TLDR Daily Update 2021-01-13

Visa and Plaid have terminated plans to merge following antitrust pushback from the Department of Justice. While the companies were confident that they would have succeeded in the antitrust lawsuit, they decided it would have taken too long to fully resolve. The deal was originally announced in January 2020. Visa will continue to work with Plaid.

Handshake is a decentralized domain name server that can point browsers to websites even if their domain names have been taken down. Site owners can claim their domain names by placing them on the Handshake marketplace and then bidding for them. Services like this are a significant help in the fight for the decentralized web. Internet access is increasingly policed by a few companies that can switch off their services at will. Sci-Hub, a site that hosts a pirated database of academic papers, kept getting repeated domain name revocations. It is now accessible through Handshake's service portals, as well as through NextDNS.

A new study suggests that all cancer cells can enter into states of dormancy as a survival mechanism. The mechanism is similar to embryonic diapause, a process used by hibernating animals. Some mammals can undergo embryonic diapause when environmental conditions are unfavorable, essentially pausing an embryo's development until conditions become more favorable. Disabling this process makes chemotherapy much more effective. The study sheds light on why some people have been resistant to chemotherapy.

LG has confirmed that its Rollable phone will be available in 2021. The LG Rollable has a screen that can extend into a small tablet display. Details about the different display sizes have not yet been released. Other phone manufacturers will now likely race to roll out this rollable screen technology.

Amplication is a development tool that helps Node.js developers create quality applications without having to spend time on repetitive coding tasks. It auto-generates fully functional apps based on TypeScript and Node.js. Amplication helps developers build applications with visually managed data models, role-based access control, auto-generated source code, and more.

Signal is a private messaging app that doesn't track or store data on its users. In this thread, the Signal development team answers questions by Redditors. The team plans to implement a user ID system in the future so users can add each other without knowing their phone numbers. Signal was built from the ground up to not know anything about its users, and it is owned by a non-profit entity, so it is unlikely that the app will end up like WhatsApp. A chat backup feature is in the works. The Signal team is hiring people within US time zones.

Stefan Thomas, a San Francisco-based programmer, was given 7,000 bitcoins for making a video about cryptocurrencies a decade ago. They were worth $2-$6 each at the time. He stored the bitcoins on an IronKey hard drive, a storage device that only allows its users 10 attempts at entering the right password before it locks the data permanently. Thomas has already entered 8 incorrect guesses. Security professionals have offered help for a percentage of the stash.

Project Hazel is Razer's new reusable N95 smart respirator. It has a glossy outside shell made of scratch-resistant and transparent plastic, designed to allow for lip-reading. Razer claims that the mask is a surgical N95, but it has yet to receive the necessary certifications. The mask features two active ventilators that filter both air being breathed in, and CO2 that's being exhaled. Microphones and amplifiers will be embedded in the ventilators. Razer also announced a new gaming chair at CES 2021. Concept photos of the mask and chair are available in the article.