150+ Tech Blogs, 15+ Research Journals, Summarized on a Single Feed

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Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

Algorithms
  • As major economies and countries impose tariffs on imports to advance national security, foreign policy objectives, or reduce trade deficits, business leaders must navigate this uncertainty to stay ahead.
  • Historically, tariffs have been used for various reasons such as rebalancing trade, gaining leverage in negotiations, protecting domestic industries vulnerable to lower-cost foreign competition, and creating jobs.
  • The world's largest economies, including the US, China, and the EU, implement and respond to tariffs through different mechanisms, with the impact varying due to factors like shifting markets and supply chains.
  • To build resilience to changing tariffs, leaders should factor in uncertainty, understand implications for industries, supply lines, customers, and investments, assess comprehensive supply chain vulnerability, explore alternate supply sources, evaluate potential demand shifts, update market scans, and validate shifts in strategy.
  • By developing strategic and risk-based options, companies can seize opportunities presented by global rebalancing, rebalance portfolios, revise operating footprints, optimize supply chains, talent practices, and technology and data stacks to emerge stronger.
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Procurement’s sustainable (r)evolution

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

AI
DevOps
Robotics
Algorithms
  • Procurement, or the process of buying goods and services for organizations, is evolving to become a key driver of business strategy and sustainability impact.
  • As global supply chains and market conditions continue to shift, procurement teams must balance innovation and sustainability with complex and volatile supply chains.
  • To achieve this, procurement professionals are developing new skills, such as leadership and influencing abilities, to manage ecosystems of suppliers and drive revenue generation through circular economy practices.
  • This involves moving from a linear economy, where products are made and discarded, to a circular one, where products are designed for recyclability and reuse.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a significant role in automating transactions and enabling procurement teams to focus on higher-value activities like managing ecosystems and creating value.
  • As a result, procurement professionals will need to become end-to-end value entrepreneurs, thinking through upstream value chains and collaborating with sales to manage margins and create new revenue streams.
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Duologues: the conversations shaping Duolingo Design

Duolingo | By Carol Chu

December 18, 2024

  • At Duolingo, they focus on interaction over interface, which means simplifying features and building community through conversations rather than just decorating the workspace with inspirational posters.
  • They have a program called Duologues where designers can share ideas, listen to each other, and build deeper relationships within the company and with the broader design community.
  • By investing in their people and creating opportunities for connection, they believe that a strong design team leads to better learning experiences for users.
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A Detailed Guide on TypeScript Pick Type

Refine.dev

December 17, 2024

  • When working with complex data types in TypeScript, you might need to create new types by selecting specific properties or excluding unnecessary ones.
  • This is where object type transformations come in handy.
  • You can use `Pick<Type, Keys>` to select certain properties from a type, which is useful when you only need a subset of information.
  • Alternatively, `Omit<Type, Keys>` can be used to exclude specific properties, ideal when you have many properties and just need to remove a few unnecessary ones.
  • These transformations are essential in creating focused types, flexible data models, and efficient code organization.
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Benchmarking Language Model Performance on 5th Gen Xeon at GCP

HuggingFace

December 17, 2024

Performance
AI
Backend
Hardware
Coding
  • The article discusses how to benchmark language model performance on Google Cloud's newest CPU instances, specifically comparing the C4 instance with the N2 instance.
  • The C4 instance uses Intel's 5th generation Xeon processor, Emerald Rapids, which has a new AI tensor accelerator called AMX, while the N2 instance uses an older processor without this feature.
  • By running two representative agentic AI workload components, text embedding and text generation, on both instances, the results show that C4 is significantly faster than N2, with C4 delivering 10-24x higher throughput in text embedding and 2.3-3.6x higher throughput in text generation.
  • This suggests that it's possible to deploy lightweight agentic AI solutions entirely on CPUs without relying on specialized hardware like GPUs, potentially saving costs and reducing traffic overheads.
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Bun's new text-based lockfile

Bun

December 17, 2024

  • Bun, a JavaScript framework, has made some progress on GitHub, where its lockfile (a file used to manage dependencies) was previously shown as a binary and couldn't be easily read.
  • But now, GitHub renders this file in text format, making it easier for developers to review code changes.
  • This improvement is beneficial not just for Bun but also for tools like Dependabot, which helps manage project dependencies, as it makes it simpler for them to add support for Bun in the future.
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A beginner’s tutorial for your first Machine Learning project using Charmed Kubeflow

Canonical | By shrishtikarkera (shrishtikarkera)

December 17, 2024

Cloud
AI
Backend
Data Science
Hardware
  • This beginner's guide to machine learning with Charmed Kubeflow takes you through setting up the environment and fundamental concepts such as data handling, model training, and deployment, simplifying complex processes involved in machine learning.
  • You'll learn how to develop a model capable of classifying different species of Iris flowers based on their characteristics using logistic regression and convert your code into a robust Kubeflow pipeline for efficient experimentation and model optimization.
  • By focusing on the basics with Charmed Kubeflow's user-friendly interface and powerful tools, you can tackle more complex machine learning projects as you gain experience and continue to explore the vast possibilities that AI has to offer.
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Corporate Taxonomy Insights: Building a Comprehensive AI-Assisted Analysis Tool

Snowflake | By Aayush Turakhia

December 16, 2024

  • A discussion about & Data Science on Medium is ongoing, with people continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to a specific story or topic, allowing for a shared exchange of ideas and perspectives among readers.
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Imbue’s Kanjun Qiu Shares Insights on How to Build Smarter AI Agents

Nvidia | By Noah Kravitz

December 18, 2024

AI
  • Imagine a future where people have the power to build and use their own AI agents, similar to how personal computers revolutionized technology in the late 1970s and 80s.
  • Kanjun Qiu, CEO of Imbue, discusses this transformation, comparing it to the rise of personal computers, and explains her company's approach to building reasoning capabilities into its products.
  • The goal is to create AI agents that can collaborate with users rather than just automating tasks, but verifying the correctness of these outputs is a significant challenge.
  • To address this issue, Imbue focuses on post-training and fine-tuning to improve verification capabilities, making AI more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.
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The 7 best social media management tools in 2025

Zapier | By Harry Guinness

December 20, 2024

AI
  • If you're looking for a social media management app, be prepared for varying features and different strengths across each one.
  • Some apps excel in automation or scheduling but lack in other areas, so it's essential to know what specific features your business needs.
  • With many options available, comparing them can be challenging due to their similarities in service; the right choice depends on your required features, team size, and budget.
  • To find a suitable app, start by checking out free trials of top picks, considering each one's unique offerings and seeing which best fits your needs.
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What to Do If You Don't Get into Outreachy: Exploring Other Paths to Open Source

freeCodeCamp | By Victoria Nduka

December 18, 2024

  • If you weren't selected for Outreachy or other similar programs, don't get discouraged - it's a competitive process and many successful contributors were rejected at first.
  • To increase your chances next time, start by exploring past projects and building connections with mentors early on, and use the time to deepen your knowledge in areas that align with Outreachy projects.
  • You can also consider alternative routes like independent contributions, other open source internship programs such as Google Summer of Code or LFX Mentorship, paid opportunities like sponsorship platforms or bounty programs, non-code contributions like community management or advocacy, or even starting your own personal project - there are many ways to contribute to and build a career in open source.
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Modernization blueprint for Insurers: Platform constructs to address key business goals

Thoughtworks | By Davnit Singh, Shodhan Sheth

December 18, 2024

  • A modernization blueprint for insurers involves creating platform constructs to help achieve their main business objectives.
  • This means developing digital platforms and systems that address key areas such as customer engagement, risk management, policy administration, and claims processing, ultimately aiming to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance overall customer experience.
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Young Global Leaders on Davos 2025

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

AI
Robotics
  • The World Economic Forum's annual meeting will take place from January 20 to 24 in Davos, Switzerland, focusing on "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age." McKinsey has identified key themes such as AI transformation and the energy transition that leaders from around the world will discuss.
  • Ahead of this event, a group of Young Global Leaders suggested topics they believe deserve more attention, including closing the gender gap, humanitarian law, science advancements, and autonomous warfare, among others.
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6 ways to automate LinkedIn Matched Audiences

Zapier | By Elena Alston

December 16, 2024

  • Targeting the right leads for your business means finding decision-makers at companies likely to bring high returns, which LinkedIn Matched Audiences and Zapier help with by segmenting audiences based on company details and running relevant ad campaigns.
  • With Zapier's integration, you can automate workflows (called Zaps) that add new CRM leads, form submissions, event registrants, subscribers, and purchasers directly to your matched audience in LinkedIn Ads, saving time and effort.
  • You can also use webhooks to add users from other apps or platforms to a custom audience and create new audiences based on company updates from team chat apps like Slack.
  • By pairing these tools, you can streamline the process of targeting high-value leads and focus on converting them into customers.
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Decentralized AI: A Path Toward an Open and Human-Centered Future

Linux Foundation | By Hilary Carter

December 16, 2024

Web
AI
Robotics
  • The Web was initially designed to be a democratizing force, but it has evolved into an ecosystem dominated by a few centralized platforms that track users' data and limit their autonomy.
  • Decentralized computing and AI represent a chance to rewrite the Web's DNA by distributing intelligence to the edge, empowering individuals to regain control of their data and identities.
  • This shift is already happening through advancements like federated learning and zero-knowledge proofs, which prioritize user sovereignty and preserve privacy.
  • If we collaborate openly and transparently, we can create a resilient, open, and human-centered Web that serves as a public good, where algorithms reflect user values, not corporate profit motives, and users have control over their data and interactions with technology.
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Design for Testing (DfT): Why it matters (part one)

Capital One | By Capital One Tech

December 17, 2024

Database
AI
Backend
  • When aiming for higher testing maturity levels, incorporating sound design practices that incorporate testing into development is crucial.
  • This concept, called "design for testing," emphasizes the importance of designing software architecture with cohesion and loose coupling in mind.
  • A well-designed system should shield internal layers from external dependencies, ensuring a one-way dependency direction flow where arrows point inward, not outward.
  • This means separating business logic from external systems and using abstraction to make internal layers indirectly dependent on higher layers, effectively loosening coupling between them.
  • By following this design principle, developers can write tests more easily, but more importantly, they create a system that provides freedom to evolve and change without impacting core business logic, ultimately allowing for better testing and development practices.
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7 ways to automate Intercom with Zapier

Zapier | By Daniel Kenitz

December 20, 2024

Web
AI
Algorithms
  • The article discusses how to use customer support tool Intercom and automation software Zapier to streamline and scale your support processes.
  • With these tools, you can connect Intercom with other business-critical apps, route tickets to the right teams, gather feedback and analyze conversations, enrich leads with AI-powered tools, and even integrate apps that don't have a direct integration using webhooks.
  • This helps keep customers happy by providing fast, responsive, and personalized support, improving customer satisfaction and maintaining efficient support operations.
  • By automating tasks such as sending new tickets to the right teams, connecting Intercom with CRM or email marketing apps, and analyzing conversations for sentiment and key topics, you can save time and focus on what matters most - delivering great customer service.
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Get Valkey security patching and support with Ubuntu Pro

Canonical | By Michelle Anne Tabirao (Michelle Anne Tabirao)

December 16, 2024

Web
Backend
  • Valkey is a data store licensed under the BSD 3-clause license that supports various workloads such as caching, in-memory databases, message queueing, and leaderboards, making it ideal for modern web applications with high traffic.
  • It can function as a standalone server or part of a cluster providing replication options for high availability and data redundancy.
  • Valkey is seeing increased adoption in enterprise use cases like e-commerce websites, session management, and real-time analytics due to its ultra-fast performance, scalable architecture, and real-time updates.
  • To get security patching for Valkey, you need to enable Ubuntu Pro which can be done by following a few simple steps: subscribing to Ubuntu Pro, running Valkey with the subscription enabled, and selecting the required repository coverage.
  • Once installed, you can use Valkey in the Command Line Interface (CLI) or connect using a Python library like Redis to interact with it.
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5 ways to automate ClickFunnels with Zapier

Zapier | By Nicole Replogle

December 16, 2024

Web
DevOps
  • ClickFunnels helps you turn leads into customers and repeat buyers with its streamlined sales funnel, but maintaining this process manually can be time-consuming.
  • With Zapier's workflow automation software, you can connect ClickFunnels to other apps you use daily, streamlining your sales process and providing the best customer experience from start to finish.
  • You can create automatic workflows that send new contact and purchase information to a spreadsheet, notify leads of purchases or specific actions, update CRM contacts and email list subscribers, organize new leads in ClickFunnels, and even automate student onboarding for courses sold through apps like Skool or Teachable.
  • By automating these tasks with Zapier, you can focus on what matters most – your product and customers – and grow your business more efficiently.
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How to Build a Reusable Keyboard Shortcut Listener Component in React

freeCodeCamp | By David Jaja

December 16, 2024

Web
  • The article teaches you how to create reusable keyboard shortcut components using React and Tailwind CSS, allowing users to trigger actions with specific key combinations.
  • It starts by explaining what a Keyboard Shortcut Listener (KSL) component is and its benefits, including accessibility, efficiency, reusability, and cleaner code.
  • The tutorial then guides you through building the KSL component, creating a reveal component that shows when a shortcut is pressed, animating the component's visibility with Framer Motion, and optimizing it for accessibility by adding a way to close the search component with a mouse click or keyboard escape key.
  • It also provides a hook called useKeyBindings to handle key press combinations more efficiently and shows how to use this hook in your app, making it possible to add multiple shortcuts to trigger the search component's visibility.
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Enhancing Kubernetes API Server Efficiency with API Streaming

Kubernetes

December 17, 2024

Backend
Hardware
  • Managing large Kubernetes clusters efficiently is crucial due to memory issues caused by list requests.
  • When the kube-apiserver processes these requests, it loads the entire response into memory before sending any data to the client, leading to significant memory usage.
  • This can cause the server to crash quickly if multiple requests flood in simultaneously, especially when dealing with large objects or a high number of objects.
  • To address this issue, Kubernetes 1.32 introduces a new feature called "watch list" that allows clients to stream lists instead of loading them all at once, reducing temporary memory usage and making the system more efficient and stable.
  • This feature is now available in beta and can be enabled by upgrading to Kubernetes 1.32 and enabling the WatchListClient feature gate in client-go.
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Insights top picks from 2024

Thoughtworks | By Preeti Mishra, Richard Gall

December 20, 2024

  • There isn't enough information provided to create a summary.
  • However, I can tell you what a possible summary might look like if it included specific content related to "Insights top picks from 2024".
  • Insights top picks from 2024 could be about the best books, movies, or technologies recommended by experts for that year.
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How hyperscalers are fueling the race for 24/7 clean power

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

AI
DevOps
  • Clean power purchase agreements (PPAs) are playing a crucial role in the shift to renewable energy sources.
  • These PPAs allow companies to buy green power on an hourly basis, helping to match supply and demand around the clock.
  • As more companies commit to using 100 percent renewable power, the demand for these agreements is increasing.
  • However, implementing PPAs requires sophisticated trading, structuring, and risk-management capabilities, which are not typically found in traditional renewable developers and operators.
  • To effectively engage with PPAs, companies may need to develop new skills or acquire them through mergers and acquisitions, such as Danske Commodities by Equinor, or even form alliances like the Granular Certificate Trading Alliance between Google and Microsoft.
  • By strengthening their capabilities in this area, organizations can unlock investment opportunities and drive the deployment of carbon-free generation and flexibility instruments.
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Kubernetes 1.32: Moving Volume Group Snapshots to Beta

Kubernetes

December 18, 2024

Backend
  • Kubernetes has introduced volume group snapshots as an Alpha feature and recently moved it to Beta with version 1.32.
  • This feature allows users to take crash-consistent snapshots of multiple volumes at once, creating a group snapshot that can be used for backup or disaster recovery.
  • The support relies on extension APIs for group snapshots and is only available for CSI volume drivers.
  • It provides an abstraction layer between distributed applications and underlying clusters, enabling workload portability and consistency across all volumes in the group.
  • To use this feature, users need to create a VolumeGroupSnapshotClass object and then request a new group snapshot by creating a VolumeGroupSnapshot object.
  • The corresponding individual volume snapshots will be created as part of the group snapshot creation.
  • Additionally, a CSI driver must implement a new group controller service and add group controller capability to support volume group snapshots.
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Philadelphia Union: Streamlining MLS Roster Planning with GenAI

Databricks

December 19, 2024

  • To stay competitive in Major League Soccer (MLS), teams need to carefully plan and build their player lineup, or "squad", by making smart decisions about who to keep, trade, or sign as new players.
  • This involves considering many factors such as each player's strengths and weaknesses, age, experience, and how well they fit with the team's overall strategy and style of play.
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New AWS tool recommends removal of unused permissions

