Subj : Google Gemini 2.0 ¨, Vision Pro's killer app ¨, end of stubborn devs ¨¨ To : tldr@synchro.net From : TLDR Date : Thu Dec 12 2024 11:35:31 --tR9QqCmi Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Google has unveiled Gemini 2.0, the next generation of its AI model famil= y. Gemini 2.0 Flash launches today through Google's developer platforms.= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0 Sign Up [1] |Advertise [2]|View Online [3]=20 =09=09TLDR= =20 =09=09TOGETHER WITH [Bland.ai] [4] TLDR 2024-12-12 THIS A= I PHONE AGENT ACES THE TURING TEST. THE ONLY TELL? IT'S TOO GOOD (SPONSOR= ) [4]=20 Was your last business call unusually easy? No holding or endl= ess transfers? There's a good chance you're one of the MILLIONS speaking= to Bland's AI phone agent [4] every day. Unlike an ordinary custome= r service rep/salesperson, Bland understands every word =F0=9F=92=AC, tak= es calls day or night =F0=9F=8C=93, handles thousands of calls simultaneo= usly =F0=9F=90=99, and always responds intelligently and empathetically = =F0=9F=A7=A0 =E2=80=93 in any language =F0=9F=8C=8E. Bland schedules m= eetings, updates CRMs, transfers calls, and even takes payments over phon= e. It learns faster than human employees + delivers call campaign analyti= cs to prove it. Sounds crazy? Call it to see for yourself. [4] TL= DR readers get exclusive access to an even more advanced version here... = [4] =F0=9F=93=B1=20 BIG TECH & STARTUPS GOOGLE GOES =E2=80= =9CAGENTIC=E2=80=9D WITH GEMINI 2.0'S AMBITIOUS AI AGENT FEATURES (3 MINU= TE READ) [5]=20 Google has unveiled Gemini 2.0, the next generation of = its AI model family. Gemini 2.0 Flash, the smallest model of the family i= n terms of parameter count, launches today through Google's developer pla= tforms. It can generate text, images, and speech while processing multipl= e types of input including text, images, audio, and video, but its image= generation and text-to-speech features will remain limited to early ac= cess partners until January 2025. Google plans to integrate the technolog= y into products like Android Studio, Chrome DevTools, and Firebase.=20 = THE VISION PRO'S ULTRAWIDE MAC DISPLAY IS VERY CLOSE TO BEING A KILLE= R APP (3 MINUTE READ) [6]=20 The visionOS 2.2 update upgrades Mac scree= n mirroring on the Apple Vision Pro with a curved and sharper display. Th= ere are now three screen options - Standard, Wide, and Ultrawide. The Ult= rawide mode can display resolutions of up to 10240 x 2880. The update mak= es the Vision Pro more than a personal movie theater.=20 =F0=9F=9A= =80=20 SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY WHY IT'S TIME TO GET OPTIMI= STIC ABOUT SELF-DRIVING CARS (10 MINUTE READ) [7]=20 Self-driving car= s are now ready for prime time, with robotaxis leading the charge. There = is evidence that the industry is making progress on overlapping technolog= ies that make adoption possible. This article looks at the adoption of se= lf-driving cars, robotaxis, public perceptions of the technology, and the= future of self-driving cars. The regulatory environment will determine h= ow long it takes for markets to adopt self-driving technology. It will st= ill likely be a couple of decades before consumers are buying self-drivin= g cars in meaningful numbers.=20 THE CASE AGAINST GOOGLE'S CLAIMS OF = =E2=80=9CQUANTUM SUPREMACY=E2=80=9D: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION (12 MINUTE= READ) [8]=20 Google Quantum's claims should be approached with caution= , particularly those of an extraordinary nature. Its supremacy claims in= the past have been refuted by several groups. This article looks at Go= ogle's 2019 experiment to review its claims of quantum supremacy. The met= hodology used in the experiment was flawed and the competition in the spa= ce is a serious additional reason to not take Google's assertions serious= ly.=20 =F0=9F=92=BB=20 PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE IS MA= NUAL TESTING THE ROOT CAUSE OF YOUR SLOW RELEASES? (SPONSOR) [9] E= very dev team wants to ship faster. But when E2E testing takes hours to r= un, everything slows down. The alternative? Ditch manual testing and try = QA Wolf [10]. Run 100% of your test suite in parallel with pass/fail resu= lts within 3 minutes, and no cap on test runs. Test constantly. Deploy co= ntinuously. Start here [11]=20 THE DEATH OF THE STUBBORN DEVELOPER (15 = MINUTE READ) [12]=20 The circuit that lets junior developers grow into = senior developers is broken, or at least damaged. Many tasks can now be a= utomated, so companies don't need as many junior contributors. Developers= who don't adopt chat-based programming as their primary modality will be= left behind.