SpaceX completes sixth Starship flight, splashes down both booster and spacecraft (5 minute read)
SpaceX launched the sixth Starship test flight yesterday near Brownsville, Texas, before intentionally splashing down in the Indian Ocean an hour later. The company had originally aimed to catch the rocket's Super Heavy booster with its launch tower but decided to splash down the booster in the Gulf of Mexico instead as it did not clear the 'commit criteria' needed for the catch attempt. This was the first time Starship made a daylight splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Video of the flight test is available in the article.
|
Meta forms product group to build AI tools for businesses (3 minute read)
Meta is creating a new product unit to develop AI tools for business. It will be led by Clara Shih, who was most recently the CEO of Salesforce AI. Shih will be responsible for building new tools and getting businesses to adopt them. Most of Meta's business-facing AI tools have so far centered around ad creation and optimization. The new product group will build tools that create deeper customer relationships beyond advertising.
|
|
Science & Futuristic Technology
|
I'm a neuroscientist who taught rats to drive (11 minute read)
A study in which rats were taught how to drive found that rats housed in enriched environments learned to drive faster than those in standard cages. The finding supports the idea that complex environments enhance neuroplasticity. The study found that the rats had an intense motivation for their driving training. Its results suggest that anticipating positive experiences may help drive persistence to keep searching for life's rewards. Pictures and videos of the rats and their automobiles are available in the article.
|
New Fastest Supercomputer Will Simulate Nuke Testing (2 minute read)
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has unveiled the world's fastest supercomputer, El Capitan. El Capitan can perform over 2,700 quadrillion operations per second at its peak. It will be used to model and predict nuclear weapon performance, aging effects, and safety. It will also aid in fusion and AI projects. Planning for the system began in 2018, with construction starting four years ago. El Capitan was built by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which has built all of the current top 3 supercomputers.
|
|
Programming, Design & Data Science
|
Fireproof realtime ledger (GitHub Repo)
Fireproof is a realtime database that runs on any backend. It can create multi-player by default apps that can sync changes between browsers and backend functions. Fireproof is network aware, encrypted, and multi-writer safe. It is designed for real-time collaboration with CRDTs and offers cryptographic causal integrity for all operations. Built for the web, Fireproof has a small package size and no WebAssembly.
|
Android 16 Preview (14 minute read)
The Android 16 Preview SDK and tools are now available for download. This page contains all the information needed to make apps compatible with the next version of Android. The final release is planned for next year. Android 16 is expected to reach Platform Stability at Beta 3 in March 2025.
|
|
US government commission pushes Manhattan Project-style AI initiative (4 minute read)
A US congressional commission has proposed a Manhattan Project-style initiative to fund the development of AI systems that will be as smart or smarter than humans. The Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the US government and the private sector that produced the first atomic bombs. The commission says that public-private partnerships will be key in advancing artificial general intelligence, but did not give any specific investment strategies in its report. The commission also recommends repealing the de minimis trade exemption that allows Chinese goods under $800 to bypass tariffs with minimal paperwork and inspection.
|
The Deep Sea (Website)
This site shows visitors what lies underneath the surface of the sea. Just scroll down and you will see what creatures can be found at different depths. It goes all the way down to The Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the ocean at 10,924 meters below sea level. Humans reached this level in 1960, about nine years before the moon landing.
|
|
|
Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards!
|
|
Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag!
|
|
|
|
|
Track your referrals here.
|
|
Want to advertise in TLDR? 📰
|
If your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, decision-makers and engineers, you may want to advertise with us.
If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!
Thanks for reading,
Dan Ni & Stephen Flanders
|
|
|
|
