPGRADES DALL-E 3 INSTEAD OF ROLLING OUT GPT-4O'S (MUCH BETTER) IMAGING CAPABILITIES

Despite GPT-4o's advanced imaging capabilities, OpenAI is still actively enhancing DALL-E 3, focusing on refining text rendering and visual accuracy. Facing stiff competition from Midjourney and Ideogram, OpenAI's strategy underscores the continuous evolution and challenges in AI-driven visual technologies.

ADOBE'S NEW TERMS OF SERVICE SAY IT WON'T USE YOUR WORK TO TRAIN AI

Adobe has updated its terms of service in response to intense backlash to clarify that user content stored locally or in the cloud, except for contributions to Adobe Stock, will not be used to train its generative AI. This revision aims to eliminate confusion and address concerns about content privacy and legality checks for cloud-stored data.

HEYGEN RAISES $60M SERIES A TO SCALE VISUAL STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESSES

AI video generation platform HeyGen has secured $60M in Series A funding to simplify business communication through video production. HeyGen allows businesses to create localized, studio-quality videos in minutes by typing a script, significantly reducing the traditional time and costs associated with video creation and expanding accessibility to compelling visual storytelling.

AI DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HORRIBLE

While some may be skeptical about AI, there is potential in specific use cases like Google's NotebookLM for querying past thoughts and AI's ability to aggregate and organize company information. Despite concerns about AI's current direction, it is believed to have true utility in smaller applications and for fixing internet issues, though there are worries about repeating past mistakes.

DESIGN AS THOUGHT: AI AND THE FUTURE OF DESIGN

Professor Orlando Budelacci, the author of 'Human, Machine, Identity, Ethics of Artificial Intelligence', and Oliver Reichenstein, the founder of iA Inc., discuss the future of AI in design, emphasizing simplicity and purpose in tools like iA Writer and iA Presenter. Effective design involves questioning fundamentals and focusing on essentials, requiring significant mental effort and keen observation, akin to the impressionists' study of atmosphere, space, light, and color.

THE FUTURE IS BUILT ON SOLID FOUNDATIONS

Organizations with well-established infrastructures are better poised to embrace emerging technologies. Design systems are crucial for integrating new technologies like AI and maintaining consistency and efficiency. These systems streamline design and development and ensure that innovations like AI are implemented seamlessly and effectively, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

GENERISTA (FIGMA PLUGIN)

Generista helps create generative artwork with a simple, easy-to-use interface.

AI-POWERED LOGO ANIMATIONS

Upload your logo in PNG format and use AI to create stunning logo animations.

BROWSER-POWERED MOCKUP EDITOR

Maneken's browser-powered editor makes creating mockups easy and efficient. You can drag and drop media, apply photo effects, and export web-ready assets.

THE INTERFACES WITH WHICH WE THINK

Modern operating system concepts like apps and windows are human-made abstractions that, while valid, may limit progress and innovation in personal computing. Current abstractions may be hindering advancements. Designers should consider new perspectives on personal computing interfaces and systems.

10 LIES CREATIVES TELL THEMSELVES (AND HOW TO REFRAME THEM)

Creatives often tie their happiness to external achievements, leading to dissatisfaction. Focusing on the joy of creation and embracing growth can lead to true fulfillment. Overcoming limiting beliefs, practicing conscious detachment, taking ownership, and accepting ambiguity can significantly enhance creative success.

UX LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Marvel's MCU offers a masterclass in UX strategy by emphasizing the relatable, human-centric narratives that sparked its initial box office dominance. As the series expanded, it maintained a delicate balance of consistency and innovation, creating a structured yet engaging viewer experience through interactive storytelling and character development. However, recent phases show a shift, with the franchise potentially losing touch with its core audience, reminding businesses of the importance of staying connected to user needs and expectations.

IOS INTERACTION PROTOTYPES

A series of iOS interaction prototypes that explore new and fluid ways to interact with the operating system.

IF DESIGN PORTFOLIOS COULD TALK, WHAT WOULD THEY SAY?

A portfolio should be treated as a product with a clear goal and target audience.

PERSONALIZATION, MEASURING WITH TASTE, AND INTRINSIC INTERFACES

Midjourney's new personalization feature lets users guide AI-generated images toward preferred styles by selecting representative photos.

TIKTOK ADVERTISERS PREPARE CONTINGENCY PLANS AS US BAN LOOMS

Brands and their agencies typically sign contracts committing to spend a certain amount on advertising in advance to secure prominent slots or volume discounts from media platforms. Agencies representing TikTok's biggest advertisers are drawing up contingency plans as the US prepares to ban the popular video app. Some are seeking a “kill clause” to escape any financial commitments.

