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2023-06-22

Maps distort how we see the world

  • Maps distort our perception of the world because they are 2D projections of a 3D sphere, causing distortion in size and shape.
  • Africa is actually much bigger than it appears on maps, while countries near the equator appear smaller than they are.
  • Different map projections and centers of reference can show different perspectives and reveal surprising relationships between regions.

Industry Reactions

  • Different map projections distort the size and shape of countries in different ways, and the popular Mercator projection significantly distorts the sizes of landmasses.
  • Other map projections, such as the Gall-Peters projection and the Robinson projection, offer more accurate representations of the sizes of different countries.
  • The choice of map projection is based on the specific purpose of the map, and exploring different projections challenges our preconceived notions and encourages critical thinking.

Making Figma better for developers with Dev Mode

  • Figma has introduced a new workspace called Dev Mode, specifically designed to meet the needs of developers.
  • Dev Mode allows developers to access the information they need quickly and efficiently, such as measurements, specs, and assets, while also providing additional context from design systems.
  • The introduction of Dev Mode aims to bridge the gap between design and development, making the product development process more efficient, collaborative, and expressive.

Industry Reactions

  • Figma has introduced Dev Mode to enhance collaboration between designers and developers, with features such as component playground, redlining, and links to GitHub.
  • Some users express frustration with Figma's visual model and maintaining accurate links to design components.
  • Figma's increased focus on developers sets it apart from other design tools and may attract new users, especially with its unique features and improved workflow capabilities.

GPT4 is 8 x 220B params = 1.7T params

  • GPT4 is a powerful language model with 1.7 trillion parameters, which is 10 times the size of GPT3.
  • OpenAI has hired authors who worked on Routed Language Models and Switch Transformers, indicating advancements in AI research.
  • The @latentspacepod published an interview with George Hotz, discussing his new personal compute cluster company and how it competes with Nvidia, Google, and PyTorch.

Industry Reactions

  • GPT-4 is technically 10x the size of GPT-3, consisting of 8 models with 220B parameters each.
  • Other models, such as Google's 1.2T model with 64 experts and Microsoft Bing's different mixes of models, have also made advancements in Switch-Transformers and MoE.
  • OpenAI's approach of using a mixture of experts and combining models is aimed at achieving better performance and specialization, rather than creating one giant model.

FTC sues Amazon over 'deceptive' Prime sign-up and cancellation process

  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Amazon, accusing the company of deceiving customers into signing up for its Prime subscription program and making it complicated to cancel.
  • The FTC claims that Amazon used "dark patterns," deceptive design tactics, to push consumers into enrolling in Prime without their consent.
  • Amazon denies the FTC's claims and states that they make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for and cancel their Prime membership.

Industry Reactions

  • FTC is suing Amazon over deceptive practices related to Prime sign-up and cancellation process.
  • Users have reported difficulties in cancelling Prime, including misleading buttons and complex cancellation process.
  • Legislation mandating easier cancellation processes for subscriptions and clearer sign-up and cancellation procedures could improve the online shopping experience.

A regular expression to check for prime numbers (2007)

  • Regular expressions can be used to check if a number is prime or not.
  • The regular expression /^1?$|^(11+?)\1+$/ can be used in Perl and Ruby to check for prime numbers.
  • The regular expression logic eliminates all even numbers except 2 and correctly identifies odd prime numbers.

Industry Reactions

  • The article discusses a regular expression that can be used to check for prime numbers.
  • The regular expression matches strings of consecutive 1's and checks if the length of the string is prime.
  • The regular expression is not technically a regular expression in the formal sense, as it uses backreferences to count the number of 1's.
  • Apple is trying to gain intellectual property rights to images of actual apples in Switzerland. This move could potentially force a 111-year-old fruit company to change its logo.
  • The fruit company, Fruit Union Suisse, is perplexed by Apple's attempt to own the rights to an actual apple image, which they believe should be free for everyone to use.
  • Apple's bid to secure the fruit trademark in Switzerland started in 2017 and they recently appealed against a partial granting of their request.

Industry Reactions

  • Apple is seeking to secure a trademark in Switzerland for a black-and-white depiction of an apple, specifically the Granny Smith variety, in relation to electronic, digital, and audiovisual consumer goods and hardware.
  • The approval of Apple's trademark application is still pending and is being reviewed by the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property.
  • The article highlights the potential conflict between Apple and a 111-year-old fruit company, but there is no direct threat from Apple to the fruit company at this time.

Red Hat cutting back RHEL source availability

  • Red Hat has announced that public source releases for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) will be restricted to CentOS Stream going forward.
  • CentOS Stream will be the sole repository for public RHEL-related source code releases, while source code will still be available for Red Hat customers and partners via the Red Hat Customer Portal.
  • This decision has sparked debate among the community, with some criticizing the move as a restriction of open source principles and others arguing that it is necessary for the sustainability of Red Hat's business model.

Industry Reactions

  • Red Hat's decision to limit the availability of its source code for RHEL is seen as a way to protect its business and prevent others from profiting off its contributions.
  • Some users view this move as a departure from the spirit of open source software and may explore alternative Linux distributions.
  • The decision has sparked debates about the relationship between corporations and the open source community, highlighting the tension between business interests and the ideals of open source software.

Developer tools to create spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro

  • Apple has released developer tools and technologies that enable developers to create spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro, their first spatial computer.
  • The visionOS software development kit (SDK) allows developers to design, develop, and test apps for Vision Pro, using natural and intuitive inputs such as eyes, hands, and voice.
  • Developers will have access to resources, including labs and developer kits, to help them build and test their apps on Apple Vision Pro hardware.

Industry Reactions

  • Apple has released developer tools for creating spatial experiences for their Vision Pro headset.
  • The device is specifically targeted towards business applications and military training, rather than mass consumer adoption.
  • The high price point of $3,500 indicates Apple's focus on capturing early market share and building an app ecosystem.

Go 1.21 Release Candidate

  • Go 1.21 Release Candidate (RC) is now available for download, packed with new features and improvements.
  • The Profile Guided Optimization (PGO) feature is now generally available, which can improve performance by 2-7%.
  • Go 1.21 introduces new built-in functions, type inference improvements, and new packages for structured logging, common operations on slices and maps, and comparing ordered values.

Industry Reactions

  • Go 1.21 has been released with a number of new features and improvements.
  • The release includes new built-in functions like min, max, and clear, which will reduce the need for external dependencies.
  • The addition of the slices, maps, and cmp packages will provide more efficient and convenient operations on slices and maps.
  • The slog package offers a more comprehensive logging solution, while the improvements to loop variable capture address a long-standing issue.
  • The release also brings performance enhancements, including faster crypto operations and improved support for multipath TCP.
  • Some commenters express excitement for the new additions, while others highlight potential issues and ask for further improvements.
  • Overall, the release is seen as a step towards enhancing the language and providing more tools and options for developers.

What is the morale like inside Reddit, as an employee?- Readers are asking about the morale of Reddit employees and what it's like working there.

  • The post is seeking insights into the overall atmosphere and job satisfaction within Reddit.
  • The query reflects a curiosity about the experiences and attitudes of employees at the company.

Industry Reactions

  • Reddit is undergoing backlash and potential layoffs due to recent decisions made by its leadership.
  • The actions taken by Reddit have led to a decrease in user engagement and are alienating power users and moderators.
  • The company's path to profitability is unclear, as there are doubts about the effectiveness of its strategies and the impact on revenue.