Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Google's Sundar Pichai warns employees: "The stakes are high" for 2025. Why? The AI arms race is heating up, and Google's feeling the pressure. They're planning a blitz of AI features to stay ahead of increasingly fierce competition. But here's the kicker: while Google's busy playing catch-up, they're also juggling increased regulatory scrutiny. It's like trying to win a drag race while the cops are tailing you. Tech insight:...
Dec 30, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Google's playing defense in the DOJ antitrust case, offering to loosen its iron grip on Android. They're willing to make Android deals non-exclusive and let manufacturers unbundle Chrome/Search from the Play Store. It's like watching a tech giant do the "please don't break us up" dance. But here's the kicker - they're also calling the potential Chrome sale an "extreme" remedy. Translation: "We'll give an inch, but don't you d...
Dec 21, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Google's about to flip the search game on its head with a new "AI Mode". Instead of links, you'll get chatbot-style answers. It's like asking a know-it-all friend instead of digging through a library. But will it actually be helpful, or just another AI hallucination generator? Either way, SEO experts are probably having heart palpitations right now. Read more SPICY TAKES McDonald's India Serves Up a Side of Security Fail A re...
Dec 20, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER DJI's on thin ice with Uncle Sam. The US Senate just passed a bill that could ban all DJI products in a year unless they can convince someone (anyone?) in national security that they're not a threat. Not just drones - we're talking anything with a camera or radio. DJI's spinning this as "good news" since there's no explicit ban yet, but come on. It's like being told "Prove you're not a spy or we'll assume you are." Read more ...
Dec 19, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Uncle Sam's coming for your router! The US is eyeing a ban on TP-Link, the Chinese networking giant that owns 65% of the US router market. Why? National security concerns and alleged links to Chinese cyberattacks. Plus, they're suspected of selling below cost to dominate the market. Talk about a tech Cold War! If this goes through, it'll be a massive shakeup for home and small business networks across America. Read more SPICY...
Dec 18, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER TikTok's CEO is schmoozing with Trump to avoid a ban. Talk about strange bedfellows! Shou Zi Chew is set to meet the former prez at Mar-a-Lago as TikTok faces a looming ban-or-divest deadline. Trump, who initially led the charge against TikTok, has done a 180 and even joined the platform. Is this the weirdest political alliance of 2024 or what? Read more SPICY TAKES Meta just got slapped with a €251M fine for a Facebook breac...
Dec 17, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Apple's going big... and foldable? The tech giant is reportedly cooking up an 18.8-inch foldable iPad for 2028. Picture two iPad Pros side-by-side, but with a nearly invisible crease. This monster tablet might even run macOS apps, blurring the lines between iPad and MacBook. Is this the future of computing or just a really expensive way to read comic books? Read more SPICY TAKES Amazon execs ignored worker injury warnings, Se...
Dec 16, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Donald Bitzer, the unsung hero of your digital life, just left the chat at 90. This dude co-invented plasma screens AND fathered PLATO, a 1960s computer system that basically invented online messaging. Yeah, that thing you're addicted to? Thank (or blame) Bitzer. He saw the future of tech when most folks were still amazed by color TV. Pour one out for the OG of online communication. Read more SPICY TAKES UK's Bootleg Cybertru...
Dec 15, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Meta's playing dirty pool, asking California's AG to block OpenAI's switch to for-profit status. They claim OpenAI shouldn't be allowed to use charity-built assets for private gains. The kicker? Meta's even backing Elon Musk in his fight against OpenAI. Talk about strange bedfellows! This tech drama is juicier than a soap opera. Read more SPICY TAKES TikTok's on thin ice as its bid to pause the potential ban law gets shot dow...
Dec 14, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast MAIN CHARACTER Google's back in the XR game with Android XR, powering Samsung's upcoming "Project Moohan" headset. It's like déjà vu all over again, but this time with more AI and a dash of desperation to not get left behind Apple. The UI looks suspiciously familiar (hello, Vision Pro), but with Google's special sauce and Gemini AI integration. Will this be Google Glass 2.0 or an actual contender? Either way, the mixed reality wars are heating up. Read more SPICY TAKES 1. Waymo's robotaxis are e...