Amazon Science

December 19, 2024

Web
Cloud
DevOps
Hardware
  • AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies let users control who can access their Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources.
  • However, managing these permissions can be tricky, especially when dealing with large applications or complex policies.
  • To help with this, AWS offers IAM Access Analyzer, which identifies unused access keys, roles, and services that are no longer needed.
  • It also suggests refining existing policies to remove unnecessary permissions, making it easier for users to follow the principle of least privilege.
  • This process is automated by policy recommendation, which analyzes a user's original policy and removes or replaces actions that are not used, leaving only necessary permissions intact.
  • The result is a revised policy that maintains the same structure but with fewer unnecessary permissions, all while ensuring that the new policy still allows users to perform their required tasks.
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Benchmarking Domain Intelligence

Databricks

December 17, 2024

  • Large language models are getting smarter at a very fast pace, but their improvement has mostly been tested and measured using special tools called academic benchmarks, such as MMLU.
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The future of telcos: Mapping the routes to renewed success

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

Web
Performance
AI
DevOps
Backend
Robotics
Algorithms
  • The telecommunications industry faces fundamental challenges, including massive capital requirements and complex issues such as declining return on investment (ROIC) and shareholder returns, despite attempts to turn around fortunes through agile ways of working, core-adjacent businesses, advanced network technologies, and productivity improvements.
  • To overcome these challenges, telcos can consider three viable paths: reinventing the integrated business and operating model by boosting efficiency and effectiveness, pursuing growth at scale, or delayering into multiple independent entities.
  • Alternatively, they can shift to a utility-like business and operating model, focusing on efficiency over growth, reducing capex intensity through investment sharing or optimized profiles, and pursuing regulatory support.
  • This transformation requires significant changes, including leveraging AI in emerging use cases, streamlining operations, and aligning infrastructure investments with national strategies.
  • Ultimately, telcos have the opportunity to reinvent themselves for a rapidly shifting era and shape a new era of sustained success, but this will require tough choices and rapid adjustments to their approach and operating model.
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Summarizing Books as Podcasts

Oreilly | By Mike Loukides

December 16, 2024

AI
  • The article discusses using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate podcasts based on books and comparing two different methods for creating these summaries.
  • One method uses NotebookLM, which can generate interesting and engaging podcast discussions with little control over the result, while another method involves a multistage pipeline where AI is used to summarize chapters, assemble summaries into an extended outline, and then generate a dialogue that becomes the podcast script.
  • The latter method provides more control over the results and is focused on creating useful summaries for users who want to quickly understand the main ideas of a book without having to read it all.
  • These summaries are intended to be around 6-10 minutes long and can help readers decide whether or not to invest time in reading the full book, highlighting key concepts and ideas rather than providing detailed information.
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Title Launch Observability at Netflix Scale

Netflix | By Netflix Technology Blog

December 17, 2024

DevOps
Backend
Hardware
Algorithms
  • At Netflix, over a thousand global content launches happen each month with billions of dollars invested, making it crucial to ensure every title's success and discoverability.
  • However, tracking system metrics such as error rates and CPU utilization isn't enough; engineers need to consider metrics that matter for a title's success.
  • To bridge this gap, the team aimed to design systems recognizing nuances in title launches and empowering each title to shine.
  • They faced operational challenges with manual verification of title launches not scaling with the growing volume of titles, leading them to automate operations through log processing or introducing observability endpoints in personalization systems.
  • Log processing has its advantages but also presents challenges such as catching issues ahead of time and accuracy, while observability endpoints offer real-time monitoring, proactive issue detection, enhanced accuracy, and scalability at a cost-efficient solution.
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Celebrating Flutter’s “Production Era”

Flutter | By Michael Thomsen

December 17, 2024

Web
Mobile
Backend
Coding
  • Just over six years ago, Flutter was first introduced as a production-grade app framework for building multi-platform experiences, and today it's celebrating its "production era." With over 1 million monthly active developers globally, Flutter has become one of the most popular SDKs, powering nearly 30% of all new iOS apps.
  • The framework allows developers to create beautiful, high-performance user interfaces across multiple platforms with lower costs and less time.
  • Its focus on developer experience has led to its success, with a thriving ecosystem of over 50,000 packages published by thousands of publishers, making it easy for new team members to get up to speed quickly.
  • As Flutter continues to evolve, the team is working on deeper iOS fidelity, seamless platform integration, and concise code to make development even more efficient, ensuring high-quality experiences for users worldwide.
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Building trust through transparency: A deep dive into the Anonym Transparency Portal

Mozilla | By Eddie Ayling

December 19, 2024

  • Mozilla acquired a company called Anonym over the summer of 2024 to improve online privacy.
  • As part of this effort, Anonym created the Transparency Portal, which helps partners understand how their data is handled and processed, promoting trust and transparency.
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Introducing Amuse 2.2 Beta: With Stable Diffusion 3.5 Support and AMD Ryzen™ AI Image Quality Update

AMD | By AMD_AI

December 19, 2024

AI
Backend
Hardware
  • Stable Diffusion 3.5 is a powerful tool for creating high-quality images using artificial intelligence.
  • It has three versions: Medium (2.5 billion parameters), Large (8.1 billion parameters), and Turbo (a faster version of Large).
  • Amuse 2.2 Beta, an AI image generation studio optimized for AMD hardware, now supports Stable Diffusion 3.5 and offers improved image quality enhancements, including a new "HQ" mode that can produce high-quality images with increased prompt adherence and visual fidelity.
  • This beta release also includes support for AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors and Radeon 7000 Series graphics cards, and it's easy to use without requiring technical knowledge.
  • However, please note that Amuse is experimental software and may have bugs or cause unintended behavior.
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How to set an out-of-office message in Outlook

Zapier | By Abigail Sims

December 16, 2024

Web
  • To set up an out-of-office message in Outlook, whether you're using the desktop, mobile, or web application, follow these steps.
  • Open Outlook and click on the settings wheel, then go to accounts > automatic replies and toggle the button to the "on" position.
  • You can write your message, select the duration for your OOO message, and set whether to limit auto-responses to contacts in your address book.
  • Be sure to give an emergency contact, set your OOO early, and include a response date so coworkers know when to expect a response.
  • If you encounter any issues with your OOO messages not firing, check the date and time range, make sure you're sending to external recipients if needed, or manually turn off the OOO by unchecking send automatic replies in settings.
  • Once set up, you can automate your Outlook workflow using Zapier, a no-code automation tool that lets you connect apps into automated workflows.
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The case for human-centered AI

Mckinsey

December 20, 2024

AI
  • James Landay, a professor of computer science at Stanford University, emphasizes the importance of developing AI systems with a human-centered approach to ensure they are safe and effective.
  • He believes that designing AI requires experts from diverse backgrounds, including philosophy, law, ethics, and social sciences, to create systems that consider the broader community's needs and values.
  • Landay notes that current AI systems have probabilistic models, making them harder to design and control, which is why we need to think about designing them differently.
  • He also highlights the issue of "hallucinations" in AI, where models make up facts not based on reality, and the importance of responsible AI practices to mitigate harm.
  • Landay is optimistic about the impact of generative AI on education, predicting that it will provide personalized tutoring and help students who don't fit into traditional educational systems.
  • He believes that higher education institutions will undergo significant changes due to AI, but ultimately lead to better education in the long run.
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AI in Your Own Words: NVIDIA Debuts NeMo Retriever Microservices for Multilingual Generative AI Fueled by Data

Nvidia | By Erik Pounds

December 17, 2024

Performance
Cloud
AI
Backend
  • NVIDIA's NeMo Retriever is a powerful tool that helps businesses create accurate and globally relevant AI systems by understanding and working across multiple languages.
  • This technology enables enterprises to expand their generative AI efforts into multilingual systems, making it easier for employees, customers, and users worldwide to access knowledge and information in their native language.
  • With NeMo Retriever, businesses can extract knowledge from large datasets, seamlessly connect generative AI to enterprise data in major global languages, and deliver actionable intelligence at greater scale while reducing storage needs by 35x.
  • By partnering with leading companies like DataStax, Cloudera, SAP, and VAST Data, NVIDIA's platform is helping organizations across industries securely connect custom models to diverse and large data sources, making AI solutions more accessible, cost-effective, and easier to scale.
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Navigating the Paradox: Equality in Product Management

Thoughtworks | By Viorel Herinean

December 16, 2024

  • Navigating the Paradox: Equality in Product Management explores the complexities of achieving equality within product management teams.
  • It highlights how traditional product development processes often favor individual creativity and decision-making, potentially leading to biases and unequal opportunities for team members.
  • The paradox lies in balancing the need for autonomy with the necessity for inclusive decision-making, collaboration, and equal participation.
  • By acknowledging this tension, product managers can work towards creating a more equitable environment that values diverse perspectives, fosters open communication, and promotes collective growth and success.
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Affording a college degree: Is the cost curve bending?

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

  • The common idea about rising college costs in the US might be wrong - our latest research shows that over the past decade, the average cost of a four-year degree at a non-profit college actually increased only slightly more than the inflation rate.
  • When factoring in grant and scholarship aid, the out-of-pocket cost for students has been lower than the inflation rate.
  • This means that as a percentage of median household income, it's now cheaper for families to send their kids to college, with fewer students taking on debt and lower default rates on student loans.
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Unveiling the AI Architecture Powering 435 Million Monthly Knowledge Articles for Scalable Customer Support

Salesforce | By Scott Nyberg

December 18, 2024

Performance
AI
DevOps
Backend
  • Shreya Aggarwal and her team at Salesforce are working on AI-powered article recommendations to help customer support agents provide faster and more informed responses.
  • Their mission is to empower agents with AI-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.
  • They have developed a scalable AI platform that integrates predictive and generative AI models to optimize article recommendations.
  • The team has tackled technical challenges such as migrating from an older AI platform, restructuring data pipelines, maintaining service continuity, debugging schema mismatches, and improving real-time capabilities.
  • They have also implemented robust security measures to protect customer data and ensure transparency through feedback mechanisms.
  • By leveraging microservices-based architecture with asynchronous APIs, they have reduced latency by over 60% and improved fault tolerance, enabling the system to handle more than 435 million knowledge articles monthly while maintaining reliability even under high traffic demands.
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Quantum Error Correction Update 2024

Oreilly | By Sebastian Hassinger

December 17, 2024

Web
AI
Algorithms
  • Quantum computers are extremely difficult to build because they require qubits to operate at near absolute zero and maintain stability despite the universe's tendency to cause errors through vibrations and radiation.
  • Early quantum computers like Google's Sycamore system had no error correction capabilities, which limited their ability to perform complex tasks.
  • In 1995, physicist Peter Shor created the first error-correcting code for quantum computation, but it was still not sufficient for long-running computations.
  • Later, Alexei Kitaev proposed a method called the toric code that used a 2D lattice structure to encode qubits in a way that made errors easier to detect and correct.
  • Since then, researchers have developed various error correction techniques, including Shor's and Kitaev's codes, as well as new approaches like low-density parity checks (LDPC) and topological codes.
  • While these advancements have shown promise, it remains unclear which path will ultimately lead to fault-tolerant quantum computing.
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How we sped up Android and iOS builds by 50%.

Duolingo | By Aaron Wang

December 18, 2024

Mobile
Backend
  • A company improved their Android and iOS build times by optimizing their Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines.
  • They started by switching to new, faster machines for both systems, which significantly reduced build times - by 60% for iOS.
  • To further boost efficiency, they rearranged tasks in the pipeline to reduce bottlenecks, added caching to reuse code and avoid redundant compilations, and upgraded their toolchains, such as replacing an old Kotlin annotation processing tool with a faster one.
  • These changes resulted in Android builds being 40% faster (20% from task optimization and 30% from toolchain upgrades) and iOS builds being significantly quicker.
  • By making these improvements, the company created a better experience for their developers, allowing them to work more efficiently and effectively.
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How to Write User Stories for Beginners: Agile in Practice

freeCodeCamp | By Ben

December 16, 2024

  • User stories are a fundamental part of Agile software development and help connect engineers to the end goal of the software by focusing on what the user wants to achieve.
  • A good user story should be in plain English, easy to understand for both technical and non-technical people, and include three key elements: who is performing the action (type of user), what they are doing (perform action), and what outcome they expect (expected outcome).
  • The INVEST model helps validate if a user story is good by checking if it's independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small, and testable.
  • Common pitfalls include focusing on technical aspects, not involving stakeholders in the creation process, and writing vague stories that can be interpreted in multiple ways.
  • To create effective user stories, start small, involve multiple people with different expertise, and use acceptance criteria to clearly define what is expected from the implementation.
  • By following these principles and practicing regularly, you can improve your skills in creating user stories and deliver software that meets the needs of your users.
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Video & web ad support in Flutter

Flutter | By Zoey Fan

December 17, 2024

Web
  • The art of deep linking in Flutter allows developers to create links that take users directly to specific pages or features within their app, similar to how links work on websites.
  • To learn more about this feature, you can check out the official Flutter documentation and stay updated with the latest news by following the Flutter blog.
  • Additionally, a recent article published on Medium discusses video and web ad support in Flutter, which highlights its capabilities and encourages further conversation among developers.
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European deep tech: What investors and corporations need to know

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

Mobile
AI
Algorithms
  • The deep tech sector in Europe is experiencing rapid growth due to technological breakthroughs and societal demands, with investments in this area outperforming traditional tech sectors by a significant margin.
  • However, despite its potential, European corporations are still cautious investors, and around 60 percent of the region's top acquisitions have been made by non-European entities.
  • To capitalize on Europe's deep tech potential, investors should focus on engaging with broad deep tech ecosystems, adapting VC strategies to this sector, and building stronger partnerships between corporations and deep tech start-ups.
  • VCs need to develop expertise in the field, clarify their rationale and constraints, and build up an orchestration capability to effectively support deep tech companies' high initial investment costs and complex technical challenges.
  • By working together with a range of partners, including universities, governments, and other stakeholders, Europe can lead the field and create value for the region by leveraging its solid research foundation and unique strengths in this area.
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Economics Nobelist on causal inference

Amazon Science

December 16, 2024

AI
Backend
Data Science
  • Guido Imbens, a Nobel laureate and economics professor at Stanford University, gave a talk at Amazon's annual Machine Learning Conference about causal inference in machine learning.
  • Causal inference is figuring out how much of a change in outcomes over time can be attributed to a specific treatment or action.
  • Imbens discussed various methods for estimating the effect of treatments on different units, such as products or customers, using panel data which includes multiple measurements from each unit at discrete points in time.
  • He also proposed a new estimator called the doubly weighted causal panel (DWCP) estimator that outperformed existing estimators in most cases by incorporating the time dimension and limiting the influence of outliers in sparse datasets.
  • Additionally, Imbens talked about methods for estimating the variance of counterfactual estimators, which is important for understanding the reliability of an estimator's results.
  • He concluded that while progress has been made in this area, there is still more work to be done in terms of estimation and variance estimation, particularly in incorporating local flexibility into models and handling heteroskedasticity.
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Harnessing revenue growth management for sustainable success

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

AI
Robotics
  • Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies have traditionally relied on raising prices to drive sales growth during times of inflation, but this approach may no longer be effective as inflation decreases and consumers become more cautious about spending.
  • To achieve sustainable revenue growth, CPGs need to adopt a more nuanced approach that balances price increases with volume growth by leveraging four key levers: pricing, promotions, assortment, and trade investment.
  • Companies should aim for a balanced mix of price and volume-driven growth, taking into account the changing behavior of consumers who are trading down to private labels and cutting back on discretionary spending.
  • To achieve this balance, CPGs need to develop a deep understanding of their consumers' needs and behaviors, use advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to optimize pricing and promotions, and find new ways to engage with retailers to drive growth and profitability.
  • By adopting these strategies, companies can position themselves for success in the rapidly evolving market and achieve net-price realization above baseline inflation while boosting consumption at category-level rates.
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Ubuntu brings comprehensive support to Azure Cobalt 100 VMs

Canonical | By Jehudi (Jehudi)

December 17, 2024

Web
Mobile
Cloud
  • Ubuntu now supports Microsoft's Azure Cobalt 100 Virtual Machines (VMs) powered by Arm processors, allowing users to run various workloads such as application servers, machine learning platforms, open-source databases, and cloud-native applications on a robust foundation.
  • With over 95% of Ubuntu packages compatible with this architecture, developers can use their preferred tools and applications without any compromise.
  • Ubuntu Pro offers additional security features like 10 years of support and automatic FIPS 140 compliance to help organizations meet stringent security requirements.
  • This collaboration empowers developers to leverage the full potential of Arm architecture while benefiting from Ubuntu's extensive software ecosystem, making it easier for them to deploy on Azure Cobalt 100 VMs with confidence.
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NieR Perfect: GeForce NOW Loops Square Enix’s ‘NieR:Automata’ and ‘NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…’ Into the Cloud

Nvidia | By GeForce NOW Community

December 19, 2024

AI
Hardware
  • This week's GFN Thursday brings four new games to the GeForce NOW library of over 2,000 supported games.
  • Players can dive into Square Enix's action role-playing games NieR: Automata and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
  • for mind-bending adventures set in a post-apocalyptic future.
  • The free-to-play game Zenless Zone Zero from HoYoverse also joins the lineup, offering an adrenaline-packed adventure with fast-paced combat and character-driven storytelling.
  • Additionally, GeForce NOW members can explore GeForece Greats, a look back at the biggest moments of PC gaming, and participate in GeForce LAN Missions for a chance to win in-game rewards.
  • With these new additions and existing games, players can experience rich storytelling, intense combat, and open-world exploration without high-end hardware, all accessible through cloud streaming with a Performance or Ultimate membership.
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The McKinsey Crossword: Applied AI | No. 211

