Hasty Briefsbeta

All tags

#innovation

266 stories total

Bilingual

Apple uses 3D Gaussian splatting for Personas and 3D conversions of photos
6 months ago
- Apple's Vision Pro VR headset features Personas, a real-time virtual replica chat system.
- Personas use 3D photo scans to create avatars, now out of beta.
- Apple's Personas are more advanced than other VR/AR avatar systems currently available.
- Gaussian splatting technology is used for detailed 3D facial scans in Personas.
- Personas can collaborate in virtual spaces, allowing up to five users to interact.
- Apple focuses on authentic representation in Personas, not deepfake-like reproductions.
- Currently, only one Persona scan is allowed per user, with limited customization.
- Personas are designed for Vision Pro but could potentially extend to other devices like iPhones.
- Apple sees potential for Personas in healthcare and business training applications.
- The technology is currently limited to expensive hardware like the Vision Pro.
A startup’s quest to store electricity in the ocean
6 months ago
- Manuele Aufiero's childhood experiences with pumped-storage hydropower in Italy inspired his innovative approach to energy storage.
- Pumped-storage hydropower, existing for over a century, is one of the largest forms of energy storage, with global capacity at 8,500 gigawatt-hours.
- Aufiero co-founded Sizable Energy to adapt pumped hydro technology for the ocean, addressing the limitations of land-based systems.
- Sizable Energy raised $8 million in funding to develop its offshore pumped hydro technology.
- The startup's design features two flexible reservoirs connected by a tube and turbines, utilizing saltwater density differences for energy storage and generation.
- Sizable's technology aims to be mass-producible, unlike traditional pumped hydro, which requires site-specific dam designs.
- The company has tested small-scale models and plans to deploy pilot projects, with commercial projects targeted by 2026.
- Each turbine in Sizable's system can generate 6-7 megawatts, with costs projected at about one-tenth of grid-scale batteries.
- The technology is compatible with offshore wind projects and can connect to any grid near deep waters (at least 500 meters deep).
- Aufiero emphasizes the need for long-duration energy storage to integrate renewables and enhance grid resilience beyond traditional methods.
Magnetic Core Memory
6 months ago
- Magnetic core memory revolutionized computer memory by using tiny magnetic donuts as bits.
- Jay Forrester developed the 'coincident current' method, crucial for reading and writing in core memory.
- Early cores were 1/16” in diameter, costing about $1 per bit, but later became smaller, faster, and cheaper.
- An Wang sold his core memory patent to IBM for $500,000, founding Wang Laboratories.
- Multiple inventors, including Frederick Viehe, An Wang, Jan Rajchman, and Jay Forrester, contributed to core memory's development.
- IBM paid MIT $13 million for rights to Forrester’s patent, the largest settlement at the time.
- Core memory manufacturing was delicate, often performed by women using microscopes and steady hands.
- BIAX memory cores, though fast, were expensive and used primarily in military and aerospace applications.
Transparent computer monitor designed to protect your vision
6 months ago
- Phantom is the first transparent computer monitor, merging digital and physical worlds.
- Adjustable transparency allows it to convert into a regular monitor when needed.
- Compatible with computers, gaming consoles, and mobile devices via USB-C or HDMI.
- Enables users to look through the screen, reducing eye strain instantly.
- Designed to protect vision health without compromising performance.
Blender Lab
6 months ago
- Blender Foundation introduces Blender Lab, an innovation space for designers and developers to work on future-facing projects.
- Blender Lab aims to keep Blender relevant by fostering innovation, experimentation, and tackling unknowns.
- Lab activities are public, independent of Blender releases, and focus on applied and academic research.
- Initial projects include 'Beyond mouse and keyboard (touch and pen)', 'Volume rendering', and 'Light transport'.
- Projects can be proposed by contacting Blender Foundation, with adoption depending on funds, relevance, and applicant experience.
- Ton Roosendaal advocated for Blender Lab since 2018; community and corporate support now make it possible.
- Support Blender Lab by joining the Blender Development Fund at fund.blender.org.
The Final Straw: Why Companies Replace Once-Beloved Technology Brands
6 months ago
- Companies abandon once-favored technology brands due to various 'final straw' reasons.
- Functionality: The technology no longer meets needs or lacks innovation compared to competitors.
- Quality: User experience deteriorates, with bugs, poor support, or overly complex updates.
- Integration Issues: Inability to connect with newer systems or standards forces migration.
- Loss of Confidence: Financial instability, mergers, or policy changes by providers erode trust.
- Price: Significant cost increases without added value push companies to seek alternatives.
