Today’s Highlights

• AI: Amazon's Building Olympus: An AI Model with Advanced Video and Image analysis Capabilities

• Design: Persuading Localities through Design: On UI Localisation

• Science & Tech: Dinosaur Poop Fossils Reveal Fascinating Stuff About Dinosaurs back in the day

• Founding: Great successes today were once “unrealistic” ambitions: How to turn ambitions into reality using NCTs

• Product: Master collaboration and win the world: On achieving product-led growth through networking

• Today’s AI image: AI leading Scientific Research

• Quote for the day: Courage Beautifully Defined

AI

Amazon's Building Olympus: An AI Model with Advanced Video and Image analysis Capabilities

Word on the street is that Amazon's got a secret project brewing under the name "Olympus," and it could be making its debut as early as next week at the AWS re:Invent conference, according to The Information.

This new model seems to shine when it comes to understanding images and videos. It can pick out specific scenes from a visual based on text prompts, like recognising that epic game-winning basketball shot.

While it’s not quite in the same league as the top contenders for text generation, its prowess in video analysis might make it a solid pick for a range of applications.

Amazon’s clearly keen to throw its hat in the AI ring. They’ve recently doubled down on their investment in Anthropic (the team behind Claude), all while eying up a showdown with Nvidia in the AI chip market.

Why is this a big deal?

Well, building large language models (LLMs) from scratch doesn’t come cheap, but Amazon’s wallet is deep enough to play with the big boys. And just because they’re cozying up to Anthropic doesn’t mean they won’t have their own AI models in the mix.

The "Olympus" model has been brewing for a while now and might’ve originally been the brainchild for a new version of Alexa—until they decided to go with Claude instead. But, with a fiercely competitive market ahead, it’ll be fascinating to see if Amazon can make a mark and carve out a niche of its own.

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Also in AI

• Tesla's Optimus Robot Grows Skillful: It can even catch a ball in real-time

• OpenAI filing to trademark its o1 reasoning models

• ByteDance sues a former intern for sabotage of its AI training infrastructure

• AI Can Predict Neuroscience Research Outcomes with 81% Accuracy: Ahead of Human Experts who had 63% accuracy

• Meta's Yann LeCun boldly predicts human-level AI in the next 5 to 10 years

• OpenAI Ambitiously Expands into Multiple Sectors: This time, a legal assistant with advanced reasoning abilities

• xAI plans a standalone ChatGPT competitor

• Replicate Consistent-Character: Create images of characters in different poses

Design

Persuading Localities through Design: On UI Localisation

UI Localisation is the art of tailoring a user interface to suit different languages, cultures, and regions. It’s more than just translation; it's about adjusting layout, formats, and even symbols so your interface feels local no matter where the user is.

Key Components:

• Language Translation: Not just text, but context—think culturally relevant idioms and product names.

• Layout Adjustments: Some languages are wordier than others, or might require right-to-left (RTL) layouts (hello, Arabic and Hebrew).

• Date, Time, and Numbers: Different formats for different places—be it "MM/DD/YYYY" or "DD/MM/YYYY."

• Currency and Units: Dollars or euros? Kilometres or miles? Proper localisation keeps users happy.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Icons and colours can mean different things across cultures. Always test for appropriateness.

When to Localise?

Start early. Planning localisation during wireframing or prototyping helps avoid a last-minute rush.

How UXPin Helps:

UXPin’s tools make it easy to design flexible layouts that accommodate text expansion, RTL and LTR languages, and varied formats.

You can set up component variants for currencies and units and ensure your designs work across regions. Plus, UXPin lets you test prototypes for regional usability—no more guessing if your design works worldwide.

In a nutshell, UXPin makes it a breeze to build globally friendly, locally relevant designs from the start. Ready to make your designs speak the world’s language? Try UXPin for free.

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Also in Design

• How to Get hold of Lost Creativity: pause, define goals, be mindful, and make positive changes to foster an optimal creative environment

• Bitterness between Artists and OpenAI's Sora Model

• Figma’s “First Draft” AI Tool: an AI-powered design tool that assembles pre-existing components from design libraries

• Pixel Studio on the Google Pixel 9 allows users to create AI art, offering prompts and preset styles

• All Things Wrong With Design Systems: accessibility issues and an overwhelming number of options

• Freebiesbug - A collection of over 2,120 free design resources including fonts, templates, and icons

• AI Shifting Designers’ Roles: AI automates repetitive tasks, letting designers focus on curation, strategy, and ethics

Science & Tech

Dinosaur Fossils Reveal Fascinating Stuff About Dinosaurs back in the day

How did dinosaurs, once small and insignificant, become the top predators on Earth? The answer might be in their poop. Feces and even vomit, preserved in fossils, could hold the secret to their rise.

