TLDR 2020-10-20

FaceID for web 😃, burger-flipping robot 🤖, Xbox on iOS 🎮

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Big Tech & Startups

'Apple Music TV' Launches in U.S. (1 minute read)

Apple has just launched Apple Music TV, a 24-hour stream of music videos, live shows, and events. It is now available for users in the US through the Apple Music and Apple TV apps. New videos will be debuted on Apple Music TV every Friday. The station will also show interviews and other content by Apple Music 1 radio host Zane Lowe.

Microsoft’s new Xbox app lets you stream Xbox One games to your iPhone or iPad (2 minute read)

Xbox One owners can now stream games to their iOS and iPadOS devices thanks to an update to Microsoft's Xbox app. The remote play feature streams games directly from the Xbox console, similar to the PS4's Remote Play feature. Only Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games will be supported. Users can stream via Wi-Fi or through a mobile connection. xCloud is Microsoft's game streaming service. Apple has recently offered Microsoft a solution for adding xCloud games to the App Store, but Microsoft has not received it positively.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

Flippy, the $30,000 automated robot fast-food cook, is now for sale with 'demand through the roof' (2 minute read)

Miso Robotics has released its burger-flipping robot to the market for $US30,000, with options for a payment plan. Flippy is a robot that attaches to a rail and can move about a kitchen to cook. It can cook 19 items, including burgers and hash browns. This article contains a photo essay that explains how Flippy works.

This Molten Salt Reactor Is the Next Big Thing in Nuclear (3 minute read)

Elysium Technologies is a startup behind a new molten salt reactor design that can scale up to 1,200 Megawatts electric. The design uses a blend of the most cutting edge technologies. It uses up fuel in the reactor process, and it can recycle fuel from itself, other reactors, or even weapons. The reactor uses up 95% of its fuel, leaving behind fuel that is toxic for shorter periods compared to other reactors. It features low-tech and effective safety designs.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

The case for a learned sorting algorithm (10 minute read)

Machine learning has thoroughly pervaded the web giants and has begun its push into traditional enterprise. This article discusses machine learning in systems software, focusing on the classic computer science problem of sorting. It explores the possibility of using a Learned Sort model to determine the position of an item in a sorted list. Learned Sort appears to be significantly more efficient than other sorting algorithms.

Meet Face ID and Touch ID for the Web (14 minute read)

Face ID and Touch ID is now available for the web, allowing web apps to authenticate users without cumbersome passwords. Multi-factor authentication will likely replace sole-factor password authentication in the future. This article discusses how to implement Face ID and Touch ID into your web app.
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Miscellaneous

Taking Back Our Privacy (40 minute read)

Signal was launched in 2014 by Moxie Marlinspike. The end-to-end encrypted messaging service has grown largely since then, with bursts of growth corresponding to periods of social and political upheaval. Signal is able to bring a sense of normalcy to the internet, allowing people to share their thoughts with their friends without having the conversation analyzed for data. This article details a meeting with Marlinspike and discusses the rise of Signal and its future.

The Centralized Internet Is Inevitable (13 minute read)

Twitter recently locked several prominent accounts after sharing stories implicating that Joe Biden's son was corrupted. Chinese users noted how similar Twitter's actions were to WeChat's when the Chinese government censors information. This action sets a precedent that may affect the free-flow of information in Western media. Journalism has changed significantly over the decades, as more and more people are given a voice. A centralized internet would mean that information is more controlled, allowing for more direct control by state bureaucracies.
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