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ZORA ACQUIRES MINT.FUN

Zora has acquired Mint.fun to combine the best creator tools with the best collector tools and bring the world's creativity onchain.

THE NEW APPLE PENCIL PRO IS HARDER TO LOSE AND BETTER TO DRAW WITH

The Apple Pencil Pro, introduced during Apple's "Let Loose" iPad event, is a significant update to the stylus line, with new features like the "Barrel Roll" gyroscope for adjusting brushes, a squeeze gesture for tool switching, and Find My support to prevent loss. This third-generation stylus, priced at $129, maintains the advanced functionalities of its predecessor and adds enhancements like haptic feedback for a more intuitive creative process.

PHOTO EDITING APP VSCO LAUNCHES MARKETPLACE TO CONNECT PHOTOGRAPHERS WITH BRANDS

VSCO has launched a marketplace called VSCO Hub to connect photographers with brands. It offers a LinkedIn-like platform with its $59.99 Pro plan and allows businesses to search for talent using specific filters. CEO Eric Wittman says the hub aids discovery amidst challenging social network algorithms. VSCO plans to integrate AI to enhance search capabilities.

NIKE DEVELOPING AI MODEL AS PART OF DESIGN "STEP CHANGE"

Nike is developing a generative AI model to design products using its vast bank of athlete data. Athlete Imagined Revolution (AIR) is a project that saw the design team create prototype shoes for 13 of Nike's top athletes based on their requests. Their preferences were translated to prompts for the generative AI models, which made hundreds of images that Nike designers then rapidly honed into single concepts using other digital fabrication techniques.

DESIGNING DESIGN SYSTEMS: HOW TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK THAT DRIVES DECISION MAKING

Adobe's Spectrum design system is shaped by thousands of designers, engineers, and product managers who work on one of the most complex software portfolios on the planet. Comprehensively changing it requires a lot of effort and coordination. In this article, Adobe's team shares its framework for defining its evolution. The framework includes building a community of advisors to give feedback, writing documents to explain decisions and communicate where the design is going, and developing principles to guide decisions.

WHY GOOD UX IS NO UX

Invisible UX allows users to concentrate on what's beyond the interface and how technology makes their lives easier. Designers should strive for this attribute because it represents the best user experience design and is crucial to enduring products. Create tools that integrate seamlessly with your customers' lives by understanding how your interface aligns with their existing behavior and knowledge, designing maintenance-free solutions, and ensuring the product does more work than your users.

USING AI TO PREDICT DESIGN TRENDS

Predictive analytics is a machine learning method for tracing patterns in datasets and anticipating future pattern changes. The maturation of AI will allow these processes to be automated, improving the accuracy and actionability of trend forecasts in the design industry. This article gives you a glimpse of how predictive analytics will be used shortly, explaining how it works, its main strengths, and how it will impact the design practice.

NEW APPLE DESIGN RESOURCES (FIGMA FILE)

Apple has released 9 new templates and design templates, including a design library and templates for macOS Sonoma, visionOS, and iPadOS.

UNCROP YOUR PHOTOS TO ANY IMAGE FORMAT

Quickly generate and extend the body or backgrounds in your photos and breathe new life into your images.

AIR TRAVEL DESIGN GUIDE

This guidebook describes the design of artifacts, spaces, and systems that impact the passenger air travel experience.

WEB ACCESSIBILITY IN THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

A close inspection of the accessibility of the 2024 US presidential campaign sites reveals that the sites for both Biden and Trump are better than average pages found in the WebAIM Million. Still, both could improve significantly with simple changes that would not require throwing out an entire widget or design. Biden's site scored 7.2 while Trump's was rated a 6.6.

USE BOTH RATINGS AVERAGE AND NUMBER OF RATINGS WHEN SORTING BY USER RATINGS

Many users sort product lists by ratings to compare items. Still, 64% of sites neglect to include the number of ratings in sorting algorithms, leading to distrust in highly ranked items. Combining ratings average and number of ratings will improve sorting accuracy and match users' preferences.

THE AGENTIC ERA OF UX

The future of AI UX should prioritize holistic transformation of user experience over addressing individual user needs, while AI agents embedded in large language models facilitate complex tasks autonomously. Agentic workflows, epitomized by AI models, dissect intricate tasks into manageable steps, enhance reasoning capabilities, and have capabilities for vastly improving the user experience.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN TO USE AI

AI should be used wisely but thoughtfully based on its potential to help, not replace human capabilities

AI ARTIST WILL “TRAIN” ROBOT DOGS TO DO A LIVE PAINTING SESSION

Polish artist Agnieszka Pilat is training Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot dog, to paint for the Heterobota exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on May 10.

