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The app represents a departure from previous methods of accessing iMessage on non-Apple devices, which typically involved relaying messages through a Mac hosted in the cloud or signing in with an ‌Apple ID‌. Beeper Mini’s approach involves direct communication with Apple’s servers by registering a user’s phone number with iMessage, a process that apparently required extensive reverse engineering of Apple’s messaging system.

This immediately read as high risk for me given it used to be really annoying to deregister a phone number from iMessage, but I guess Apple made it much easier at some point. Neat!

it only tuesday

Speaking of Anthropic…

OpenAI’s board of directors approached rival Anthropic’s CEO about replacing chief Sam Altman and potentially merging the two AI startups, according to two people briefed on the matter.

They even bring up that past failed ouster with different color:

The co-founders of Anthropic, who were also executives at OpenAI until 2020, had broken from their employer over disagreements regarding how to ensure AI’s safe development and governance.

Here’s more history behind the OpenAI situation, but one thing in particular stuck out:

Mr. Sutskever’s frustration with Mr. Altman echoed what had happened in 2021 when another senior A.I. scientist left OpenAI to form the company Anthropic. That scientist and other researchers went to the board to try to push Mr. Altman out. After they failed, they gave up and departed, according to three people familiar with the attempt to push Mr. Altman out.

That’s new to me!

I’ve had a really hard time understanding the wild, whiplash-inducing ride over at OpenAI this past weekend. As much as Twitter sucked, I do miss how much easier it was for me to keep up with the news there. Thankfully, someone linked me to Ben Thompson’s post at Stratechery and it’s one of the best summaries/explainers of the OpenAI implosion that I’ve seen.

i’ve been to Mill Ends Park, but i’d never seen this cute website for it, full of facts about the world’s smallest park! or, what was the world’s smallest park? apparently Talent, OR built an even smaller park at an even-less-whelming 374 in². that’s 78 in² smaller!