🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #198

Rise and shine, it's Thursday - the weekend is in sight!

#Shivaay - An Indian LLM is generating buzz, beating out big players like Claude 2 and GPT-3.5. Named Shivaay, it’s currently ranking 3rd on the ARC-C benchmark and 11th on the GSM8K benchmark.

#CopyCat - OpenAI says it has evidence that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek used its proprietary models to train a competing open-source model. The discovery centers around a technique called "distillation," where developers use outputs from larger AI models to training smaller ones.

#AppleIntelligence - Did your iPhone get recently updated with Apple Intelligence feature? Well, if you are not using it or are wondering how you can save some space, turns out removing Apple Intelligence can save you a whopping 7 GB of space!! A.I. seems to be a storage hog!

ISRO Makes History With 100th Rocket Launch
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is India's national space agency. So today, they launched their 100th mission from Sriharikota, which is a huge achievement! They successfully placed the NVS-02 satellite into orbit using the GSLV-F15 rocket. This is a big milestone for India's space program and makes every Indian proud of their scientists and space experts.

L&T To Build Uzbekistan’s First AI-enabled Data Centre
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is a huge Indian conglomerate with over 80 years of experience in EPC projects, manufacturing, and services. They just announced they'll be building Uzbekistan's first AI-enabled and sustainable data centre, which is a big deal! It'll be a 10-megawatt centre in Tashkent with AI capabilities and robust security. L&T will oversee the entire project, from engineering to construction.

Amazon Launches Drone Deliveries In UK
Amazon is taking their Prime Air delivery service to the UK, starting in Darlington, England, with plans to launch drones for delivery once they get approval from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Boom Supersonic Takes Supersonic Flight Test To New Heights
For the first time, a privately developed aircraft has flown faster than sound. Boom Supersonic (company aiming to make supersonic travel affordable) successfully completed its first supersonic flight test with its XB-1 demonstrator, reaching speeds above Mach 1.

Apple Embarks On Secret Project With Spacex And T-Mobile
Apple has been secretly working with SpaceX and T-Mobile US Inc. to add support for the Starlink network in its latest iPhone software. The companies have been testing iPhones with Starlink service from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Apple already provides a Globalstar offering that lets consumers send texts and contact emergency responders when out of cellular range.

LinkedIn - Changes the criteria for issuing the “Top-Voice” badge

Signal - Added ability to synchronize message history from primary iOS or Android devices to newly linked devices like desktops and iPads, with end-to-end encryption and QR code verification.

Google Play - Introduced "Verified" badges for VPN apps that prioritize user privacy and safety to help users find trustworthy services.

Phone Link - iPhone support added to the Windows 11 Start menu integration

The Future of Microprocessors - Sophie Wilson, a renowned computer scientist, delivering a presentation at GOTO Copenhagen 2024. In this talk, she explores the evolution of microprocessors, current technological advancements, and potential future developments in the field. The presentation delves into topics such as processor architectures, performance improvements, energy efficiency, and emerging trends that could shape the next generation of microprocessors.

What Can a Java Developer Learn from Golang - Grzegorz Piwowarek discusses the lessons Java developers can glean from Go (Golang). He delves into Go's design philosophy, concurrency model, and simplicity, contrasting them with Java's features. The talk aims to provide Java developers with insights into Go's approach to problem-solving, which can inspire more efficient and effective coding practices in Java.

Understanding Psychology In UX Design
Learn how psychology bridges the gap between user needs and intuitive experiences, uncovering essential principles such as Gestalt, Cognitive Load Theory, and Hick’s Law to create impactful designs and user-friendly solutions.

Create-React-App Conundrum: Navigating Legacy Code In A Shifting Javascript Landscape
create-react-app, a popular tool for generating React apps, is now broken and deprecated due to conflicts with React 19, yet still widely used due to outdated online resources, highlighting issues with SEO-driven content and the complexities of JavaScript's evolving ecosystem.

Embracing Discovery Coding: A New Approach To Software Development
Discovery coding, practiced by some programmers, involves writing code first without a plan, to understand a problem. Unlike bottom-up design, it's an orthogonal process that can lead to structured, rigorous end-artifacts, and can benefit even outliners by avoiding familiar solutions and understanding system constraints."