Amazon mall delivery 🚚, Google says worker productivity must improve 👨‍💻, Intro to Apple Silicon 💻

Daily Update 2022-08-02

Cutting down cycle time with dev workflow automation: a 3-minute case study (Sponsor)

Nothing else matters when your dev team’s cycle time is too long: Customers don’t get their features. Sales can’t deliver on promises. The entire business is stuck.

In this 3 minute (video + written) case study, Dama Financial CTO Zach Goldberg explains how they managed to improve cycle time by aligning the team to DORA metrics provided by LinearB. “We’re constantly coaching [engineers to make] small pull requests, small commits… to keep things moving” explains Zach. “As a tool for improving behaviors and habits on a day-to-day basis, LinearB is always brought up.”

See the full case study to learn how to help engineers—and get the data—to make the decisions that reduce cycle time and increase your team's impact.

📱

Big Tech & Startups

Google CEO tells employees productivity and focus must improve, launches 'Simplicity Sprint' to gather employee feedback on efficiency (4 minute read)

Google is launching a new effort called the Simplicity Sprint to improve efficiency and employee focus. CEO Sundar Pichai told employees at a meeting last Wednesday that Google's productivity as a company isn't where it needs to be with the headcount it has. The company recently reported its second consecutive quarter of weaker-than-expected earnings. The Simplicity Sprint aims to crowdsource ideas for quicker product development through an internal survey.

Amazon launches same-day delivery for some retail brands (2 minute read)

Amazon now offers same-day delivery for PacSun, Diesel, Superdry, and GNC in 10 cities across the US. The service will be free for Prime members when they spend $25 or more, or $2.99 if they spend less than $25. Some participating retailers will allow customers to pick up items from physical stores. Amazon now has thousands of items that can be delivered in a few hours.

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Science & Futuristic Technology

MIT Researchers Created Artificial Synapses 10,000x Faster Than Biological Ones (4 minute read)

Researchers from MIT have created artificial synapses that are 1,000 times smaller and 10,000 times faster than their biological counterparts. This was achieved by integrating a material that tolerates extreme electric fields, dramatically improving the speed with which ions can move. There are still issues with scaling the technology that need to be solved. The speed and size of the device suggest that the research could eventually develop into hardware that could match or exceed the power of the human brain.

Scientists Reveal The First Images of Atoms 'Swimming' in Liquid (3 minute read)

Scientists from the UK have used a form of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to capture the motion of single atoms through a liquid. TEM uses a beam of electrons to generate images. The team developed a double graphene liquid cell capable of working with existing TEM technology to image a saltwater solution containing platinum atoms moving on a solid surface of molybdenum disulfide. The images revealed that atoms move faster in liquid and choose different places to rest on solid surfaces.

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Programming, Design & Data Science

Lyra (GitHub Repo)

Lyra is a fast, in-memory, typo-tolerant full-text search engine written in TypeScript. It can work on both clients and servers. Lyra can perform searches through millions of entries in microseconds. It is now available in beta.

Announcing Docusaurus 2.0 (7 minute read)

Docusaurus is a static site generator that can quickly ship documentation websites. It can generate optimized websites that can be hosted anywhere using Markdown files. Docusaurus can adapt the UI to match branding and its usage of React allows users to build interactive documentation. Version 2.0 of Docusaurus is now available.

Missing enterprise features? Add them instantly with WorkOS (Sponsor)

“With WorkOS, we could quickly add a whole host of SAML integrations with self-guided onboarding for our customers. It’s been a huge win for us.” - Joel Smith, Gatsby’s Director of Product Management. WorkOS is the solution you need to make your app enterprise-ready: SSO, MFA, and a whole lot more. Start free (no CC required)

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Miscellaneous

The Age of Brain-Computer Interfaces Is on the Horizon (3 minute read)

Synchron is a company that makes Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). Its devices can read brain signals and convert them into commands like moving a cursor on a screen. Unlike other BCIs currently in development, Synchron's device doesn't require cutting open the scalp and drilling into the skull. It can be implanted through the jugular vein in the neck in a procedure that could send the patient home the very same day. Most neurosurgeons are already up to speed on the basic approach required to put it in.

Dell follows Apple in exploring laptops with reverse wireless charging (2 minute read)

Dell is exploring the ability to wirelessly charge devices on a laptop's surface. It filed a patent which describes a wireless charging clip that can be attached to computers and used to charge devices on top of it. The patent was filed in early 2021 and published last Thursday. The filing doesn't guarantee a future product. Diagrams from the patent filing are available in the article.

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Quick Links

sqlite-zstd (GitHub Repo)

sqlite-zstd is an extension for SQLite that provides transparent dictionary-based row-level compression.

Blowhole wave energy generator exceeds expectations in 12-month test (3 minute read)

The UniWave 200 is a sea platform that uses an artificial blowhole to create air pressure changes to drive a turbine and feed energy back to shore.

Pinterest debuts a new app, Shuffles, for collage-making and moodboards (4 minute read)

Pinterest has launched a new iOS app called Shuffles that allows users to create collages using photos, images, cutouts, and other animated effects.

Docker and the OCI container ecosystem (14 minute read)

This article discusses Docker, the Open Container Initiative, and other popular container engines.

Apple’s new GAUDI AI turns text prompts into 3D scenes (3 minute read)

Apple's GAUDI AI system is the foundation for a new generation of generative AI based on Neural Radiance Fields.

Introduction to Apple Silicon (13 minute read)

This document explains the Apple Silicon Mac boot ecosystem and how open OSes operate with the platform.

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Amazon mall delivery 🚚, Google says worker productivity must improve 👨‍💻, Intro to Apple Silicon 💻

Daily Update 2022-08-02

Big Tech & Startups

Science & Futuristic Technology

Programming, Design & Data Science

Miscellaneous

Quick Links

What did you think of today's newsletter?

Older messages

Cross-browser Apple Pay 💳, China's virtual influencers 💁‍♀️, understanding quantum algorithms ⚛️

TikTok's Spotify competitor 🎵, Google's in-house Linux 👨‍💻, DeepMind finds structure of all proteins 🧬

Starlink mobile internet 📱, Meta's first revenue decline 📉, Saudi Arabia's $500B futuristic city IPO 🏙️

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

Instagram redesign 📱, 75 mile-long skyscraper 🏙️, practical web socket tips 👨‍💻

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