TLDR 2025-05-15
DeepMind AlphaEvolve π€, Boring Company autonomy π, Bing API deprecated π¨βπ»
Uber's new bus-like feature for commuters is nearly 50 percent cheaper than UberX (4 minute read)
Uber's new type of ride service travels along a set route every 20 minutes with up to three passengers. Route Share will cost up to 50% less than an UberX ride. The service will be available in select cities and only during commuting hours. Uber says the service is a complement to public transit. The company has also announced a new price lock feature that allows customers to lock in a certain price for up to 10 routes for a $2.99 per month fee. Customers can now prepay for up to 20 rides a month at a reduced rate.
Meet AlphaEvolve, the Google AI that writes its own codeβand just saved millions in computing costs (7 minute read)
Google DeepMind's AlphaEvolve is an artificial intelligence agent that can invent brand-new computer algorithms. It pairs Google's large language models with an approach that tests, refines, and improves algorithms automatically. The system has already been deployed across Google's data centers, chip designs, and AI training systems, boosting efficiency and solving mathematical problems that have stumped researchers for decades. The system represents a major leap in AI's ability to develop sophisticated algorithms for both scientific challenges and everyday computing problems.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
Robot chefs take over at South Korea's highway restaurants, to mixed reviews (12 minute read)
South Korean tech companies are now deploying collaborative robots to work alongside humans in hotels, elder care, schools, and restaurants. The bots are supposed to solve a looming labor shortage in the rapidly aging nation. The government plans to increase the number of bot workers to 1 million by 2030. The reaction to the introduction of robots has been met with mixed emotions from both workers and customers.
Big tunneling milestone! (1 minute read)
The Boring Company has successfully continuously mined in a Zero-People-in-Tunnel (ZPIT) configuration. Its machine can simultaneously advance forward and build tunnels without a human in it. Each 'ring' in the tunnel weighs around 24,000 pounds. ZPIT continuous mining is the Holy Grail for Boring Machines as it is the safest, fastest, and least expensive architecture for building tunnels.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
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git-bug (GitHub Repo)
git-bug is an issue management tool that embeds issues, comments, and more as objects in a git repository, enabling users to push and pull them to one or more remotes. It manages issues, users, and comments directly within repositories, keeping everything versioned and clutter-free. git-bug leverages git's decentralized architecture to work offline and sync seamlessly later. It is lightning fast and easily synchronizes with platforms like GitHub and GitLab.
Microsoft pulls plug on Bing Search APIs (2 minute read)
Microsoft will retire Bing Search APIs on August 11. All existing instances of Bing Search APIs will be decommissioned completely and the API will no longer be available for use. Developers who need a real alternative are recommended to check out Brave Search APIs, which generally offers a more cost-effective solution, especially for developers with lower usage needs.
If you hate ads on Netflix, I have bad news: they're doing really well (2 minute read)
Netflix's ad-supported tier has 94 million monthly active users, up 20 million since last November. The cheaper plan costs $7.99 per month compared to $17.99 for the lowest ad-free option. The ad model is outperforming expectations. Netflix says its ad-supported tier now reaches more US viewers aged 18 to 34 than any other broadcast or cable network and that viewers are engaging with mid-roll ads just as much as they do with the content itself.
LLMs are Making Me Dumber (11 minute read)
Large language models can help people output substantially more work, but this usually comes at the cost of learning or improvement. People are incentivized to maximize immediate output, so the sacrifice seems fair. Before the rise of generative AI, learning was a prerequisite for output, but people can now use technology to build things without deeply understanding the implementation. Developers should decide what skills they are and are not okay with offloading and what they want to do for themselves.
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