Search the archive

A BEAR CASE: MY PREDICTIONS REGARDING AI PROGRESS

Some people desperately want large language models to be a bigger deal than what they are, but these people seem to be sailing against the winds of evidence.

PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING ON HUGE NEWS IN THE MUSK VS OPENAI CASE TODAY

The judge will likely want to block OpenAI's non-profit to for-profit conversion if they find that Elon Musk's donation gives him legal standing.

APPLE ANNOUNCES M3 ULTRA—AND SAYS NOT EVERY GENERATION WILL SEE AN “ULTRA” CHIP

Apple may be opting to skip the M4 Ultra entirely and refresh the niche chips at a slower cadence.

OPENAI REPORTEDLY PLANS TO CHARGE UP TO $20,000 A MONTH FOR SPECIALIZED AI ‘AGENTS'

OpenAI intends to launch several agent products tailored for different applications, with the most expensive rumored agent, which is aimed at supporting 'PhD-level research', priced at $20,000 per month.

THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS A.G.I. IS COMING

Many experts, including those in government, believe that transformational artificial intelligence will be coming in the next two to three years.

OPENAI INTRODUCES NEXT GEN AI

OpenAI has unveiled Next Gen AI, a suite of advanced tools designed to boost developers' efficiency in building AI applications. The new offering features enhanced model performance and streamlined integration options, facilitating a wide range of use cases. This initiative aims to empower developers to innovate faster and more effectively in the evolving AI landscape.

SUTTON AND BARTO WIN THE TURING AWARD

The two have done years of groundbreaking research and education in Reinforcement Learning.

QWQ 32B REASONING MODEL

The Qwen team has trained an open weight, Apache 2.0, licensed model that performs on par with DeepSeek R1 and better than many of the larger distill models. They found that by building on outcome based rewards with formal verification and test-case checks, the model can continuously improve at math and code. Also, by mixing in general instruction following data later in RL training, the model can still align with human preference.

IMPROVING SCALABILITY OF PIPELINE PARALLELISM WITH MEMORY OPTIMIZATION

Pipeline Parallelism is a great strategy when sharding models across many GPUs. However, it uses substantial memory. This paper, which comes with code, uses offloading to effectively reduce the memory required when the number of shards increases making PP a strong alternative to TP for large model training.

LAYOUT-TO-IMAGE GENERATION

ToLo introduces a two-stage, training-free layout-to-image framework designed for high-overlap layouts.

INFRARED IMAGE SUPER-RESOLUTION

DifIISR enhances infrared image super-resolution using diffusion models, integrating perceptual priors and thermal spectrum regulation to improve both visual fidelity and machine perception.

to reduce TCO and enable innovation. Read the case study

SPARK TEXT TO SPEECH

Strong voice cloning text-to-speech model built on Qwen. It supports emotive prompting along with the text input. Interestingly, the researchers found 8k tokens in the Codec to be sufficient for powerful speech generation.

HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO COMPRESSION

FlowDec is a full-band audio codec leveraging conditional flow matching and non-adversarial training for high-fidelity 48 kHz audio compression.

SIMPLIFYING 3D GENERATION

Kiss3DGen repurposes 2D diffusion models for efficient 3D object generation, using multi-view images and normal maps to create high-quality meshes and textures.

BEATING POKEMON RED WITH 10M PARAMETERS AND RL

Given the excitement around Claude playing Pokemon, this blog post is quite timely. It explores how to use RL to train a policy to play Pokemon. It is not a general purpose agent, but works quite well on the given task.

PERFECT TAPS $23M TO FIX THE FLAWS IN RECRUITMENT WITH AI

Israeli startup Perfect, which aims to streamline recruitment processes using proprietary AI, raised $23 million in seed funding. It claims to reduce recruiters' workloads by 25 hours weekly and has rapidly expanded its client base to 200 companies. Founded by Eylon Etshtein, the platform uses custom vector datasets, bypassing third-party LLMs, to provide accurate candidate insights.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SOFTWARE WITH AI, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

A tech enthusiast used AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to successfully create various apps, such as podcast transcription tools and task managers, despite being a hobbyist. This inspired him to launch a course, "Build Your Own Life Coach," to teach others how to build custom software using AI. The self-paced course has already enrolled nearly 150 students and aims to provide a comprehensive framework for software development with minimal coding experience.

SOFYA USES LLAMA FOR HEALTHCARE AI

Sofya leverages Llama models to streamline medical AI workflows, improving efficiency and reducing administrative overhead for healthcare providers in Latin America.

EFFICIENT ROBOT MORPHOLOGY

BodyGen introduces topology-aware self-attention and a temporal credit assignment mechanism to enhance the efficiency of robot morphology and control co-design.

