Google is reportedly planning to add an AI Mode option to Search that
will enable users to get conversational answers instead of search
results


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TLDR

TLDR 2024-12-20

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BIG TECH & STARTUPS

GOOGLE TO OFFER AI-GENERATED CONVERSATIONAL ANSWERS IN SEARCH (2
MINUTE READ) [4]

Google is reportedly planning to add an AI Mode option to Search that
will enable users to get conversational answers instead of search
results. AI Mode will be accessible via a tab near the top of the
search results page. It will include links to external websites below
its conversational answers. Other companies, such as Perplexity AI,
Reddit, and OpenAI also offer conversational AI search capabilities.

STARLINK'S FIRST NATIONWIDE SATELLITE TEXTING SERVICE GOES LIVE IN
NEW ZEALAND (2 MINUTE READ) [5]

SpaceX's satellite-to-cell Starlink texting service is now
operational in New Zealand through telecommunications company One NZ.
Starlink texting can take up to 10 minutes or longer, but most
messages should be sent and received within three minutes during the
initial rollout. The service is only supported on the Samsung Galaxy Z
Flip 6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and OPPO
Find X8 Pro - the list of eligible devices is expected to grow next
year. The satellite service is free for existing One NZ customers on paid-monthly plans.

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SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY

THE NEW GLENN ROCKET'S SEVEN POWERFUL ENGINES MAY LIGHT UP AS SOON AS
TODAY (3 MINUTE READ) [6]

Blue Origin may ignite the seven main engines on its New Glenn rocket
soon at Launch Complex-36 in Florida. It will be the final test before
the rocket goes on its debut flight. This will be the first time Blue
Origin has ever fired all of the BE-7 engines together. Blue Origin
could still launch New Glenn this year - some employees have been
asked to work on Christmas Day.

`WORLD'S FIRST' GRID-SCALE NUCLEAR FUSION POWER PLANT ANNOUNCED IN
THE US (4 MINUTE READ) [7]

Virginia may become the site of the world's first grid-scale nuclear
fusion power plant - if all goes to plan. Commonwealth Fusion Systems
is a startup that plans to make a multibillion-dollar investment into
building the facility near Richmond. The plant will be able to produce
enough energy to power 150,000 homes. The path forward for the project
is unlikely to be smooth as the technology has not yet been proven
viable.

¨

PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE

MIZU (WEBSITE) [8]

Mizu is a lightweight and customizable JavaScript library that makes
building powerful web apps easy. It allows developers to render
content wherever it is needed however they want through user-friendly
APIs. Mizu is compatible across a wide range of JavaScript and
TypeScript runtimes and all major browsers. It adapts to developers'
needs, whether they're serving content, generating static websites, or
creating dynamic pages in the browser, without the hassle of bundlers, transpilers, or countless dependencies.

I'M LOVIN' IT: EXPLOITING MCDONALD'S APIS TO HIJACK DELIVERIES AND
ORDER FOOD FOR A PENNY (22 MINUTE READ) [9]

Flaws in the API for the McDonald's McDelivery system in India
enabled several exploits such as the ability to order any number of
menu items for ¨1, the ability to retrieve the details of any order,
the ability to view admin KPI reports, and more. This article covers
how these flaws were discovered and how they could be exploited. It
looks at the technologies that the fast food company uses and explains
how to secure them against attacks. McDonald's India has a bug bounty (McDonald's USA doesn't) - the researcher was rewarded a $240 Amazon
gift card.

¨

MISCELLANEOUS

THE GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE (40 MINUTE READ) [10]

Spotify is rumored to be filling its most popular playlists with
stock music attributed to pseudonymous musicians, or 'ghost' or 'fake'
artists, presumably to reduce royalty payouts. The company might be
making the tracks itself. Playlists created by the company are
becoming crucial sources of revenue for independent artists and
labels. Spotify denies claims that it is creating its own fake-artist
tracks. This article looks at these ghost artists and the evidence
pointing to Spotify's role in them.

THIS MAY BE THE BEST LOOK AT THE NINTENDO SWITCH 2 YET (3 MINUTE
READ) [11]

A Redditor claims that they have a final release Switch 2 and its
dock. A moderator said that the user offered sizable proof of their
claim. The Redditor confirmed that the Switch 2 will have magnetically
attached JoyCons rather than the slide-on controls in the original
Switch. They say they will release pictures of their console on
Christmas Day. Nintendo may be revealing the device as early as
January.

¨

QUICK LINKS

HUMANOID ROBOTS COMING SOON, INITIALLY UNDER REMOTE CONTROL (9 MINUTE
READ) [12]

1X Technologies' Neo humanoid robot is scheduled to debut in 2025 -
it will not be fully autonomous but will be paired with a human
operator capable of directing the robot from afar.

APPLE WATCH WITH ANDROID (9 MINUTE READ) [13]

It's possible to make an Apple Watch work with an Android phone using
open source applications, interoperable protocols, and third-party
services.

CLAY (GITHUB REPO) [14]

Clay is a high performance 2D UI layout library that features
microsecond layout performance, a flex-box-like layout model for
complex, responsive layouts, WebAssembly support, and more.

LG'S TRANSPARENT TV IS FINALLY AVAILABLE TO BUYÄFOR $60,000 (4
MINUTE READ) [15]

The LG Signature OLED T is a fully wireless and transparent 77-inch
OLED TV.

MICROSOFT WON'T LET CUSTOMERS OPT OUT OF PASSKEY PUSH (5 MINUTE READ)
[16]

Microsoft recently published a post lauding its success in convincing
users to use passkeys instead of passwords - it credited the uptake to unavoidable passkey solicitations.

GOOGLE RELEASES ITS OWN `REASONING' AI MODEL (4 MINUTE READ) [17]

Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, available in AI
Studio, has the ability to reason over complex problems in fields such
as programming, math, and physics.

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[5] https://www.engadget.com/mobile/starlinks-first-nationwide-satellite-texting-service-goes-live-in-new-zealand-182343142.html?src=rss&utm_source=tldrnewsletter
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