- Peopleware: Leadership changes or personal preferences lead to political or emotional decisions to switch.
- Final straws often combine multiple factors, making the decision to abandon a technology complex.
YC's Formula for Startup Manufacturing
6 months ago
- YC's original mission was to demystify startups, but as tech became more understood, it shifted towards mass-producing fundable startups.
- The Request For Startups (RFS) list evolved from problem-driven questions to consensus-driven ideas, reflecting VC trends rather than meaningful innovation.
- YC's batches now prioritize young, elite-educated, and Bay Area-based founders, reinforcing a normative startup culture.
- The Consensus Capital Machine drives startups to build what's fundable rather than what's important, stifling contrarian ideas.
- Hyperlegibility in tech has made startup paths predictable, reducing the need for independent critical thinking.
- Mission-driven founders and ideological purists are the antidote to normative startup culture, focusing on meaningful problems.
- Recent YC investments like Chad IDE highlight the rise of 'slop startups,' prioritizing profit over purpose.
- The tech industry needs discernment—building good tech, not just tech for tech's sake, anchored in strong beliefs.
The Patent Office Is About to Make Bad Patents Untouchable
6 months ago
- USPTO proposes new rules that would limit public challenges to improperly granted patents.
- The changes would benefit patent trolls by making it harder to invalidate bad patents.
- Public comments opposing the rules are due by December 2.
- Inter partes review (IPR) is a critical tool for challenging patents affordably.
- IPR has successfully invalidated problematic patents like the 'Podcasting Patent' and others.
- New rules would impose procedural barriers, making IPR less accessible.
- USPTO's proposal includes restrictions like waiving court defenses to file an IPR.
- Only Congress has the authority to rewrite the IPR system, not the USPTO.
- Public opposition previously stopped a similar proposal in 2023.
- EFF urges supporters to submit comments to protect the public's right to challenge bad patents.
New laser weapon takes down high-speed drones
5 months ago
- DragonFire laser weapon successfully shot down high-speed drones in recent trials, marking a UK first.
- A £316 million contract was awarded to MBDA UK to deliver DragonFire systems to the Royal Navy by 2027.
- The laser system costs just £10 per shot, making it a cost-effective alternative to traditional missile systems.
- DragonFire will be fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027, five years ahead of schedule.
- The program will create and sustain 590 jobs across the UK, including 200 in Scotland.
- DragonFire is part of the Strategic Defence Review, representing one of NATO's most advanced directed energy weapons programs.
- The system is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away.
- The UK government is investing nearly £1 billion in Directed Energy Weapons as part of the Strategic Defence Review.
- MBDA UK, QinetiQ, and Leonardo are collaborating to accelerate the development and deployment of DragonFire.
Room-temperature processible ceramics enable sustainable electronics
5 months ago
- MIT Design Intelligence Lab created Geolectric, a sustainable lantern using alkaline-based geopolymers.
- Geolectric features a proximity sensor and LEDs that intensify when a hand approaches, lighting fully upon touch.
- Geopolymers are low-carbon materials made at room temperature, reducing CO2 emissions and waste.
- The material allows embedding electronics during shaping, eliminating visible seams and gaps.
- Geopolymers are currently used in infrastructure but show potential for consumer products like kitchen counters and outdoor furniture.
- Geolectric was a gift to Irish president Mary Robinson, symbolizing welcome, with a replica at MIT.
- The project explores sustainable alternatives to traditional consumer electronics materials like plastic and rubber.
The Boring Part of Bell Labs
5 months ago
- Bell Labs had a research division at Murray Hill known for major inventions like transistors and solar cells, and an applied division at Holmdel focused on practical solutions.
- The One Year On Campus (OYOC) program at Bell Labs paid new graduates to earn a master's degree on topics chosen by Bell Labs, combining work and study.
- Craig Van Nostrand's work at Bell Labs included designing a slide rule for salesmen to estimate costs on-site, solving inventory control issues for PBX circuit packs, and applying queuing theory to optimize operator staffing.
- Bell Labs emphasized education, requiring a master's degree for technical staff and offering programs like OYOC to support employees' further education.
- The applied division at Holmdel worked closely with operating phone companies to solve real-world problems, demonstrating the importance of mundane, operational work in supporting innovation.
- Experimental design was highlighted as a crucial statistical method for efficiency and causality in industrial processes, with examples like the fertilizer plant case showing its practical value.