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

  • You can play a puzzle interactively or print it out on paper when you're ready to solve it.
  • You can also come back each Tuesday for a new challenge or sign up for email notifications to remind you when the next one is available.
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Bridging PhD Research and Industry Impact With Grammarly’s Applied Research Scientist Internship

Grammarly

December 17, 2024

  • Rich and his team created a new way to test how confident we are when comparing two language models by using random sampling.
  • They tested this method against existing data and found out that things like the size of the testing set can affect our confidence levels in evaluating these models.
  • Rich's research was presented at a big conference, and he credits his team's collaborative work style for their success.
  • He is now a full-time researcher at Grammarly, where they support ambitious projects with real-world impact, and they encourage others to apply for internships through their careers page.
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Welcoming Campsite’s Founders to the Notion Team

Notion | By Randy Hunt

December 20, 2024

  • Notion has welcomed two new team members, Brian Lovin and Ryan Nystrom from Campsite, to help build better tools for collaboration and communication.
  • Campsite started as a side project in 2022 to help design teams share work, give feedback, and keep track of projects.
  • The founders realized that poor communication and scattered tools were causing teams to miss important context, duplicate work, and lose focus on what's actually important.
  • They built Campsite as a single platform for team discussions, chats, video calls, and documentation, allowing people to easily switch between modes of communication and share ideas at the right time.
  • Notion shares similar goals, aiming to simplify collaboration and knowledge sharing, which is why joining forces felt natural.
  • With their combined expertise, Brian and Ryan are excited to work together on big ideas to change the way people communicate and work.
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Scaling AI Systems: Secrets for Managing 100,000 Training and Metadata Requests Per Minute

Salesforce | By Scott Nyberg

December 17, 2024

Performance
AI
Security
Backend
Data Science
  • Rama Raman, Director of Software Engineering at Salesforce, leads a team that's transforming scalable AI development by automating key processes in the machine learning lifecycle.
  • Their mission is to empower teams to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure management by building tools and services that streamline critical processes such as metadata management, version control and deployment, orchestration engine, and model store.
  • To address challenges like scaling services and handling high traffic volumes, they've introduced strategies like staggered deployment, database tuning, and optimized queries for the ML Versioning Service (MVS) and Orchestration service.
  • They also ensure consistent metadata alignment across systems using AI Metadata Service (AIMS), caching mechanisms, and schema validation tools.
  • To maintain data integrity and trust in services, especially in model storage, they've implemented stringent policies and security measures like role-based access controls, encryption, regular audits, and penetration tests.
  • By combining rigorous testing with proactive communication, they minimize the risk of regressions and ensure the reliability of their interconnected systems, allowing them to make updates confidently and efficiently.
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How to open the emoji keyboard on a Mac

Zapier | By Deb Tennen

December 18, 2024

Web
  • You can easily access and use emojis on your Mac with a few simple steps.
  • To open the emoji keyboard, press the globe icon key (usually shared with the "fn" key) or go to System Settings > Keyboard and make sure the globe icon is set to show emojis.
  • You can also use the keyboard shortcut control + command + space to access the character viewer.
  • To manually change a word into an emoji, hit the globe icon key + E and select the emoji from the options.
  • If you want to automatically replace certain words with emojis system-wide, go to System Settings > Keyboard and create a text replacement by typing the word in the "Replace" field and selecting the corresponding emoji from the keyboard.
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How to Build a Honeypot in Python: A Practical Guide to Security Deception

freeCodeCamp | By Chaitanya Rahalkar

December 19, 2024

DevOps
Backend
  • A honeypot is a decoy system designed to attract and detect potential attackers by mimicking real systems or services like FTP, SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS.
  • It's like setting up security cameras to understand who's trying to break into your building and how they're doing it.
  • To build a basic honeypot in Python, you need to initialize the core Honeypot class, implement network listeners, and handle incoming connections.
  • The honeypot logs connection attempts and basic attacker behavior, allowing you to analyze data collected from JSON log files to understand attack patterns, IP-based statistics, port targeting, and payload characteristics.
  • You can also write a simulator to simulate attacks on your honeypot and analyze the resulting data.
  • However, it's essential to deploy your honeypot in an isolated environment with minimal system privileges and implement robust monitoring mechanisms to detect attempts to break out of the honeypot environment.
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Highlights from Make with Notion Showcase EMEA

Notion | By Áine Dundas

December 17, 2024

AI
  • Notion hosted its first in-person conference series, Make with Notion Showcase, in Berlin, Paris, and London, bringing together hundreds of attendees from diverse communities to share moments of inspiration and connection.
  • The events featured keynote speakers, including Notion's co-founder and CEO Ivan Zhao, who announced the company will establish data residency in Europe starting spring 2025.
  • Twenty-five customers took the stage to showcase their innovative use of Notion, demonstrating how they've successfully implemented new technologies across their organizations, improved efficiency, and enhanced collaboration.
  • The conference also celebrated customer success stories, recognized outstanding achievements, and highlighted the challenges businesses face with "software sprawl" – using too many tools that hinder productivity.
  • The event also emphasized the growth of young professionals in the Notion community, who are shaping the future of work and collaboration.
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Digital logistics: Into the express lane?

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

AI
Backend
Algorithms
  • Logistics companies are rapidly adopting digital technologies to improve their operations, with most expecting to implement at least ten additional digital use cases over the next three years.
  • Despite challenges such as data quality issues and change management difficulties, companies are generally satisfied with their digital investments and believe they have added value to their organizations.
  • However, smaller companies often lag behind larger ones in digital adoption due to resource constraints and a more cautious approach to investment.
  • To successfully implement digital technologies, companies should consider a holistic approach that includes assessing current logistics performance, upgrading data infrastructure, and addressing people and process challenges.
  • This involves redesigning workflows and operating models, systematically upgrading skills, and developing a pipeline of talent with expertise in AI and machine learning technologies.
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AWS Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02) Certification Course

freeCodeCamp | By Beau Carnes

December 19, 2024

Cloud
Network
  • The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification is a highly respected credential that validates advanced skills in designing and deploying complex solutions on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
  • To earn this certification, you'll need to pass the SAP-C02 exam, which requires at least two years of hands-on experience with cloud architecture on AWS.
  • The course provided by freeCodeCamp.org covers everything you need to know, including AWS services like storage, compute, networking, databases, security, and application integration.
  • With expert instruction, practical knowledge, and detailed coverage of the exam's key domains, this comprehensive content will equip you with the skills to design robust, scalable, and secure architectures on AWS, ultimately advancing your career as a senior cloud architect or opening doors to higher-level positions.
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The 12 best AI marketing tools in 2025

Zapier | By Juliet John

December 17, 2024

AI
  • AI has become a crucial tool in marketing to help with tasks such as generating leads, converting customers, researching ideas, editing content, and analyzing data.
  • If you're a marketer, using AI can give you a competitive edge, but it's essential to explore different tools to find what works best for you.
  • There are many AI-powered apps available that can assist with various marketing tasks, including email management, productivity, meeting organization, project management, presentation creation, website design, sales outreach, and content detection.
  • By incorporating these tools into your workflow, you can become more efficient and effective in your marketing efforts, making it difficult to go back to traditional methods once you see the benefits of using AI.
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5 ways to automate Pardot with Zapier

Zapier | By Juliet John

December 18, 2024

  • Marketing automation tools like Pardot help make lead generation and management easier by automating tasks such as lead data transfers, tracking form submissions, and sending updates across sales and marketing teams.
  • However, these tasks often involve multiple apps, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors if done manually.
  • Zapier's automated workflows, called Zaps, allow users to connect Pardot with other business-critical apps they use every day.
  • This enables the creation of powerful workflows that deliver smoother and smarter campaigns.
  • With Zapier, you can automatically log new leads from ads, add leads from contact forms to Pardot, integrate Pardot with spreadsheets, send notifications from Pardot, or even connect Pardot using webhooks if needed.
  • By automating these tasks, marketing and sales teams can stay aligned, no opportunities are missed, and processes run smoothly, freeing up time for more strategic initiatives.
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Learn Game Development with JavaScript and Kaplay

freeCodeCamp | By Beau Carnes

December 19, 2024

Web
AI
  • If you want to create your own games and don't know where to start, this JavaScript crash course on freeCodeCamp.org's YouTube channel is perfect for beginners.
  • The course teaches you how to code in JavaScript from scratch and use the Kaplay library to make game development easier and more fun.
  • You'll learn about JavaScript fundamentals, setting up a development environment, exporting and deploying your games, and using the Kaplay library to create game components like sprites, areas, and text elements.
  • Throughout the course, you'll work on hands-on projects and build real games that you can share online, giving you practical experience and confidence to explore more advanced game development techniques.
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Time to think big to close America’s small business productivity gap

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

DevOps
  • Small businesses in America are not as productive as they should be compared to larger companies, especially in sectors like mining and transportation, which have a significant gap in productivity.
  • This disparity can be attributed to differences in access to technology, human capital, market access, and finance.
  • However, research suggests that by fostering mutually beneficial relationships between large and small businesses, both parties can thrive.
  • Large companies can help smaller ones acquire necessary competencies while small companies can provide innovation and flexibility for larger firms.
  • Collaborative supply chain relationships, vibrant business clusters, sector-wide infrastructure, and greater collaboration among MSMEs can all contribute to boosting productivity and driving economic growth in the country.
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Training Developers on GenAI: Best Practices and Common Missteps

Hackerrank | By Ryan Loftus

December 17, 2024

AI
Coding
  • Training developers to use generative AI (GenAI) tools effectively is crucial for companies to stay competitive in today's tech landscape.
  • To do this, organizations should invest in proper training that equips developers with the necessary skills and knowledge to harness GenAI tools confidently.
  • This can be achieved by offering hands-on workshops, curated online courses, and identifying "AI champions" who can lead knowledge-sharing sessions and encourage broader adoption.
  • Companies should also focus on practical skills, ethical considerations, and real-world applications in their training programs, including gamification, role-based learning, certification programs with real-world impact, promoting collaboration, and leveraging metrics to refine training programs.
  • By adopting these best practices and avoiding common pitfalls such as overrelying on independent learning or focusing only on generic use cases, companies can empower their developers, drive innovation, and secure their position at the forefront of the AI revolution.
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How to get started on open-source development

Mozilla | By Angela Lungati

December 17, 2024

  • Open-source technology isn't just about building software, but also about working together to create solutions and sharing them freely with others so they can use and adapt them as needed.
  • This approach makes it easier for people in different situations to access and customize these solutions, rather than having a one-size-fits-all approach.
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How to Use Tailwind CSS Grid

Refine.dev

December 18, 2024

Web
  • Tailwind's CSS Grid classes are perfect for complex two-dimensional layouts and allow you to set rows and columns explicitly while making your layout responsive by resetting them at larger breakpoints.
  • You can easily control spacing between grid items with the gap-{size} class and customize the number of columns available within the Tailwind Grid in your tailwind.config.js file, giving you a lot of flexibility to build fluid and responsive layouts according to your needs.
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Bun v1.1.39

Bun

December 17, 2024

Web
  • Bun has released several bug fixes to improve its stability and functionality.
  • Some of these fixes include solving issues with the debugger being unstable in VSCode, crashes that occurred when handling POSIX signals or registering signal handlers, and file descriptor leaks that could happen when spawning processes on other threads in older versions of Linux.
  • Additionally, Bun now correctly handles redirects with "Connection: close" during fetch() operations and doesn't crash when running bun install on workspaces with invalid package.json files.
  • Furthermore, crashes related to plugins used in Bun.build(), issues caused by a large number of comments in TypeScript files, and problems with auth configurations in the global .npmrc have been fixed, thanks to contributions from over 20 developers.
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How we think about Threads’ iOS performance

Facebook

December 18, 2024

Performance
Mobile
DevOps
Backend
  • The team behind the Threads app wanted to improve its performance and make it faster for users.
  • They started by testing a new technology called GraphQL, which helps reduce data transferred over the network, and compared its speed with the existing REST code.
  • The test showed that GraphQL was almost as fast as the old code, so they decided to use it for all new endpoints.
  • Meanwhile, they also worked on improving the posting experience by introducing features like Drafts, which allows users to save their posts even if there's a network issue, and reducing perceived latency of text posts by notifying the client when a posting request is received.
  • They also migrated some code to Swift, a programming language that helps prevent errors and make the app more stable.
  • As Threads continues to grow, the team will keep monitoring its performance metrics and update the code to ensure a smooth user experience.
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Bun v1.1.41

Bun

December 20, 2024

Web
Algorithms
  • Bun, a JavaScript package manager and compiler, has made significant updates to fix various issues.
  • These fixes include resolving potential infinite loops during installation with disabled optional dependencies, handling unresolvable dependencies edge cases, preventing crashes when using specific build conditions, improving styling capabilities by supporting color arrays in string formatting, reducing unnecessary memory usage by disabling inline sourcemaps in some scenarios, and enhancing CommonJS module loading to prevent theoretical crashes.
  • Additionally, Bun now supports importing namespaces and default imports for macros, making it more versatile and user-friendly.
  • These updates were made possible through the efforts of multiple contributors who helped identify and fix these issues, further improving Bun's reliability and functionality.
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AI’s in Style: Ulta Beauty Helps Shoppers Virtually Try New Hairstyles

Nvidia | By Isha Salian

December 19, 2024

Web
AI
  • Ulta Beauty has developed an AI-powered app called GLAMlab Hair Try On that lets users try out different hairstyles and colors virtually using their selfies or photos.
  • The app uses a powerful generative AI model called StyleGAN2 to create highly realistic previews of desired hairstyles in just seconds, making it easy for customers to experiment with new looks before committing to a physical change.
  • This technology is available on Ulta Beauty's website and mobile app, and has been found to increase sales as users are more likely to purchase products after trying them out virtually.
  • The company plans to expand this feature to other hair categories like wigs and even connect it to in-store styling services, allowing customers to get a better idea of how they would look with different styles without needing to physically try them on.
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Unwrap some Semantic Kernel (Power)Toys this holiday season

Microsoft Devblogs | By Shawn Henry

December 20, 2024

AI
  • Windows PowerToys has just gotten a major upgrade with its new feature called "Paste with Advanced AI" which uses artificial intelligence to make your clipboard work much smarter and faster.
  • With this tool, you can do things like summarize long texts, translate languages, generate code, and even transform text into different styles or formats.
  • It also lets you chain actions together for more complex workflows, so you can turn handwritten notes into bullet points, translate and format resumes, or even prepare data for analysis.
  • To get started, you'll need to install PowerToys from the official website, set up your OpenAI API key, and then access the feature through the clipboard menu - it's like having a personal assistant right at your fingertips!.
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How to create a custom AI chatbot with Zapier Chatbots

Zapier | By Elena Alston

December 16, 2024

Web
AI
DevOps
Security
Backend
Robotics
  • Zapier Chatbots is a tool that helps you create custom AI chatbots to automate repetitive tasks and improve customer engagement without requiring any coding skills.
  • To get started, you first set up your chatbot basics by giving it a name and creating a directive that outlines its purpose, tone, and style.
  • Next, you add knowledge sources such as PDFs, websites, or tables to provide the chatbot with information to answer user queries.
  • You can then customize the chatbot's responses, add logic to collect lead information, create Zaps to automate workflows, and even integrate your chatbot with other apps like Slack or Facebook Messenger.
  • Once you've set up your chatbot, you can test it, share it with others, and embed it on a website using Zapier Interfaces.
  • By following these steps, you can create a custom chatbot that helps streamline processes, improve customer support, and enhance team communication, all without requiring any technical expertise.
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W3C seeking community input for TAG appointment

W3C | By Yves Lafon, W3C Team contact for the TAG, Coralie Mercier, Head of W3C Communications

December 17, 2024

Web
  • Being part of the TAG team involves being impartial and making decisions for the benefit of the entire Web community, rather than just one group or company.
  • As a member, you'll participate in weekly phone calls, attend 3-4 face-to-face meetings per year, engage in online discussions through an email list, and also join Advisory Committee meetings twice a year to contribute to the betterment of the web.
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Kubernetes 1.32 is now available on GKE

Google Open Source | By Open Source Programs Office (noreply@blogger.com)

December 20, 2024

Performance
  • Kubernetes 1.32 has been released in the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Rapid Channel and it consists of 44 enhancements.
  • Some key features include Dynamic Resource Allocation, which allows for more efficient use of devices such as GPUs, and has graduated to beta; Support for recovery from volume expansion failure, which enables users to edit a PVC that is stuck due to an invalid resize operation and request a smaller size to unblock it, also graduated to beta.
  • Additionally, the Streaming Lists operation has been enabled by default, improving kube-apiserver stability and resource usage, and support for the Job API managed-by mechanism has been added, enabling integration with external controllers like MultiKueue.
  • Other improvements include better scheduling performance through the Kubernetes Queueing Hint feature.
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Is there a way to split the git history of a file or combine the histories of two files without a merge commit?

