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- Google's Search Tactics 🖥️ , iPhone 15's Heat Wave 📱 , and the Rise of Compact AI 🤖
Google's Search Tactics 🖥️ , iPhone 15's Heat Wave 📱 , and the Rise of Compact AI 🤖
10/3/2023
Tech News 📡
Recently, during the ongoing antitrust case against Google, evidence surfaced that Google might be modifying billions of search queries daily to produce results that lead to increased purchases. This revelation came from an internal Google slide discussing a "semantic matching" overhaul to its search algorithm. Instead of just incorporating synonyms, this change actually alters queries to yield more commercial outcomes. For instance, a search for "children's clothing" might be covertly changed to "NIKOLAI-brand kidswear", a query that could generate more revenue for Google. This manipulation is almost invisible to users and advertisers, and with Google's dominant market share, it's a significant concern for both search quality and advertising costs.
Apple has identified a bug in its operating system and updates to third-party apps, such as Instagram, as the culprits behind the overheating issues faced by its new iPhone 15 model. Since its release in September, several users have reported that the device becomes excessively hot. While iPhones typically heat up during initial setup or backup due to high processing demands, the iPhone 15's heating issues have been more pronounced. Apple has pinpointed a bug in iOS 17 and updates to apps like Instagram, Uber, and the game Asphalt 9 as causes. Instagram has already addressed the issue in its app, and Apple is collaborating with other app developers to roll out fixes. The company has emphasized that the overheating is not related to the iPhone 15's new titanium casing or the USB-C port and assures users that it poses no safety risks and won't affect the phone's long-term performance.
Tom Hanks recently took to Instagram to caution his followers about a dental advertisement that utilized an AI-generated deepfake of him without his consent. The actor has previously expressed concerns about the potential challenges AI and deepfakes could pose to the entertainment industry, especially regarding the unauthorized use of actors' digital representations. Hanks mentioned in a past podcast interview the possibility of AI creating an entire film series using a perpetually young version of him. The recent dental ad incident, which portrayed a noticeably younger Hanks, underscores these concerns. This ethical dilemma of using AI to exploit celebrities' images, especially posthumously, has been a topic of debate, as seen with the documentary about Anthony Bourdain that used AI-generated voiceovers.
Trending Startups📱
Anything World offers users the capability to download model animations in all standard 3D formats, making them readily importable into platforms like Unreal, Unity, Blender, Maya, and more. They provide three free model animations every month, with the option to process more models by purchasing credit packs. For those interested in learning more or seeking assistance, Anything World encourages direct communication via email or the option to book a demo. They also offer a newsletter for users to stay updated. The company emphasizes its mission, team, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and even offers branded swag. As a Techstars portfolio company, Anything World is also recognized as a Unity verified entity.
Buska offers a platform that alerts users in real-time when their brand is mentioned across various online platforms, including social networks like Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. It provides integrations with Slack and Discord, allowing users to receive instant notifications about mentions on these platforms. Buska also plans to introduce features like automatic responses using AI, the ability to identify positive or negative brand mentions, and tools for competitive intelligence. The platform will soon offer logo and face detection capabilities, enabling users to track company logo placements and founder appearances across the web and social media. Buska's services are available in different plans, catering to individual needs, from free access to more comprehensive packages.
Moments is designed to help individuals maintain and deepen both personal and professional relationships. Recognizing the challenge of keeping up with an ever-growing network, Moments offers features that allow users to be thoughtful and timely in their interactions. The app provides "Social To-Dos" to preview upcoming events and reminders, "Social Circles" for categorizing contacts based on their significance, and "Events and Reminders" to set up events and associated reminders. Additionally, Moments offers a consolidated "Social Feed" that displays updates from CRM contacts, educational content to enhance social skills, and an "AI Composer" that crafts personalized messages tailored to each contact's unique relationship and interests.
AI 🤖
The AI image generation landscape has been revolutionized with the introduction of DALL-E 3, a model developed by Anthropic. This new model showcases capabilities that surpass previous iterations, offering unprecedented opportunities in AI art. DALL-E 3 stands out due to its high-quality image generation, clear text rendering, creative freedom, minimal prompt engineering, and consistent output. It can produce images with remarkable detail, clarity, and creativity, outperforming other models like DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion. For those eager to experience DALL-E 3, it's currently accessible through Bing Image Creator using a specific trick. The article also envisions the future of AI image generation, hinting at integrations with chatbots, animations, 3D renderings, AR/VR applications, and video generation. The rapid advancements in AI creativity signal an exciting era in the realm of AI-generated content.
AI is rapidly transforming the software engineering landscape, offering tools that can significantly enhance workflow and efficiency. Alex Omeyer highlights several "best-in-class" AI tools that every CTO or engineering leader should be familiar with. GitHub Copilot X is an upcoming tool built on GPT-4, designed to integrate into engineers' workflows, offering features like code explanation and unit test generation. Sourcegraph Cody assists developers in reading and understanding code faster by comprehending the entire codebase. Stepsize AI serves as a companion for software project teams, integrating with platforms like Slack and GitHub to provide strategic suggestions. Readable automates the generation of comments for source code, ensuring clarity in documentation. Adrenaline AI offers immediate answers about the codebase, guiding engineers through debugging. Grit.io is a technical debt management tool that handles tasks like code migrations, while Codeball AI is a code review tool that evaluates pull requests and highlights risks. The article emphasizes the game-changing power of AI in software engineering and the potential risks of not adopting these advancements.
