Meta's worldbuilding AI 🌎, Pixel 7 leaks 📱, scaling Netflix's data infrastructure 📊

TLDR

Daily Update 2022-02-24

SOC 2 Audits: What Your Organization Can Expect From Start to Finish (Sponsor)

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📱

Big Tech & Startups

A Meta prototype lets you build virtual worlds by describing them (3 minute read)

Mark Zuckerberg recently showed off a prototype of an artificial intelligence system that lets people build parts of virtual worlds by verbally describing them. Builder Bot can create 3D scenes with sound effects and background audio. It is unknown if it generates the designs or if it uses a library of human-created models. Many unique moderation problems will come with the tech, so it probably won't be available any time soon. A video from Meta with Zuckerberg demonstrating the technology is available in the article.

Pixel 7 leaks show Google finally has a consistent phone business (3 minute read)

Google has sent Pixel 7 CAD files to case manufacturers. Files are usually sent to third parties in order to have accessories ready on the release date. The Pixel 7 design looks similar to the Pixel 6, but with larger lens holes and the mmWave window has been moved to the top edge of the phone. The leaked renders are available in the article.

🚀

Science & Futuristic Technology

Meta announces plans to build an AI-powered ‘universal speech translator’ (4 minute read)

Meta has announced an AI research project to create translation software that works for everyone in the world. Roughly 20% of the world speaks languages not covered by current translation tools. Many of these languages don't have easily accessible texts in the quantity required to train AI systems. Meta will develop tools to train AI models using fewer training examples and a system to directly translate speech in real-time without the need for a written component to serve as an intermediary. There is no set timeframe for completing the project.

Quantum Sensor Opens ‘a New Window into the Underground’ (5 minute read)

A team of physicists and engineers have successfully tested a quantum gravity gradiometer. Quantum gravity gradiometers can map out underground spaces without physically digging into them. They have the potential to assess a wide range of environments. The sensors work by manipulating the quantum properties of atoms to measure minute variations in gravitational fields. In a real-world test, the sensor was able to detect a tunnel buried three feet beneath a road.

💻

Programming, Design & Data Science

The Four Innovation Phases of Netflix’s Trillions Scale Real-time Data Infrastructure (28 minute read)

This article discusses the four phases of Real-time Data Infrastructure's iterative journey in Netflix. It discusses the business motivations, unique challenges, strategy bets, and use case patterns learned along the way. The article was written by Zhenzhong Xu, a founding engineer on the Real-time Data Infrastructure team who later led the Stream Processing Engines team.

A Complete Guide to CSS Cascade Layers (31 minute read)

Cascade layers are a feature in CSS that allows developers to define explicit contained layers of specificity to have full control over which styles take priority in a project. This guide explains what they are for, why they are used, the current level of support, and how to use them. Additional resources, including documentation, articles, videos, and demos, are available.

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🎁

Miscellaneous

Elon Musk: Tesla is working to make Steam video games work in its vehicles (3 minute read)

Elon Musk says Tesla is working to make Steam's library of games work on its onboard vehicle computers. Tesla has been building a video game platform called Tesla Arcade that will run inside its vehicles. The company has been working with video game studios to port games to the Arcade. Musk believes that entertainment will be critical when cars become autonomous. Tesla plans to offer paid packages of different video games. The company recently deployed a new entertainment computer in its Model S and Model X.

Scientists Discover the Long-Lost Continent ‘Balkanatolia’ (3 minute read)

Balkanatolia is a landmass that existed 40 million years ago between the Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas. Fossil records suggest that it helped Asian mammals migrate into Europe. The temporary land bridge paved the way for an extinction event known as the Grande Coupure that reshaped the fauna of Europe around 34 million years ago. Scientists are still uncovering fossils to understand the wildlife and geographic significance of Balkanatolia.

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Meta's worldbuilding AI 🌎, Pixel 7 leaks 📱, scaling Netflix's data infrastructure 📊

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