Microsoft Devblogs | By Raymond Chen

December 18, 2024

Coding
Algorithms
  • When you want to combine two files or split one into two while keeping their line history in git, it's usually done with merge commits.
  • However, if your team prefers to squash or rebase all commits, this can't be done without using merge commits because these techniques create a straight-line history instead of a Y-shaped history which is necessary for merging or splitting files.
  • Git tracks file history by looking at where the same file was in its parent commit and deciding whether it was modified, moved, deleted, or created; if you squash or rebase your commits, this ability to track nonlinear history is lost.
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Google Season of Docs announces results of 2024 program

Google Open Source | By Open Source Programs Office (noreply@blogger.com)

December 18, 2024

  • The Season of Docs projects addressed various challenges in cloud infrastructure, programming languages, and science and medicine by improving project documentation, onboarding processes, and communication channels.
  • Through these efforts, participants learned valuable lessons that can help other open source organizations, including the importance of investing time in a project's infrastructure and being flexible when setting goals.
  • The experience also led to identifying areas for improvement in project design and features, ultimately resulting in better documentation workflows and more refined project sites.
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A different take on AI safety: A research agenda from the Columbia Convening on AI openness and safety

Mozilla | By Ayah Bdeir, Camille François and Ludovic Peran

December 19, 2024

AI
  • Mozilla and Columbia University's Institute of Global Politics held a meeting called the Columbia Convening on AI Openness and Safety in San Francisco on November 19, 2024.
  • This event was part of preparations for another bigger conference called the AI Action Summit, which will take place in France in February 2025.
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The best invoicing software in 2025

Zapier | By Miguel Rebelo

December 16, 2024

  • If you're tired of using word processing templates to create invoices, it's time to upgrade with invoice management software.
  • These apps have free plans or trials that let you test their features and find one that fits your needs.
  • With automated invoicing, you can focus on growing your business while keeping track of payments in a consistent and organized way.
  • By choosing the right app for you, you can streamline your invoicing process, make it easier for clients to pay you, and take your work forward faster.
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Welcome the Falcon 3 Family of Open Models!

HuggingFace

December 17, 2024

Performance
AI
Hardware
  • Falcon3 is a family of open-source large language models developed by Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, designed to improve performance and training efficiency.
  • The Falcon3 family includes five base models with various sizes ranging from 1 billion to 10 billion parameters, each with enhanced capabilities in scientific domains, reasoning, and general knowledge.
  • These models support up to 32k tokens of context length, have improved math and coding capabilities, and demonstrate strong performances on various benchmarks such as math-focused tasks, programming-related tasks, and reasoning challenges.
  • The Falcon3 family is released under an open-source license, allowing the AI community to use them for research, application development, and further experimentation, with future releases planned to feature enhanced multi-modal capabilities including image, video, and audio support.
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5 ways to automate Jira Software Cloud with Zapier

Zapier | By Will Harris

December 20, 2024

DevOps
  • Jira Software is a powerful tool for teams to manage projects and workflows, but it can be overwhelming to stay on top of requests and issues.
  • To make Jira more efficient, you can automate tasks using Zapier, which connects with thousands of apps from partners like Google and Microsoft.
  • With Zapier, you can create automated workflows or "Zaps" that automatically create Jira issues from forms, spreadsheets, team chat channels, and email inboxes, send notifications to team members about new issues, track Jira issues across other project management tools, automate tasks within Jira itself, and connect Jira with almost any other app.
  • This way, you can free yourself up from administrative work and focus on the important tasks that matter, making your projects more productive and efficient.
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Green-steel hubs: A pathway to decarbonize the steel industry

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

  • The steel industry is responsible for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and needs to be decarbonized.
  • While some companies have started their decarbonization journeys by exploring technologies such as green energy and carbon capture, much progress remains to be made.
  • One successful strategy could be establishing new "green-steel hubs" in locations with favorable access to low-cost energy and the right metallics feedstock, which would help accelerate the industry's transition from highly emissive to green steel production.
  • These hubs would require a solid sales and go-to-market strategy, as well as partnerships with multiple stakeholders such as mining companies, energy providers, investors, equipment manufacturers, governments, and logistics companies, all working together to create an integrated business case for green-steel production.
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Introducing the Synthetic Data Generator - Build Datasets with Natural Language

HuggingFace

December 16, 2024

AI
Backend
Data Science
Hardware
  • The Synthetic Data Generator is a user-friendly tool that helps create custom datasets with Large Language Models (LLMs) using a simple three-step process: describe your dataset, configure and refine it, and generate and push it.
  • The tool supports text classification and chat datasets, which can be generated in minutes without any coding knowledge, and allows users to explore and evaluate the synthetic data through powerful features like semantic search and composable filters.
  • Additionally, the tool offers advanced features such as improving speed and accuracy by customizing deployment parameters or models, and local deployment options, including hosting on Hugging Face Spaces or GitHub.
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What is voice intelligence and how does it work?

Assembly AI | By Jesse Sumrak

December 19, 2024

AI
DevOps
Backend
  • Voice intelligence combines AI and machine learning to analyze spoken conversations, turning voice data into actionable insights for businesses.
  • It goes beyond basic transcription by understanding context, sentiment, and meaning, helping companies identify customer needs, sales opportunities, and operational efficiency.
  • Voice intelligence can be used in various industries such as sales, healthcare, finance, education, and law, enabling automated analysis of customer interactions, improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and providing real-time decision support.
  • By implementing voice intelligence solutions, businesses can scale human capabilities through automation, surface insights that would be impossible to find manually, and improve operational efficiency while reducing costs.
  • To get started with voice intelligence, define specific business objectives and use cases, audit current voice data infrastructure, evaluate and select providers, choose a technical approach, start with a pilot project, integrate and test the solution, scale gradually, optimize and iterate, and measure and communicate results.
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Česká spořitelna: How GenAI is Transforming Call Centers in the Financial Services Industry

Databricks

December 18, 2024

AI
  • Czech savings bank Česká spořitelna collaborated with a company called DataSentics to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in their business.
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5 GitLab Premium features to help your team scale

Gitlab | By Julie Griffin

December 18, 2024

  • GitLab Premium offers features to help teams work efficiently and effectively by providing more control over code reviews and merge requests, allowing for automated merging of multiple changes in a controlled sequence with Merge Trains, and giving visibility into pipeline graphs.
  • It also enhances security and compliance controls through stricter access controls, multiple approvers, and audit events to track changes, ensuring that only secure and compliant code is released.
  • Additionally, it provides support services such as priority support, tiered response times, and upgrade assistance to minimize downtime and delays, allowing teams to build today and scale for tomorrow with the tools needed across the software development lifecycle.
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How To Run Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium, Large and Turbo on AMD Radeon™ Graphics Cards and Ryzen™ AI

AMD | By AMD_AI

December 19, 2024

AI
Backend
  • To run Stable Diffusion 3.5 on AMD Radeon or Ryzen AI hardware, you need to download and install Amuse software from their website.
  • After installation, switch to "Advanced" mode in Amuse and search for the "Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large Turbo" model in the Model Manager.
  • If your system has insufficient memory, select "Minimum Memory Mode".
  • Then, go to the Image Generation tab, choose the downloaded model, and input a prompt to generate an image.
  • Note that this process requires AMD Radeon 7900 XT or above for optimal performance, and Amuse is still in beta release with potential bugs and unstable behavior.
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What does the future hold for real-time payments?

Stripe

December 18, 2024

  • Real-time payments (RTPs) have been growing rapidly over the past decade but still haven't fully replaced traditional payment methods like credit cards in big markets such as the US and UK.
  • For RTPs to truly become a global payment method, two main questions need to be answered: will major markets adopt consumer-friendly RTPs, and can RTPs expand globally beyond their domestic reach? If successful, RTPs could potentially rival card networks in scale and reach, but if not, they may remain mainly domestic or regional solutions.
  • Currently, governments and businesses are still figuring out how to make RTPs work globally, with different approaches such as regional expansion, bilateral agreements between RTPs, and interoperability between payment methods being explored.
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Announcing Flutter AI Toolkit

Flutter | By Amanda Fitch

December 17, 2024

AI
  • The Flutter AI Toolkit is a collection of ready-to-use AI chat widgets that makes it easy to integrate AI-powered chat experiences into your Flutter app.
  • With this toolkit, you can create sophisticated chat windows with features like multi-turn conversation, rich text display, voice input, multimedia attachments, and custom styling.
  • It also supports cross-platform deployment on iOS, Android, web, and macOS, and allows pluggable LLMs (Large Language Models) for easy integration with various AI providers.
  • The toolkit comes with a sample project, documentation, and interactive demo to get you started, making it perfect for boosting customer engagement and satisfaction in your app.
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使用 Dependabot 管理 .NET SDK 更新

Microsoft Devblogs | By Eddie Chen

December 20, 2024

  • Dependabot 是一个工具，可以帮助你保持 .NET SDK 版本最新，以确保安全和高效的应用程序。通过配置 Dependabot， 你可以在 global.json 文件中自动更新 .NET SDK 版本，包括修复已知漏洞、错误和性能改进，以及提供新的开发工具和功能。要配置 Dependabot，可以在 global.json 文件中添加 schedule 部分来设置更新频率，如每周检查一次，或者 ignore 部分来忽略主要和次要版本更新，只关注安全补丁。Dependabot 还可以管理 NuGet 包依赖项，使你轻松保持包的更新。.
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How to uninstall a WordPress plugin (completely)

Zapier | By David Hartshorne

December 20, 2024

  • To clean up your WordPress site, go to the settings and look for unwanted tags to remove.
  • Next, find unused shortcodes by selecting the "Find unused shortcodes" tab, which will search through posts and pages to locate them.
  • Removing these unused shortcodes can help declutter your site.
  • Additionally, when uninstalling a plugin, it's essential to completely delete all associated files, folders, database tables, and shortcodes to keep your site organized.
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Protecting public funds: The fight against government fraud

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

  • A recent report by the US Government Accountability Office found that the federal government loses around $233 billion to $521 billion annually due to fraud, which is about 3-7% of its total obligations.
  • This loss can be as high as double-digit percentages for certain programs like tax refunds and unemployment insurance before measures are taken to stop it.
  • If this problem were solved, the savings could cover the annual Social Security deficit and fund other important departments like Homeland Security and Commerce, while also covering most food assistance programs.
  • The article aims to explore why fraud persists in the government and how agencies, lawmakers, and the public can work together to combat it effectively.
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How to Hack the Base!

Supabase

December 20, 2024

Web
Cloud
DevOps
  • A group of hackers participated in a challenge called "hack-the-base" where they had to find hidden flags on a website and database by using various techniques such as inspecting HTML code, querying DNS records, exploiting client-side validation, and using tools like cURL and Burp Suite.
  • The hackers were able to find nine flags in total by following clues and tips provided throughout the challenge, including searching the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine for past versions of the website and setting up an EC2 instance on AWS to connect to a restricted database.
  • Along the way, they encountered various obstacles and rate limits, but eventually collected all the flags and completed the challenge.
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Research Focus: Week of December 16, 2024

Microsoft Research | By Brenda Potts

December 18, 2024

Performance
AI
Coding
  • Scientists and researchers from Microsoft have been working on various projects to improve technology and make it more efficient.
  • One project, called NeoMem, helps computers run faster by monitoring memory usage and promoting important tasks.
  • Another project, called Chimera, uses artificial intelligence to predict chemical reactions with high accuracy.
  • Researchers are also exploring ways to prevent malicious code from being executed by AI-assisted coding tools.
  • Additionally, they're developing a system that allows people to prove they're not bots online without sharing personal information.
  • Furthermore, Microsoft has created new approaches to building industrial foundation models that can handle numeric and structured data, and even launched a more efficient artificial intelligence model called Phi-4.
  • These projects aim to address various challenges in computing, from speeding up memory usage to improving AI's ability to perform complex tasks and ensuring online security.
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Databricks at NRF 2025: The future of retail runs on the Data Intelligence Platform

Databricks

December 17, 2024

  • A meeting has been scheduled with Databricks at NRF 2025 (National Retail Federation conference in 2025), which will be held in January of that year.
  • The retail industry is getting ready for a significant event, and this meeting seems to be part of its preparations.
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Improving Search Ranking for Maps

Airbnb | By Malay Haldar

December 18, 2024

Algorithms
  • Researchers experimented with improving search rankings for Airbnb listings on maps, resulting in a 0.27% increase in uncancelled bookings and a 1.5% reduction in map usage by guests.
  • They found that users interact differently with maps than they do with list items, so creating an algorithm to better model this behavior improved the user experience.
  • However, there's still an unsolved challenge: figuring out how to show all available listings on the map effectively, which is a topic for future research.
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How to build a LiveKit app with real-time Speech-to-Text

Assembly AI | By Ryan O'Connor

December 18, 2024

AI
DevOps
Backend
  • To build a LiveKit application with real-time Speech-to-Text, you'll need three components: a LiveKit Server, a frontend app where end-users interact, and an AI Agent that transcribes audio streams in real-time.
  • First, set up a LiveKit Server by creating an account on livekit.io, choosing a plan, and copying the server URL and API key.
  • Next, create a new Python file called stt_agent.py to build the agent, which connects to the LiveKit room, automatically subscribes to audio tracks, and transcribes them using AssemblyAI's Speech-to-Text service in real-time.
  • The agent uses two inner functions to handle audio input and transcription output in parallel, pushing audio frames to the speech-to-text stream and receiving transcription events from the stream.
  • Finally, define the main loop of the agent, which connects to the LiveKit room and runs the entrypoint function.
  • With this setup, you can use the agent to transcribe audio streams in real-time and display the transcripts on your app's UI.
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Ethical Web Principles: Building a better web

W3C | By Daniel Appelquist, TAG co-chair

December 16, 2024

Web
  • The web has both connected people and caused harm, making it essential to consider ethics in our design choices.
  • The W3C's Ethical Web Principles are a set of guidelines that aim to prevent harm and promote a better web experience for everyone.
  • While just publishing these principles is not enough, the W3C uses rigorous review processes like wide review and design review to ensure they're implemented effectively and translate into real-world impact.
  • These processes involve sharing work with others, getting feedback, and revising it according to core values like privacy, security, and accessibility.
  • By embedding these principles in our work, we can create a web that respects human rights and promotes the well-being of individuals, and everyone can contribute by following these guidelines when designing web products and services, and getting involved in shaping web standards.
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How to make a Gantt chart in Google Sheets

Zapier | By Tyler Robertson

December 17, 2024

  • Google Sheets has a hidden feature called the timeline view or Gantt chart that allows you to visualize your project's timeline, tasks, and dependencies in a more organized way.
  • To make a Gantt chart, first enter your spreadsheet data, including at least one date column, then click "Insert" > "Timeline".
  • You can customize the settings by selecting which columns to display, changing card colors, and grouping cards based on specific columns.
  • Google Sheets' Gantt chart is useful for project managers, to-do lists, and dashboards, but it has limitations such as missing standard Gantt chart elements and scalability issues with complex projects.
  • However, using a Gantt chart in Google Sheets can be beneficial due to its integration with other apps, ability to create dynamic data, and being a familiar tool for teams already using Google products.
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LangChain State of AI 2024 Report

Langchain | By LangChain

December 19, 2024

Web
Performance
AI
DevOps
Backend
Coding
Algorithms
  • As we look back at 2024, we've seen significant advancements in building with Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Nearly 30k users signed up for LangSmith every month, and analysis of their usage patterns reveals key trends.
  • Open-source model adoption has risen dramatically, and multi-step AI agent applications have become more popular, with 43% of LangSmith organizations using the controllable agent framework, LangGraph.
  • Developers are also becoming more efficient in their use of LLM resources, handling complex tasks with fewer calls to these models.
  • To ensure high-quality outputs, they're implementing evaluation capabilities and incorporating human feedback into their iteration loop.
  • This growth in complexity, efficiency, and quality checks signals a maturing ecosystem of innovation in the field of LLM development.
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PromptWizard: The future of prompt optimization through feedback-driven self-evolving prompts

Microsoft Research | By Brenda Potts

December 17, 2024

  • PromptWizard is a tool that helps make it easier to create good prompts for AI models by automating and streamlining the process of prompt optimization.
  • It uses a feedback loop where the AI model generates, critiques, and refines its own prompts and examples in tandem, which ensures continuous improvement and highly effective results within minutes.
  • This approach combines iterative refinement of task instructions with joint optimization of instructions and examples, allowing PromptWizard to adapt to various tasks such as solving math problems or generating creative content.
  • It has been rigorously tested on over 45 tasks and consistently outperformed other methods in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability, making it a useful tool for researchers and organizations looking to enhance model performance and streamline workflows.
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NeurIPS 2024: The co-evolution of AI and systems with Lidong Zhou