Stability AI introduces Stable LM 3B, an experimental version of their latest high-performance generative AI solution. With 3 billion parameters, this compact language model is tailored for portable devices like handhelds and laptops. One of its standout features is its efficiency due to its smaller size, which not only reduces operating costs but also has a lower environmental impact due to reduced power consumption. Despite its compactness, Stable LM 3B competes with and even surpasses some of the industry's leading models. It's designed for a broad range of applications, from creative writing assistance to programming aid, and can be customized for specific tasks like customer support or specialized coding assistance. Developers are advised to fine-tune the model for specific applications to ensure safe performance. Stability AI envisions that such compact and customizable models will be pivotal in practical AI applications and is releasing this model under an open-source license.
Coding & Development 🖥️
OpenStatus offers an open-source monitoring service equipped with on-call management features. It provides users with the ability to add custom headers to requests, access secured endpoints, and check endpoint statuses on demand. The platform also allows users to define the region and frequency for automatic checks. With features like alerts and incident updates, teams can stay informed and respond to incidents rapidly. OpenStatus also offers customizable status pages, allowing users to create subdomains or use custom domains to inform users about endpoint uptime. The platform supports various integrations to automate workflows and offers different plans, including Hobby, Pro, and Enterprise, catering to individual needs and scaling requirements.
Node.js has solidified its position as a preferred choice for developers aiming to craft robust and scalable web applications, as evidenced by its top rank in the 2022 StackOverflow developer survey. This success is largely attributed to its vast ecosystem brimming with tools and frameworks. The article delves into several notable Node.js tools and frameworks that are pivotal for production. Among them are Helios, which simplifies the monitoring and troubleshooting of Node.js applications, Sentry, an open-source tool that extends beyond error monitoring, and Koa, a lightweight framework designed for Node.js. Express.js, AdonisJS, FeathersJS, HapiJS, NestJS, WunderGraph, and Artillery are also highlighted, each offering unique features that cater to different development needs. Embracing these tools can significantly optimize performance and streamline the production process of Node.js applications.
The once-popular Create React App (CRA) is no longer the go-to tool for initiating React projects. The React team has shifted its attention towards more contemporary and lightweight tools, recognizing the limitations and issues with CRA. While CRA made setting up React apps straightforward, it was criticized for being bulky, slow, and having outdated or insecure packages. The article introduces several superior alternatives to CRA, including Vite, which is known for its speed and efficiency; Parcel, a zero-config bundler; and Custom Webpack Configuration, offering unmatched flexibility. For those looking to replace CRA entirely, frameworks like Next.js, Remix, and Gatsby are suggested, each bringing its own set of advanced features and benefits. The shift away from CRA is seen as a positive evolution, allowing developers to leverage modern tools that enhance React app development.
Miscellaneous 🌀️
VSCO, renowned for its photo and video editing capabilities, introduces VSCO Studio on the web, allowing users to harness the power of VSCO presets on a desktop platform. This enhancement promises a more refined photo editing workflow, enabling users to edit photos in full-resolution detail using professional-grade presets and precision tools. VSCO Studio also supports batch editing, ensuring a consistent look across multiple images. One of its standout features is the preservation of full resolution throughout the editing process, ensuring that users can post and print their work with professional quality. An upcoming feature, VSCO Cloud, will allow seamless integration between desktop and mobile apps, providing a unified editing experience. The platform emphasizes its commitment to professional-quality photo editing, available both on mobile and desktop.
In a candid reflection, the author, Soatok, shares their decision to resign from their job at a large tech company due to a sudden mandate requiring all employees to return to the office. Despite being hired as a 100% remote employee and excelling in their role, especially during the pandemic, the company's unilateral decision to enforce office returns and relocate virtual employees left many feeling blindsided. This move, perceived by many as a "soft layoff" tactic, is believed to be influenced by economic factors, such as the outflow of tech worker money from big cities, affecting local economies and tax incentives for big tech companies. The author predicts that companies enforcing such policies will face significant talent loss and hiring challenges for years to come. They also highlight the particular vulnerability of H-1B visa employees, who may bear the brunt of corporate decisions due to their tied immigration status. The article concludes with a message of hope and encouragement for those facing similar dilemmas, emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions and seeking new opportunities.
Anudeep Vysyaraju shares a detailed account of how he managed to exploit a vulnerability on a website offering LinkedIn Premium Membership at a discounted rate for university students and faculty. After noticing that the site did not use hashing or encryption for its parameters, Anudeep tampered with the payment amount, changing it from "8900/-" to just "1/-". To his surprise, the site accepted the tampered amount, allowing him to purchase the LinkedIn Premium Membership for a mere 1 rupee. He emphasizes that this write-up is purely for knowledge transfer and warns others against attempting to reproduce the hack, as the bug has already been reported to the relevant department.
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