Read Before Monday

Welcome to another #RBM edition! Did you know that scalpers and hackers are bypassing Ticketmaster's non-transferable ticket restrictions by reverse-engineering ticket creation processes? We know that Ticketmaster’s monopoly is frustrating for both artists and audiences, and scalpers exploiting this situation highlights the persistent challenges in controlling ticket supply and resale. Then we'll understand how the original Pentium processor, by using standard-cell methodology, optimised space and functionality, integrating BiCMOS technology for improved performance. Also, archives significantly influence philosophers' legacies, as seen with Edmund Husserl's well-preserved archives versus Friedrich Nietzsche's manipulated ones, but whilst archives are powerful, they can shape narratives and sometimes spreading misinformation, underscoring the need for trustworthy archives. Finally, lets understand the enduring value of pixel art in design! Pixel art’s limitations foster creativity and nostalgia, making it relevant in modern design and reminding me of my startup days with pixel characters. And of course, we're on vacation and just like the early modern English books marketed humorous content as remedies for melancholy, known as "pills to purge melancholy", the commoditisation of literature for entertainment and profit persists, and incorporating humor and engaging anecdotes makes technical content more enjoyable - like this newsletter, no? :)

Another week, another #RBM edition - and now I'm on vacation, finally! So, according to a report by CBRE, the demand for datacentre space is surging due to AI advancements, despite widespread power shortages that affect capacity expansion and drive up prices. Then we'll discuss the historical and philosophical perspectives on the software crisis, which refers to the growing complexity of software outpacing hardware advancements and leading to abstraction and inefficiency. How about preservation of art's intrinsic value and its role in liberating and enlightening society? It's a warning against the commercialization and simplification of artistic expressions. Microsoft AI CEO made the news with a statement that content on the open web is considered "freeware" for AI training, unless explicitly restricted by the content creator, sparking ethical and legal debates over the use and monetisation of online content without direct permission. Finally, the nostalgic part of the newsletter and we'll explore the concept and technique of character tiling, which is the arrangement of characters in a grid-like pattern for graphical representations in software and games, providing historical context, modern applications, and practical advice on implementing character tiling in contemporary projects. See you next week!

Welcome to this weeks edition of #RBM :) Have you heard that Dell is struggling to enforce a return-to-office policy? Who would ever thought that it would be a good idea, eh? Dell employees resistance highlights the value of remote work's personal and financial benefits and questions the necessity of physical office spaces given effective remote collaboration tools. In another sphere - the AI one -, Tim O'Reilly explores the legal and ethical challenges of using copyrighted content for AI training, advocating for new business models that ensure fair compensation for creators. He suggests a cooperative approach between AI companies and creators, though the implementation of pay-per-output models presents challenges. Meanwhile, Netflix's Anne Aaron and her team continue to revolutionise video streaming with advanced encoding techniques like per-shot encoding and the AV1 codec, significantly improving efficiency and setting industry standards. On the financial front, FICO and major credit bureaus engage in monopolistic practices - what a shock, right? - that increase consumer costs and burden individuals with correcting credit report errors, highlighting systemic issues within the credit industry. Finally, the Flexipede, created by Tony Pritchett in 1967, stands as a pioneering piece of computer animation, showcasing the technical achievements of early computer graphics and reflecting the innovative spirit of that era.

Welcome to another edition of #RBM! This week is about the uniquely American disaster that explores the extensive economic and operational consequences of proposed U.S. legislation banning DJI drones due to security concerns over their Chinese origins. Then we move on to the details of how Microsoft ignored critical security flaw warnings from former employee Andrew Harris, prioritising business interests over security, which contributed to the massive SolarWinds cyberattack by Russian hackers compromising U.S. federal data. Additionally, I found a GitHub repository for SOFTS (Series-cOre Fused Time Series) which presents an efficient multivariate time series forecasting model using PyTorch, featuring the STAR module for enhanced efficiency and robustness, advancing beyond traditional methods like attention mechanisms. Finally, two nostalgic reflections! The first is on DR-DOS, revealing its innovations in load-high capabilities, memory management, and password protection, and its struggle against MS-DOS due to Microsoft's dominance and anti-competitive practices. Then the discussion of Ms. Pac-Man's replacement by Pac-Mom in Namco's Pac-Man Museum+, highlighting the cultural significance of the pioneering female character and criticises the change driven by royalty disputes and dissatisfaction with her origins. Lastly, a note on expanding this newsletter "This Week in GenAI" to live video here on Linkedin.

I've been an avid Alexa user and developer, but its poor performance and limitations despite excellent hardware have always frustrated me. Amazon should definitely leverage LLMs to improve Alexa. In the browser world, Arc is my top pick for user experience, outshining Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, which seem more focused on becoming operating systems. Then we'll focus on the complexities of establishing water infrastructure in the South Pole, which are fascinating, showing how innovative solutions are essential in extreme conditions. Finally, ARM continues to impress with its superior performance per watt and AI advancements, putting it miles ahead of Intel and AMD. Did you know that this year is the 23rd anniversary of the Game Boy Advance? It brings back fond memories of countless gaming hours, with retro tech staying relevant through new multi-console devices like the Anbernic. This week in GenAI, highlights include Luma's Dream Machine launch, AI's growing role in banking, new models from Apple and OpenAI, WARC-GPT for web archives, AI agent comparisons, and Brazil's innovative use of OpenAI to cut court costs.

This week we'll review the UK's Data Protection and Digital Information Bill marking the first post-Brexit revision of data laws, aiming to simplify regulations but potentially weakening data security and complicating UK-EU data transfers. Understand how the FBI’s ANOM sting operation successfully exploited human error without compromising encryption, proving effective against global criminal activities. Recall the failure of Microsoft’s Recall feature in Windows 11, which screenshots user activity, raising significant privacy concerns despite being optional and encrypted. For project management, heuristic approaches are recommended over traditional methods for managing complex dependencies. Finally, publishing non-commercial content online continues to face technical challenges and audience pressures, emphasising the importance of genuine engagement. Recent GenAI highlights include Siri’s evolution with OpenAI, instant voice cloning capabilities, whistleblower concerns at OpenAI, Raspberry Pi’s new AI chip, and Cohere’s multilingual AI model launch.