Microsoft Research | By Brenda Potts

December 17, 2024

AI
  • The article discusses NeurIPS 2024, where researcher Lidong Zhou explored the connection between AI and systems, highlighting how they evolve together.
  • The event showcases advancements in artificial intelligence and its impact on various systems, indicating a continuous co-evolution between the two fields.
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The Baseline Team and Forward-Deployed Infrastructure Engineering at Palantir

Palantir

December 16, 2024

Cloud
AI
DevOps
Backend
Coding
Algorithms
  • At Palantir, the Forward Deployed Infrastructure Engineering team, also known as the Baseline team, works to ensure seamless operations and fleet support across various cloud providers, on-premises hardware, and commercial and government networks.
  • The team aims to reduce complexity by centralizing environment builds, product installations, and infrastructure projects, allowing customers' missions to be achieved without worrying about infrastructure and software.
  • By working with Product Development teams, the Baseline team partners to provide first-line support for remote environments, establishes best practices through clear monitoring systems, and engineers solutions for limited access areas.
  • They also tackle infrastructure projects that enable customer outcomes on a shorter time scale than what Product Development teams can support, such as developing novel solutions like Palantir's Binary Transfer Service and stack build automation.
  • The Baseline team thrives on overcoming challenges and pioneering solutions to extend Palantir's capabilities to new frontiers, making them dedicated to engineering the future.
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Databricks Ventures Invests in Twelve Labs to Bring Video Intelligence to the Data Intelligence Platform

Databricks

December 16, 2024

  • Nearly 80% of the world's data is in video format, but it has been hard to search and make sense of this information because computers have trouble understanding videos.
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Replaying a full year of The McKinsey Podcast—in just ten minutes

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

AI
  • The McKinsey Podcast revisits key discussions from the past year on topics such as technology, talent, and decarbonization.
  • Senior partners from McKinsey share their perspectives on what has mattered most to CEOs and C-suite leaders in the past 12 months.
  • They discuss how business must adapt to changing consumer priorities, leverage AI responsibly, and scale digital innovation across all processes.
  • The podcast also explores the importance of building new muscles to compete differently, getting back to basics with human breakthroughs, and focusing on talent development, diversity, and inclusion.
  • Additionally, McKinsey partners recommend books that can help leaders navigate the future, including "The Singularity Is Nearer" by Ray Kurzweil, "Tribal Leadership" by David Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright, and "Lifespan: Why We Age–and Why We Don’t Have To" by David Sinclair.
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7 ways to integrate Google Calendar with your business apps

Zapier | By Krystina Martinez

December 19, 2024

AI
  • To manage your busy schedule and focus on growing your business, you can use Zapier to automate your Google Calendar.
  • By creating automated workflows called Zaps, you can sync events across multiple calendars, set up notifications for new events, create follow-up tasks, and more.
  • With just a few minutes of setup, you can cross-post between calendars, get meeting reminders, prepare for upcoming events, manage appointments and video calls, create events from tasks, set Slack statuses during calendar meetings, and use webhooks with Google Calendar to integrate other apps that don't have direct integrations.
  • This way, you'll save time and stay on top of your schedule, allowing you to focus on what matters most - running your business.
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How to Automate Branch-Specific Netlify Configurations with a Bash Script: A Step-by-Step Guide

freeCodeCamp | By Francis Ihejirika

December 16, 2024

Web
Backend
Coding
  • When working on multiple environments for your project, such as staging and production, you'll need to ensure each branch has its correct configuration and commands.
  • This can be challenging, especially with multiple developers contributing to the codebase.
  • To simplify this process, a bash script can be created to automatically generate or update the netlify.toml file in each branch based on environment variables.
  • The script checks for API_BASE_URL and creates or updates the netlify.toml file accordingly, ensuring that the correct configuration is used at build time.
  • By following these steps, you can deploy your project to Netlify with different configurations for each environment, making it easier to manage multiple branches and ensure a smooth deployment process.
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Building a Dialog for Reddit Web

Reddit | By /u/sassyshalimar

December 16, 2024

Web
  • The author, Parker Pierpont, is a Senior Engineer on Reddit's UI Platform Team who worked on redesigning the dialog component for Reddit Web to improve its functionality and make it more accessible.
  • The original dialog had several issues such as z-index problems, difficulty in styling, and focus-trapping issues that made it hard to use.
  • To fix these problems, the team created a new dialog component that mimics the native dialog specification introduced by most browsers, which includes features like being able to overlay everything else on the page, making the rest of the page inert, and trapping focus within its contents.
  • The new dialog was built using Lit, a library for building components with Web Components standards, and included a mixin called "WithPortal" that allows content to be rendered into a "portaled" container at the bottom of the HTML document.
  • This design enabled the team to easily switch to use the native dialog once it's available in all supported browsers and provided a foundational building block for other components like modals, bottom sheets, toasts, and alerts used across Reddit Web.
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Asia-Pacific consumer sentiment: A mix of growth and challenges

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

  • Consumer sentiment in Asia-Pacific (APAC) varies across different countries and age groups.
  • In Australia, there's a surge of optimism due to increased government support and advancements in science, leading to higher spending intentions across all income groups.
  • In China, younger generations are driving optimism, while older consumers remain pessimistic; however, overall sentiment remains below pre-2022 levels.
  • India exhibits robust confidence, with a broad willingness to invest across essential and discretionary categories, but female sentiment has dropped by 8%.
  • Japan's consumer behavior is relatively stable, with a growing preference for omnichannel shopping, particularly in vehicle purchases and skincare.
  • South Korea's steady sentiment suggests a resilient consumer base adapting to new shopping behaviors and economic conditions.
  • Overall, APAC consumers are getting 'phygital,' using multiple channels for shopping, and are willing to spend more in select categories despite economic uncertainty; however, they're also actively adapting their shopping habits by switching brands and retailers in search of better value.
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Understanding the State of Open Source Funding in 2024

Linux Foundation | By Hilary Carter and Martin Woodward

December 18, 2024

DevOps
  • A recent study by GitHub and Linux Foundation found that organizations around the world invest heavily in open source software (OSS) with an estimated $7.7 billion annually, mostly through employee contributions rather than direct financial support.
  • However, the study also revealed that many organizations struggle to track and report their OSS investments due to a lack of clear policies and centralized systems for monitoring contributions.
  • The researchers recommend implementing policies to encourage employees to self-report their contributions, consolidating open source work under an Open Source Program Office (OSPO), and incorporating contribution monitoring into the organization's pipeline to improve data capture and transparency in OSS funding.
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Author Talks: Turning uncertainty into opportunity

Mckinsey

December 20, 2024

  • To access more information or get started, you need to scan a QR code with your smartphone's camera, which will then direct you to download an app where you can read further about it.
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Embedding models and dimensions: optimizing the performance to resource-usage ratio

Microsoft Devblogs | By Davide Mauri

December 17, 2024

Database
Cloud
AI
Hardware
  • Azure SQL and SQL Server users are often asked how to handle high-dimensional data with more than 2000 dimensions per vector, but currently, the vector type only supports up to 1998 dimensions.
  • However, a workaround exists where you can shorten embeddings without losing their concept-representing properties by passing the 'dimensions' API parameter in your payload, as shown in this sample code in T-SQL, and set the desired dimension count, for example, setting it to 1024 which seems to be a sweet spot for some embedding models.
  • This approach allows you to still achieve good performance while using less space and computation, but ultimately deciding on the right model and dimension size depends on your specific use case and requirements, and users with needs beyond 2K dimensions are being considered by Microsoft for future updates.
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Use this Notion note-taking template to balance organization and freedom

Zapier | By Nicole Replogle

December 18, 2024

  • If you use Notion for note-taking and another app for task management, Zapier makes it easy to connect your apps into automated workflows, allowing you to create new tasks based on your notes or automatically generate notes for upcoming calendar events.
  • You can customize your Notion notebook to fit your style by sorting pages in different ways, such as last edited time, reminder date, tags, or alphabetically.
  • This way, you can make the most out of Notion and use it consistently, even if you're not a fan of its default settings, with the help of pre-made templates and automation tools like Zapier.
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Tech Leader, AI Visionary, Endlessly Curious Jensen Huang to Keynote CES 2025

Nvidia | By Brian Caulfield

December 16, 2024

AI
Hardware
Robotics
  • NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang will be speaking at CES 2025 on January 6th about the company's latest innovations in AI and accelerated computing.
  • NVIDIA has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a small startup, with Huang being named one of the world's most influential people by Time magazine and the best CEO by Fortune and The Economist.
  • Today, NVIDIA's technologies power hundreds of millions of computers and are used in industries such as healthcare, automotive, and entertainment.
  • At CES 2025, attendees can see hands-on demos of NVIDIA's latest innovations, including AI-powered robotics and immersive gaming experiences, and even participate in an interactive scavenger hunt.
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Debugging Query Rate Limiting in Sentry

Sentry

December 17, 2024

DevOps
Coding
  • Sentry engineers were having trouble fixing issues with customers' queries being rejected due to rate limiting in Snuba, which handles event data and powers Sentry's production services.
  • To solve this problem, they first made it easier for themselves to see what was happening with query rate limiting by creating a dashboard and adding information about rate-limited queries to Sentry.
  • They then introduced "warning zones" before rejecting queries, so customers would get a warning when their queries were being throttled or rejected.
  • Finally, they organized this information in Sentry, making it easier for engineers to debug issues and suggest possible actions to customers, allowing everyone to debug faster with the help of Sentry's own debugging tools.
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Evaluating Audio Reasoning with Big Bench Audio

HuggingFace

December 20, 2024

Web
  • A new dataset called Big Bench Audio has been created to test how well artificial intelligence (AI) models can reason when given audio inputs instead of text.
  • The dataset contains 1,000 audio questions and was used to evaluate four different types of AI models: GPT-4o and Gemini 1.5 series models in Speech to Speech, Speech to Text, Text to Speech, and Text to Text configurations.
  • The results showed a significant "speech reasoning gap" where the performance of the models dropped when they were given audio inputs instead of text, with some models performing as low as 66% accuracy.
  • However, traditional pipeline approaches that use transcription and voice generation showed minimal performance degradation compared to pure text processing, suggesting that these methods may be more suitable for applications where reasoning accuracy is critical.
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Finally, a Replacement for BERT: Introducing ModernBERT

HuggingFace

December 19, 2024

Web
Performance
Data Science
Hardware
Algorithms
  • ModernBERT is a new family of encoder-only models designed to be faster and more accurate than previous models, such as BERT.
  • It's built on top of recent advances in large language models (LLMs) and can handle longer context lengths (up to 8,192 tokens), making it ideal for applications like retrieval augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and recommendation systems.
  • ModernBERT is also the first encoder-only model trained on a large amount of code data, allowing for new applications like AI-connected IDEs with long-context retrieval capabilities.
  • It's designed to be efficient, fast, and affordable, with a base model size of 139M parameters and a large model size of 395M parameters, making it suitable for a wide range of tasks, from classification and retrieval to code retrieval and more.
  • ModernBERT is also available as a replacement for any BERT-like models, allowing developers to easily integrate it into their existing pipelines.
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Ideas: AI and democracy with Madeleine Daepp and Robert Osazuwa Ness

Microsoft Research | By Brenda Potts

December 19, 2024

AI
DevOps
Security
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The battery chemistries powering the future of electric vehicles

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

Hardware
  • Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries are becoming increasingly popular due to advancements in technology and cost-effectiveness, potentially overtaking nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries as the dominant chemistry for electric vehicles by 2030.
  • LFP batteries have improved energy density, making them suitable for longer driving ranges, and their production costs are lower than NMC's.
  • While NMC still offers a higher range for premium vehicles, many OEMs are transitioning to or adding LFP-equipped models, especially in China where it has been the dominant chemistry since 2023.
  • As the market shifts, miners and refiners may face reduced demand from the automotive sector, while lithium producers could see increased short-term demand due to the shift to LFP.
  • The trend of shifting from modular packs to cell-to-pack architectures with larger cell form factors might also accelerate as they are better suited to LFP batteries.
  • Overall, companies need to be agile and make strategic adjustments quickly to adapt to this changing landscape, where both NMC and LFP demand will grow through 2030 but may stagnate or decline after that point.
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How to create a social media post with AI for free

Zapier | By Miguel Rebelo

December 18, 2024

AI
  • To create social media posts using AI, start by brainstorming ideas with ChatGPT and save them to your note-taking app for later use.
  • Once you have a few post ideas, use ChatGPT to generate captions for each one, specifying the type of platform (e.g., Facebook or Instagram) and details like creativity level.
  • You can also ask ChatGPT to rewrite existing captions in different styles or formats.
  • To create social media images, use AI art generators like DALL-E 3 or Canva's suite of AI tools, which can generate images based on text prompts.
  • Finally, you can automate your social media workflows by connecting apps like ChatGPT and Canva using Zapier to save time and increase productivity.
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Scaling a niche start-up into a necessary one: Insights from Arbol

Mckinsey

December 20, 2024

AI
Robotics
  • Arbol's founder and CEO, Siddhartha Jha, discusses how his company addresses the growing protection gaps caused by climate change through parametric insurance.
  • Parametric insurance assesses damage based on predetermined data points, providing faster and more efficient payouts compared to traditional insurance.
  • Arbol uses AI to process large amounts of climate-related data, streamlining their sales process and operations.
  • Jha emphasizes the importance of focusing on cash flow over growth, which helped Arbol navigate the shift from a "growth-at-all-costs" to a "profitability-first" mindset during fundraising.
  • He also stresses the need for open communication within the company, encouraging all employees to share their perspectives and priorities.
  • Additionally, Jha advises startups to approach potential investors early on to assess their expectations and lay the groundwork for successful partnerships, rather than waiting until fundraising is imminent.
  • By leveraging parametric insurance, embracing technology, and prioritizing cash flow and communication, Arbol has successfully addressed the challenges of climate-related risks in the insurance industry.
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Decoding RevC2 strings

Walmart | By Jason Reaves

December 19, 2024

  • During an investigation of samples, different versions were found, one of which writes data to disk and connects to various websites and servers, including cloud storage services and potential malware distribution sites, suggesting it may be related to a malicious program.
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Custom Authentication and Access Control for LangGraph Platform

Langchain | By Ankush Gola

December 19, 2024

Web
Security
Backend
  • LangGraph Cloud and self-hosted environments now support custom authentication and resource-level access control for Python deployments.
  • This feature lets you integrate your own auth providers and implement granular access patterns directly in your LangGraph applications.
  • With this system, you can validate credentials using any auth provider, scope conversations to specific users, add OAuth support, and implement role-based access control (RBAC).
  • You can also restrict access to resources like threads, assistants, and crons by implementing custom logic for different operations.
  • To get started, follow the quick how-to guide on implementing custom auth, check out the video tutorial, or explore the authentication tutorial series.
  • This feature is currently available for Python deployments only, but support for JavaScript deployments will be added soon.
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Building geopolitical resilience: The people agenda

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

Game Dev
  • As global events and news shape our perspectives on geopolitics, business leaders must navigate a charged internal environment where employees expect their company to take positions on conflicts while having varying opinions themselves.
  • To seize opportunities in a changing world, leaders need to build geopolitical resilience by investing in three domains: insight, oversight, and foresight, as well as people - specifically through multipolarity (accounting for diverse views), mobility (exchanging perspectives between employees from different regions), messaging (delivering the right message at the right time), motivation (keeping employees committed with a values-driven approach), and mission (having a clear global orientation).
  • Leaders should also safeguard their workforce and reputation by implementing protocols, policies, and posture that balance risk mitigation with maintaining an open global culture, while being proactive in engaging with people, signaling commitment to values, and showing care for those affected by geopolitical disruptions.
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Bamba: Inference-Efficient Hybrid Mamba2 Model

HuggingFace

December 18, 2024

Performance
AI
DevOps
Blockchain
Hardware
  • Researchers from IBM, Princeton, CMU, and UIUC developed Bamba-9B, a hybrid Mamba2 model trained on open datasets to improve inference efficiency and performance.
  • The model outperforms state-of-the-art transformer models in some benchmarks while being nearly as efficient to train, with up to 5x improvement in inference speed when compared to standard transformers.
  • Bamba-9B achieves this by using a hybrid architecture that combines Mamba2 layers with full attention layers, reducing the memory required for KV-cache and improving real-time application performance.
  • The team released intermediate and final checkpoints of the model and invites the community to further improve it through open collaboration, pre-training on additional data, and exploring new directions such as SFT and long context length extensions.
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Indexing code at scale with Glean