ERRORS AREN'T ALL BAD

Rather than preventing errors altogether, it's sometimes better to allow users to make mistakes, give them the space to fix them, and allow them to learn from the error.

MORE STRUGGLING SPACS ARE GOING PRIVATE

Several companies that went public through SPAC mergers have experienced significant declines in their valuations and share prices, leading some, including 23andMe, to transition back to private ownership in an attempt to recover outside the public market's scrutiny. This trend reflects the challenges faced by companies post-IPO, especially those that debuted during the SPAC boom, as they navigate financial difficulties and seek to capitalize on potential upsides away from the public eye.

20 LESSONS FROM 20 DIFFERENT PATHS TO PRODUCT-MARKET FIT

This article compiles key insights and strategies from various founders on achieving product-market fit, drawing from a series of interviews and stories shared in a publication. It covers a range of topics from initial idea validation and customer interaction to refining products and messaging, offering practical advice for navigating the complex journey of building a successful startup.

HOW NOVELTY EFFECTS AND DOPAMINE CULTURE RULE THE TECH INDUSTRY

In today's fast-paced digital world, people crave instant gratification and novelty, leading to the rise of "Dopamine Culture," where experiences are fleeting and attention spans are short. While this shift presents challenges for tech products, such as poor retention and reliance on novelty effects, it also offers opportunities to tap into emerging trends and counterposition against the norm, ultimately requiring products to deliver genuine value and utility to succeed in the long run.

TOP HR METRICS TO TRACK

Key performance indicators (KPIs) in human resources management provide valuable insights into a company's operational efficiency, scalability, and talent retention. By tracking metrics such as revenue per employee, management structure, compensation, benefits, recruitment, turnover, time off, and career advancement, businesses can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize their operations and workforce.

SALES FORECASTING 101 FOR EARLY-STAGE B2B SAAS COMPANIES

Establishing a regular sales forecasting process is crucial for early-stage B2B SaaS companies to prioritize deals, build a culture of accountability, set realistic expectations, and create a predictable revenue stream. The forecasting cadence and confidence intervals may vary depending on the company's stage and sales motion, but involving all relevant teams, including sales, product, and customer success, is essential for accurate forecasting and strategic decision-making.

DOES INVESTOR CHOICE ACTUALLY MATTER FOR STARTUP SUCCESS?

The average startup's value increases with the lead investor's equity share, up to an ownership stake (upon conversion) of 15%. Higher quality VCs and founders secure more favorable terms, but not all VCs are equal. Pick investors that align with your strengths and can add value beyond just capital. The choice is critical and permanent, impacting the startup's trajectory. While not definitive, this article provides a scientific basis for making an informed investor selection.

BUILD BETTER

Gather product feedback via AI.

GUARDEY

Duolingo for security awareness.

TEGON

AI-first, open-source alternative to Jira and Linear.

HOW TO CULTIVATE FOCUS AND EXECUTE BETTER

Maintaining focus is crucial for individuals and teams to achieve their goals and make a real impact. Various distractions and inefficiencies in the workplace can hinder productivity. Organizations can reduce these distractions and enable their teams to concentrate on what truly matters by improving communication, prioritization, strategy, bureaucracy, meeting practices, and leveraging AI technology.

GETTING AHEAD OF NEGOTIATIONS

Negotiation is primarily about leverage. The best way to succeed in negotiations is to create leverage before the negotiation begins. Experienced leaders make generating potential future options a part-time hobby. They spend a few hours each month building relationships and research benchmarks that could provide leverage in future negotiations.

7 WAYS AI-NATIVE COMPANIES CAN IMPROVE RETENTION

HOW STARTUPS CAN USE NUDGE THEORY TO DRIVE GROWTH

Nudge Theory, as popularized by economist Richard Thaler, emphasizes the impact of subtle design and marketing choices on influencing customer behavior, which can be crucial for startups aiming to improve user engagement and conversion rates.

THE HALF-LIFE OF MAGIC

To truly appreciate the magic in our lives, we must learn to let go of our expectations and find wonder in the world around us, rather than relying on external sources to inspire awe.

DOES OUTBOUND STILL WORK? 49% OF YOU SAY NO

Personalized and value-driven outbound efforts continue to resonate with prospects, suggesting that a more focused and experienced approach to outbound sales could still be viable.

the full, ungated guide here

PHYSICAL SECURITY BIZ EXPOSES 1.2M FILES VIA UNPROTECTED DATABASE

Amberstone Security exposed nearly 1.3 million documents through a misconfigured public-facing database. The leaked data, dating back to 2017, contained over 99,000 snapshots of guards checking in for shifts. The data includes sensitive information like names, headshots, ID cards, and signatures, potentially compromising the security of the company's operations and personnel.

