🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #234

Good morning, it's Friday! Time to wrap up the week!

#Dunzo - Dunzo, the first Indian startup to receive a direct investment from Google in 2017, shut down in January. A journalist spoke to Dunzo’s former employees, investors, and industry experts. They revealed how mismanagement, operational challenges, and fierce competition led to its demise. 🚚

#AIHallucinations - So, it's been two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene and it's still spewing out false info like it's nobody's business. Now, some Austrian advocacy group is calling them out for it, again. Apparently, ChatGPT accused some poor Norwegian guy of murdering his kids, and when he asked it what it knew about him, it just kept on lying. 🤖

#AIVsHumans - So, it looks like AI is officially funnier than humans... at least when it comes to memes! A new study found that AI-generated meme captions scored higher in humor and creativity, but humans still created the most exceptional ones. 🤡

#Grok - So, it looks like Elon Musk's AI bot Grok is getting used for fact-checking on X, but human fact-checkers are freaking out because they think it could spread misinformation. Apparently, Grok can frame its answers to sound convincing, even if they're not true. 🐦

Swiggy Enters B2B Space With Assure App
Swiggy has built an app for restaurant supplies. Called Assure, the service is likely to put Swiggy in direct competition with rival Zomato's Hyperpure. The company is currently ramping up hiring for Assure.

X Sues Indian Government Over Content Removal
X is suing the Indian government for allegedly expanding its powers to remove online content without proper oversight, which X claims is "unrestrained censorship". This isn't the first time X has clashed with the Indian government over content removal.

Researchers Create "Audible Enclaves" To Direct Sound To Specific Locations
Researchers used ultrasound as a carrier carrier to transport sound through space silently. They found a new way to send sound to one specific listener through self-bending ultrasound beams and a concept called nonlinear acoustics. The technology could transform entertainment and communication experiences.

WhatsApp - New dark theme with a pitch black color palette and rounded search bar rolled out to web client.

Spotify - Introduced "Concerts Near You" playlist, a personalized list of 30 songs from artists performing nearby, updated every Wednesday with full event details and ticket links.

Gmail - Enhanced search functionality powered by AI, prioritizing relevance and recency to show the most relevant results at the top.

Discord - Introduces video Quests on mobile, allowing users to earn rewards by watching videos, playing games, streaming, or completing other tasks.

xAI API - Added image generation capabilities with support for generating up to 10 images per request in JPG format.

Anthropic Claude - Web search capability added, allowing the AI-powered chatbot to search the web and provide answers with inline citations.

Threads - Allows users to set custom feeds or following feed as default, limits post replies to followers, adds topic tagging in bio, and upgrades video player with pause, play, and skip buttons.

Carbon | A design system built by IBM

Smallpond | A lightweight data processing framework built on DuckDB and 3FS.

Docs | A collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales. Built with Django and React. Opensource alternative to Notion or Outline.

Common Mistakes In Restful API Design
This article will teach you how to avoid common pitfalls in RESTful API design, including designing from the wrong perspective, creating poor URI structures, and neglecting developer experience. By understanding the principles of REST and adopting an outside-in approach, you can build APIs that are intuitive, scalable, and easy to use.

Are Breadcrumbs Still Relevant?
Breadcrumbs, a staple in site navigation, are no longer effective due to the shift towards dynamic, non-linear web experiences, single-page applications, and mobile-first design, making them a relic of the past in modern web development.

Designers As Creators, Not Blockers
Designers are often seen as roadblocks, but their job is to create, not reject. Instead of saying "no", they can offer multiple options, reframing the conversation and empowering teams to find better solutions. This approach fosters collaboration, avoids power struggles, and encourages iterative thinking.