- Bell Labs' culture included a mix of employees from elite and non-elite schools, with a focus on molding new hires internally rather than poaching from other companies.
- Management at Bell Labs was structured with first-line managers overseeing small teams, and the company valued degrees and continuous education for career advancement.
- The interview provides insights into the daily work and challenges at Bell Labs, showcasing how operational and applied work underpins technological breakthroughs.
Longshot Space interview – Space cannon launcher
5 months ago
- Longshot Space aims to build a 6-mile-long space cannon to launch payloads into low Earth orbit (LEO).
- The concept of using cannons for space launches dates back to Jules Verne's 'From the Earth to the Moon' (1865).
- Gerald Bull's Project HARP (1960s) achieved suborbital launches but lacked horizontal velocity for orbit.
- Longshot's design uses shock-impingement thrust, scaling up payloads to reduce heat and g-forces.
- CEO Mike Grace proposes three models: Baby Bear, Momma Bear, and Pappa Bear (up to 25 miles long).
- Longshot's approach could reduce launch costs to $10/kg, far cheaper than current rocket-based methods.
- A 30-inch prototype is ready for testing in Alameda, with plans for a larger facility in Tonopah, Nevada.
- Potential partnerships with companies like Impulse Space could enable cost-effective orbital delivery services.
- Investors include Sam Altman (OpenAI) and the U.S. Air Force, signaling confidence in the concept.
- Grace humorously acknowledges the high-risk, high-reward nature of the venture.
C100 Developer Terminal
5 months ago
- Workbench is a Linux-based OS designed for technical work by c100.
- Consumer devices cater to the majority, but progress is driven by creative technical professionals.
- Caligra is a new computer company focused on supporting creative technical work to shape the future.
Willis Whitfield: A simple man with a simple solution that changed the world
5 months ago
- Willis Whitfield, a physicist at Sandia, invented advanced clean room technology still in use today.
- In 1959, Sandia faced issues with particulates in manufacturing nuclear weapons components, prompting the need for cleaner environments.
- Whitfield sketched the laminar-flow clean room concept on an airplane, leading to a prototype 1,000 times cleaner than existing clean rooms.
- Initial skepticism about Whitfield's data was overcome, and his design became widely adopted by industries like electronics and pharmaceuticals.
- Whitfield's clean room patent was issued in 1964, marking Sandia's earliest tech transfer.
- Despite his achievements, Whitfield remained humble, always crediting his team for their contributions.
- Whitfield also worked on sewage-to-clean-water conversion and NASA spacecraft sterilization techniques.
- Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, Whitfield is honored with a bronze statue at Sandia.
14yo won $25k for origami, discovered pattern that holds 10k times its weight
5 months ago
- Miles Wu, a 14-year-old from New York City, won a $25,000 award for his research project combining origami and physics.
- His project focused on the Miura-ori origami fold, testing its strength-to-weight ratio across different paper types and parallelogram dimensions.
- Wu conducted 108 trials on 54 hand-folded variations, finding that copy paper had the strongest strength-to-weight ratio, capable of holding over 10,000 times its own weight.
- The Miura-ori fold could potentially improve deployable structures used in emergency situations, offering strength, lightness, and compactness.
- Wu won the top prize at the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, excelling in both his project and leadership during the competition.
- He plans to use the award money for higher education and aims to prototype a Miura-ori-based emergency shelter to help in real-life situations.
- The competition highlights the importance of STEM education for young innovators, with many participants considering careers in STEM fields.
Vibe Coding: Empowering and Imprisoning
5 months ago
- Vibe coding uses LLM tools to assist in writing code, enabling more people to create apps or software.
- Major tech investors funded LLMs to undermine coders and reduce wages, leading to massive layoffs in the tech sector.
- Vibe coding may limit innovation by relying on past code, making it difficult to create truly radical or new technologies.
- LLMs can help with routine coding tasks, boosting productivity, but may also lead to dependency and skill decay.
- The use of AI in coding raises concerns about security, code quality, and the ability to detect errors in generated code.
- Big AI companies may restrict the creation of disruptive technologies that could threaten their power.
- There is a need for open-source, ethically trained coding assistants that empower users without negative externalities.
- The future of coding should balance accessibility with the ability to innovate and maintain control over technology.
Gig: How our 25G PON investment shatters the limits of today's internet
5 months ago
- GFiber announces a significant milestone in its 20 Gig early access program, breaking the 10 Gig barrier.
