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Inauguration week
We have no idea what's going to happen this week, but one thing we know is it will be quite entertaining. Starting by launching not one but two useless memecoins really wasn't in our bingo cards, although it probably should have been. Ready for anything here.
What we're reading
Macro
China’s 2024: growth hits 5% target; population falls for third year
Quite the tension from China's numbers. Growth rebounds to 5% but population numbers are the disaster we've always known. They also apparently don't really plan on stopping at all, and to cope with US tariffs with incur a 2025 deficit of 4% (with growth targets still at 5%).
Africa in 2025 - by Ken Opalo - An Africanist Perspective
This year will see several African countries consolidate their return to a growth trajectory in the aftermath of COVID, even as security challenges in the Horn and Sahel endure.
Intel Pullback Undermines Germany's Dream of Being a Semiconductor Superpower
Scholz wanted to save Germany's manufacturing and move it into chips, but is quickly finding out how hard it is.
Even Harvard M.B.A.s Are Struggling to Land Jobs
This one has been doing the rounds this week, the incredible thing is that it's not really only MBAs, but also software engineers. FAANGS can't keep up the employment rates for the whole world, especially in a time when they are all actively developing and deploying AI. It's a really grim scenario out there for new graduates, and the consensus seems to be that it's the new normal. We need less white collars, and God knows we need less MBAs.
China Suddenly Building Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings
Anyone wondering what an invasion of Taiwan might look like now has a fresh visual clue. Defence analysts watching Chinese shipyards have noticed an increase in a particular type of vessel. A number of special and unusual barges, at least 3 but likely 5 or more, have been observed in Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China with large (essentially) roads protruding from them, which would make a Taiwan invasion much easier, bypassing entirely their beaches.
Still hard out there for EV startups
Dwarkesh Patel interviews Tyler Cowen
Another one with Tyler Cowen, so much being discussed: productivity and AI, Europe, the nature of innovation, and a lot more.
Tales from the AI age
BP cuts 7k+ people and will use AI to determine who goes
Seems like the AI era is already here.
TSMC smashes in Q4, profits up 57%
As we were saying, the AI era is already here - we all live in an NVIDIA and TSMC world.
OpenAI has created an AI model for longevity science
The company is making a foray into scientific discovery with an AI built to help manufacture stem cells.
Replit CEO Amjad Masad on how computers as we know it will change | Semafor
Replit’s Amjad Masad discusses the breakthrough that quintupled his company’s revenue. "Replit is no longer about coding. Replit is about making software. It’s about being able to conjure up software just using natural language." Half the team, and 5x the revenues. Long but worth it.
Rethinking materials innovation with AI
Microsoft researchers introduce MatterGen, a model that can discover new materials tailored to specific needs—like efficient solar cells or CO2 recycling—advancing progress beyond trial-and-error. Pretty epic stuff. Instead of screening the candidates, it directly generates novel materials given prompts of the design requirements for an application. It can generate materials with desired chemistry, mechanical, electronic, or magnetic properties, as well as combinations of different constraints.
Why World Foundation Models Will Be Key to Advancing Physical AI
Shilling their stuff, but world models are really where it's at for me.
ChatGPT can manage tasks asynchronously on your behalf—whether it's a one-time request or an ongoing routine. Opens up a whole new series of possibilities, essentially a consumer version of deploying a cron task.
Gonna be careful with what we read / believe / share. Tons of crappy new AI generated papers are flooding the
Robotics are out of control
100 meters under 10 seconds. Epic and scary. China now also planning a human vs robot race - not gonna be too fun for long I think.
MIT makes robotic bees that will be able to pollinate
Pretty amazing progress on robotic hovering insects at MIT.
Robotics: Redesigning Industries, Transforming Tomorrow
A Deep Dive Into Key Challenges, Systemic Opportunities, and Founder Fit
Singapore scientists co-develop advanced swarm algorithm for cyborg insects
The cyborg insects are designed to improve their ability to navigate complex terrains without becoming immobilized
Mind-controlled robotic arm lets people with paralysis touch and feel | New Scientist
By using MRI brain scans to identify regions linked to hand movements and sensations, researchers were able to restore a sense of touch to two people with paralysis – and one was able to control and feel a robot arm using his thoughts.
Epic tweets
GetLindy showcases insane AI flow
Really expands a little what you think is possible with AI. Think big.
David is quite hyperbolic but these charts are pretty wild, and tracing them forward has hard-to-grasp implications.
The Rise of the Agentic Web, Part 2
If you're into automated AI agents that own crypto wallets, this is an updated landscape of the latest AI projects on Base.
The point of going to Mars and the Moon
Two different reasons, not mutually exclusive.
Papers
Predicting Human Brain States with Transformer
Not exactly this week, but mind-bending. AI can predict the next state of your brain, so can essentially predict how you think and whatever you will be thinking next at any point in time. That's not too far from a brain at all to me. Interesting to see if instead of LLMs trained on actual data we will see LBMs trained on brain states.
3D polycatenated architected materials
Very cool, changeable 3d printed materials. Video here.
Chainline material could be the future of armors
A completely new polymer structure, the first 2D mechanically interlocked polymer, which contains 100 trillion mechanical bonds per 1 square centimeter — the highest density of mechanical bonds ever achieved.
Nanosurface hostile to bacteria but friendly to cells
Pretty big deal for regenerative medicine and for cultured meat.
DNA nanorobots that can alter artificial cells offer a new tool for synthetic biology
Might we be able to create synthetic cells soon? This tool works by controlling the shape and permeability of the giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), which are simple, cell-sized structures that mimic living cells.
Cool stuff
Full plans for a 3D printed microscope
Including lens and all, pretty wild stuff
Device Uses Wind to Create Ammonia Out of Thin Air
The system is based on a micromesh that is coated with catalysts. It's essentially H2O (from the air) + N2 (still from the air) to NH3 and O2. Fully passive too.
Universes expansion defies explanation: new data shatters cosmological models
Once again, we know we know nothing. The universe is expanding so much faster than we thought, and we can't fit it into any know model.
Stronger, greener superglue: Biodegradable polymer outperforms commercial options
P3HB can be chemically re-engineered for use as a strong yet sustainable bonding agent, and can be. produced by microbes.
Job
It's only mid January, but the job of the year has already dropped.
If I was 25, I'd steal to get this gig.
CT-scan ancient charred scrolls
Help design a case to hold 100 Roman rolls in CT scan. From the one and only Nat Friedman.
Book recommendation
A new vision for how evolution works is long overdue
There are some times when commonly accepted wisdom seems completely insane, at least to me. Modern evolution theory is like this: the fact that I'm supposed to believe that evolution happens only though random gene mutations and we then just select for the best one is, to me, insane. Most species would have gone extinct waiting for their perfect gene for their perfect evolutionary need. Finally it's now ok to have a discussion on the developmental theory of evolution. Going to read this book this year.
Collect this post as an NFT.
