TLDR 2021-12-29

Meta's Oculus virtual reality app was the most downloaded application on Apple’s App Store charts over Christmas. While Meta doesn't provide official data on how many Oculus VR headsets it has sold, the app charts provide an insight into the popularity of the device. Meta has declared an investment of at least $10 billion to create a metaverse, but VR technology is still in a very early stage of adoption. The increased sales will help Meta gain data and insight into what their audience wants with a VR experience.

The employee poaching war between Apple and Meta is heating up, with Apple now offering top engineering talents stock bonuses worth up to $180,000 to prevent them from defecting. Around 10% to 20% of engineers have been approached with the bonuses, which range from $50,000 to $180,000 in restricted stock, set to vest over four years. Meta has recently poached key engineers across several divisions at Apple. Apple has also been hiring talent from other companies.

The International Space Station is supposed to retire in 2024, though that date will probably be pushed back to 2030. It is slowly leaking air and getting increasingly expensive to maintain. NASA has awarded $415.6 million to Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman to develop a new commercial low Earth orbit destination. There will likely be multiple privately-owned space stations by the end of this decade. Illustrations of space station concept designs from several space companies are available in the article.

The Kidney Project earned a $650,000 prize from KidneyX for its first-ever demonstration of a functional prototype of its implantable artificial kidney. The artificial kidney consists of a hemofilter that removes waste products and toxins from blood and a bioreactor that replicates other kidney functions. It is powered by blood pressure alone and there is no need for blood thinning or immunosuppressant drugs. The team will now focus on upscaling the technology for larger tests and clinical trials. A 3-minute video that shows the device and explains how it works is available in the article.

Senior roles are usually not evergreen, as they mostly open up when someone needs a replacement, if there is a leadership vacuum, when a company reaches a new growth stage, or when a company starts a new strategic initiative and needs a new leader. They are also usually not publicized, so it can be difficult to find positions. This article discusses Phil Calçado's experiences in finding a new senior role in tech. It talks about the hurdles in finding open positions and how to get over them and offers tips on the interview process.

pytailwindcss is a standalone Tailwind CSS CLI interface that is ideal for Tailwind projects that don't need Node.js or npm. It contains the full power of Tailwind CLI in a self-contained executable without Node.js. While users can still customize Tailwind CSS and use all official Tailwind CSS plug-ins, they will not be able to install plugins or additional dependencies for their setups without Node.js.

I am launching a new crypto newsletter on January 10th, 2022 to follow tech and innovation within the blockchain space. Please remember to hit enter after signing up, if you don't see the confirmation screen you haven't been added to the list!

Samsung's C-Lab division allows employees to create personal pet projects. While the projects aren't always practical, they're often fascinating, displaying ideas that are traditionally outside of Samsung's scope. This year at CES, C-Lab will split its products into three categories: C-Lab Inside, C-Lab Outside, and projects that have effectively spun out from Samsung. CES will run in Las Vegas from January 5 to January 8. A list of products and companies from C-Lab Inside and Outside is available in the article.

Not everyone enjoys working from home, but finding an office-based job can be difficult now, especially since a company offering office jobs can be seen as a red flag. This thread discusses alternatives, such as co-working spaces, the general job market for office-based jobs, and how the next few years will pan out for remote work.