66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023 (32 minute read)
A lot of things went right this year - a record number of countries eliminated diseases, Malaria vaccines started arriving in Africa, solar became the fastest-growing energy technology in history, and more - but almost none of it made it to the news.
Prompt Of The Year: 2023 (GitHub Repo)
This collection showcases the most impactful prompts of the year across various domains. It covers domains such as job hunting, essay and research, language learning, code generation, mental health, music, marketing, and much more. The complete collection can be accessed through a CSV file. Each prompt includes a backlink to its original author.
Scientists discover the first new antibiotics in over 60 years using AI (3 minute read)
Scientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics for drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria using AI. The discovery could be a turning point in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Deep learning is increasingly being applied in drug discovery to accelerate the process. The model was able to predict the activity and toxicity of the new compound.
Injection of “smart insulin” regulates blood glucose levels for one week (3 minute read)
Glucose-responsive insulin, or 'smart' insulin, is a form of insulin that provides control of blood glucose levels over a longer period of time than normal insulin. A recent study reported that a single injection of a smart insulin system was able to regulate blood glucose levels in diabetic mice and minipigs for a week. The system mimics the body's natural process, releasing insulin in response to glucose. Research into smart insulin is still in its early stages, but the study demonstrated that it could be a viable research subject heading forward.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has instituted a pause on the Apple Watch import ban - it will hear the company's case as early as January 15.
CSS is fun again (7 minute read)
Many big features that previously required external tools to use are now native to CSS.
Amazon's Silent Sacking (6 minute read)
Many teams at Amazon have been in a hiring freeze for over a year and the employees that were left after the layoffs in 2023 are now leaving. The changes in the organization will likely result in a major AWS outage in 2024. There has already been an increase in large-scale events throughout Amazon. While Amazon is operationally strong, these operational practices depend on people, and when people are eliminated to increase stock prices, operational practices suffer.
We Are About to Enter the Golden Age of Gene Therapy (11 minute read)
The first CRISPR-based gene therapies were approved in the UK and the US late last year. While gene therapies promise to tackle both rare and common diseases, they will come with side effects like exorbitant prices, barriers to access, and ethical concerns. This article looks at how the field promises to bring better editing with more targets and equitable therapies for all in 2024 and beyond.
Large Language Model Course (GitHub Repo)
This course on large language models covers fundamental knowledge about mathematics, Python, and neural networks. It focuses on teaching students how to build and deploy the best possible LLMs using the latest techniques. The repository contains a list of notebooks and articles related to LLMs and resources for further learning.
AI-created “virtual influencers” are stealing business from humans (3 minute read)
Companies are hiring virtual influencers and reporting significant results and decreases in costs.
Humanoid Robots Are Getting to Work (7 minute read)
A handful of companies will be deploying their humanoid robots in commercial pilot projects this year. This article looks at the current state of humanoid robots and whether they're ready for work. Humanoid robots are able to replace human workers doing robotic jobs, freeing them to be able to work in other more valuable positions. The pilot tests this year will determine whether their potential will translate into a fundamental shift in how repetitive labor is done.
LLMs and Programming in the first days of 2024 (26 minute read)
Large language models (LLMs) are great for programming work, but using them requires practice. Communicating poorly is a great limitation. Many programmers communicate poorly despite being very capable in their field. Asking LLMs the right questions is a fundamental skill that can be improved with practice.
Why Wall Street Might Be Falling in Love With Bitcoin (8 minute read)
Fees, delays, and existential risks of crypto exchanges have led most of the investing public to remain on the sidelines with Bitcoin. However, the widely expected approval of numerous bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in the coming days could change all that. ETFs are one of the world's most popular ways to invest. An ETF would make investing in bitcoin easy and relatively more safe. A bitcoin ETF could, in theory, push the price of bitcoin even higher over the coming weeks, months, and years.
2024 may be a year of reckoning for Apple’s $85 billion services business (6 minute read)
Apple is facing a series of regulatory decisions by US and EU authorities that will determine its future. If Google loses its antitrust trial, it could be forced to stop making regular payments to Apple worth an estimated quarter of the annual revenues earned by Apple's services arm. Apple and other tech giants are being forced to change their app store policies to allow sideloading of apps. Both of these changes will have large impacts on Apple's revenue.
Push Notifications - What to Push, What Not to Push, and How Often (18 minute read)
The ideal messaging frequency varies from individual to individual - try to push helpful messages and minimize harm.
What Will Happen In 2024 (6 minute read)
A lot of innovation will be happening in 2024. AI and web3 are creating a more intelligent, resilient, and decentralized internet and new energy technologies will power our lives in new and sustainable ways. This article looks at the technologies that will be developed this year and opportunities for the teams building these new technologies. 2024 will be a terrific year for tech.