TLDR 2020-07-22

LinkedIn layoffs πŸ˜”, Nixon deepfakes πŸŽ₯, Eric Schmidt's university πŸŽ“

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Big Tech & Startups

Amazon is testing its Scout delivery robots in Georgia and Tennessee (1 minute read)

Amazon's Scout robots are battery-powered bots that can navigate around city streets, dodging objects on the sidewalks, to deliver packages to customers. The robots will start to deliver orders to customers in Atlanta, Georgia, and Franklin, Tennessee soon. Amazon has been testing the robots since last year. The robots will be accompanied by a human and make deliveries Monday through Friday during daylight hours. There won't be any additional cost for Scout deliveries.

LinkedIn cuts 960 jobs as pandemic puts the brakes on corporate hiring (1 minute read)

LinkedIn reported on Tuesday that it would cut about 960 jobs due to the sustained impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on the demand for its recruitment products. The company helps employers assess a candidate's suitability for roles, and employees use the platform to find new jobs. Sales and hiring roles will be cut and the company will provide at least 10 weeks of severance pay as well as health insurance for a year for US employees. Employees affected by the job cuts will also be allowed to keep company-issued equipment to help them work from home while making career transitions. No other layoffs are planned.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

A Newly-Discovered Tiny CRISPR Protein Packs a Giant Punch For Human Gene Editing (5 minute read)

CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that uses Cas proteins to cut out and swap genetic sequences. Bacteriophages, a type of virus that targets bacteria, carry Cas proteins nearly half the size of other identified Cas proteins. A recent study found that these proteins can slice up genetic material in human and plant cells, and because of their tiny size, they can cut out DNA previously protected by its surrounding environment. The new Cas proteins could potentially allow scientists to target genes for a wider range of genetic disorders.

MIT creates disturbing β€˜deepfake’ video of Nixon announcing Apollo 11 disaster (2 minute read)

MIT has released a 7-minute video that shows President Richard Nixon delivering an Apollo 11 contingency speech. It took the team at MIT more than half a year to create the footage. The goal of the project was to prove the dangerous influence that deep fake videos can have. A 40-second clip from the video is available in the article.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

Awesome Developer Resources (1 minute read)

This article contains a list of resources for developers. Sections include Fonts, Icons, Animations, Youtube Channels, and more.

Wiki.js (Website)

Wiki.js is a powerful and extensible open-source Wiki creation software. It makes creating documentation easy while leaving its appearance fully customizable. Wiki.js was built with performance in mind and it will intelligently scale its performance depending on available resources. It comes bundled with a wide range of modules.
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Miscellaneous

Apple Glasses Patent Suggests Any Surface Could Become a Virtual Touch Interface (2 minute read)

Apple Glasses could have the ability to transform any surface into a virtual touch interface, according to a patent that the company filed back in 2016. The patent describes using infrared heat sensing to detect where a user has touched a real-world object. Apple could use this system to allow Apple Glasses to project controls over real-world objects. As with all patents, Apple might not end up using the technology in its final product.

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is working to launch a university that would rival Stanford and MIT and funnel tech workers into government work (3 minute read)

The US Digital Service Academy is a federal initiative to train a new generation of tech workers for the government. It is set to rival Stanford and MIT. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will lead the project. The school will offer degrees for digital skills such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has voted unanimously to recommend the university to Congress.
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