Hey 👋
We want to round off 2021 by saying a HUGE thank you to all of our users.
Haystack has achieved a lot this year and it’s only just the start 🚀 - but none of it would be possible without the support from all of you. 👏
Fancy joining us? We’re currently hiring ⬇️
📌 Software Engineer, Mid-level (Open to remote)
📲 Big Tech & Start-ups
Image source: Apple
The tech giant Apple is seemingly always in the headlines with its latest updates and releases. This year saw their M1 computers take the spotlight, along with its successor the M1X - the most powerful chips Apple has ever built. 🔥
Apple’s senior VP of Hardware Technologies said, “M1 has transformed our most popular systems with incredible performance, custom technologies, and industry-leading power efficiency. No one has ever applied a system-on-a-chip design to a pro system until today with M1 Pro and M1 Max.”
The UK tech sector has also had its best year since 2014. Following the digitalisation of many companies as a result of the pandemic, it has recently been announced that £29.4bn has been raised by start-ups and scale-up businesses - with companies like Motorway, Depop and Starling Bank all reaching unicorn status!
🔭 Science & Futuristic Tech
Image source: The Verge
Girls Who Code, the non-profit organisation that aims to get more women and girls interested in the field of computer science, pulled it out of the bag this year. They teamed up with Doja Cat for her latest single ‘Woman’, creating the first-ever codable music video. 👏
The entire video can be controlled with different programming languages, including CSS, JavaScript and Python, creating an interactive experience for viewers. Why not try out the experience for yourself at Dojacode.com 🚀
Remember the race to space? Elon Musk continues with his dream plans of putting life on Mars. Starship will be the first spacecraft in which all components are fully reusable, significantly reducing the costs of space travel. But, will Musk be one of the passengers? 🧑🚀
🧑💻 Programming, Data & Design
Haystack users visited the app 100s of times per day, with a new opportunity being discovered every 60 seconds. 🔥
We analysed our users and discovered some of the top viewed technologies of 2021 ⬇️
⚙️ Miscellaneous
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Did Twitter spaces replace its competitor, Clubhouse? 🎧
UK law enforcement donated a whopping 225 million unique passwords to a cyber-security project helping to protect users from hacking. 🧑💻
Bosses from the world's two biggest plane makers called on the US government to delay the rollout of new 5G phone services. ✈️
Instagram announced a plan for the rollout of parental controls and other safety features. 👏
⏪ 2021 Round-up
January: GameStop shocked Wall Street with its surge in stocks
February: NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars
March: The first-ever tweet by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey “just setting up my twttr” sold for $2.9 million in digitally autographed version
April: Dogecoin spiked after Elon Musk tweeted
May: Bitcoin experienced a four-month low
June: Microsoft revealed its next generation of Windows
July: Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon, whilst Richard Branson was the first billionaire to be successfully launched into space
August: TikTok was named as the most downloaded app in 2020
September: Apple threatened to kick Facebook off the App Store
October: Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, in an attempt to take over the Metaverse
November: COP26 announced the ‘Breakthrough agenda’ pledging to make clean technology and sustainable solutions
December: Scammers stole $150K worth of crypto from NFT project with Discord hack