Facebook

December 19, 2024

AI
  • Glean is a system used by Meta to analyze and make sense of large amounts of code.
  • It creates a unique identifier for each symbol in the code, allowing developers to easily find information about specific symbols or even see all references to them throughout the repository.
  • Glean also analyzes changes made to the code over time, creating a summary of these changes that can be used to identify potential issues and make it easier for reviewers to understand what's changed.
  • This system is used for many tasks beyond just reviewing code, such as tracking API migrations, measuring code complexity, and even helping AI coding assistants suggest better code.
  • By being general and flexible, Glean allows developers to ask a wide range of questions about their code, making it easier to understand and maintain large projects.
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How to Make LLMs Better at Math Using AI Agents, MathJS, and BaseAI Tool Calls

freeCodeCamp | By Maham Codes

December 19, 2024

Web
Cloud
AI
Backend
Robotics
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) struggle with math problems due to their focus on language, but AI agents can help by extending LLM capabilities.
  • These agents integrate tool calls, handle real-time data, and reduce hallucinations, making them more reliable.
  • By using a framework like BaseAI and libraries like MathJS, developers can create custom serverless AI agents called "pipes" that serve as calculators and address LLMs' limitations.
  • With these pipes, users can ask math questions, such as converting units or performing calculations, and get accurate answers without the risk of errors or hallucinations.
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3 signs your team is ready to uplevel security controls in GitLab

Gitlab | By Julie Griffin

December 18, 2024

Coding
  • As your team grows, you may find yourself struggling with basic security practices, and it's time to upgrade to more advanced security measures.
  • This could be due to increased complexity in managing permissions, lengthy security reviews that hinder development, or difficulty tracking changes and ensuring compliance adherence.
  • To address these issues, consider using features like automated permission management, multiple approvers for code reviews, and audit events to track changes and identify potential problems.
  • These tools can help you scale your security efforts efficiently, allowing you to focus on writing code rather than managing permissions, and ultimately, accelerate software delivery while maintaining a secure development process.
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Calendars in Postgres using Foreign Data Wrappers

Supabase

December 20, 2024

Database
  • Cal.com is an open-source scheduling platform where you can create and manage appointments.
  • To connect Cal.com with your Postgres database (like Supabase), you need to set up a Foreign Data Wrapper, which allows you to access Cal.com data directly from your database.
  • This way, you can create event bookings in Cal.com and schedule them at the same time as creating an event in your database, all within a single transaction.
  • To do this, you'll need to create a Wasm wrapper and a foreign server for Cal.com connection using your API key, then set up foreign tables for Event Types and Bookings, and finally query or insert data into these tables like any regular Postgres table.
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Agentic AI: the rise of agents

Postman | By Abhinav Asthana

December 18, 2024

AI
Backend
  • As we move towards more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems known as "agentic AI," it's crucial to adopt an API-first approach, considering how these agents interact with external tools and systems through APIs.
  • Building reusable APIs for agents allows seamless workflows, while assessing risk factors and implementing trust layers and guardrails are necessary for safe and efficient usage.
  • This includes protecting exposed APIs from misuse and thoroughly testing agentic systems to prevent potential harm.
  • As we rely on AI solutions in production, ensuring rock-solid reliability, safety, and compliance at scale becomes essential, highlighting the importance of APIs in delivering AI solutions effectively.
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Databricks Assistant Year in Review

Databricks

December 19, 2024

  • Databricks Assistant has become very popular since its launch in 2023, with hundreds of thousands of people using it every month, including developers from big companies such as Rivian.
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The most important part of the technology puzzle: People

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

AI
Backend
  • Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer of Eli Lilly and Company, emphasizes the importance of people over technology in driving innovation and success.
  • He believes that technology leaders need to be bold and stop playing it safe by prioritizing technical skills and encouraging curiosity among employees.
  • Rau shares his experience of changing the technology culture at Lilly, including bringing the development of LillyDirect, a direct-to-consumer platform, in-house after initially hiring an outside firm.
  • He also discusses the company's use of AI to accelerate growth and help more patients, from training models for new medicines to interacting directly with consumers.
  • Rau stresses the need to break down traditional silos between IT and business teams by working together as partners rather than suppliers and customers, and encourages technology leaders to focus on capabilities rather than vertical functions.
  • Ultimately, he sees the use of AI as a make-or-break factor for life sciences companies in the next decade, with Lilly aiming to be at the forefront of this evolution.
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Push Groups: Getting Your Team to Try New Developer Tools

Agoda | By Agoda Engineering

December 18, 2024

Coding
  • Push Groups is a practical approach to encourage teams of engineers to try new tools by getting them involved hands-on and sharing their experiences.
  • A small group of 3-4 engineers from different teams gather for a short session where they install and set up the tool together, working through real exercises and discussing what works and doesn't.
  • This immediate and practical process helps surface potential issues or challenges that might not come up in a traditional rollout.
  • After trying out the tool for two weeks, participants commit to using it and share their experience with their own teams, helping spread awareness and gather more feedback.
  • This approach aims to bridge the gap between discovering great tools and getting them into developers' daily workflows without forcing change, but by creating a structured way to give new tools a fair evaluation.
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Seven West Media: Pioneering the Future of Personalized Digital Engagement

Databricks

December 17, 2024

  • Seven West Media's 7plus is a popular streaming platform in Australia where people can watch their favorite TV shows and live events on demand, meaning they can choose when to watch it at home or on the go instead of having to tune in at the usual broadcast time.
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NVIDIA Awards up to $60,000 Research Fellowships to PhD Students

Nvidia | By Sylvia Chanak

December 18, 2024

AI
Backend
Robotics
  • NVIDIA has announced its latest Graduate Fellowship Program awards to support outstanding graduate students working on innovative projects relevant to NVIDIA technologies.
  • This year, 10 Ph.D.
  • students from around the world have been selected for fellowships of up to $60,000 each, along with a summer internship at NVIDIA.
  • The awardees are working on diverse projects such as developing artificial intelligence systems for autonomous driving, creating intelligent algorithms for design and animation, and designing more efficient models for language processing and drug discovery.
  • They will focus on areas like computer architecture, deep learning, robotics, security, and programming systems during their fellowship year, putting them at the forefront of accelerated computing innovation.
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Introducing Configurable Metaflow

Netflix | By Netflix Technology Blog

December 20, 2024

  • To make it easier to use Metaflow, a tool for data scientists and analysts, Configs are now available.
  • With Configs, you can easily reuse your workflows by applying them to different projects or metrics without having to rewrite your code from scratch.
  • To get started, simply install the latest version of Metaflow using pip and check out the updated documentation for examples.
  • If you need help or have questions, join the Metaflow community on Slack.
  • Configs were made possible through collaboration with Outerbounds, who helped test and develop this feature.
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Taking Sentry’s Rollback from Hack Week Project to Production

Sentry

December 18, 2024

  • The team at Sentry created a feature called Rollback which is a year-end review similar to Spotify Wrapped but with animations and interactive elements.
  • To achieve this they used two animation libraries called Lottie for complex creature motions and Motion for general animations.
  • They also added an optional "Rollback" feature that lets coworkers compare their stats, but allowed organizations to disable it if needed.
  • The team then had to figure out how to share the Rollbacks on social media, deciding to provide a simple image for users to share instead of creating a shareable link due to security concerns and usability issues.
  • Despite this, the feature was still considered a success with over 10,000 unique users in 130 countries checking it out and sharing their images on social media within the first 24 hours.
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A Guide on TypeScript Omit Type

Refine.dev

December 17, 2024

  • In TypeScript, we have two powerful tools called `Pick` and `Omit` to work with complex types.
  • The main difference between them is their purpose - `Pick` lets us select specific fields from a type, while `Omit` does the opposite by excluding certain properties.
  • For example, if we have a `FullProduct` type that includes many properties but we only need some of them, like `name`, `description`, and `price`, we can use `Omit` to create a new type called `ProductForm` that excludes unwanted fields like `id`, `createdAt`, and `updatedAt`.
  • This way, we can easily work with simplified types in our code.
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Cloud Efficiency at Netflix

Netflix | By Netflix Technology Blog

December 17, 2024

Performance
Database
Cloud
AI
Algorithms
  • At Netflix, we're working on creating a system that accurately tracks the usage and cost of our infrastructure, known as FPD (Finance Platform Data) and CEA (Cost Efficiency Analytics).
  • Our goal is to provide transparent data to engineers so they can make efficient decisions when building services.
  • This involves resolving asset ownership, distributing costs for multi-tenant assets, and providing usage and cost at different levels of aggregation for various consumers.
  • We aim to overcome the complexity of our datasets by implementing standardized data models, audits, and visibility into health metrics, while also fostering innovation through custom solutions that sometimes create challenges in understanding and interpreting usage patterns.
  • Ultimately, we want to enable efficient decision-making across the organization, allowing us to continue delivering high-quality services like streaming movies and TV shows.
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NVIDIA Unveils Its Most Affordable Generative AI Supercomputer

Nvidia | By Chen Su

December 17, 2024

AI
UI/UX
Hardware
  • The Jetson Orin Nano Super is a powerful tool for developing skills in generative AI, robotics, and computer vision.
  • It comes with a developer kit that includes a system-on-module (SoM) featuring a high-performance GPU and CPU, allowing for multiple concurrent AI applications and supporting up to four cameras at higher resolutions and frame rates than previous versions.
  • The NVIDIA Jetson ecosystem provides extensive support for cutting-edge generative AI models, tutorials, and community projects, as well as access to various software tools such as Isaac for robotics, Metropolis for vision AI, and Omniverse Replicator for synthetic data generation.
  • With the ability to boost 1.7X generative AI performance via software updates, existing owners of the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit can upgrade their systems to unlock enhanced performance, making it an ideal solution for those interested in developing skills in these areas.
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AI Systems Governance through the Palantir Platform

Palantir

December 20, 2024

Cloud
AI
DevOps
Security
  • As AI technology continues to evolve, governments are creating regulations to ensure its safe and responsible use.
  • The EU AI Act is one such regulation that sets standards for organizations using AI systems.
  • Palantir AIP is a platform that helps organizations meet these compliance requirements by providing tools for data governance, risk management, and record keeping.
  • With features like access controls, data cleaning, and retention and deletion rules, Palantir AIP enables organizations to maintain transparency and trustworthiness in their AI systems.
  • Additionally, the platform's monitoring capabilities allow organizations to track changes and modifications made to sensitive workflows, ensuring compliance with regulations.
  • By using Palantir AIP, organizations can innovate with confidence while adhering to emerging regulatory standards, setting a benchmark for responsible and sustainable AI deployment.
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Generate More Insight By Connecting GameAnalytics to Databricks

Databricks

December 17, 2024

  • We're happy to announce a collaboration between Databricks for Games and GameAnalytics, which aims to provide resources and tools for their shared customers, including this blog post and associated code that will help them improve their gaming experience or business.
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Bun v1.1.40

Bun

December 18, 2024

Backend
Coding
  • The latest update to bun includes several bug fixes and improvements.
  • It addresses issues with downloading packages and their dependencies, ensuring that only necessary packages are downloaded to save time, bandwidth, and disk space.
  • Additionally, it resolves problems that could cause package installation to fail or leave behind incorrect information in the project's configuration files.
  • Meanwhile, a separate update improves WebKit, a component used by web browsers, making it more reliable and secure by addressing edge cases where incorrect data could be stored.
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GitHub Copilot Free is here in Visual Studio

Microsoft Devblogs | By Rhea Patel

December 18, 2024

AI
  • GitHub has released Copilot Free, which lets you use its AI-powered tools right inside Visual Studio for free.
  • With Copilot Free, you'll get features like smarter debugging, automatic commit messages, and suggested breakpoints to help you code faster - it's even been shown to increase coding speed by 25%.
  • You can start using it now in Visual Studio, but keep your installation up to date as some updates are coming in January that will make it easier to use and let you know when you hit usage limits.
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How to use Zoom hand gestures

Zapier | By Jessica Lau

December 19, 2024

Web
  • If you're one of those people who always wants to ask questions or raise their hand in meetings but gets tired of clicking the "raise hand" button on Zoom, don't worry - there's a solution.
  • You can enable Zoom's hand gesture recognition feature, which allows you to give a thumbs up or raise your hand without clicking any buttons.
  • To do this, open the Zoom desktop client and click the settings cog icon, then check the box next to "Activate the following emojis based on hand gesture recognition." Alternatively, during a meeting, select the up caret next to "React" and click "Recognize hand gestures." Once you enable this feature, it'll remain on for all your meetings.
  • When giving a thumbs up or raising your hand, simply make the corresponding gesture within the camera frame and hold it for a few seconds - a reaction emoji will pop up in your meeting window.
  • You can also use Apple's supported hand gestures on a Mac computer to give more fun reactions like fireworks or confetti.
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Join the 2024 Lifetime account fundraiser for online freedom

Proton | By Proton Team

December 16, 2024

Web
Mobile
AI
Security
  • The Proton community is working towards building an internet free from surveillance and censorship where people can be themselves without being controlled by big tech companies.
  • Since 2018, with support from the community, over $3 million has been donated to non-profit organizations that share this vision.
  • This year's fundraiser will give away 10 exclusive Proton Lifetime accounts, which grant access to all current and future Proton services, including storage, for life.
  • The funds raised, along with a $150,000 matching contribution from Proton, will be donated to 10 beneficiaries, including organizations like Freedom House, Free Software Foundation Europe, and OpenStreetMap, that work towards digital freedom and online safety.
  • You can support the movement by buying raffle tickets in the Proton Shop for $10 each, with a chance to win one of these exclusive accounts and help make the internet a better place.
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How Do Engineering Leaders Onboard at HubSpot?

Hubspot | By Kuba Niechcial

December 16, 2024

Coding
  • The author of the article, who is a director of engineering at HubSpot, recently went through a unique onboarding program where they embedded themselves as an individual contributor in several engineering teams for a few months.
  • This experience allowed them to build empathy with their team members by understanding their daily work rhythms and challenges, learn how their organization ships products to customers, understand the pace and process of different teams, and even get to know their customers' problems firsthand.
  • By doing so, they formed stronger relationships with engineers in their org and gained a better understanding of HubSpot's overall goals and how they can make an impact as a leader.
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Duolingo’s Business Development Team is expanding to Europe

Duolingo | By Duolingo Team

December 19, 2024

  • Duolingo is making its learning platform more accessible worldwide by expanding into new markets, starting with Europe.
  • The company has appointed David Ryan as its first international hire to lead business development and partnerships in the European market from London.
  • With his experience from Twitch and Amazon, David will help create mutually beneficial partnerships that enhance the user experience across Europe, building on Duolingo's successful collaborations with popular brands like Netflix and Discord.
  • This strategic move underlines Duolingo's commitment to delivering high-quality learning experiences globally and opens up new opportunities for growth and partnerships in regions including Asia Pacific (APAC), where more positions will be available soon.
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Microspeak terms that didn’t take hold: airspace, synthetics, and AOI

Microsoft Devblogs | By Raymond Chen

December 17, 2024

  • The author attended a team meeting with senior executives where they noticed some new jargon terms being used, which might eventually become part of "Microspeak" - corporate language that's often used to impress superiors rather than effectively communicate.
  • Three new terms were noted, none of which appear to have stuck around: "airspace" (meaning creating room or capacity by deprioritizing other work), "high value synthetics" (automated testing), and AOI (area of investigation, meaning something that could be done).
  • The meeting also included references to previously discussed Microspeak terms like "light up" and "all-up", as well as some humorous commentary on management dashboards being used as a way for managers to yell at employees.
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AI at Your Service: Digital Avatars With Speech Capabilities Offer Interactive Customer Experiences

Nvidia | By Maryam Motamedi

December 18, 2024

  • This text is acknowledging that it's using information or content from other companies or organizations that have given permission to do so.
  • It also wants everyone to know that all rights to this content belong to those original owners and can't be used without their permission.
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SAML vs. OAuth: Which protocol makes sense for your business?

Proton | By Kate Menzies

December 20, 2024

Security
  • When setting up your business network, you need to ensure only authorized employees can access the right tools.
  • To do this, two common protocols are used: SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) and OAuth (Open Authorization).
  • SAML helps employees log into multiple apps and services with a single set of credentials by verifying their identity first.
  • Once verified, they'll have access to all connected apps.
  • On the other hand, OAuth allows third-party apps to access employee information without using passwords or login details.
  • It generates temporary access tokens that verify access on a per-session basis.
  • Both protocols can improve security and efficiency for your team by reducing the need for multiple usernames and passwords, increasing productivity, and protecting against phishing and brute force attacks.
  • However, SAML is recommended as it provides better security benefits despite being more complicated to deploy, especially when used alongside single sign-on (SSO) systems that allow employees to access multiple apps with a single set of credentials.
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Amazon Research Awards recipients announced

Amazon Science

December 20, 2024

Cloud
AI
Security
  • Amazon offers programs and tools to researchers through their AWS Promotional Credits, allowing them to work on various projects, including AI for security, sustainability, and foundation model development.
  • These initiatives provide consultation, training sessions, and access to events, with some receiving up to $250,000 in cloud credits.
  • The Amazon Research Awards (ARA) fund proposals throughout the year in multiple research areas, supporting researchers who apply through a call-for-proposal process, with recent recipients listed for winter 2024 and spring 2024 cycles.
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The 2040 fertilizer industry: How could industry trends affect demand?

