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  • 🤖 Google's Android 16 Drop | 🌊 Apple's Liquid Glass Revolution | ₿ Bitcoin Breaks $110K Barrier

🤖 Google's Android 16 Drop | 🌊 Apple's Liquid Glass Revolution | ₿ Bitcoin Breaks $110K Barrier

Google surprises with zero-fanfare OS launch, Apple bets big on transparent futures, and crypto hits institutional escape velocity

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🖋 Today’s Angle

Welcome back, digital wanderers.
Today's serving includes Google's surprise Android drop, Apple's radical design makeover that's got everyone talking (as a former Product Designer I am not really sure about the full-on glass mode 😅), and crypto markets having their best day since your portfolio last made you smile. Plus, we've got Tesla sweating bullets over Chinese competition, billion-dollar funding rounds that'll make your seed round look like lunch money, and some genuinely weird corners of the internet that'll restore your faith in human creativity. Buckle up—it's going to be a ride.

––Sascha Thiele

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🚀 Tech & Business

Dragon Ball Explosion GIF by Xbox

Gif by bandainamco on Giphy

What Happened: Google officially released Android 16 today, catching everyone off guard with zero fanfare and maximum efficiency. The update hits Pixel devices first with Material 3 Expressive design and comes bundled with the June 2025 Feature Drop. Eligible devices span from Pixel 6 through the latest models, with non-Pixel devices getting their turn in the coming weeks.

Why It Matters: This stealth launch signals Google's new confidence in rapid-fire OS updates. When tech giants stop making a big deal about major releases, it usually means they're so sure of their product that marketing theatrics become unnecessary.

What Happened: Apple just unveiled its biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, introducing "Liquid Glass" across iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, and every other Apple platform. This translucent, glass-like interface uses real-time rendering to dynamically react to content and movement, creating specular highlights that make everything look like it's floating. The new design language unifies all Apple platforms for the first time, inspired by the Vision Pro's visionOS aesthetic.

Why It Matters: This isn't just a fresh coat of paint—it's Apple betting big that transparent interfaces are the future, even as designers worry about readability issues. When a company calls something their "broadest design update ever," you know they're either brilliantly confident or about to learn some expensive lessons (hopefully they've got their accessibility settings crystal clear).

What Happened: Chinese EV makers led by BYD aren't just beating Tesla on affordable electric vehicles anymore—they're now gunning for the autonomous driving crown. The same companies that made Tesla's affordable car dreams look expensive are now positioning themselves as serious contenders in the global self-driving race. Tesla's once-unassailable lead in both EVs and autonomy is facing pressure from multiple Chinese competitors simultaneously.

Why It Matters: This shift represents more than just market competition—it's a fundamental challenge to Silicon Valley's assumption that innovation flows west to east. If Chinese companies can out-innovate Tesla on self-driving while already winning on price, the entire narrative about tech leadership needs rewriting.

I wanted to let you know about a little tool that I use to scrape stuff and in general keep me updated: Browse.ai. It is super easy to scrape Producthunt for example and get notified about new startups that are interesting. There is even a template for that. So check it out.*

*This is an affiliate link, so I would get a small provision if you use the tool.

💰 The Finance Overview

Bugs Bunny Money GIF by Looney Tunes

Gif by looneytunes on Giphy

Tech stocks are riding high with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund up 6% in May as tariff concerns ease and risk appetite returns. The S&P 500 closed above 6,000 for the first time since February, sitting just 3% below all-time highs while communication services and consumer cyclical sectors lead gains. European tech investment jumped 66% month-over-month with €5.5 billion secured in May, signaling VC spring revival across the pond. Startup Thermometer shows mega-rounds like Anysphere's $900M and Grammarly's $1B proving AI coding tools are the new gold rush. Infrastructure Watch reveals Amazon's $20 billion Pennsylvania data center expansion and Qualcomm's $2.4 billion Alphawave acquisition highlighting the AI infrastructure arms race. Wild Card: The crypto sector's $3.41 trillion market cap surge is drawing institutional money faster than you can say "digital gold".

DowJones: $DJI ( ▼ 1.79% ) 
German DAX: $DAX ( ▼ 1.69% ) 

What Happened: Bitcoin surged past $110,000 today, gaining 3.66% as US-China trade talks and easing geopolitical tensions lifted market sentiment. The rally coincided with $386.2 million in Bitcoin ETF inflows and institutional purchases, including Strategy's acquisition of 1,045 Bitcoin worth $110 million. Futures markets show continued bullish sentiment with March 2026 contracts trading at $115,310 and an annualized basis rate of 6.81%.

Why It Matters: This isn't just another crypto pump—institutional adoption has reached critical mass with BlackRock's ETF seeing 23 consecutive trading days without outflows. When traditional finance stops treating Bitcoin like digital monopoly money and starts treating it like digital gold, $150K+ targets start looking less insane.

What Happened: Ethereum futures open interest surged 40% while the token itself gained 7.3% to $2,668, marking its strongest performance in five weeks. The jump follows BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust recording 23 consecutive days without outflows and growing institutional confidence in Layer-2 scaling solutions. Technical patterns suggest Ethereum could break above the $2,700-$2,740 consolidation range that's held for the past month.

Why It Matters: Rising futures activity typically signals smart money positioning for bigger moves ahead. With institutional adoption accelerating and the Ethereum Foundation restructuring its development team, the stage is set for altcoin season.

🎓 Skill Builder

Kevin Powell - Published June 4, 2025

What You'll Learn:

  • Recreate Google's AI Mode glowing border effect using pure CSS without relying on images

  • Master conic gradients and pseudo-elements for complex visual effects

  • Implement techniques to fake transparent backgrounds that work with any background color

  • Use CSS custom properties and registered properties to make effects easily customizable and animatable

  • Create both outer and inner glow effects using CSS filters and blur properties

  • Animate gradients using two different approaches: color changes and rotation methods

Why It's Worth Your Time: Kevin breaks down Google's premium AI interface effect into practical CSS fundamentals, showing you how to recreate expensive-looking design patterns that typically require images or JavaScript. The 30-minute tutorial covers everything from basic setup to advanced animation techniques with complete CodePen implementation.

✅ https://wiby.me/surprise/ — Random early internet time machine that takes you to websites unchanged since 2007 

✅ https://cybersparkle.neocities.org/ogtamagotchi — Virtual pet nostalgia with authentic 90s vibes that'll transport you back to simpler times

✅ https://nekorin.neko.jp/ — Just tons of pictures of someone's cats, 10/10 wholesome

✅ https://lusion.co/ — Mind-bending futuristic web design that redefines what websites can look like

✅ https://coolestprojects.org/cp-online-2025 — Global tech showcase for young creators aged up to 18, celebrating digital innovation

Got a killer link we missed? Hit reply and share the goods. 💌

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🏁 Tomorrow’s Forecast

US inflation data drops Wednesday while trade talks continue — expect volatility with a side of cautious optimism 📈

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