🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #239

Happy Friday! Time to finish the week on a high note!

#USVisa - The US embassy is cracking down on bots that book visa appointments in India, forcing people to pay agents up to Rs 35,000 for a slot. They've cancelled 2,000 appointments and are suspending accounts to combat fraud. 🤖

#FoldableWatch - Apple's at it again, filing patents for a foldable watch, but will it be affordable and durable? Meanwhile, some are skeptical about the need for folding tech when a horizontal layout could work just fine. ⌚

Indian Govt To Launch "Sahkar Taxi" To Rival Uber And Ola
The Indian government just announced plans to launch a cooperative-based taxi service, Sahkar Taxi, to compete with them. The goal is to give more profits to drivers and reduce Uber and Ola's dominance.

Google To Privatize Android Development
Google is making a big change to how it develops Android. Right now, some of the development is public, but soon it'll all be done privately. This doesn't mean they're closing off the source code, but rather streamlining the process. They'll still publish the source code after each release.

Amazon Shopping App - Introduced "Interests" feature, using large language models to understand user prompts and provide personalized product recommendations and notifications.

Microsoft Account - New sign-in screen with Fluent 2 design language, dark mode, and improved passwordless authentication.

YouTube Shorts - Removed minimum play time requirement for a view, now counting views when a Short is played or replayed.

Google Search - AI-powered trip planning now available with customizable itineraries and export options.

Git Who | Git blame for file trees

Codemcp | Coding assistant MCP for Claude Desktop

Node Modules Inspector | Interactive UI for local node modules inspection

Vibe Coding Wars: The Rise Of AI-powered Development
Vibe coding, coined by OpenAI's Dr. Andrej Karpathy, refers to AI-assisted coding. It's gaining traction, with some embracing it as the future, while others dismiss it. The industry is split, with some companies adopting it, like Google, while others banish it. The author predicts chat-based coding will become obsolete by Q3, replaced by faster agentic coding.

Blurred Background Boosts Conversions
A/B test: Put a blurred product screenshot behind your sign-up form. The blurred background creates 3 powerful effects: 1. It triggers curiosity gaps - Our brains hate incomplete information. 2. It creates a progress illusion - Users feel like they’ve already made it inside your product and just need to complete “one final step” to unlock the full experience. 3. It builds trust through previewing.