Dec 13, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Google's Gemini 2.0 is here, and it's gunning for OpenAI's crown. This next-gen AI model family is packing some serious heat with agent-like capabilities. It can spit out text, images, and speech while juggling multiple input types like a digital octopus. Google's not messing around - they're planning to inject this bad boy into everything from Android Studio to Chrome DevTools. The AI wars are heating up, folks! Read more SP...
Dec 12, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Amazon's getting into the car game, and it's wild. They're now selling actual cars online, starting with Hyundai in 48 US cities. Imagine browsing for a new ride like you're shopping for toilet paper. What's next, drone-delivered Teslas? This could shake up the whole car-buying experience. Dealerships are probably sweating bullets right now. ( Source ) SPICY TAKES GM just ghost-dumped Cruise, their robotaxi dream. Employees w...
Dec 11, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Google's quantum chip just flexed on classical computers. Their new Willow chip solved a problem in minutes that would take a regular supercomputer longer than the age of the universe . We're talking 10 septillion years vs. 5 minutes. Plus, it's way better at error correction, which has been quantum's Achilles' heel. Looks like the quantum future just got a lot closer, folks. Read more SPICY TAKES Apple's walled garden just g...
Dec 10, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. MAIN CHARACTER Apple's exploring 5G Macs, but don't hold your breath. The tech giant is "investigating" cellular connectivity for future Macs, with a potential launch in 2026 or later. While this could be a game-changer for on-the-go productivity, Apple's notorious for taking their sweet time with new features. Plus, let's be real - how many of us are dying to pay even more for our already pricey MacBooks? Still, the idea of never hunting f...
Dec 09, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. TODAY'S BIG THING Intel unveils breakthroughs in 2D transistors and chip packaging at IEDM 2024 Why it matters: Intel's Foundry Technology Research team is pushing beyond silicon, developing atomically thin 2D transistors and advanced interconnects. This could lead to more efficient and powerful chips for next-gen computing. Impact: Potential for 20-50% performance improvements in future processor designs. Read more COOL TOOLS Mold 2.35 Lin...
Dec 08, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. TODAY'S BIG THING MLCommons Launches AILuminate Benchmark for LLM Safety MLCommons, known for AI performance benchmarks, is introducing AILuminate to measure large language model safety. This new standard could help developers evaluate and improve AI system robustness against potential risks. Read more COOL TOOLS Micropatch for Windows NTLM Hash Leak: A one-instruction fix for a vulnerability affecting Windows 7+ that could leak NTLM hashes...
Dec 07, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. TODAY'S BIG THING Diátaxis Framework Improves Technical Documentation The Diátaxis framework offers a structured approach to organizing technical documentation, addressing common pitfalls in developer-focused content. Why it matters: Clear, well-organized docs reduce onboarding time and improve developer productivity. Implementing Diátaxis can lead to faster issue resolution and increased adoption of your tools or APIs. Real impact: One tea...
Dec 06, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. TODAY'S BIG THING Sequin: Streaming Postgres Changes to Native Sinks Sequin is a new tool for change data capture (CDC) in Postgres that supports native sinks. It allows you to easily stream Postgres rows and changes to popular streaming platforms and queues. Why it matters: Simplifies building real-time data pipelines and event-driven architectures on top of Postgres. Impact: Reduces development time for CDC implementations from days to ho...
Dec 06, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news. TODAY'S BIG THING React v19 Release: Actions, Hooks, and Forms React 19 introduces Actions for server-side data updates, the useActionState hook for optimistic UI updates, and new form features. It also adds support for custom elements, improving interoperability with Web Components. Why it matters: These updates streamline server interactions and form handling, potentially reducing boilerplate code and improving DX. The custom elements sup...
Dec 06, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast QUOTE OF THE DAY "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay ️ IN THE NEWS Backdoor in popular code library drains $155k from wallets. Check your deps ASAP. Read more Linus Torvalds: x86_64 feature levels "completely broken". CPU arch debates incoming. Read more Bitcoin hits $100k. Crypto winter officially over? Read more OpenAI strikes content deal with Future. AI + publisher collabs on the rise. Read more DEPLOY NOTES Microsoft doubles down: TPM "non-negotiable" for Window...
