TLDR 2022-05-18

Apple has announced a new wave of accessibility features as part of its recognition of this week's Global Accessibility Awareness Day. The features include Live Captions, Assistive Touch gesture recognition controls for the Apple Watch, enhancements to the VoiceOver screen reader app, a Detection Mode for Magnifier in iOS, and much more. Apple stores will offer live sessions to help people learn more about the features and an Accessibility Assistant shortcut rolling out this week will recommend specific features for users on Mac and Apple Watch based on their preferences.

Mastercard is launching a program for retailers to offer biometric payment methods. Customers will be able to authenticate their payments through facial recognition or fingerprint scanning at checkout instead of using their cards. The system has already been tested in five grocery stores in Brazil. Mastercard plans to roll out the system globally later this year. The biometric tools are part of Mastercard's plans for the metaverse.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science and startup Theranautilus have developed a set of nano-sized cleaning robots that can clean the hard-to-reach areas deep inside dentinal tubules to kill bacteria. The nanobots are made of silicon dioxide coated with iron and they can be controlled using a low-intensity magnetic field. They are able to reach depths of up to 2,000 micrometers inside dentinal tubules, where they generate heat to flush out bacteria. The nanobots can be retrieved once the operation is done. The technology is almost ready for deployment in a clinical setting.

Nemo's Garden is an underwater greenhouse project that uses the ocean's environmental qualities to create a habitat for growing fresh produce. It was designed for regions where environmental, economic, or morphologic factors make plant development challenging. More than 100 different plants have been grown using this method. Tests showed that plants produced in the environment were richer in nutritional content than those grown using traditional methods. The concept is now being exported around the world.

forgit is a tool designed to help people use git more efficiently. It provides a UI and makes many of git's functions interactive. Screenshots are available.

This book is about the Linux kernel and its insides. It covers how the Linux kernel works and other low-level subject matters. Topics include booting, initialization, interrupts, system calls, synchronization primitives, and memory management. The book is still a work in progress.

Chinese sellers are leaving Amazon due to bans related to artificially inflated ratings. Sellers were repeatedly warned over manipulated reviews. The bans did not target sellers based on nationality. Sellers have been facing increasing costs and restrictions on the platform. Their attempts at gaming Amazon's system were unsuccessful and many have moved to other platforms. Amazon is still recruiting newer and smaller Chinese sellers, proving that Chinese exports are still important to the company.

Google has opened its Bay View campus to employees. The campus features a solar panel roof capable of generating almost seven megawatts of energy, up to 40% of the campus' energy needs. It will use nearby wind farms to provide more energy. The campus houses a geothermal installation that will help heat and cool the campus without the use of fossil fuels. Google is transitioning to a hybrid work schedule that will only require employees to work from its offices a few times a week. A video tour of the campus is available in the article.