- The new GFiber 20 Gig ONT device is key to unlocking 20 Gig capability for homes and businesses.
- Approximately 90% of homes and businesses in GFiber's network footprint are already 20 Gig capable.
- 20 Gig speeds achieved in real-world tests: 19.9 Gbps download and 19.6 Gbps upload.
- The investment in 25G PON technology supports future-proofing for residential and commercial applications.
- GFiber's network is designed to handle AI growth, immersive video, cloud computing, and more.
- Commercial applications, including institutional research and enterprise innovation, benefit from this leap.
- 20 Gig is expected to move from early access to generally available next year.
Mazda suitcase car, a portable three-wheeled vehicle that fits in the luggage
5 months ago
- Schindler introduces the Schindler X8 elevator, a 2025 innovation for cities like Milan and Basel.
- SOLARIS motorcycle features retractable photovoltaic wings for solar energy harvesting.
- A sustainable backpack aids users in temporary housing situations until permanent shelter is found.
- MINI x Paul Smith collaboration continues with irreverent design and hidden details.
- Austrian power giants are electricity structures shaped by local fauna representations.
Show HN: Gemini Pro 3 Hallucinates the HN Front Page 10 Years from Today
5 months ago
- Starship HLS-9 successfully sends telemetry from the Sea of Tranquility.
- Linux 7.4 now includes a 100% Rust kernel.
- A developer shares why they prefer writing raw code over using compiler prompts.
- LLaMA-12 7B runs on a contact lens using WASM.
- AlgoDrill offers interactive drills to retain LeetCode patterns.
- ITER achieves net positive energy for 20 minutes.
- A retrospective on restoring a 2024 Framework Laptop.
- Google discontinues Gemini Cloud Services.
- WebGPU 2.0 visualizes the 5th dimension.
- Nia (YC W36) provides context for autonomous coding agents.
- Debian 18 'Trixie' is released.
- A discussion on rewriting sudo in Zig.
- EU passes the 'Right to Human Verification' Act.
- Neuralink V4 Bluetooth protocol reverse-engineered.
- Introduction to photonic circuits in post-silicon computing.
- FDA approves OTC CRISPR for lactose intolerance.
- SQLite 4.0 release notes published.
- Discussion on preventing ad-injection in AR glasses.
- Jepsen evaluates NATS 4.2 for message loss.
- GTA VI played on a RISC-V cluster.
- Functional programming touted as the future again.
- Microsoft Office 365 price increases to $40/user/month.
- Windows 10 emulated in the browser.
- Tailscale tested on a SpaceX Starlink dish.
- Guide on deep fake detection for seniors.
- Rumor: IBM to acquire OpenAI.
- Server-side rendering makes an unexpected return.
- Instructions for building a Faraday Cage for bedrooms.
- AI progress may be stalling, human equivalence questioned.
- A text editor that doesn't use AI showcased.
A 'toaster with a lens': The story behind the first handheld digital camera
5 months ago
- Steve Sasson, a young engineer at Eastman Kodak, invented the first handheld digital camera in 1975.
- The camera was bulky, weighed 8lb (3.6kg), and used a CCD (charge-coupled device) to capture images electronically without film.
- Sasson's invention was initially met with skepticism within Kodak, as the company was deeply invested in film photography.
- The first digital image was of a colleague, Joy Marshall, and took 23 seconds to capture and display on a TV.
- Kodak patented the digital camera in 1978, earning billions in licensing fees, but struggled to capitalize on the technology early on.
- Sasson predicted it would take 15-20 years for digital photography to become viable; Kodak's first consumer digital camera, the DC40, launched in 1995.
- The rise of personal computing and the internet in the 1990s helped digital photography go mainstream.
- Sasson received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009 for his groundbreaking work.
- His original camera is now displayed at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York.

first prev9next

About|Login

#innovation

Apple uses 3D Gaussian splatting for Personas and 3D conversions of photos

A startup’s quest to store electricity in the ocean

Magnetic Core Memory

Transparent computer monitor designed to protect your vision

Blender Lab

The Final Straw: Why Companies Replace Once-Beloved Technology Brands

YC's Formula for Startup Manufacturing

The Patent Office Is About to Make Bad Patents Untouchable

New laser weapon takes down high-speed drones

Room-temperature processible ceramics enable sustainable electronics

The Boring Part of Bell Labs

Longshot Space interview – Space cannon launcher

C100 Developer Terminal

Willis Whitfield: A simple man with a simple solution that changed the world

14yo won $25k for origami, discovered pattern that holds 10k times its weight

Vibe Coding: Empowering and Imprisoning

Gig: How our 25G PON investment shatters the limits of today's internet

Mazda suitcase car, a portable three-wheeled vehicle that fits in the luggage

Show HN: Gemini Pro 3 Hallucinates the HN Front Page 10 Years from Today

A 'toaster with a lens': The story behind the first handheld digital camera