XIAOMI ANDROID DEVICES HIT BY MULTIPLE FLAWS ACROSS APPS AND SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Multiple security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in various Xiaomi Android device applications and system components that enable arbitrary access to activities, services, files with system privileges, phone settings, Xiaomi account details, and more.

UK CONFIRMS MINISTRY OF DEFENCE PAYROLL DATA EXPOSED IN DATA BREACH

A cyberattack on the UK Ministry of Defence exposed personal data of military personnel. The breach affected payroll records but did not disrupt salary payments. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the breach, with potential foreign state involvement suspected.

WHY YOUR VPN MAY NOT BE AS SECURE AS IT CLAIMS

VPNs may not provide complete protection against snooping when connecting from untrusted networks. Attackers on the same network can abuse the DHCP protocol to force a target's traffic off the VPN tunnel without triggering alerts. By running a rogue DHCP server and manipulating gateway settings, attackers can snoop on the target's traffic while passing it through to the legitimate gateway, bypassing the VPN's encryption.

DOCKER IMAGELESS REPOSITORIES USED TO PUNT MALWARE AND PHISHING SCHEMES

JFrog identified that nearly 20% of repositories on DockerHub were imageless repositories that were involved in three campaigns to social engineer users to download malware or expose credit card information. The attacks would include links in the description of imageless repositories on DockerHub to redirect users to malicious pages. JFrog worked with DockerHub to remove the repositories and remove the capability to include links in imageless repositories' descriptions.

HOW NOT TO PROTECT YOUR ANDROID APPLICATIONS

This article advises against common security methods for Android apps, like relying on signing certificates and trusting the framework API, as they can be bypassed or manipulated by attackers. It also highlights the vulnerability of binary files in Android security, emphasizing the risk of hook attacks on dynamically linked binaries. The article suggests considering the potential benefits of cracked versions of apps as an alternative distribution channel with cost-effective advantages.

your infrastructure

CLOUD SECURITY FIRM WIZ RAISES WHOPPING $1 BILLION AT $12 BILLION VALUATION

Wiz has continued raising money to a staggering $12B valuation, with the goal of acquiring more companies to reach its target of $1B ARR by 2025. Its business now amounts to $350 million ARR.

ANETAC

Anetac has a Dynamic Identity and Security Platform that covers the threat attack surface of service accounts in hybrid environments, mapping access chains and automatically analyzing behavior.

MASTERPARSER

MasterParser seeks to be an all-in-one DFIR tool for analyzing Linux logs and extracting useful information. Currently, the tool has support for auth.log

POLICE RESURRECT LOCKBIT'S SITE AND TROLL THE RANSOMWARE GANG

Law enforcement agencies have resurrected the seized darkweb site of the infamous LockBit ransomware gang, teasing new revelations about the group. The revived site features posts with titles suggesting that authorities plan to release information about LockBit members and their activities within the next 24 hours in an apparent move to troll and warn the hackers after successfully infiltrating their operations earlier this year.

SSO TAX, CUT

This blog post discusses why Tailscale originally charged extra for advanced identity providers and why it decided to remove this charge. Tailscale requires SSO and doesn't allow for username + password authentication, but made the decision to charge extra for some paid/advanced identity providers, believing that clients of those IdPs might want premium features anyway. However, when Tailscale reevaluated its pricing structure, it realized that this created an SSO tax and customer feedback indicated that it didn't really impact their chosen services.

PDD IS A DYING FRAUDULENT COMPANY AND TEMU IS CLEVERLY HIDDEN SPYWARE

An internal and external investigation into PDD and its shopping app TEMU concluded that the app is spyware and is likely selling or looking to sell user data. Grizzly Research conducted its own decompilation of the TEMU app and corroborated with third-party researchers that the app is harvesting user data in malicious and hidden ways. The company's corporate financials and infrastructure are also suspect.

RSA CONFERENCE 2024 – ANNOUNCEMENTS SUMMARY (DAY 1)

Summary of all the announcements presented at RSA on day 1.

INTRODUCING CLOUDFLARE FOR UNIFIED RISK POSTURE

GOOGLE ROLLS BACK RECAPTCHA UPDATE TO FIX FIREFOX ISSUES

Google had to roll back a recent reCaptcha update because it broke in Firefox for Windows.