Dec 05, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast QUOTE OF THE DAY "The most disastrous thing that you can ever learn is your first programming language." - Alan Kay ️ IN THE NEWS FBI urges encrypted apps amid cyberattack threat. Devs, check your security practices. Read more China declares US chips unsafe, pushes domestic semiconductors. Global supply chain shakeup incoming. Read more SDL adds async I/O APIs with IO_uring on Linux. Potential performance boost for game devs. Read more Russian Hydra darknet marketplace kingpin gets life. Cybercr...
Dec 04, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news QUOTE OF THE DAY "The most disastrous thing that you can ever learn is your first programming language." - Alan Kay ️ IN THE NEWS Intel launches budget "Battlemage" GPUs to challenge Nvidia/AMD. B580 claims 10% faster than RTX 4060 at 1440p for $249. Link China bans export of chip materials to US, escalating tech trade war. Link Rustls TLS implementation smokes OpenSSL in multi-threaded benchmarks. Link UK slaps Microsoft with $1.25B antitru...
Dec 03, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retires after 40+ years. CFO and Client Computing GM named co-CEOs. Chip giant leadership shakeup amidst struggles. Read more Jeff Bezos backs AI chip startup Tenstorrent. $700M Series D at $2.6B valuation. Aims to take on Nvidia. Read more Biden admin tightens AI chip export controls to China. Huawei, ByteDance development of cutting-edge AI tech restricted. Read more OpenAI considering ads model, hirin...
Dec 02, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS OpenWrt releases $89 "unbrickable" router. Fully open-source with dual ethernet, triple USB, Wi-Fi 6. Hacker heaven for $89 Ex-Googler beats Google's AI image detector...using Google tech. Clever hack turns BigG's tools against itself. Check out the hack US blocks AI chip exports to China. ByteDance, Huawei cut off from NVIDIA/AMD's latest. Tech Cold War heats up SHOWER THOUGHTS FOR DEVS If Intel can't keep a CEO, how the hell ...
Dec 02, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS OpenWRT One: First router built for open-source firmware. Hardware freedom for network geeks. Check it out Canon ships first nanoprint lithography machine. ASML's monopoly cracking? More info SHOWER THOUGHTS FOR DEVS None of us actually know how to build software. We're all just winging it. Read more Thanks for reading! Andrew Pierno...
Dec 01, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS Absolute's "Persistence" spyware embedded in 600M devices. Remote control survives system wipes. Details Microsoft's Bing Wallpaper app accused of malware-like behavior. Auto-installs, runs at startup, hard to remove. Read more Sol-Ark allegedly remotely disabled all Deye inverters in US. Customers left powerless. Full story TOOLS YOU'LL ACTUALLY USE screenshot-to-code : Convert screenshots to clean HTML/Tailwind/React/Vue code...
Nov 30, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS GIMP 3.0 has been released, marking a major milestone for open-source image editing. The update brings a modernized UI and improved performance. Read more A security researcher won $50k by exploiting an AI agent, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in AI systems. Read more The US FTC has launched a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, which could have significant implications for the tech industry. Read more A bench...
Nov 29, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS Microsoft says it's built an Xbox game store on Android but can't launch it . Microsoft claims to have developed an Xbox game store for Android but is unable to launch it, potentially impacting the mobile gaming landscape and highlighting platform control issues. Google sues Pixel engineer who allegedly posted trade secrets online . Google is taking legal action against a Pixel engineer for allegedly posting trade secrets onlin...
Nov 28, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS Popular WordPress anti-spam plugin contains vulnerabilities . Could allow attackers to compromise sites. Time to review your WordPress security stack. Russian hackers exploiting Firefox and Windows zero-days . Patch your shit ASAP if you haven't already. Nvidia's Blackwell chips about to drop . Several times more powerful than current gen, shipping in next couple months. Driving trend towards massive AI superclusters. Uber now ...
Nov 27, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Compiler, a daily curation of tech news ️ IN THE NEWS Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Raspberry Pi releases new Compute Module 5 that is 2-3x faster than previous version, offering a mostly drop-in upgrade for existing CM4 designs. Python type hints may not be not for me in practice Developer shares experience finding Python type hints less useful than expected in practice, despite theoretical benefits. I Didn't Need Kubernetes, and You Probably Don't Either Developer explains why K...
Nov 27, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
