Back in 2005 Mark Zuckerberg took a “Computer Science” lecture at Harvard.
He started by talking about some of the strategies that Facebook used to improve its performance, one of them being caching.
After talking for a while he asked the audience for any questions. To his surprise there weren’t any technical questions as such. Well anyone will be surprised I guess. After answering a few questions he finally commented “No CS Questions”.
Watch this clip, which is quite funny !
Astro is one of the most notable projects of the year. Astro is a tool to build web sites that load faster because they ship less JavaScript.
Risingstars
How can you build a faster website?
To build a faster website you need to ship less code. Astro is a kind of static site builder that delivers lightning-fast performance with a modern developer experience.
With Astro you can build your site using your own framework like React, Vue or just HTML and JavaScript. Astro then renders the entire page to static HTML, removing all JavaScript from your final build by default.
If there is a real need for some Javscript component, Astro loads it when it’s visible.
It supports all the npm packages, CSS modules etc and is SEO enabled.
How it works?
Astro works like a static site generator which means it will generate a static HTML site for you during build, with almost no Javascript. It’s pretty obvious that this will be much faster compared to a site with Javascript.
When a component, like add to cart or carousel, needs some JavaScript, it loads that component. The rest of your site continues to exist as static, lightweight HTML. This new approach to web architecture is called islands architecture.
Sample project is available at Github – https://github.com/ankur-srivastava/astro-blog
With consumers facing storage issues in their iPhones due to upgrades, videos and apps Apple has been working to improve and offer more storage.
As per some reports it is expected that iPhone14 may give you memory upto 2TB. Thanks to Quad-level cells (QLC), which is the latest development in flash storage technology.
What is QLC (Quad Level Cells)
QLC is the latest in flash storage technology. It stores 4 bits per cell compared to flash storage which stores 1 bit per cell.
Triple Level Cells extends this to 8 bits per cell.
There is some drawback also. As per ComputerWeekly “QLC is slower and breaks down more quickly than other flash” and to overcome this suppliers use caching techniques.
We know Elon Musk is pretty close to the cutting edge stuff in Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this talk he discusses his concerns about AI.
He answers some of the pressing questions and concerns and why some kind of regulation is much needed.
He understands the threats that the so called AI experts fail to see. And he admits that it scares the hell out of him.
Just 5 mins into this talk and you get an idea of the kind of impact AI can have. Let me add here that he mention the difference between Narrow or Weak AI and Digital Super Intelligence, discussed later.
I am sharing some of the highlights from his talk.
Several AI “experts” think more than they do and they think they are smarter than they actually are. They don’t understand the repercussions. He mentions that the rate of improvement is exponential in this area.
A super intelligence is a hypothetical agent that possesses intelligence far surpassing that of the brightest and most gifted human minds. –Wiki
3. He talks about regulations to ensure everyone is developing AI safely. Even though the dangers of AI are far more why no regulations?
To conclude he wishes that these developments are symbiotic with Humanity. And that we don’t create systems that pose a threat to us.
I will highly recommend that you watch this talk.
If you are like me then you might have a tendency to bite your nails, pull your hairs or keep doing something which you want to get rid off. Problem in such cases is awareness.
Soon you might be able to tame these habits using a wearable device. HabitAware has created a device called Liv.
A smart bracelet that creates awareness of subconscious behaviors like hair pulling, nail biting, skin picking and thumb-sucking in older children.
Willingness to change is the first step. Awareness is the second. Liv helps with this second step.
NASA recently undertook a new endeavor to allow long observations on Science phenomenon using Balloon technology. Mind you it’s not your average Balloon.
It attempts to detect Gamma Rays emitted from Black Holes and Exploding Stars.
It was launched from New Zealand and will orbit Earth for around 100 days.
As the Artificial Intelligence platforms evolve the job market is set to face a major revamp.
AI platforms like Amelia (created by IPsoft), and Viv (from the creators of Siri) are set to replace millions of workers.
These Robots can do most of the Jobs being done currently. Many of these are currently being tested.
Another amazing feat by humanity. A Solar powered plane can open the endless possibilities.
The carbon-fiber aircraft weighs just about a midsize truck.
The plane’s wings, which stretch wider than those of a Boeing 747, are equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power propellers and charge batteries. The plane runs on stored energy at night.
If you are into Computers and haven’t heard of Linus Torvalds then you better do some lookup. To start with he gave us Linux and to add icing to the cake he created Git.
Recently I heard him talk in a TED interview and thought of sharing it. It’s a talk worth listening to. He is not a people’s person and likes to work in his quiet office, all by himself.
The part which sounded really interesting was his take on Visionaries and why he identified more with Edison than with Tesla.
I am not a visionary. I do not have a five-year plan, I don’t have a moon shot. I’m an engineer.
Listen him share his opinions.
Why Android 