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

Backend
Hardware
  • The global fertilizer industry could see significant changes by 2040 due to various factors such as technology advancements, climate change, and shifting consumer preferences.
  • One major driver of demand swings is the adoption of precision agriculture, which can reduce fertilizer volumes by up to 5 percent through optimized application.
  • Next-gen inputs like biostimulants may also offset commodity fertilizer usage, potentially decreasing volumes by 5-10 percent.
  • Additionally, rising regulations in agriculture could lead to a 5 percent decrease in demand, while increasing application rates in Africa and declining application rates in China and India might increase or decrease global fertilizer volumes respectively.
  • On the supply side, factors like raw material volatility, shifting global supply chains, and sustainability pressures will shape the market.
  • Industry players must consider how to protect their position on the cost curve, innovate product portfolios, enhance go-to-market strategies with data analytics, invest in sustainability, and optimize procurement in response to these trends.
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The state of the chemicals industry: Time for bold action and innovation

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

AI
Robotics
  • The chemicals industry has been facing significant challenges over the past two years, with growth slowing down and returns underperforming compared to the broader market.
  • Several factors are contributing to this slowdown, including high energy prices, depleted chemical stockpiles, pandemic-driven supply chain issues, interest rates, inflation, and structural changes in demand.
  • As a result, investors have lowered their long-term expectations for the industry, with EBITDA multiples dropping from 10.5-fold in 2021 to 7.6-fold in 2023.
  • However, despite these challenges, chemical companies can still capture significant value by taking bold steps such as investing in innovation, preparing for growth without overextending on costs or inventory, and leveraging technology to change business models.
  • By making the right strategic decisions and adapting to changing market conditions, companies can thrive even in a more volatile and uncertain landscape.
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Airbnb at KDD 2024

Airbnb | By Huiji Gao

December 17, 2024

UI/UX
Data Science
  • Researchers from various institutions including Airbnb have been conducting studies on optimizing two-sided marketplaces, such as Airbnb, by analyzing guest preferences and optimizing search rankings using machine learning models and natural language processing techniques.
  • These studies aim to better understand user behavior, predict potential customer support needs, and improve product quality using unstructured data like activity logs.
  • Additionally, researchers explored the use of large language models for classifying and summarizing non-text data in Airbnb's context, and applied listing embeddings to learn meaningful representations of listings.
  • The findings from these studies have been presented at conferences such as KDD 2024 and shared on the Airbnb Tech Blog, providing insights into how technology can be used to improve user experience and operational efficiency in two-sided marketplaces like Airbnb.
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Trino Summit 2024 resources

Trino | By Manfred Moser, Monica Miller, Anna Schibli

December 18, 2024

AI
Backend
  • The Trino community came together for a summit with over 700 attendees learning about Trino-related projects and use cases through live sessions.
  • The event included presentations by experts from companies like Netflix, LinkedIn, Fanduel, and more, showcasing how Trino can be used in various ways such as data warehousing, lakehouses, and self-serve data analytics.
  • Recordings of the sessions are now available for an additional 1,000 registrants and over 13,000 users on Slack to enjoy at their leisure, providing a wealth of knowledge for those interested in Trino and its applications.
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Proposed contractual remedies in United States v. Google threaten vital role of independent browsers

Mozilla

December 18, 2024

  • Mozilla's mission is about letting people control their online experience and how they search on the internet.
  • Recently, the US Department of Justice proposed some changes to its antitrust case against Google, which could affect the role of independent browsers like Mozilla in this process, as these browsers allow users to choose how they search and access information on the internet.
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Part 1: A Survey of Analytics Engineering Work at Netflix

Netflix | By Netflix Technology Blog

December 17, 2024

Web
Database
Algorithms
  • At Netflix, Analytics Engineering plays a crucial role in providing high-quality, actionable insights to help the company deliver shows and movies that thrill its members.
  • To achieve this, Analytics Engineers partner with business and product teams to establish deep understanding of their needs, translate challenges into solutions, and design end-to-end analytical systems.
  • The company uses various tools like DataJunction (DJ), a central store for metric definitions, and LORE, a chatbot that provides real-time insights using Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Additionally, Netflix has developed Foundational Platform Data (FPD) and Cloud Efficiency Analytics (CEA) to help engineering teams understand resource usage and make informed decisions.
  • These initiatives aim to empower analytics practitioners, democratize access to data, and ultimately enable the company to entertain the world by delivering content that brings joy to its members.
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What it takes to make separations a competitive difference-maker

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

Algorithms
  • Companies that successfully separate their businesses often adopt a programmatic approach to M&A, prioritize timely board decisions, and proactively manage potential disruptions and risks.
  • They also minimize reliance on transitional service agreements (TSAs) and focus on retaining key talent through monetary incentives and career development opportunities.
  • Effective separation management requires comprehensive planning, clear communication, and strategic use of TSAs as tools rather than crutches.
  • Successful companies engage in proactive risk management to secure valuation, orchestrate multiple workstreams, and maintain a value creation mindset throughout the separation process.
  • By doing so, they can create more value for all stakeholders involved and achieve better business outcomes.
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Understanding the training dynamics of transformers

Amazon Science

December 18, 2024

AI
Data Science
Robotics
Algorithms
  • Researchers have been studying the transformer architecture used in many AI models to better understand its dynamics and improve performance.
  • They found that the choice of attention kernel - a function used to compute how relevant different inputs are to each other - greatly affects convergence speed, with some kernels like Gaussian allowing for faster convergence than others like softmax.
  • By analyzing how different parts of the transformer model contribute to this process, they discovered that updating only certain matrices at a time can influence the convergence rate and accuracy of the model, suggesting that the commonly used softmax kernel may have drawbacks in some cases.
  • Their study provides a new understanding of the transformer architecture and sets out conditions for initialization that guarantee convergence, which could lead to more efficient and accurate AI models in the future.
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Upgrades to the HackerRank Community

Hackerrank | By HackerRank

December 20, 2024

AI
Backend
  • At HackerRank, we believe that skills are more important than where you went to school or what your resume says.
  • Our community, HRC, offers millions of developers a place to practice and improve their coding skills by solving real-world problems in areas like algorithms, data structures, AI, and more.
  • You can level up at your own pace through skill tracks, which are guided paths that focus on the right topics for you.
  • As you solve problems and earn badges, you'll be able to see your progress in real-time and eventually get a certificate that's an industry standard.
  • With tools like mock interviews, resume builders, and job matching, we help you not just learn to code but also prepare for real interviews, build a strong resume, and connect with job opportunities that match your skills, all within a supportive global community of developers who are there to help you grow.
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Inside STL: The atomic shared_ptr

Microsoft Devblogs | By Raymond Chen

December 19, 2024

Hardware
  • Atomic shared pointers are similar to normal shared pointers but have a lock inside them to prevent other threads from accessing the pointer while it's being changed.
  • This means that if one thread is changing the pointer, others will wait for it to finish before they can access it, which can slow down performance if many threads are constantly writing to the pointer.
  • However, this locking mechanism also ensures that all changes are safe and consistent across threads.
  • If your application mostly reads from the shared pointer and rarely writes to it, you might get better performance by using a shared mutex instead, as it allows multiple threads to read the pointer simultaneously while still preventing concurrent writes.
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Partner spotlight: How Cerebras accelerates AI app development

DataRobot | By Kumar Venkateswar, Nathaniel Daly

December 16, 2024

Performance
AI
Algorithms
  • Cerebras' high-speed inference endpoints allow you to build faster, smarter AI applications by reducing latency and speeding up model responses without sacrificing quality.
  • By integrating Cerebras Inference with DataRobot's LLM Playground, you can easily customize and deploy large language models like Llama 3.1-70B, giving you control over optimizing for both speed and quality.
  • This streamlined process enables rapid iteration during development and real-time performance in production, allowing you to prototype, test, and deploy AI applications faster with minimal hassle.
  • With Cerebras' optimized computations and intelligent decoding designed for speed, you can achieve 70x faster inference than vanilla GPUs, making it ideal for industries like pharmaceuticals and voice AI, and giving your users the fast, responsive experiences they expect.
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HARO alternatives: How to connect with experts

Zapier | By Brian Fajar Mauladhika

December 16, 2024

AI
  • If you're looking for expert insights to make your content stand out, there are several ways to go about it since HARO is no longer available.
  • You can try using platforms like Help a B2B Writer, Featured, and Qwoted which allow you to submit requests and get responses from experts.
  • Alternatively, you can use the #journorequest hashtag on X (Instagram) or reach out to experts personally through direct messages or in-person connections at industry events.
  • To boost your response rate, make sure to provide a clear and detailed description of your request, establish common ground with the expert, and explain what's in it for them.
  • You can also source expert quotes from within your own company by reaching out to colleagues or clients you already know.
  • By incorporating original content and expert insights, you can differentiate yourself from AI-written blog posts and create more engaging and valuable content for your readers.
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Announcing the AssemblyAI integration for LiveKit

Assembly AI | By Ryan O'Connor

December 18, 2024

AI
  • Integration with AssemblyAI's Streaming Speech-to-Text API is part of LiveKit's AI Agents framework.
  • To use it, you create a stream to send audio to and receive transcripts from in real-time.
  • You can then decide what to do with these transcriptions, such as logging them on the server or displaying them in your application.
  • For example, when someone speaks in a live video call, the audio is sent through this stream, and the transcription of their words is received in real-time, allowing you to perform actions based on what they're saying.
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The 18 Chrome keyboard shortcuts you should use every day

Zapier | By Chris Hoffman

December 18, 2024

Web
  • You don't need to use your mouse all the time when browsing with Chrome - keyboard shortcuts can help you navigate faster and more efficiently.
  • To switch between tabs, press Ctrl + Tab on Windows or Command + Tab on Mac to go to the next tab, and Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Command + Shift + Tab to go back to a previous one.
  • You can also jump directly to a specific tab by pressing Ctrl + [number key] on Windows or Command + [number key] on Mac.
  • Additionally, you can open new tabs and windows with shortcuts like Ctrl + T or Command + T for a new tab, and Ctrl + N or Command + N for a new window.
  • You can also close current tabs with Ctrl + W or Command + W, reopen closed ones with Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Command + Shift + T, and open links in new tabs or windows by pressing Ctrl + click or Command + click on Mac.
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Happy holidays from the World Wide Web Consortium

W3C | By Seth Dobbs, W3C CEO and President

December 18, 2024

Web
AI
  • The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) focused on the human impact of their work in 2024, releasing guiding principles and goals for the web, including the Ethical Web Principles document.
  • They also published papers on AI and digital identities, chartered a Sustainable Web Interest Group to improve digital sustainability, and received a grant from the Ford Foundation to develop accessibility standards.
  • Despite this, W3C continued to advance with 493 specifications being developed, 46 open working groups, and 1,955 technical reports published, including 29 that became official web standards.
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Build Smarter Spring Boot Applications with Spring AI

freeCodeCamp | By Beau Carnes

December 19, 2024

Web
AI
Backend
  • If you're a Java developer working with Spring Boot, you can now easily integrate AI capabilities into your projects using Spring AI.
  • A free online course on YouTube teaches you how to build real-world applications that combine AI creativity and productivity.
  • The course covers two key projects: one that generates stock photos, answers questions, and suggests recipes, and another that transcribes audio to text.
  • You'll learn how to set up projects, integrate OpenAI APIs, create chatbots and image generation features, customize outputs, handle common development challenges, and more.
  • By the end of the course, you'll have a solid foundation in leveraging AI technologies with Spring Boot and be able to level up your applications with cutting-edge features like chatbots, image generation, and transcription tools.
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Effortlessly access cloud resources across Azure tenants without using secrets

Microsoft Devblogs | By Arturo Lucatero

December 18, 2024

Cloud
Security
Backend
  • Microsoft Entra now offers Managed Identities as Federated Identity Credentials to securely access protected resources without using secrets or certificates.
  • This feature reduces security risks and simplifies setup by automatically handling token expiration and renewal.
  • To get started, assign a user-assigned managed identity to your Azure resource, configure the federated credential in the Entra Portal or Azure Portal, and then use the managed identity token as a client assertion to retrieve an access token for your app.
  • You can automate this process using Bicep and enhance security by adopting managed identities over traditional authentication methods.
  • This feature is now available in public preview and can be explored further through Microsoft's official documentation and developer center.
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Building RAG with enterprise open source AI infrastructure

Canonical | By Michelle Anne Tabirao (Michelle Anne Tabirao)

December 20, 2024

  • Canonical has partnered with major cloud providers like Azure and AWS to make their platform work seamlessly across different clouds.
  • They also work closely with chip makers such as Intel and NVIDIA to ensure their technology can run on various devices.
  • This allows businesses to use Canonical's tools to secure their GenAI projects by protecting code, data, and machine learning models from potential threats using a feature called Confidential AI.
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How AppFolio transformed property management workflows with Realm-X, built using LangGraph and LangSmith

Langchain | By LangChain

December 16, 2024

Performance
AI
Backend
Coding
Algorithms
  • AppFolio, a technology company that helps manage properties, has created a tool called Realm-X Assistant, which uses artificial intelligence to make property managers' jobs easier and more efficient.
  • This AI-powered assistant can understand and respond to natural language requests, such as querying information or sending messages, allowing users to save around 10 hours per week on their tasks.
  • To build and improve this tool, AppFolio used technologies like LangChain, LangGraph, and LangSmith, which helped them handle complex workflows, reduce latency, and monitor system performance in real-time.
  • With these tools, AppFolio can now track errors, costs, and latency, and automatically collect feedback from users to continuously improve the system's accuracy and reliability.
  • As a result, Realm-X Assistant has become more powerful and efficient, allowing property managers to focus on their work while the AI handles routine tasks, ultimately making them more successful in their roles.
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Economic conditions outlook, December 2024

Mckinsey

December 20, 2024

  • A McKinsey survey of over 900 executives from 86 countries found that respondents are cautiously optimistic about the global economy but more concerned than before about potential changes in trade policy and relationships, which they see as a major disruption to their companies' performance.
  • Geopolitical instability remains the top concern for global growth, while transitions of political leadership have become a significant threat to domestic economies, particularly in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America.
  • Respondents also expect interest rates to increase and unemployment rates to rise in the next six months, with a growing share expecting worsening conditions in their own countries' economies.
  • However, they remain more optimistic about future economic conditions than present ones, and most respondents expect their companies' profits and customer demand to increase in the next six months.
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Heroku CLI v10: Support for Next Generation Heroku Platform

Heroku | By Anush DSouza

December 17, 2024

Backend
  • Heroku has released its new CLI version 10 with several updates to enhance user experience and improve compatibility with its next-generation platform called Fir.
  • The main changes include upgrading Node.js to version 20 for better performance and security, deprecating certain commands and flags for Cedar apps, and introducing new features like OpenTelemetry support, improved logs, and updated pipelines and buildpacks for Fir apps.
  • These updates are designed to make it easier to manage and deploy modern apps with enhanced observability, performance, and flexibility, and users can update their CLI by running the command "heroku update" or visit the Dev Center for more installation options.
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Track online orders in real time with Ragic and WooCommerce

Zapier | By Krystina Martinez

December 19, 2024

  • Ragic makes it easy to manage your online store's back-of-house operations by creating custom, relational databases to track orders and inventory levels.
  • To get real-time data on new orders for accounting and inventory management, you can connect Ragic with your eCommerce platform (like WooCommerce) using Zapier, an automation software that lets you create workflows between apps.
  • With a few clicks, you can set up a "Zap" to automatically add new order records in Ragic whenever there's a new order in WooCommerce, allowing you to track and manage your storefront more effectively without manual exports or plugins.
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Toward security in sustainable battery raw material supply

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

Backend
Robotics
  • The shift to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will drive demand for raw materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, but current supply chains are likely to face challenges in meeting this demand by 2030.
  • McKinsey estimates that only about 20% of the high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) supply will meet battery application requirements in 2030, while other materials like graphite and sulfur also face unique challenges.
  • To address these issues, companies may need to invest in new mines, refineries, or recycling facilities, and governments are enacting policies to promote domestic production of critical raw materials.
  • The industry must balance the "materials trilemma" - ensuring availability, affordability, and sustainability of materials - while reducing greenhouse gas emissions along the full value chain.
  • To achieve this, battery producers can adopt sustainable practices like sourcing from low-carbon producers, recycling battery materials, and using green chemicals to reduce Scope 3 emissions, ultimately contributing to a net-zero transition by 2040.
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Moving to GraphRAG 1.0 – Streamlining ergonomics for developers and users

Microsoft Research | By Brenda Potts

December 16, 2024

Backend
  • GraphRAG version 1.0 has been released with significant improvements to make it easier for developers and users to work with large datasets.
  • This new version streamlines operations, reduces memory usage, and allows users to index and analyze larger datasets.
  • Additionally, GraphRAG now includes an "update" command that makes it faster and cheaper to update indexes when new content is added, rather than re-indexing the entire dataset from scratch.
  • Users who have existing indexes will need to migrate to version 1.0, but this process should be straightforward with the provided migration guide.
  • Future developments include a new approach called "LazyGraphRAG" that minimizes upfront indexing and a potential integration of GraphRAG with Microsoft's AI-enabled scientific discovery capabilities.
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Guide to SMS automation

Zapier | By Michael Toth

December 17, 2024

DevOps
  • Text messaging can be a powerful way to communicate with your audience, but manually managing these messages can be time-consuming and impractical for growing businesses.
  • That's where automation comes in - by using tools like Zapier, you can integrate texting into your workflows so that the right messages reach the right people at the right time.
  • With SMS automation, you can automate reminders for calendar events, follow up with leads, send critical updates, and even combine SMS with other tools like emails, webhooks, and spreadsheets to create a seamless experience for your attendees.
  • For example, you can automatically send a text reminder when someone submits a form or books an appointment, or trigger a message when a new lead appears in a spreadsheet.
  • By automating these tasks, you can save time, reduce manual work, and deliver timely, actionable information directly to your audience, keeping customers, team members, and stakeholders informed and connected.
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6 ways to automate Facebook custom audiences with Zapier

Zapier | By Danielle Antosz

December 18, 2024

  • Facebook Custom Audiences helps you target people who already know your brand or have similar interests and behaviors by combining it with automation.
  • With Zapier, you can integrate various apps to create custom audiences in real-time without manually uploading data.
  • There are four types of custom audiences: from customer lists (uploading email addresses), website visitors (using the Meta pixel), engagement (users who interacted with your brand on other Meta platforms), and app activity (data passed by your business app).
  • By automating this process, you can save time, increase conversion rates, and reach the right people for your ads.
  • You can add new subscribers to a custom audience from email platforms like MailChimp or ActiveCampaign, add leads and customers from form tools and ad platforms, build audiences from product purchases, spreadsheets, CRM contacts, and webhooks.
  • This helps you drive Facebook ad conversions with targeted remarketing ads and boost your marketing efforts.
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Cartography joins the CNCF

Lyft | By Alex Chantavy

December 18, 2024

Web
  • Lyft has donated its open-source project Cartography to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), which helps companies manage and secure their cloud infrastructure by visualizing it as a graph.
  • The project was first created in 2019 to find potential security vulnerabilities, but soon became useful for both defenders and attackers alike.
  • Over time, Lyft built a community around Cartography, learned valuable lessons about open-sourcing a project, and saw its growth into a solution adopted by multiple companies.
  • However, as the project's stewardship was limited to one company, Lyft decided to donate it to the CNCF to ensure its long-term sustainability and reach more organizations, especially those dealing with complex cloud-native environments.
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What is patching automation?