=20 SETUP-UCACHER (GITHUB REPO) [13]=20 ucacher is a= CLI tool that tracks which files are accessed by commands, skips unneces= sary executions, and restores cached outputs when possible. It brings fas= ter feedback loops, simplified caching and skipping, enhanced precision, = resource efficiency, scalability for complex workflows, and more. Using u= cacher can result in significantly reduced execution times.=20 = =F0=9F=8E=81=20 MISCELLANEOUS A LETTER TO OPEN-SOURCE MAINTAINERS = (6 MINUTE READ) [14]=20 People contributing to open source are under no= obligation to stay in a project. The best thing to do is to make sure pr= ojects can continue to operate smoothly even after you leave. The license= maintainers choose will influence how their project is utilized and how = it develops, so maintainers should fully understand the implications of= each license before making a decision. It's okay to step away from pro= jects if they don't make you happy.=20 PIXEL 9A LEAK REVEALS $499 PRICE= AND SPECS; 5,100 MAH BATTERY, OPTICAL FINGERPRINT SENSOR (2 MINUTE READ)= [15]=20 The Pixel 9a is expected to be released in March next year for= $499. It will be powered by a Tensor G4 and use the Titan M2 security ch= ip. The 6.3-inch display, which will use Gorilla Glass 3, will have a pea= k brightness of 1,700 nits (or 2,700 nits for HDR content) with a 120Hz= refresh rate. The Pixel 9a will have Android 15 out of the box and sev= en years of updates.=20 =E2=9A=A1=20 QUICK LINKS Q: WHAT'S THE = OPPOSITE OF MINDLESS SCROLLING? (SPONSOR) [16]=20 A: Solving bite-sized= , interactive lessons on Brilliant. Sharpen your mind while building real= knowledge in everything from logic to ML and beyond. Free for 30 days + = 20% off for TLDR readers [17]=20 APPLE IS WORKING ON AI CHIP WITH BROAD= COM, INFORMATION SAYS (1 MINUTE READ) [18]=20 Apple and Broadcom are = working on a server chip designed especially for artificial intelligence = internally code-named Baltra - it is expected to be ready for mass produc= tion by 2026.=20 HELIUM (GITHUB REPO) [19]=20 Helium is a Python li= brary for automating browsers that lets developers refer to elements with= user-visible labels.=20 GOOGLE TOLD FTC MICROSOFT'S OPENAI DEAL IS KIL= LING AI COMPETITION (4 MINUTE READ) [20]=20 Some of Microsoft's bigge= st rivals say that its deal with OpenAI harms competition by saddling riv= als with extra costs and blocking them from hosting OpenAI's latest model= s themselves.=20 GOOGLE TAKES ON NVIDIA BLACKWELL GPUS WITH THE NEW TRI= LLIUM TPUS (2 MINUTE READ) [21]=20 Google has announced the general a= vailability of Trillium TPUs for Google Cloud customers - the new Gemini = 2.0 was trained on Trillium TPUs.=20 ARE GAMING CONSOLES REACHING FIN= AL FORM? FORMER PLAYSTATION BOSS SAYS NO MORE MAJOR HARDWARE LEAPS (2 MIN= UTE READ) [22]=20 Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn Layden doesn't = think there will ever be a generational improvement in console performanc= e matching that of the PS1 to PS2 ever again.=20 WPENGINE WINS INJUNC= TION IN =E2=80=98WAR' WITH WORDPRESS CREATOR (3 MINUTE READ) [23]=20 = A federal district judge in California has ordered Matt Mullenweg and his= companies to stop interfering in WPEngine's contacts with its customers = and to restore its access to the wordpress.com platform.=20 Love TLDR? T= ell your friends and get rewards! Share your referral link below with= friends to get free TLDR swag!=20 https://refer.tldr.tech/1fd848fa/ [2= 4]=20 =09=09 Track your referrals here. [25]=20 Want to advertise in = TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0 If your company is interested in reaching an audie= nce of tech executives, decision-makers and engineers, you may want to AD= VERTISE WITH US [26].=20 If you have any comments or feedback, just r= espond to this email!=20 Thanks for reading,=20 Dan Ni & Stephen Flander= s=20 If you don't want to receive future editions of TLDR, please unsu= bscribe from TLDR [27] or manage all of your TLDR newsletter subscription= s [28].