Gergely Orosz published an interesting post describing which computer science data structures and algorithms he has used in real life while working at tech companies such as Skype, Skyscanner and Uber. The article is in response to criticism of overly complicated algorithm technical interview questions.
Researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a new device called a solar flow battery. The device combines a silicon/perovskite tendem solar cell with a chemical based redox flow battery. The device produces consistent 20% energy efficiency from a charge at any time.
A nation by nation assessment published in Nature shows that adding crushed rock (finely crushed basalt) to farmland could absorb up to two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air per year. The technique is called enhanced rock weathering and by-products of iron and stell manufacturing, and construction, could be processed to produce the rock dust needed. (H/T to Jenn for sharing this.)
Researchers MIT's Lincoln Laboratory have identified a way to recognise COVID-19 in asymptomatic people by analysing their speech patterns. The theory that the constriction of muscles caused by a COVID-19 infection could affect speech in otherwise asymptomatic people was put to the test by analysing speech from video interviews of asymptomatic celebrities before and after their postive diagnosis.
Tim Ferriss' recent interview with Hugh Jackman is very inspiring. Not only is Hugh a Tim Ferriss fanboy, but he drops lots of wisdom bombs about his daily rituals and how he positions himself physically and mentally for continued contentment and success. A very enjoyable listen.
Martin Fowler of ThoughtWorks published a detailed and very useful guide to threat modelling for developers. The guide walks through the process of modelling data flow and identifying potential risks.
France's Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés published a great wide ranging GDPR guide for developers, covering compliance, securing source code, infrastructure selection and data retention management among other things.
Data visualisation heavy weight Information Is Beautiful (David McCandless) has published a datapack of Coronavirus visualisations with links to the underlying data. The site includes this handy reference diagram (above) showing the risk profile of various activities. (P.S. Wear a mask)
