Atlas doesn’t need lunch breaks

November 1, 2024

Atlas doesn’t need lunch breaks: Boston Dynamics just dropped a new video of its humanoid robot Atlas. The bot does factory work, like moving engine covers between supplier containers and a mobile sequencing dolly — complete with full-motion bending and turning. The big deal is that no human needs to tell the bot what to do after training.

Tags: Boston Dynamics, Boston Dynamics Atlas, Productivity, robot, Robots, training, video

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Boston Dynamics' Atlas goes hands-on

Atlas doesn’t need lunch breaks: Boston Dynamics just dropped new footage of its humanoid robot Atlas. The bot does factory work, like moving engine covers between supplier containers and a mobile sequencing dolly — complete with full-motion bending and turning. The big deal is that no human needs to tell the bot what to do after training.

25% of Google’s code

Is now generated by AI — and it’s working. Just look at their cloud business stats: Third-quarter earnings totaled $11.4 billion, a 35% increase from the same stretch last year. I wonder how many developers making over $500,000 a year are getting the boot.

'Mind-reading' headphones track user's brain signals

Jedi mind tricks: Neurable is creating mind-reading headphones. The sensors pick up tiny electrical impulses from your skull, which you can view in an app to see how intensely you’re focusing. Telepathy might be next. In one of their gamified exercises, the more you focus, the faster you make a rocket accelerate.

80 times the going rate

What the Air Force paid for soap dispensers on its C-17 aircraft — almost $150,000. They also overpaid by nearly $1 million for a dozen different spare parts. Why? Contracting officials failed to review invoices. If you’re reading this with any government pull, I can provide a daily newsletter 80 times the going rate. Oh … that’d still be free.

$29.9 million in profits

For Reddit in the third quarter. What’s the big deal? It’s the first time the company has been profitable in its nearly 20-year existence. The number of users jumped almost 50%, too, and they’re making millions letting AI companies use posts and comments for training.

$20 decillion (34 zeros!)

How much a Russian court wants Google to cough up. The crime? Blocking their TV channels on YouTube. The amount is doubling every week. For the record, Google can’t pay it; their parent company is only worth $2 trillion (12 zeros).

693 square feet

Size of the largest communication satellites that just unfolded in space. AST SpaceMobile wants to create the first space-based direct-to-smartphone broadband network. Bad news for astronomers: These things outshine everything in the night sky.

$1 million

How much a North Carolina man won on a scratch-off lottery ticket. The best part is he bought it with a $20 bill he found in the parking lot of the store. He’s taking home $429,007 after taxes. I found a $20 bill in the Costco parking lot and I thought, “What would Jesus do?” So I turned it into wine.

10 most affordable cities

In the U.S. are primarily in the South and Midwest. McAllen, Texas, takes the top spot, with home prices averaging $275,000 (paywall link). Rounding out the top three: Wichita, Kansas, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

George Carlin on airlines and flying

✈️ Get back in line: American Airlines is considering new boarding tech that sounds a really loud beep when you try to cut the line and board without your group. It’s being tested now in Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington, D.C. I’ll spare you a plane joke (it won’t take off), but if you need a laugh, watch George Carlin talk about the boarding process. So funny.