=20 =20 Links: ------ [1] https://tldr.tech/signup?utm_sou= rce=3Dtldr [2] https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium= =3Dnewsletter&utm_campaign=3Dadvertisetopnav [3] https://a.tldrnewsletter= ..com/web-version?ep=3D1&lc=3Db5bb39ac-a04f-11ee-8692-6388dbdd6fd1&p=3Df19c5= 440-b865-11ef-8178-ff95fc4920b4&pt=3Dcampaign&t=3D1734003331&s=3Da77b2c070d= bb5f0b0ccc24effff2971c70dcdc5663684ac893a3120a43652743 [4] https://www.bl= and.ai/?utm_campaign=3DTLDRAINov&utm_medium=3Dpaid&utm_source=3DTLDRhome = [5] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/12/google-goes-agen= tic-with-gemini-2-0s-ambitious-ai-agent-features/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewslett= er [6] https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/11/24301921/vision-pro-ultrawide-= mac-display-visionos-2-2-killer-app?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [7] https= ://spectrum.ieee.org/robotaxi?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [8] https://gil= kalai.wordpress.com/2024/12/09/the-case-against-googles-claims-of-quantum-s= upremacy-a-very-short-introduction/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [9] https= ://www.qawolf.com/?utm_campaign=3DCutQACycles12122024&utm_source=3Dtldr&utm= _medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_content=3Dheadline [10] https://www.qawolf.com/?= utm_campaign=3DCutQACycles12122024&utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewslette= r&utm_content=3Dbody-QAWolf [11] https://www.qawolf.com/?utm_campaign=3DC= utQACycles12122024&utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_content=3D= CTA-starthere [12] https://sourcegraph.com/blog/the-death-of-the-stubborn= -developer?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [13] https://github.com/earthly/se= tup-ucacher?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [14] https://xuanwo.io/2024/10-a-= letter-to-open-source-maintainers/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [15] https= ://9to5google.com/2024/12/11/google-pixel-9a-specs-price-leak/?utm_source= =3Dtldrnewsletter [16] https://brilliant.org/tldrtech/?utm_source=3Dtldrn= ewsletter [17] https://brilliant.org/tldrtech/ [18] https://www.bloombe= rg.com/news/articles/2024-12-11/apple-is-working-on-ai-chip-with-broadcom-i= nformation-reports?accessToken=3DeyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb= 3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTczMzk4MDc2MCwiZXhwIjox= NzM0NTg1NTYwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTT0MxWEtUMEcxS1cwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJFQTE= xNDNDNTM4NEE0RUY5QTg5RjJEN0IxMTg2MzcwOSJ9.guBSQ54c4_5feyfT_A3DOmWbmfPZ28CGk= l5zb9xeLmI&utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [19] https://github.com/mherrmann/= helium?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [20] https://arstechnica.com/tech-poli= cy/2024/12/report-microsofts-exclusive-deal-with-openai-harms-competition-g= oogle-told-ftc/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [21] https://www.neowin.net/n= ews/google-takes-on-nvidia-blackwell-gpus-with-the-new-trillium-tpus/?utm_s= ource=3Dtldrnewsletter [22] https://www.techspot.com/news/105859-consoles= -reaching-their-final-form-former-playstation-boss.html?utm_source=3Dtldrne= wsletter [23] https://gizmodo.com/wpengine-wins-injunction-in-war-with-wo= rdpress-creator-2000537329?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [24] https://refer= ..tldr.tech/1fd848fa/ [25] https://hub.sparklp.co/sub_32edf8dd66ae/1 [26= ] https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&ut= m_campaign=3Dadvertisecta [27] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/unsubscribe?e= p=3D1&l=3Dcfa2d55a-b7be-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2&lc=3Db5bb39ac-a04f-11ee-8692= -6388dbdd6fd1&p=3Df19c5440-b865-11ef-8178-ff95fc4920b4&pt=3Dcampaign&pv=3D4= &spa=3D1734001280&t=3D1734003331&s=3Df8971161b2a76f9c31b8929ba02516e361e419= ec774ff281ae990eb5bad229f6 [28] https://tldr.tech/tech/manage?email=3Dtld= r%40synchro.net --tR9QqCmi Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TLDR
Google has= unveiled Gemini 2.0, the next generation of its AI model family. Gemini 2.= 0 Flash launches today through Google's developer platforms. =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C&nb= sp;=E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C&nb= sp;=E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C&nb= sp;=E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C&nb= sp;=E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C&nb= sp;=E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C 

