TLDR 2021-07-08

TikTok is expanding into job recruitment with a pilot program that allows people in the US to apply for jobs by uploading videos to the platform using the #TikTokResumes hashtag. Approximately three dozen companies are taking part in the pilot. Applicants have until July 31 to apply for the first set of jobs. A link to TikTok's dedicated resumes website is available in the article.

A hacker who managed to get root access to a Tesla vehicle has unveiled Tesla's vision depth perception neural net. Teslas rely on camera-based computer vision. They detect depth using a point-cloud view powered by computer vision. Tesla chose to use a camera-based system over radar or lidar systems as roads are designed to work with eyes and brains. A three-and-a-half-minute video explaining how Tesla trains neural networks to perceive depth is available in the article.

Moderna has started human trials of its mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine. While mRNA vaccines were largely experimental before the pandemic, they were already considered the future of vaccine development. The high efficacy of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines was a major endorsement for this type of vaccine. mRNA vaccines are faster to make so they could theoretically be more closely matched with the type of flu spreading each season. Moderna hopes to eventually create a combination vaccine for respiratory infections.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is a disease that costs the US and Europe about $2.5 billion in lost revenue every year. Vaccines have mostly failed to stop the spread of the virus. Researchers from Edinburgh University's Roslin Institute have genetically engineered pigs that can resist the disease. Critics of the research say it will discourage farmers from improving the welfare of their livestock.

Tuplex is a parallel big data processing framework that runs data science pipelines written in Python at the speed of compiled code. It generates optimized LLVM bytecode for the given pipeline and input dataset instead of using the Python interpreter. Tuplex can run data science pipelines 5-91 times faster than systems that call into a Python interpreter.

SVGs have cool benefits like crisp image quality with a single file, support for emojis, inline icons, and dark mode detection. This article discusses how to add SVG favicons to a project. Code and examples are provided.

A giant 3D cat appears between advertisements on a billboard over one of Tokyo's busiest railway stations. The cat does different things depending on the time of day. It will officially launch on July 12, but videos of test broadcasts have already been shared on the internet. The billboard must be viewed at the correct angle for the 3D effect. Cross Space, the company behind the display, livestreams a view of the billboard on YouTube and there is a link to it in the article.

A group of researchers in China have developed a quantum computer that was able to solve a problem with 56 of its 66 qubits, breaking Google's record from 2019. The computer is able to manipulate up to 66 qubits at the same time. It solved a problem in 70 minutes that would have taken the world's most powerful classical supercomputer eight years to solve. The research has yet to be peer-reviewed.