TOP INSIGHTS FROM LINKEDIN'S B2B MARKETING BENCHMARK

This report outlines 9 characteristics the future B2B marketer must encompass, including being data interpreters, tech trailblazers, and DEI champions. Privacy and data management remain a top concern for B2B companies. It was surveyed that gen AI lacks humanity/is too robotic (40%), risks plagiarism (34%), and provides inaccurate information (32%). When it comes to efficacy, respondents cited social media (36%) as the channel that is most effective for meeting their marketing needs. In-person events/trade shows (18%) and email (12%) came in at a distant second and third.

BUILD AN INITIAL SUBSCRIBER BASE WITH REDDIT

Max Reva, who built the #1 tool for Reddit marketing intelligence, wanted to create a job board in a specific niche, but first wanted to test its viability and build a solid base of users. He created a simple landing page with a sign-up form and spent $180 on Reddit ads over 2 weeks. This resulted in a subscriber base of 510 users. The emails sent to the list had an open rate between 45-53% and a CTR between 4.8-9.4%. Reva also received valuable feedback on how the product should work through his interactions with these users.

LOCAL MARKETING IDEAS YOU NEED TO TRY: HOW TO MARKET FOR ‘NEAR ME'

To market locally, create offline campaigns that drive online traffic, such as using physical items with your website link to generate interest. Build authority with backlinks from local businesses or directories to enhance your search engine visibility. Encourage word-of-mouth by implementing referral programs, requesting reviews, and engaging with local influencers. Connect with your community by incorporating local quirks into your marketing, showing that you understand and belong.

MEIRO: AI-POWERED QUIZZES AND FORMS TO DRIVE LEADS AND ENGAGEMENT

Meiro enables you to create interactive content to drive leads, engage audiences, and boost brand recognition. Create forms or quizzes with a prompt or based on existing text or video content. The tool claims that interactive content improves user data collection by 60%. It offers 3 paid plan options and a 10-day free trial.

LISTEN NOTES

Listen Notes is a search engine for podcasts. You can search the whole internet's podcasts, curate your own podcast playlists, and listen on your favorite podcast player apps.

8 EMAIL MARKETING TOOLS FOR E-COMMERCE

Rivo helps increase LTV and recurring revenue by offering exclusive benefits to paid members. Recart lets you time campaigns based on a customer's past purchase behavior. Social Snowball unlocks attribution for influencers, builds branded sign-up pages, and sends payouts across payment providers with one click.

86% OF B2BS RELY ON OUTBOUND, 53% SAY IT ISN'T WORKING

Despite 86% of B2B companies relying on outbound marketing, 53% report its declining effectiveness. To make outbound work, transition from sales-led to GTM-led efforts, target the total relevant market, and engage multiple stakeholders. Your focus should be on timing and relevance rather than frequency of outreach.

NETFLIX'S ADVERTISING CHALLENGE: IT ISN'T BIG ENOUGH

Although Netflix leads in streaming, it faces a tough challenge in advertising. It is only the ninth or tenth largest player. The company's efforts to expand its ad-supported tier have seen mixed results, with under-delivered impressions and strained partnerships. Netflix is exploring live events and sports to increase its advertising inventory and reach and compete with industry leaders like Amazon and Disney.

NEW MESSENGER ADS ARE COMING TO META

Meta is launching a new Messenger ads product that allows advertisers to target email subscribers through Ads Manager.

5 FREE OKR TEMPLATES FOR MARKETING LEADERS

OKR templates available via Notion and Google Sheets.

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HOW PRODUCT LEADERS CAN GUIDE THEIR TEAM'S OKRS

Product leaders should focus on providing strategic context and limiting the team's playing field during OKR drafting rather than dictating specific objectives or problems to solve, ensuring a clear translation of higher-level strategies, sharing context from other teams, and challenging the choice of key results to maintain a holistic view of success.

INTEGRATING UX INSIGHTS INTO PRODUCT PLANNING

This post covers the importance of interoperability in UX research platforms and advocates for the shift towards "atomic research" for better integration of insights into product planning. It highlights challenges like data silos and the lack of robust APIs, proposing a move towards an ecosystem of open and interconnected research tools to avoid wasting valuable insights.

MY FAVORITE DEFINITIONS OF GROWTH

Growth can be defined in various ways. Different definitions include experimentation-oriented growth hacking, value-distribution growth motions, business performance growth chasing, and acting as the sales team for self-serve revenue. Having a shared definition helps everyone stay aligned.

“WHAT HAVE WE ALREADY TRIED?”

Automating outputs can lead to wasteful practices. Leveraging the existing experiences and solutions within an organization, as well as learning from past endeavors, can streamline product development and enhance effectiveness.

“IT'S A BALANCE” ISN'T ALWAYS THE ANSWER

You can choose one of three approaches to resolve decision-making conflicts: find a balance between the options, make a definitive choice, or synthesize a new solution that combines elements of both. Each approach is appropriate depending on the context: balance when extremes are undesirable, a firm choice when both options are rational but contradictory, and synthesis for innovative solutions that require additional supportive decisions.