TLDR

Together With 3D"Bland.ai"

TLDR 2024-12-12

This AI Phone Agent ACES th= e Turing Test. The Only Tell? It's Too Good (Sponsor)

Was your last business call unusually e= asy? No holding or endless transfers? There's a good chance you're one of t= he MILLIONS speaking to Bland's AI phone agent every day.

Unlike an ordinary customer service rep/salesperson, Bland understands e= very word =F0=9F=92=AC, takes calls day or night =F0=9F=8C=93, handles thou= sands of calls simultaneously =F0=9F=90=99, and always responds intelligent= ly and empathetically =F0=9F=A7=A0 =E2=80=93 in any language =F0=9F=8C=8E.<= /p>

Bland schedules meetings, updates CRMs, transfers calls, and even takes = payments over phone. It learns faster than human employees + delivers call = campaign analytics to prove it.

Sounds crazy? Call it to see for yourself.

TLDR readers get exclusive access to an even mo= re advanced version here...

=F0=9F= =93=B1

Big Tech & Startups

Google goes =E2=80=9Cagenti= c=E2=80=9D with Gemini 2.0's ambitious AI agent features (3 minute read)

Google has unveiled Gemini 2.0, the nex= t generation of its AI model family. Gemini 2.0 Flash, the smallest model o= f the family in terms of parameter count, launches today through Google's d= eveloper platforms. It can generate text, images, and speech while processi= ng multiple types of input including text, images, audio, and video, but it= s image generation and text-to-speech features will remain limited to early= access partners until January 2025. Google plans to integrate the technolo= gy into products like Android Studio, Chrome DevTools, and Firebase.
The Vision Pro's ultrawide = Mac display is very close to being a killer app (3 minute read)

The visionOS 2.2 update upgrades Mac sc= reen mirroring on the Apple Vision Pro with a curved and sharper display. T= here are now three screen options - Standard, Wide, and Ultrawide. The Ultr= awide mode can display resolutions of up to 10240 x 2880. The update makes = the Vision Pro more than a personal movie theater.
=F0=9F= =9A=80

Science & Futuristic Technology

Why It's Time to Get Optimi= stic About Self-Driving Cars (10 minute read)

Self-driving cars are now ready for pri= me time, with robotaxis leading the charge. There is evidence that the indu= stry is making progress on overlapping technologies that make adoption poss= ible. This article looks at the adoption of self-driving cars, robotaxis, p= ublic perceptions of the technology, and the future of self-driving cars. T= he regulatory environment will determine how long it takes for markets to a= dopt self-driving technology. It will still likely be a couple of decades b= efore consumers are buying self-driving cars in meaningful numbers.
The Case Against Google's C= laims of =E2=80=9CQuantum Supremacy=E2=80=9D: A Very Short Introduction (12= minute read)

Google Quantum's claims should be appro= ached with caution, particularly those of an extraordinary nature. Its supr= emacy claims in the past have been refuted by several groups. This article = looks at Google's 2019 experiment to review its claims of quantum supremacy= .. The methodology used in the experiment was flawed and the competition in = the space is a serious additional reason to not take Google's assertions se= riously.
=F0=9F= =92=BB