META IN TALKS FOR $200 BILLION AI DATA CENTER PROJECT

Meta is in talks to build a $200 billion AI data center campus, with potential locations including Louisiana, Wyoming, or Texas.

COINBASE EYES TOKENIZED SECURITIES AS CRYPTO REGULATIONS SHIFT UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Coinbase is revisiting its goal to introduce tokenized securities to the U.S. market given the apparent regulatory shift under the Trump administration, which now appears more supportive of crypto innovation. With the SEC's crypto task force in place, Coinbase sees an opportunity to revive its earlier efforts to launch security tokens and improve traditional asset trading on-chain.

ETHEREUM DEVS ACTIVATE PECTRA UPGRADE ON SEPOLIA TESTNET IN LAST PHASE BEFORE MAINNET ROLLOUT

Ethereum's Pectra upgrade has been activated on the Sepolia testnet, marking the final major test phase before its planned mainnet launch next month. The upgrade introduces improvements to scalability, security, and usability, including an improved wallet experience (less wallet approvals), account abstraction, and increased validator stake limits.

NEXUS TESTNET II RECAP: BUILDING THE LAYER 1 SUPERCOMPUTER

Nexus has completed its second testnet for its upcoming blockchain, demonstrating scale with 2.1 million unique users and 3.6 million total nodes over a 4.5-day period. The testnet integrated blockchain functionality with its distributed supercomputer network. Nexus is working toward its vision of a “Verifiable Internet” powered by its zkVM, with the platform now transitioning to devnet mode for continued development.

CORK: THE TOKENIZED RISK PRIMITIVE

Cork Protocol has launched its public beta on Ethereum Mainnet, introducing a new DeFi primitive for pricing, hedging, and trading risk in the $30B onchain credit market. Depeg Swaps are a new asset class allowing users to price and hedge against depeg events in stablecoins and liquid staking tokens. The beta features capped liquidity vaults for the next 3-6 months, aiming to enable risk-free leveraged farming strategies and prevent systemic risks like Terra.

ARE STABLECOINS A NEW FINANCIAL SYSTEM OR WILL THEY BE REPLACED?

Stablecoins account for two-thirds of all onchain transactions and are increasingly growing with institutional and retail interest alike. Initially popularized by Tether for arbitrage, they've grown into a fast, low-cost alternative for transfers, payments, and yield generation, outpacing traditional wires and processors like Western Union. In regions plagued by capital controls and inefficient banking, stablecoins offer financial freedom and the potential to transform global money movement.

FRANKLIN TEMPLETON: SOLANA VS ETHEREUM DEFI

Solana's DEX volume surpassed all EVM DEX volumes for the first time in January 2025. Despite this achievement and higher growth profiles, Solana DeFi continues to trade at lower valuation multiples compared to Ethereum counterparts, potentially presenting a market asymmetry. This shift, combined with Solana's milestone of one year without outages and the migration of Ethereum activity to Layer 2s, suggests a potential transition from EVM to SVM dominance in DeFi, while also validating Ethereum's modular scaling approach.

WALLET-CENTRISM

As crypto moves toward AI agents as the primary point of interaction, users will increasingly delegate complex tasks to their agents, requiring a secure and universal way to manage identity and permissions. Self-custody wallets will become the primary interface for both onchain and offchain activities, serving as a cryptographically-secure “autonomous extension” of users that can generate attestations and manage permissions on their behalf.

ETHENA LABS IS NOW A TOP 5 DEFI PROTOCOL BY TVL, EARNING $300M+ IN REVENUE

Ethena Labs has become a top 5 DeFi protocol by TVL, generating over $300M in revenue, leading to the approval of a fee switch proposal by its Risk Committee. The activation of this fee switch depends on meeting key success and risk metrics, ensuring sustainable revenue distribution to ENA stakers.

A VULNERABILITY IN TIME.FUN

Security researchers found a critical vulnerability in Time.fun that allowed attackers to steal trading fees and alter token metadata.

UNISWAP VOTES ON $165M USD FUNDING

The Uniswap Foundation is voting on a $165.5M funding proposal to boost Uniswap v4 and Unichain adoption, which have struggled to gain traction.

BITWISE CIO SAYS 'MARKET HAS THIS WRONG,' TRUMP'S CRYPTO RESERVE IS BULLISH DESPITE FLAWS

The market is overreacting to Trump's crypto reserve announcement as a bitcoin-only reserve would be significantly more bullish.

BITCOIN TO BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FROM ALTCOINS IN US CRYPTO RESERVE, SAYS HOWARD LUTNICK: REPORT

Under the new U.S. crypto reserve model, bitcoin will be given a unique strategic status distinct from other cryptocurrencies.

