🍔🧠 Discord's Single Server Secret

🍔  THIS WEEK’S MENU  🥗

• 📚 How Discord serves 15 million on a single server, how to get sh*t done as a software engineer, and tips and tricks to get better at LLM prompting

• 🗞️ AI-companion device gets launched by a unicorn, GPT store for custom AI models, and the SEC approves Bitcoin ETFs

• 👨🏻‍💻 Quick byte: Type guards in TypeScript enable robust type checking at runtime

Reading time: 5 minutes

Food for Thought
A mindset, an example, and an action item to start the week

Mindset: This quote encourages perseverance and determination to keep moving forward despite challenges.

Example: Southwest Airlines persevered through tough early years to become one of the most successful airlines.

Action item: Commit to making progress on one task today, no matter how small.

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The Rabbit Hole
Deep dives, trends, and resources curated to stay ahead

💾  SIDE DISHES  💾

ARTICLE (get sh*t done) → How to get shit done as a software engineer (1 productivity system to rule them all)

ARTICLE (refactoring is good right?) → The 10 commandments of refactoring

ESSENTIAL (learning to learn) → Learning to learn as a software engineer

AI (bumblebee) → How transformers work under the hood when you don’t have a PhD in physics

AI (SQL = ChatGPT training?) → How the positional encoding works in neural networks (transformers mostly)

AI (more AI this week) → 26 tips and tricks to easily improve LLM performance with your prompts

The Weekly Digest
Software, AI, and startup news worth your time

🐰 Tech Startup Rabbit Unveils AI-Powered Companion Device at CES 2024 (2 min)

Brief: Los Angeles-based startup Rabbit introduces r1, an AI-powered companion device that simplifies digital tasks, revolutionizes human-device interaction, and executes a wide range of tasks through personal AI agents called "rabbits".

Takeaway: Rabbit's r1 device, featuring its proprietary Large Action Model (LAM) and Rabbit OS, aims to bridge the gap between human intent and device action, providing a seamless and efficient online experience for users. This reflects the growing trend of AI companions and the focus on enhancing user convenience and productivity in the technology industry.

🛍️ OpenAI Launches GPT Store for Custom AI Models (2 min)

Brief: OpenAI introduces the GPT Store, a platform where users of ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise can find and share custom GPT models, including categories like DALL·E, writing, research, programming, education, and lifestyle.

Takeaway: With the launch of the GPT Store, OpenAI aims to empower users by providing a curated marketplace for custom AI models, allowing them to leverage the expertise of partners and the wider community to enhance their applications and solve complex problems.

💡 The Weirdest Tech Gadgets and AI Claims from CES 2024 (1 min)

Brief: CES 2024 showcased a collection of peculiar gadgets and AI claims, including AI-powered binoculars that identify species, a vintage-style phone keyboard attachment, a router disguised as a picture frame, an empathetic AI assistant, voice-command bidet seat, and voice-absorbing masks for privacy.

Takeaway: As AI gains more prominence, CES 2024's eccentric tech gadgets and AI claims highlight the ever-evolving and sometimes outlandish innovation in design and functionality, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the consumer market.

💰 SEC Approves Bitcoin ETFs, Integrating Cryptocurrency into Financial System (2 min)

Brief: The US Securities and Exchange Commission has finally given the green light to Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, allowing investors to easily invest in Bitcoin without the need for self-management. This decision opens the door for traditional institutional investors to enter the crypto market and could impact the value and relevance of crypto-focused companies like Coinbase and MicroStrategy.

Takeaway: The approval of Bitcoin ETFs by the SEC signifies the integration of cryptocurrency into the mainstream financial system, unlocking new opportunities for investors and potentially increasing demand for Bitcoin. This development challenges the traditional investment landscape and further solidifies Bitcoin's position as a viable asset class.

🔮 Amazon Unveils New Generative AI-Powered Alexa Experiences at CES (2 min)

Brief: Amazon showcases three new generative AI-powered Alexa experiences, including real-time conversations with fictional personas, custom song creation, and a modern version of the "20 Questions" game.

Takeaway: This demonstrates Amazon's commitment to staying ahead in the AI race by leveraging generative AI to enhance the Alexa user experience, catering to personalization and interactive entertainment demands.

🚀 Meet AI Gateway: An Open-Sourced Fast AI Gateway Routed to 100 Large Language Models (LLMs) With One Fast and Friendly API (3 min)

Brief: AI Gateway is an open-source solution that simplifies working with over 100 models through a fast API, addressing challenges such as managing different API signatures, load balancing, and error handling seamlessly.

Takeaway: AI Gateway's fast and friendly API streamlines the development of large-scale AI applications, offering convenience, efficiency, and resilience to developers, catering to the growing demand for simplified management of AI models.

The Quick Byte
One coding tip because you’re technical after all

TypeScript offers 'Type Guards' to ensure more robust type-checking at runtime. These are expressions that perform a check on a type and ensure that within a certain scope, that type is narrowed down to a more specific type.

Wen?

• Runtime Type Checking: Essential when dealing with dynamic data sources where the type of data is uncertain.

• User-Defined Type Guards: Useful in complex applications where custom logic is needed to determine a type.

Why?

• Safety and Reliability: Ensures that the code works with the correct type at runtime, reducing the likelihood of type-related bugs.

• Improved Code Readability: Makes the code more understandable by explicitly stating the types being handled.

• Enhanced Autocompletion: Helps IDEs provide better autocompletion suggestions based on narrowed types.

The Job Feast
A fresh cheese job board if you’re looking for a change

• Software Engineer - All Levels @ FedEx

• Software Engineer - Recent Graduate @ PayPal

• Software Engineer - Backend @ Microsoft

• Software Engineer (L5) - TV User Interface @ Netflix

• Software Engineer, Remote @ GitHub

• Software Engineer, Frontend Infrastructure @ Tiktok

• Software Engineer, Emerging Talent @ Coinbase

• Software Engineer I @ Disney

Burp-A-Laugh
The most important meal of your day