Programming, Design & Data Science

Is manual testing the root = cause of your slow releases? (Sponsor)

Every dev team wants to ship faster. Bu= t when E2E testing takes hours to run, everything slows down. The alternati= ve? Ditch manual testing and try QA Wolf. Run 100% of your test suite in= parallel with pass/fail results within 3 minutes, and no cap on test runs.= Test constantly. Deploy continuously. Start here
The death of the stubborn d= eveloper (15 minute read)

The circuit that lets junior developers= grow into senior developers is broken, or at least damaged. Many tasks can= now be automated, so companies don't need as many junior contributors. Dev= elopers who don't adopt chat-based programming as their primary modality wi= ll be left behind.
setup-ucacher (GitHub Repo)=

ucacher is a CLI tool that tracks which= files are accessed by commands, skips unnecessary executions, and restores= cached outputs when possible. It brings faster feedback loops, simplified = caching and skipping, enhanced precision, resource efficiency, scalability = for complex workflows, and more. Using ucacher can result in significantly = reduced execution times.
=F0=9F= =8E=81

Miscellaneous

<= /div>
A letter to open-source mai= ntainers (6 minute read)

People contributing to open source are = under no obligation to stay in a project. The best thing to do is to make s= ure projects can continue to operate smoothly even after you leave. The lic= ense maintainers choose will influence how their project is utilized and ho= w it develops, so maintainers should fully understand the implications of e= ach license before making a decision. It's okay to step away from projects = if they don't make you happy.
Pixel 9a leak reveals $499 = price and specs; 5,100 mAh battery, optical fingerprint sensor (2 minute re= ad)

The Pixel 9a is expected to be released= in March next year for $499. It will be powered by a Tensor G4 and use the= Titan M2 security chip. The 6.3-inch display, which will use Gorilla Glass= 3, will have a peak brightness of 1,700 nits (or 2,700 nits for HDR conten= t) with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 9a will have Android 15 out of the = box and seven years of updates.
=E2=9A= =A1

Quick Links

Q: What's the opposite of m= indless scrolling? (Sponsor)

A: Solving bite-sized, interactive less= ons on Brilliant. Sharpen your mind while building real knowledge in everyt= hing from logic to ML and beyond. = Free for 30 days + 20% off for TLDR readers
Apple Is Working on AI Chip= With Broadcom, Information Says (1 minute read)

Apple and Broadcom are working on a ser= ver chip designed especially for artificial intelligence internally code-na= med Baltra - it is expected to be ready for mass production by 2026.
Helium (GitHub Repo)

Helium is a Python library for automati= ng browsers that lets developers refer to elements with user-visible labels= ..
Google told FTC Microsoft's= OpenAI deal is killing AI competition (4 minute read)

Some of Microsoft's biggest rivals say = that its deal with OpenAI harms competition by saddling rivals with extra c= osts and blocking them from hosting OpenAI's latest models themselves.
Google takes on Nvidia Blac= kwell GPUs with the new Trillium TPUs (2 minute read)

Google has announced the general availa= bility of Trillium TPUs for Google Cloud customers - the new Gemini 2.0 was= trained on Trillium TPUs.
Are gaming consoles reachin= g final form? Former PlayStation boss says no more major hardware leaps (2 = minute read)

Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn L= ayden doesn't think there will ever be a generational improvement in consol= e performance matching that of the PS1 to PS2 ever again.
WPEngine Wins Injunction in= =E2=80=98War' With WordPress Creator (3 minute read)

A federal district judge in California = has ordered Matt Mullenweg and his companies to stop interfering in WPEngin= e's contacts with its customers and to restore its access to the wordpress.= com platform.

Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards!

Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag!
https://refer.tldr.tech/1fd848fa/
Track your referrals here.

Want to advertise in TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0

If your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, d= ecision-makers and engineers, you may want to advertise with us.

If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!

Thanks for reading,
Dan Ni & Stephen Flanders


If you don't want to receive fu= ture editions of TLDR, please unsubscribe = from TLDR or manage all of your TLDR newsletter subscriptions<= /a>.
3D"" --tR9QqCmi-- --- þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net .