🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #231

Good morning! Tuesday brings new chances for success!

#Microsoft - In the latest update to Windows 11, Microsoft’s digital assistant - CoPilot - gets uninstalled on its own! Microsoft is currently working on a fix for this bug and advises affected customers to reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store. 😄

#WirelessCharging - iPhone 17 Air AI might usher in a new era of port-free iPhones for Apple. The device is set to be the thinnest iPhone ever, replacing the Plus variants in the iPhone lineup. Apple opted for USB-C with the iPhone 15 lineup - primarily due to EU regulatory pressure - and it might finally ditch all ports from its iPhones. 📱

#Gemini2Flash - Gemini 2 Flash - Google’s new AI model is getting popular, though not for the reasons you think. People are using Google's new model to remove watermarks from images! That’s right - think you can mark your image as copyright with a watermark label? Think again… 🖼️

Baidu Unveils New Ai Models To Rival Deepseek
Baidu is a Chinese tech giant. DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup known for affordable AI models. Today, Baidu launched 2 new AI models, ERNIE X1 & ERNIE 4.5, rivalling DeepSeek's models in performance at a lower cost, boosting the global AI race.

“Taara” Takes Aim At Starlink With Laser-powered Internet
Taara is a GoogleX spin-off that uses laser beams to beam internet from space to remote locations, partnering with telcos to extend their networks. Today, its GM announced a new silicon photonic chip that could replace Wi-Fi networks and give Taara an edge over SpaceX's Starlink, which uses radio signals and has limitations in urban areas.

Instagram - Introduces AI-generated comments to help users respond to posts with suggested replies.

Discord - Adds Social SDK for developers to integrate social and multiplayer experiences into their games, including unified friends lists, cross-platform messaging, and voice chat.

Zoom - Introduces AI Companion upgrade with task automation, live notes, and voice recorder features for enhanced productivity.

Filepizza | Peer-to-peer file transfers in your browser

Nuanced | Enriched Python function call graphs for agents and coding assistants

21st | npm for design engineers: largest marketplace of shadcn/ui-based React Tailwind components, blocks and hooks

Mastering Research Papers
For software engineers, reading research papers is crucial for staying updated on new developments. To overcome intimidation, use a multi-pass approach: 1) read abstract, intro, results, and conclusion, 2) focus on inner sections, and 3) look up unfamiliar terms and references, a skill even experienced engineers like those at Groq use.

Taking Career Advice With A Grain Of Salt
If you’re new to tech, taking advice from someone with a 20-year career is likely to be about as effective as taking career advice from a stockbroker or firefighter. The tech industry of 15 or 20 years ago was, again, dramatically different from tech today. Even advice people with long careers on what worked for them when they were getting started is unlikely to be advice that works today.

Insights From A Dating App
A former employee shares findings on user behavior, ranking, and preferences in a popular dating app. Key takeaways: women's like ratios are much higher than men's (38% vs 5%), profiles don't impact the app experience, and physical appearance is a key criterion for men.