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Meta/Apple metaverse battle📱, Shopify layoffs 📉, distributed SQLite replication 👨‍💻

Apple and Meta are in a very deep, philosophical competition to build the metaverse, according to Mark Zuckerberg. 
TLDR

Daily Update 2022-07-27

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Big Tech & Startups

Zuckerberg says Meta and Apple are in ‘very deep, philosophical competition’ to build the metaverse (6 minute read)

Apple and Meta are in a very deep, philosophical competition to build the metaverse, according to Mark Zuckerberg. Meta is positioning itself to be open and cheaper while Apple is doing everything themselves. Zuckerberg has been pushing for the concept of interoperability for the metaverse. Meta recently helped stand up the Metaverse Open Standards Group, which Apple is not a part of, to spur the creation of open protocols.
Shopify lays off 10% of its workforce as rapid pandemic growth slows (2 minute read)

Shopify has laid off around 1,000 employees, about 10% of its workforce, as its customers return to old shopping habits. Most of the impacted roles are in recruiting, support, and sales. Affected staff will receive 16 weeks of severance plus an additional week for every year of tenure at Shopify. Shopify is scheduled to release its second-quarter financial results today.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

Restoring Hearing With Beams of Light (13 minute read)

Many people with cochlear implants report that voices sound flat and robotic and that background noises blur together. A team of scientists in Germany is looking to improve the technology by using light emitters and genetically altered cells that respond to light. The optical cochlear implants can better replicate the full spectral nature of sounds and better mimic natural hearing. The team aims to start clinical trials in 2026.
Artificial Muscles Woven Into Smart Textiles Could Make Clothing Hyperfunctional (3 minute read)

Engineers from Australia have developed a new class of fluid-driven smart textiles that can shape-shift into 3D structures. They are made up of long, fluid-filled silicone tubes that can be manipulated through hydraulic pressure. This gives the textiles the ability to expand or contract depending on the hydraulic pressure. The artificial muscles can be mass-produced at any scale and size. The technology has potential applications in soft robotics and smart garments.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

LiteFS (GitHub Repo)

LiteFS is a file system that can replicate SQLite databases across a cluster of machines. It features a FUSE file system, leader election, and an HTTP server that provides an API for replica nodes to receive changes. LiteFS aims to provide easy, live, asynchronous replication across ephemeral nodes in a cluster.
catp (GitHub Repo)

catp is a tool for printing the output of a running process. It uses ptrace to intercept syscall and extracts data from the syscall write. catp works for most applications on x86_64 Linux systems. It requires root privilege to run in most systems.
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Miscellaneous

Researchers unpack unkillable UEFI rootkit that survives OS reinstalls (11 minute read)

Security firm Kaspersky has discovered a malicious UEFI-based rootkit used in the wild since 2016. CosmicStrand can persist in systems even if the operating system is reinstalled or a hard drive is completely replaced. It compromises low-level firmware that is required to boot up nearly every modern computer. CosmicStrand has been attributed to an unknown Chinese-speaking hacking group with possible ties to crypto miner malware. Many more details are available in the article.
Sunset of the social network (4 minute read)

Facebook has rolled out a TikTok-like redesign that no longer focuses on friends' posts. The new feed features algorithmically-sorted posts from strangers around the globe. Facebook has rolled out the changes quickly on mobile and will update Facebook for computer/browser users later in the year. It will continue to provide a chronologically ordered friends-and-family feed via a subsidiary tab. The changes herald the end of an era where social networks served as most users' primary experience of the internet.
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Quick Links

Virtink (GitHub Repo)

Virtink is a Kubernetes add-on for running Cloud Hypervisor virtual machines.
Micron's 232-Layer NAND Paves Way for 200TB SSDs (2 minute read)

It is the first time a NAND manufacturer has surpassed 200 layers.
From SQL database to data platform in 90 seconds (Sponsor)

What if you could instantly add REST and GraphQL APIs to any DB + auth, caching, and no-code automation flows? Check out Directus (100% open-source).
What is Developer Relations? (5 minute read)

This web article covers what devrel is, the different types of devrel, and how to get a job doing it.
Apple Replaces Last Remaining Intel-Made Component in M2 MacBook Air (1 minute read)

The component was responsible for controlling the USB and Thunderbolt ports.
Scientists identify hair loss regulator protein, could be reversible (2 minute read)

TGF-beta is a signaling protein that regulates the division, growth, and death of cells.
Ruby on Rails Admin Panel (Website)

Motor Admin helps to build admin interfaces fast without DSL or boilerplate code.

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Key phrases

long fluidfilled silicone tubes easy live asynchronous replication free Uber Eats voucher Metaverse Open Standards Group deep philosophical competition Digital Experience Summit Digital Workplace Experience rapid pandemic growth old shopping habits secondquarter financial results full spectral nature unkillable UEFI rootkit malicious UEFIbased rootkit optical cochlear implants fastest growing startups FUSE file system Sponsor Daily Update fluiddriven smart textiles Data Science LiteFS

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