Issue 128
Bizarro Devs is a monthly tech newsletter
🔋SOLID-STATE BATTERIES ARE COMING & HARD DRIVES ARE LEAVING
Heya,
This month, we've dragged Mustafa away from the developer's sanctuary and given him some real work to do. What did he find? Check it out:
💾 Hard drives might soon be replaced by DNA.
🫁 What would happen if the planet lost oxygen for 5 seconds.
🔍 You can be invisible soon
Before we dive into the links, a quick announcement, this month is my final month on the project. One of my colleagues will take over the editing role with more great links to come. Thanks for reading ❤️
Enjoy,
Chris & Mustafa
📰 From the Newsroom
🔋 Frankenstein batteries could be longer lasting with rapid charging times.
With support from LG Energy, researchers from UC San Diego managed to create a new battery from two popular types of tech, solid-state batteries with all-silicon anodes. They're probably going to live longer with faster charging times. For parents with young children, it's terrifying to think that Tickle Me Elmo will never stop giggling at 3 AM.
The team managed to prove increased stability with all-silicon anodes still managing 80 percent capacity even after 500 charge and discharge cycles.
Unigrid battery has already swooped into the license the technology even as the research is set to explore new areas.
engadget.com
Google, Amazon, and Facebook have all recently invested billions of dollars in office space.
Probably not related to the classic film of the same name, the office space acquisitions hint at a hybrid office-home work schedule in the future.
Google snapped up a new office building in Manhattan’s Hudson Square for just $2.1 billion while also moving ahead with plans to build a gigantic company-town project in Mountain View, California.
Elsewhere, Amazon rented offices in 6 major US cities to create room for over 33,000 corporate and technology new hires.
Facebook made two significant investments in New York office space. Not only did they purchase an unused 400,000 square foot campus, but also signed leases for over 2.2 million square feet of office space.
forbes.com
🧬 A new startup wants to replace your SSD with custom built DNA-based storage.
A start-up named “Catalog” from Boston is trying to develop DNA-based storage products as alternatives to the HDD/SSD ecosystem with more transfer speed, less energy consumption, lower price, and more security.
It's not a Gattaca scenario, Catalog stores the data using synthetic DNA.
They build DNA strands using a writer named "Shannon" that writes data at 10 mb/s.
They won't be needing a Kickstarter profile with around $35 million picked up in Series B funding.
indiatimes.com
⛓️ Ten Must See Links of the Month
You too can create portraits with HTML and CSS, just like Goya.
Shane Fu is a digital artist creating surreal installations.
Which cloud is better than 9? Google Cloud vs AWS.
Assuming I have grandkids one day, they'll never believe 3D printed rockets seemed so amazing.
Green camouflage might be great for making you disappear in the jungle, but what about in the city? Scientists may finally have an answer.
96% of the best YouTube videos start as a conversation between two stoners. What would happen if Earth lost all of its oxygen for 5 seconds.
Remember math problems involved nothing more than the Queen's mangoes? Things just got real with researchers using new calculations to predict how waves will ricochet off a ship's hull.
Classic iPod interface in JS for Spotify and Apple Music.
🎤 It’s How They Said It
🧮 The numbers game
700,000 - Peak number of concurrent players playing Amazon's New World on launch day.
700TB - Amount of data Alphabet's Project Taara laser beamed across nearly 5km.
146 miles (235 km) in four minutes - The climbing rate of Japan's new shock wave propelled rocket engine.
10% - Average increase in the pandemic work week.
Outro
That's it for the week. If you have links to share, then my emails are always open. Simply reply to this email to land in my inbox (for a little while longer at least).
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Have a great month, Chris & Mustafa.