TLDR 2019-02-25

Microsoft Hololens 👓 microwave weapons

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Big Tech & Startups

Huawei’s Mate X foldable phone is a thinner 5G rival to the Galaxy Fold (3 minute read)

Less than a week after Samsung announced its Galaxy Fold foldable phone, Huawei has announced the Mate X, a foldable phone that is thinner, with a bigger screen, that folds flatter. The Mate X has an 8-inch display that folds around on the outside of the device, giving the phone a dual screen functionality which means that users can take selfies with the rear camera or share what is being shown on the primary display. At 11mm thick when folded (which it can do flat with no gap), the device comes with 5G and a 4500mAh battery. Videos and GIFs are available that showcase the device.

Microsoft's HoloLens 2: A $3,500 Mixed Reality Headset for the Factory, Not the Living Room (15 minute read)

The new Hololens 2 from Microsoft comes with a load of new technology, which is not surprising since the last version was announced 4 years ago. The new design fixes many of the problems with the previous version. It has a wider field of view, higher definition, retina scanning for authentication, better hand gesture recognition, and many more features. The headset is designed for workers and not consumers, and will only be available for enterprise customers. A 7 minute video is available with plenty of footage showing the device in action.
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Science & Futuristic Technology

NASA, SpaceX 'Go' for 1st Crew Dragon Test Flight on March 2 (2 minute read)

SpaceX and NASA have been working on the Crew Dragon since 2014. It has the capacity to carry 7 passengers into space and is equipped with a life support system, touch screen consoles, and eight SuperDraco escape engines designed to fly the Crew Dragon out of harm's way during a launch emergency. The first test flight for the Crew Dragon will be on March 2 in Cape Canaveral, and it will be launched with the SpaceX Falcon 9. There will be live streams available for the event.

China develops weapon system based on microwave radar tech (1 minute read)

A new, non-lethal weapon based on microwave radar technology is being developed by China and is designed to cause pain over distances without any permanent injuries. The Microwave Active Denial System has two modes, a point launch mode where it can focus energy on specific body parts and a sector-sweep mode which can target bigger areas. Tests have shown that the system is highly effective at halting targets without causing injury. The system is portable and can be mounted on top of a vehicle.
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Programming, Design & Data Science

NSFW.js (GitHub Repo)

NSFW.js allows for client-side content filtering, meaning that image files can be classified before it reaches the server. It classifies images into one of 5 categories: drawing, hentai, neutral, porn, or sexy, and also gives a probability ratio for each image classification. The tool is around 90% accurate, and can lesser server load as well as workload, stopping users from uploading images which may not be appropriate for your website.

Halley Game Engine (GitHub Repo)

Halley is a lightweight game engine written in C++ designed to create high performance, easy to maintain, cross-platform games. It has been tested on Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, Mac OS 10.9.6, and Ubuntu 16.04. Full documentation is not yet available for the engine.
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Miscellaneous

Ask HN: How Would You or Did Convince Your Boss That You Can Work Remote? (HackerNews Thread)

Many people dream of working remotely, ditching the office and working from home or while traveling. The thread creator asks for tips on convincing their company to let them work remotely, and the replies are full of personal anecdotes on how people were able to achieve their remote working goals. There is also some good advice in the thread regarding work culture and working remotely, because if one is not present in the office in a non-remote working culture, they are usually seen as an outsider. While it is possible to transition to working remotely, the general advice given is that it is better to find a position which is already remote-friendly.

Inside the Rise and Fall of a Multimillion-Dollar Airbnb Scheme (10 minute read)

Since the introduction of Airbnb and other short-term leasing accommodation businesses, landlords and homeowners have had to deal with dishonest tenants signing up for long term leases and then turning their homes into hotel rooms. A syndicate in New York used multiple identities both online and offline to create an Airbnb ‘Empire’, making more than $20 million in revenue. A lawsuit brought by the city is suing the leaders of the group, who employed over 15 housekeepers in 35 different buildings over 3 years.
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