Researchers have created an ultra-thin battery about 0.2 millimeters thick. Powered by a biocompatible saline solution, the battery is thin enough to fit inside a 0.5-millimeter contact lens. The battery can use the glucose in tears to power up. Its capacity and voltage are currently very low and insufficient for powering data storage or an internet connection.
AI in software engineering at Google: Progress and the path ahead (9 minute read)
This blog post, written by the team responsible for the software development environments where Google engineers spend the majority of their time, covers Google's newest AI-powered improvements within its internal software development tools. It also presents a methodology on how to build AI products that deliver value for professional software development. There is widespread enthusiasm among software engineers about how AI is helping write code. The team achieved its highest impact with a UX that naturally blended into users' workflows.
Study finds 268% higher failure rates for Agile software projects (3 minute read)
Agile's problems may stem more from its implementation rather than from the principles themselves.
Siri is reborn in iOS 18 — everything Apple's voice assistant will be able to do (19 minute read)
Details about Siri's new functionalities as well as prompts that Apple used to test the software have been leaked. Many of the prompts used contain natural language, often detailing descriptions of what the user is trying to do along with arguably superfluous details. Several core apps, including Notes, Photos, Safari, and Mail, will be getting enhanced Siri features in iOS 18. This article looks at all of the enhanced Siri features coming in iOS 18 and other updates that can be expected in iOS 18 and macOS 15.
How a single ChatGPT mistake cost us $10,000+ (6 minute read)
ChatGPT hard-coded an ID string instead of using a function or lambda to generate UUIDs, resulting in an issue that prevented new users from subscribing.
Apple is bringing RCS to the iPhone in iOS 18 (2 minute read)
Apple's Messages app will support RCS in iOS 18. It will replace SMS as the default communication protocol between Android and iOS devices. RCS offers typing indicators, read receipts, longer messages, and higher-quality images and videos. Apple likely integrated the protocol to appease EU regulators.
Solar-Powered Planes Take Flight (8 minute read)
Solar-powered planes could lead to new alternatives for aerial surveillance and telecommunications. Aviation giants, telecommunication companies, venture investors, and the military are already spending millions of dollars developing the technology. These planes never need refueling and can stay in the air as long as the sun is shining. Advances in battery technology have finally made it feasible to power a solar plane through the night.
Apple's AI promise: “Your data is never stored or made accessible to Apple” (2 minute read)
Apple's new Apple Intelligence system will use Private Cloud Compute to ensure any data processed on its cloud servers is protected in a transparent and verifiable way. Many of Apple's generative AI models can run entirely on a device powered by an A17+ or M-series chip. When a bigger model is required to fulfill a generative AI request, Apple Intelligence only sends relevant data to complete the task to special Apple silicon servers. Customer data will not be saved for future server access or used to further train models. The server code used for Private Cloud Compute will be publicly accessible.
X is about to start hiding all likes (2 minute read)
X is rolling out private likes - what users like on the platform will be hidden by default. Owner Elon Musk said that it was important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so. Users will still be able to see who liked their posts and the like count for all posts.
Generative AI Is Not Going To Build Your Engineering Team For You (27 minute read)
Software is an apprenticeship industry - you can only learn by doing. The industry changes fast, so developers have to keep learning. It takes many years to forge a competent software engineer. Senior software engineers don't only write code - they have to be able to understand, maintain, explain, and manage a large body of software in production over time and translate business needs into technical implementation. Writing code is the easiest part of software engineering, and it's getting easier every day. AI can help generate lots of code really fast, but it can't aid in the work of managing, understanding, or operating that code. Generated code can't be trusted - it needs to be reviewed before it can be committed and shipped to production.
General Intelligence (2024) (4 minute read)
AGI will likely be developed within three to five years.