TLDR 2019-11-27

Twitter to release unused handles 🐦, cows with VR 🐄

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Big Tech & Startups

Twitter will remove inactive accounts and free up usernames in December (2 minute read)

Twitter accounts that have not had sign-ins for more than six months will receive an alert that they have to sign in by December 11 or their accounts will be removed. Recouped usernames will be made available again. The process will happen over many months. Accounts don't have to tweet anything to stay. Usernames with under five characters can no longer be registered on Twitter.

Facebook acquires the maker of popular 'Beat Saber' VR game (1 minute read)

Facebook has acquired Beat Games, adding it to its Oculus Studio division. Beat Studios is behind the hit virtual-reality game Beat Saber. It will continue to operate independently out of Prague. Facebook has hinted that it may acquire more video game studios in 2020 in order to accelerate VR development. It has recently acquired CTRL-Labs, a startup that specializes in brain-computing technology.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

Cows wearing VR headsets might produce better milk (1 minute read)

Moscow farmers strapped VR headsets to cows to see if it improved their mood and milk production. The cattle viewed simulated fields with pleasing landscapes via headsets that were adapted to the cows' heads. Tests showed that the headsets reduced the cows' anxiety and boosted their overall sentiment. Further study is still required to see whether the headsets affected the quality or volume of the cows' milk.

Stand aside, hyperloop: This cross-continental train aims to replace flying (4 minute read)

Planes account for 2.5 percent of the world's carbon emissions. Manyone, a strategic design consultancy, has proposed an idea to build a giant train that loops around half the world like a mega subway system. The AeroSlider will be an elevated train line that passes through magnetic loops instead of running on a track. It can potentially run at speeds of up to 500 mph. The loop would run from Africa to Europe to Asia. AeroSlider will be 820 feet long, much larger than the Airbus A380, the largest passenger plane jet ever in service.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

Eternal Terminal (Website)

Eternal Terminal is a remote shell that reconnects without interrupting the session. It is heavily inspired by ssh, autossh, and mosh. While mosh provides the same core functionality as ET, it doesn't support native scrolling nor tmux control mode.

A Guide to Production Level Deep Learning (GitHub Repo)

This repository contains engineering guidelines for building production-level deep learning systems which can be deployed in real-world applications. It goes through each module, recommended toolset, and framework, as well as best practices from practitioners that fit each component. A graphical overview of different components in a production level deep learning system is available.
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Miscellaneous

Elon Musk doesn’t back down after Ford challenges Tesla to an ‘apples to apples’ tug-of-war rematch (2 minute read)

Ford unveiled its Mustang Mach-E last week, the company's first battery-powered SUV. Elon Musk had tweeted out his congratulations, but then later in the week he tweeted a video of the Cybertruck pulling an F-150 uphill. The clip has been viewed almost 13 million times. Critics have pointed out that the F-150 is a rear-wheel drive and that there was no payload to put more weight on its rear wheels to give it more traction. Sundeep Madra, the vice president at Ford X has tweeted back at Musk, saying that Ford would complete a real comparison if Musk would send him a Cybertruck. Musk has accepted the challenge.

Google is accused of union busting after firing four employees (2 minute read)

Google has fired two employees for allegedly accessing internal information. Two colleagues who participated in a rally protesting the suspension of those employees were also dismissed. A company-wide memo stated that the employees were fired for clear and repeated violations of Google's data security policies. Google has been accused of illegally retaliating against prospective union organizers. Employees have been protesting against Google regarding many issues for several months now, and the company seems to be pushing employee organizers out of its business. Google has recently hired a firm known for helping companies crackdown against employee dissent.
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