APPLE LAUNCHES A NEW M3-POWERED IPAD AIR

Apple has announced a new iPad Air with an M3 chip that offers a performance boost over previous models, though it's not using Apple's latest M4 processor. It also gets an improved Magic Keyboard, making it feel more like a Pro-level device. Apple still faces the ongoing question of what the iPad is truly for, as the upgrades mainly appeal to those with much older models.

COREL JUST STEALTH LAUNCHED ITS MOST EXCITING APP IN YEARS

Alludo, formerly Corel, has launched CorelDRAW Go, a browser-based graphic design app for beginners and enthusiasts. CorelDRAW Go offers customizable templates, interactive drawing tools, and over six million stock images. Positioned between Canva and professional software, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite also adds a web version and new features.

NEW PENTAGRAM BOOK FEATURES 1,000 LOGOS ITS PARTNERS DESIGNED

Pentagram's 1,000 Marks book expands its 2010 edition, now featuring 1,000 logos spanning diverse styles and industries. Curated through a democratic process led by Angus Hyland, it highlights both iconic and lesser-known identities. Designed for a digital-first world, the book is available in three editions, including one with an A2 fold-out poster.

HOW TO TEST AND MEASURE CONTENT IN UX

To check if content is clear, use Banana Testing by replacing actions with “Banana” to see if users understand them, or Content Heatmapping where users highlight what makes sense or feels confusing. Moderated testing helps find deeper issues, while methods like Cloze tests and card sorting fine-tune wording. The right words matter because one unclear page can ruin the whole experience.

MAKING DESIGNS WITHOUT A DESIGNER

AI-driven tools like v0.dev make designing sleek, responsive UIs easier than ever—no coding needed. Users describe their needs with prompts and get functional interfaces in seconds. This speeds up development while ensuring consistency, though AI-generated layouts can feel stiff or standardized. Still, for quick prototyping, these tools are a game-changer

INSIDE THE GREAT EGG BRANDING CRISIS

Egg prices have soared, challenging consumer loyalty to premium brands. Matt Sia, once passionate about premium eggs, now prioritizes affordability. The American Egg Board has shifted messaging toward frugality, while shortages boost Just Egg's alternative. Consumers prioritize price over branding, reshaping the egg market and signaling a shift in purchasing habits.

HALFTONE EFFECT GENERATOR

This web-based halftone effect generator transforms images and videos into artistic dot patterns.

EVERART

Use AI to create on-brand content trained on any product, style, or mood board.

NOTIFICATION PSYCHOLOGY LAB

This game will help you understand the techniques that make notifications impossible to ignore.

AI TRANSPARENCY IN UX: DESIGNING CLEAR AI INTERACTIONS

When AI shapes digital experiences, users should know what's happening. Design systems like GitLab's Pajamas and IBM's Carbon make AI content clear, while Twilio's Paste takes a subtler approach. However, not all solutions work—some AI-enhanced interfaces hinder low-vision users. True transparency isn't just labeling AI - it's ensuring everyone can navigate it easily.

WHY MOST PRODUCTS TODAY ARE MEH

Many modern products feel generic due to an overemphasis on short-term metrics and a lack of user-centered design. To improve, designers should understand user needs, challenge ineffective design choices, and prioritize long-term engagement over optimization traps.

BLINKINK USES THE SUBTLE IMPERFECTIONS OF CROSS STITCH TO CRAFT AN ANIMATED CAMPAIGN FOR BURBERRY

Blinkink partnered with Burberry to create four animated shorts for the Winter 2025 show, bringing the knight logo to life through cross-stitch animation. Expertly crafted over four weeks, the campaign blends traditional embroidery with modern sound design by John Malcolm Morre and Charlie Pelling.

THE ART OF ALIEN FILM SERIES – HOW A FEARFUL FUTURE WAS CRAFTED

The visual heritage of the Alien film series stems from H.R. Giger's artwork and the designs of Ron Cobb and Chris Foss.

THIS ARTIST COMBINES HYPER-REALISM WITH DOODLES

Miracle Lim, a South Korean art director, mesmerizes over 224,000 Instagram followers with hyper-realistic illustrations, blending intricate details with expressive doodles that reveal her creative process in captivating step-by-step breakdowns.

WHY ICON-ONLY DESIGN IS FAILING USERS: THE CASE FOR TEXT LABELS

Users struggle to interpret meanings when icons lack text labels, increasing their cognitive load.

CISCO WARNS OF WEBEX FOR BROADWORKS FLAW EXPOSING CREDENTIALS

A vulnerability in Webex for BroadWorks could allow for the disclosure of sensitive credentials if insecure transport is configured for the SIP communication. The vulnerability is caused by sensitive information exposed in the SIP headers that can be viewed in plain text in the client and server logs. Cisco has no evidence of exploitation but has pushed a configuration change to fix this vulnerability and is urging customers to restart their Webex clients.