TLDR 2023-12-27

Microsoft has launched a dedicated Copilot app for Android. It offers access to Copilot without the need for the Bing mobile app. Copilot has access to OpenAI's latest GPT-4 model and image generation through DALL-E 3. There's no indication yet of an iOS version, but it is likely to be right around the corner.

Apple is banned from selling the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US. The Biden administration had 60 days to grant a reprieve from the ban, but it refused to do so. Apple strongly disagrees with the decision and it is taking all measures to return the devices to customers as soon as possible, including filing an appeal against the ruling from the US International Trade Commission. The company had preemptively halted sales of the devices from its website on December 21 and in physical stores from December 24.

Flow batteries use two chemical solutions containing ions that react to push electrons through a circuit. They beat lithium batteries in performance and safety and they scale up more easily. Conventional flow battery packs have very low energy density and are bulky, making them impractical. A new type of energy-dense fluid has been created that has enabled new types of flow batteries that appear to beat lithium-ion batteries for use in EVs and larger systems. Nanoelectrofuel is reusable, fireproof, and easy to clean in case of a spill, making it an attractive alternative to lithium or petrol.

Moderna and Merck are developing an mRNA-based cancer vaccine for people who have had high-risk melanomas removed. It works by instructing the body to make proteins found only on cancer cells to prepare the immune system to quickly identify and attack any new cancer cells bearing them, preventing recurrence. An ongoing phase 2b study found that people who received treatment with the therapy along with an FDA-approved cancer treatment were 49% less likely to experience recurrence or death a median of three years after treatment compared to people who only received the FDA-approved cancer treatment. The vaccine could be launched under accelerated approval in some countries by 2025.

Core abstractions can last a long time. Reforming is better than replacing as changing things is risky and there is a lot of code that can't be replaced all at once. This article presents concrete new interfaces that could be part of a Unix reform project. It covers null namespaces, spawning processes, file systems, networking, and more.

Wedges is a React UI library built with the Wedges Design System, Radix primitives, and Tailwind CSS. It provides a range of pre-built, customizable components that are easy to use and integrate into React projects. Wedges has full TypeScript support.

There was never any job security in startups - the last few years were a mirage. No one should expect to make these kinds of salaries without any risk or sacrifice. Changes in supply and demand in the job market don't reflect changes in an individual's value or skill. There's always the choice to take a safer and easier route.

Everyone's secrets are at risk of exposure - quantum computers may make current encryption methods useless as soon as 2025. A global effort is currently underway to gather data to decrypt with quantum machines when it becomes possible. There is also a scramble to protect critical data with post-quantum cryptography. Besides cracking codes, quantum computing also promises to deliver breakthroughs in science, armaments, and industry.

Software engineering salaries come from one of 3 budgets: sales/marketing, research and development, and maintenance.

Japan is preparing regulations that would require tech giants to allow outside app stores and payments on their mobile operating systems.

Systems builders are responding to more power-dense parts by using more liquid cooling.

Generative AI models aren't engineered objects - we're constantly finding out new things about them.

Remote work is more common for higher-paid roles, roles that require more experience, full-time work, and roles that require more education.

If scaling is successful in getting better and more general performance from large language models, then we should expect powerful AIs before 2040, but if it doesn't, then the path to artificial general intelligence seems much longer and more intractable.