Canonical | By Matthew de Klerk (Matthew de Klerk)

December 18, 2024

DevOps
Security
  • Automated patch management is crucial for large organizations with complex IT systems and limited internal resources to ensure ongoing system stability and security.
  • This process involves using software or tools that can automatically apply security fixes and patches without disrupting business operations.
  • A good automated patching process needs reliable patch sources, authentication and testing, consistent deployment schedules, easy configuration, rollbacks in case of errors, and reporting for monitoring and compliance purposes.
  • It's ideal for organizations with complex infrastructure, limited IT support staff, cybersecurity compliance requirements, or a low risk tolerance.
  • Tools like Landscape and Livepatch from Canonical offer powerful features to manage security posture, monitor vulnerabilities, and automate patching across the estate, ensuring that software patches come from trusted sources and are tested for stability, ultimately simplifying IT security and freeing up core IT staff for other work.
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Life at Canonical: Victoria Antipova’s perspective as a new joiner in Product Marketing

Canonical | By Amir Abdel Baki (Amir Abdel Baki)

December 19, 2024

AI
  • Victoria Antipova joined Canonical's Product Marketing team in November 2023 and shares her experience as a remote employee.
  • She describes the company's fast-paced environment and dynamic atmosphere where she was involved in launching new products and attending major internal events.
  • Victoria enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, learning from them, and building relationships with colleagues during the induction sprint.
  • She finds product marketing exciting due to its multifaceted nature that encourages her to learn new skills and work with various teams.
  • Despite being her first remote job, she appreciates the unique benefits of working remotely, including meeting colleagues worldwide at company sprints, and believes this approach empowers Canonical to attract talented people globally.
  • Victoria advises readers considering a career at Canonical to simply apply, as it's a great place to meet extraordinary people, expand knowledge, and travel to exciting places around the globe.
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Sustainability: Sources of value creation

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

Robotics
  • Companies today are investing heavily in sustainability initiatives to create value and mitigate risks.
  • To measure this value, businesses should consider five steps: assess materiality by identifying key sustainability metrics, benchmark performance against peers, identify key levers for improvement, quantify defense (mitigating risks) and offense (capturing opportunities), and synthesize impact into a roadmap.
  • The value at stake varies across industries, but common sources of value include playing defense to mitigate market decline and regulatory risks, and playing offense by launching sustainability businesses, capturing green premiums, and improving resource efficiency.
  • In practice, companies like those in the consumer sector have high rates of value at stake due to rising expectations for sustainable products, while pharmaceutical companies face significant challenges from regulatory fines but also opportunities for sustainable business building.
  • Overall, investing in sustainability is essential for creating long-term value, mitigating risks, and meeting stakeholder needs.
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English vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for parts of the body

Duolingo | By Aroline Hanson, Ph.D.

December 17, 2024

  • To learn English, it's essential to know the different parts of the body, which are divided into groups such as the head and face, torso, organs, arms and hands, and legs and feet.
  • You can describe a pain in a body part using verbs like 'to hurt' or specify the type of pain with words like 'sharp', 'burning', 'throbbing', or 'aching'.
  • Injuries can also be described as 'sore', 'tightly', or 'painful', and you can say you have a headache, toothache, earache, or stomachache.
  • Additionally, there are many specific injuries such as pulling a muscle, straining a muscle, twisting an ankle, or dislocating a shoulder.
  • There are also unique body parts in animals like antennae, antlers, beaks, and claws that you should know to improve your English vocabulary.
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.NET Conf 2024 Recap – Celebrating .NET 9, AI, Community, & More

Microsoft Devblogs | By .NET Team

December 17, 2024

Web
Backend
  • .NET Conf 2024 was a huge success where Microsoft launched the official release of .NET 9, its most productive, modern, secure, intelligent, and performant version yet.
  • The event provided three days of free content for .NET developers worldwide, including sessions on topics like .NET Aspire, AI, .NET MAUI, web development, Visual Studio, and more.
  • Additionally, there were customer stories shared by companies like Microsoft Copilot, Fidelity Investments, Chevron Phillips Chemical, KPMG, and Xbox who have successfully used .NET to improve their performance, scalability, and reliability.
  • The event also included on-demand recordings and a bonus "day 4" of YouTube premieres with more great content for developers.
  • If you missed the event, you can still catch up on sessions, get started with .NET 9, or upskill on .NET Aspire by watching beginner video series and earning a Microsoft Learn credential.
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The value of generosity in leadership

Mckinsey

December 18, 2024

  • Leadership expert Dana Maor and his colleagues discuss the importance of generosity in leadership, which they define as sharing one's time, experience, and wisdom to foster a culture of collaboration, openness, empowerment, and care.
  • They argue that in today's fast-paced business environment, leaders are under pressure to deliver results, but embracing generosity can actually help them manage those pressures and improve their happiness and work satisfaction.
  • The experts share examples of how leaders like Wendy Kopp, CEO of Teach for America, and Bryan Hancock, a McKinsey leader, have learned the value of generosity through their own experiences.
  • They offer practical advice on where to start cultivating generosity, such as reflecting on oneself and asking questions, and provide insights into what prevents leaders from being generous, including conflicts between confidence and generosity, and societal expectations around leadership styles.
  • The discussion also touches on how to assess for generosity in the hiring process, suggesting that looking at a candidate's track record of fostering supportive environments and promoting successful team members can be an effective way to gauge their potential for generosity.
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Four emerging themes in business travel

Mckinsey

December 19, 2024

Backend
Algorithms
  • Business travel is experiencing a strong recovery after a few uncertain years, with global value projections reaching $1.5 trillion by 2024 and the US market expecting to grow by 13.4 percent compared to 2019.
  • Employees are seeking face-to-face interactions, which bodes well for business travel.
  • The lines between work and leisure travel are blurring, as some corporate travelers now enjoy extended stays at destinations, looking for "more than a hotel" amenities.
  • This trend is driving the demand for long-stay properties and personalized booking experiences that cater to each traveler's unique preferences and behaviors.
  • Meanwhile, new technologies like AI-powered booking tools, direct folio billing, continuous rate monitoring, and small-meeting technology are transforming managed business travel, offering improved visibility, savings, and convenience for corporate travelers and their employers.
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Global Expansion – “G3J Learn Semantic Kernel” Show – A Deep Dive in Korean!

Microsoft Devblogs | By Sophia Lagerkrans-Pandey

December 19, 2024

Cloud
Backend
  • Microsoft has created a new show called "G3J Learn Semantic Kernel" to help developers learn about Semantic Kernel in their preferred language.
  • The show, which started on October 17th, airs every first and third Thursday of the month on Microsoft Developer Korea YouTube channel and features four Microsoft MVPs (Gusam Park, Jinseok Kim, Jongin Lee, and Justin Yoo) who share their expertise in .NET and developer technologies.
  • The series covers various topics, from basic usage to advanced integration tips and best practices, allowing developers to build intelligent apps that effectively leverage their organization's data.
  • Through the show, developers can gain a deeper understanding of Semantic Kernel and how it can revolutionize app development.
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Secure External Access to Unity Catalog Assets via Open APIs

Databricks

December 20, 2024

Game Dev
  • We're making it possible for people outside of our system to safely and securely access Unity Catalog's tools using their own programs or applications, by releasing a preview version of this feature called credential vending.
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Connect Facebook Lead Ads to a Mailchimp email list

Zapier | By Elena Alston

December 19, 2024

  • To connect Facebook Lead Ads to Mailchimp, start by setting up a Zapier action event and linking your Mailchimp account.
  • Then, customize your new subscriber in Mailchimp by adding at least their email address and audience.
  • You can also map data from previous steps like customer name and address.
  • If you want the Zap to update existing subscribers' information, select "Yes" in the "Update Existing" field, but be aware that any changes will overwrite the current info.
  • Once set up, test your Zap by creating a new contact on Mailchimp's Audience page.
  • After confirming it works correctly, your Zap is ready to use and will automatically add every new Facebook Lead to your selected Mailchimp audience.
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Amuse 2.1 Beta Is Now Available: Introducing FLUX.1 Support, Bug Fixes and More

AMD | By AMD_AI

December 19, 2024

AI
Backend
Hardware
  • AMD has released Amuse 2.1 Beta, a software update for users with Ryzen AI and Radeon GPU hardware, which now supports FLUX.1 Schnell, a state-of-the-art image generation model that can create stunning images in just 4 steps.
  • The new version includes various bug fixes, improved image quality, and additional Stable Diffusion models for enhanced experiences.
  • To use the FLUX.1 Schnell model on your Radeon GPU, you need to download it from Advanced Mode in Amuse, but please note that this is still an experimental software and may have bugs or unintended behavior.
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Introducing Git Support for Queries in Databricks

Databricks

December 17, 2024

Database
Coding
  • A new feature called Query Git integration has been released as part of the updated SQL Editor.
  • This means you can now use Git, a system for tracking changes to your code, specifically with your SQL queries.
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Mozilla partners with Ecosia for a better web

Mozilla

December 17, 2024

  • Mozilla is partnering with Ecosia to create a more sustainable internet experience.
  • They're expanding their partnership to now offer users the option to use Ecosia as their default search engine in addition to Germany, allowing people to make choices that align with their values and support positive social impact.
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Automating with GitLab Duo, Part 3: Validating testing

Gitlab | By Byron Boots

December 17, 2024

  • The team used GitLab Duo to generate automated tests for their code and wanted to see if it was really adding value to their testing process.
  • To test this, they removed all existing tests and then used GitLab Duo to create new ones.
  • They only interacted with the tool through its chat window and didn't modify any of the generated tests.
  • After running the tests and monitoring the results, they were able to achieve a significant improvement in test coverage, from 74% to 84%, which was a great accomplishment for them.
  • This allowed their team to have increased confidence in developing new features without worrying about introducing errors, and it even helped them increase coverage further to 89%.
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How to use TypeScript Partial Type?

Refine.dev

December 18, 2024

  • In TypeScript, there are three main utility types: Pick, Omit, and Partial.
  • Pick creates a type with only specific keys, while Omit excludes specified keys from a type.
  • Partial makes all keys of a type optional, which is useful when dealing with API responses where some fields might not be returned, form handling with partial data, or object updates where not all fields are modified.
  • This means if you have an interface like User with required properties like 'id' and 'email', Partial<User> would create a new type OptionalUser with optional 'id' and 'email'.
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Kubernetes v1.32 Adds A New CPU Manager Static Policy Option For Strict CPU Reservation

Kubernetes

December 16, 2024

Hardware
  • Kubernetes version 1.32 introduces a new feature called "strict-cpu-reservation" which helps protect system daemons and interrupt processing by limiting how much CPU other pods can use on the same node.
  • This ensures that essential services don't get starved of resources, and it's especially important for all-in-one deployments where nodes handle multiple roles.
  • The feature is currently in alpha, but users are encouraged to try it out and provide feedback to help improve it.
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Translating Java to Kotlin at Scale

Facebook

December 18, 2024

Web
Mobile
Backend
Coding
  • Meta has been working on translating its entire Android codebase from Java to Kotlin for years and is now more than halfway done despite having one of the largest Android codebases in the world.
  • To make this process easier, they built a tool called the Kotlinator that automates conversion by going through six phases: building the code, preprocessing (which includes 50 steps), headless J2K translation, postprocessing (with about 150 steps), running linters with autofixes, and finally making fixes based on build errors.
  • They also made custom pre- and post-conversion steps to handle compatibility issues in their large codebase, which is central to the dependency graph.
  • The Kotlinator has been able to reduce developer effort and unreliability by automating delicate transformations, but it still can't solve all problems, so they're working with JetBrains to improve J2K and insert hooks for custom steps.
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Blackstone’s Gilles Dellaert on private credit and insurance

Mckinsey

December 17, 2024

AI
  • Gilles Dellaert is the global head of Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI), which manages over $350 billion in assets.
  • He joined Blackstone in 2020 after a successful career at Global Atlantic, where he grew the insurance business and became co-president.
  • BXCI combines Blackstone's corporate credit, asset-based finance, and insurance groups to offer a one-stop-shop solution for clients.
  • Dellaert attributes the growth of credit assets at Blackstone to a combination of factors, including bringing together different groups and delivering investment performance that meets client needs.
  • He emphasizes the importance of talent in achieving success, citing Blackstone's ability to attract top people from various institutions.
  • The company is taking a capital-light approach to insurance, offering an open-architecture model that allows clients to choose what they need, rather than buying an entire business.
  • Dellaert sees private credit becoming more mainstream in the insurance industry, driven by demand for retirement products and the need for insurers to access yield-enhancing investments.
  • He believes that this trend will continue as traditional insurers rationalize their balance sheets and look to private capital-backed insurers for support.
  • Blackstone is well-positioned to benefit from this trend, with a significant presence in both lending and asset management.
  • Dellaert also sees opportunities for growth in international markets, particularly in Europe and Asia, where demand for retirement products is high and regulators are creating an environment conducive to private credit.
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6 ways to automate WPForms with Zapier

Zapier | By Juliet John

December 19, 2024

  • WPForms and Zapier help streamline lead management by automating tasks such as tracking form submissions, sending follow-up messages, adding new contacts to email lists, keeping CRMs up-to-date, creating tasks and appointments, and connecting with other apps.
  • This process eliminates manual work, reduces errors, and saves time for teams to focus on nurturing leads and converting them into customers.
  • With Zapier's workflow automation software, users can connect WPForms to thousands of business-critical apps in their tech stack to scale lead gen efforts easily.
  • Automated workflows, or Zaps, can be set up using pre-made templates or custom webhooks to automate tasks such as sending new form submissions to spreadsheets, email lists, CRMs, and task management apps, allowing businesses to stay organized and efficient in managing leads.
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Elevating Global Health with Databricks and The Virtue Foundation

Databricks

December 19, 2024

  • Databricks has partnered with the Virtue Foundation through Databricks for Good, which offers free professional services to help drive positive change and social impact by leveraging technology and data analytics.
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Using server-side caching to speed up your applications, save on infra costs, and deliver better UX

Sentry

December 16, 2024

Database
DevOps
Backend
Coding
  • Sentry helps you identify and fix performance issues by showing you which slow operations are prime candidates for caching across your entire stack.
  • With its Backend Insights and distributed tracing features, you can easily spot repeated queries that run slowly due to repetitive database calls or external API requests, making it an ideal opportunity to implement a cache for major performance improvements.
  • By setting up a cache and optimizing your indexing, you can quickly see significant boosts in speed, while also minimizing the risk of cache lookups slowing down transactions.
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Engineering AI-Driven Recommendations: How Real-Time Personalization Powers Smarter, More Meaningful Customer Engagement

Salesforce | By Scott Nyberg

December 16, 2024

Web
AI
Backend
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