What Are Bromalites?

These are trace fossils that include coprolites (fossilised poop), vomit, or any other digestive remnants. They’re a goldmine for understanding diet, health, and even the evolution of parasites.

The Two Theories:

1. Competitive Replacement: Dinosaurs outcompeted other creatures due to their superior biology.

2. Opportunistic Replacement: The dinosaurs were just lucky, thriving after catastrophic events like volcanic eruptions or climate changes wiped out other species.

What Did the Study Find?

By examining 532 bromalites from the Polish Basin, the researchers found that dinosaurs seemed to thrive in a changing environment. They adapted by munching on a wider variety of food, which helped them rise to dominance.

The study suggests that it wasn’t just about evolution; the dinosaurs were in the right place at the right time. Random events helped pave the way for their success, and their adaptability made them the kings of the Jurassic world.

In short, fossilised poop is giving scientists a new look at how dinosaurs dominated the Earth. The verdict? A bit of luck and a lot of adaptability.

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Also in Science & Tech

• The FTC has warned smart device makers for not disclosing how long their products will receive software updates

• A Drug Brewed Out of Gold Shows Promise in Cancer Treatment

• Comprehensive breakdown on fluoride's safety and health implications in tap water

• The End of Big Tech? Big Issues of Centralisation, Surveillance, and Information control

• Science of Thanksgiving: It began in desperate times of survival

Founding

Great successes today were once “unrealistic” ambitions: How to turn ambitions into reality using NCTs

Effective goal setting balances strategy and execution with key elements:

• Clear Strategy: For once, push away the chaos of hundreds of ideas running through your mind, a thousand doubty thoughts and a million inner chatters. Look directly at what you’re aiming for and why.

• Decisive Decisions: Prioritise accordingly.

• Practical Plans: Break your larger plans into smaller, practical and manageable ones.

• Supportive Culture: Encourage disciplined commitment but filled with passion and sparks of curiosity.

• Adaptability: Adjust without losing sight of your main target.

• Motivation and Honesty: Stay focused, admit mistakes, criticise less, appreciate more

• Learn from Failures: As the book by Ryan Holiday says “Obstacle is the way”

NCT: A path to your ambitions-turned-reality

Narrative, Commitments, and Tasks (NCTs) offer a more effective strategy:

1. Narrative: Explain quarterly goals and their importance

2. Commitments: Set 3-5 specific, measurable goals

3. Tasks: Identify actions to achieve commitments

Improving Goal Setting

1. Define a clear strategic narrative

2. Set achievable yet ambitious commitments

3. Create actionable task plans 

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Also in Founding

• Reasons Behind Sluggish (or No) Progress of Self-Service Models

• How to use AI to better your sales pitches

• How Lumē Uses Buyer Psychology

• Goal-O-Rama: A goal-setting framework that integrates different types of goals for more effective and sustainable progress

• Has AI Scaling Hit a Limit?

Product

Master collaboration and win the world: On achieving product-led growth through networking

Collaboration is key in today's market. It's not just a nice-to-have, it's crucial for success. Product-led growth (PLG) works best when you combine good products with smart networking. Building the right relationships can boost your product, leading to better brand recognition and long-term growth. Here’s how to make it happen-

1. Cultivate Meaningful Relationships

Build genuine connections with industry peers, partners, and customers. Host or attend events to share insights and learn.

2. Leverage Diverse Perspectives

Invite input from diverse teams to enhance product development and foster innovation.

3. Create a Feedback Loop

Gather user insights to iterate quickly and meet user needs, increasing customer satisfaction.

4. Foster Collaborative Marketing

Partner with others for joint initiatives to amplify reach and boost credibility.

5. Empower Your Community

Nurture a product community through forums and events to drive word-of-mouth referrals.

6. Measure and Iterate

Analyse metrics to refine your networking strategies and maximise their effectiveness.

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Today’s AI Image

AI leading Scientific Research

Quote of the Day

Courage Beautifully Defined

“Courage is grace under pressure.”

Ernest Hemingway

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