🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #81

Happy Tuesday! Let's tackle the day with enthusiasm!

#MicrosoftMisstep - Microsoft Authenticator is such a pain! It's overwriting accounts and locking people out. I mean, I've seen some annoying tech issues before, but this one takes the cake. And the worst part is, people are stuck with these companies' help desks wasting hours trying to fix it. Like, what's going on with these tech giants, am I right?

#InfluencerInflation - You won't believe what Google's been doing behind the scenes! They're making influencers who get early access to their new Pixel 9 phones sign a contract that says they can't even show off other phones anymore! Like, what even is that?! The influencer community is going wild, and we're right there with them - this is crazy town!

#GridGasp - Instagram's considering getting rid of the classic square profile pic?! According to Adam Mosseri, they're testing a new vertical grid, because who still takes square photos anyway? But honestly, I'm kinda torn - on one hand, I hate the idea of my carefully curated squares getting cropped to fit this new layout... on the other hand, sometimes you just wanna showcase that one masterpiece.

#RetailRevolution - Ikea plans to introduce autonomous AI-enabled drones in its distribution center. The Swedish company has been experimenting with drones globally since 2021. There are already 250 drones operating at 73 Ikea locations in nine countries.

Amazon Plans to Split Payments App from E-commerce App in India
Amazon Pay is a digital wallet service in India that allows users to make transactions, pay bills, and buy travel tickets. The company is considering launching it as a standalone app to increase its usage and recognition in the country.

Flipkart Introduces Platform Fee of Rs 3 on Orders
Flipkart is an Indian e-commerce company owned by Walmart, making it one of the largest online shopping platforms in the country. Today, it started charging a platform fee of Rs 3 on orders, which applies to both online payments and cash-on-delivery (COD) orders. The fee is visible on the Flipkart mobile app and website, applying to orders up to Rs 10,000, except on grocery.

Google Meet gets a shiny new look and features for personal video calls
Google’s Meet app is getting a few more features designed for calls. The update, which will roll out over the coming months, focuses on the personal side. It offers an updated UI and features like in-call messaging. Emoji reactions will also be available in group calls.

Nanoevents | Simple and tiny (107 bytes) event emitter library for JavaScript

Puter | The Internet OS! Free, Open-Source, and Self-Hostable.

Debugging Fundamentals
Engineers spend a lot of their time fixing bugs, yet it's rarely taught as a skill in its own right. This post is an ordered list of steps to help you solve a hard problem. The steps are generalised and applicable to systems programming, databases, desktop apps, web apps, backend and frontend.

Framing Your Communication to Get What You Want
As an engineer, it's easy to focus on complex data and analysis, but forgetting to consider what your audience cares about. To have impact and get what you want, you need to identify what your audience cares about and use language that puts their needs first.

Effective Learning Technique
Practice explaining complex concepts out loud, compressing them into simple, easily understandable ideas. Repetition is key, allowing you to develop a deep understanding and increased efficiency in processing information. By explaining concepts to someone, you'll pinpoint areas of uncertainty and refine your understanding through iterative compression.