TLDR 2023-06-28

OpenAI's work assistant πŸ€–, Reddit blackouts hurt Google πŸ”, intro to building AI agents πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’»

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Big Tech & Startups

Would an OpenAI work assistant put the company in conflict with Microsoft? (2 minute read)

OpenAI's plans to market a personalized assistant for work would put it in competition with Microsoft. Microsoft owns an estimated 49% of OpenAI. It is likely that the issue of OpenAI releasing a work assistant was discussed prior to Microsoft's $10 billion investment into OpenAI in January. There is no doubt that OpenAI was planning to enter the enterprise market as it is quite lucrative.

Microsoft wants to move Windows fully to the cloud (2 minute read)

An internal Microsoft presentation, revealed as part of the ongoing FTC v. Microsoft hearing, discusses a full Windows operating system streamed from the cloud to any device. Windows 365, a service that streams Windows to devices, has so far been limited to commercial customers. Microsoft has been working on bringing the service to Windows 11. Moving Windows to the cloud would enable improved AI-powered services and allow people to roam freely with their devices.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

SpaceX making more than 1,000 changes to next Starship rocket (9 minute read)

SpaceX's plans for upgrading its Starship megarocket include changing how the rocket's two stages separate, propulsion system improvements, and a beefed-up launch pad. Elon Musk estimates that there is a 60 percent chance that the next Starship test flight will make it to orbit. It may be some time before SpaceX obtains clearance for its next test flight. This article details the changes that SpaceX will make to Starship.

The one-shot drug that keeps on dosing (12 minute read)

Scientists from Rice University have engineered drug-delivering microparticles that release their contents in timed delays that can span days or even weeks. The injections contain hundreds of tiny microplastic particles that each encapsulate a small dose of a drug. The microplastic particles are made of a polymer that breaks down safely in human bodies. Timing and dosage can be controlled by adjusting the molecular weight of the polymer used for each capsule. A long-active delivery strategy like this will help many people with chronic issues who are unable to follow their prescribed treatments.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

LLM Powered Autonomous Agents (28 minute read)

Large language models are powerful general problem solvers. There are now several proof-of-concept demos of LLM-powered agents that can solve problems by themselves. This article looks at how LLM-powered autonomous agent systems work. It covers their general structures, how they complete tasks, different types of memory, and more. Several case studies of real autonomous agents are presented and discussed in the article.

Advanced macOS Command-Line Tools (2 minute read)

macOS has a huge arsenal of standard Unix tools. It also has several macOS-specific command-line utilities. This article presents a list of advanced macOS command-line tools and shows readers how to use them.
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Miscellaneous

Google execs admit users are 'not quite happy' with search experience after Reddit blackouts (3 minute read)

Many people append 'Reddit' to their search queries when trying to find helpful resources on specific topics. The tactic lost its effectiveness during the Reddit protest earlier this month as many pages were suddenly inaccessible or unhelpful. Google unveiled a new feature called Perspectives on Monday that will at least partially resolve the issue. Perspectives surfaces discussion forums and videos from social media platforms. The Perspectives tab is available now on mobile web and the Google app in the US.

The billion-dollar search for immortality (8 minute read)

Altos Labs, one of the best-financed startups in history, is on a mission to increase healthspan. It aims to find medicines to treat many diseases at once by targeting aging. This article takes readers on a tour of Altos' UK hub. While some argue that the quest for longevity benefits all humanity, there is no evidence that the benefits will trickle down to the non-billionaires.
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Quick Links

Silicon Valley elites are reportedly taking ketamine and attending psychedelic parties to bolster their focus and creativity. Here's what the drugs do to your brain (3 minute read)

Ketamine may be able to treat nonpsychotic treatment-resistant depression at least as well as electroconvulsive therapy.

Canada is banking on a digital nomad strategy to win the race for tech talent (4 minute read)

Canada is developing a dedicated pathway to permanent residency for workers in the STEM sector employed by foreign companies.

There's still no silver bullet (3 minute read)

Developers need to choose the right tools for the job instead of trying to use the same tool for every job.

Metaculus (Website)

A curated set of key AI forecasts - it is predicted that humans will achieve Artificial General Intelligence by May 11, 2032.

Vision Pro safe area limited to 10x10 feet for VR experiences (2 minute read)

The limit may prove to be too restrictive for games and some commercial and industrial uses.

The Deep Sea (Website)

Scroll down to the deepest point of the ocean and discover the different forms of life at every depth.
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