TLDR 2021-11-01

The studio behind VR workout game Supernatural is joining Meta's Reality Labs. Meta has purchased many popular VR studios over the last few years. While the company is doing this to add popular games to its roster, it is raising concerns that Meta may end up owning the entire virtual reality market. Meta says that the purchase will help the company make better hardware for VR fitness apps.

Leaked images of Facebook's smartwatch show a camera notch that is clearly visible when the watch's screen is off. The watch will have LTE support and health, fitness, and messaging features. It will also have a second detachable camera. Facebook originally planned to release the device in Summer 2022, but the company has not confirmed any dates. A picture of the smartwatch is available in the article.

Behaviors that could be described as 'cognitive' as opposed to automatic responses are likely fairly common among spiders. Jumping spiders with tiny brains that could literally fit on the head of a pin display capabilities that would easily be seen as signs of intelligence in larger animals. They have sharp vision, which allows them to see things from afar and make decisions before approaching them. Spiders can play mind games and make plans when hunting each other, assess risk, and count.

Superionic ice is a phase of water that occurs in extreme conditions, such as in the core of planets. A team of scientists recently produced the black ice by pressing water between two diamonds and then heating it with a laser. Superionic ice exists within Earth and it plays a role in maintaining the planet's magnetic fields. Understanding superionic ice may play an important role in searching for other planets that can host life.

Notifire is a single API for all messaging providers. It can easily manage notifications over multiple channels. Notifire is equipped with a templating engine for advanced layouts and designs and built-in protection for missing variables. Its goal is to simplify notifications and provide developers with tools to create meaningful communication between the system and its users.

This article discusses the process of API design and how to design a good API. Good APIs capture customers, but a bad API can be a liability. A good API is easy to learn and use, sufficiently powerful, easy to evolve, and appropriate for its audience. Thinking in terms of APIs when programming will result in higher quality code.

Deep Tronix has created a replica of the Daily Prophet newspaper from Harry Potter. The device uses an e-paper display and a Teensy microcontroller to create animated images. Deep Tronix used a custom dithering library to overcome framerate issues when using the e-paper display. The newspaper also has a face detection feature that records and displays the reader's face at random. A video of the display is available in the article.

A recent airborne lidar survey revealed 478 Maya and Olmec ceremonial sites hidden beneath vegetation or too large to recognize from the ground in southern Mexico. Lidar surveys have revealed tens of thousands of irrigation channels, causeways, and fortresses across Maya territory over the last several years. The technology is transforming archaeology. The new findings reveal more about the ancient civilizations, showing that they were more extensive and densely populated than previously realized.