Iterate Weekly - Issue 124
This week we're talking about the rise of voice memos, Zoom sends employees back to the office, free bike lessons for kids in Boston, movie theatre etiquette, and "See How They Run"!
Welcome to issue 124 of Iterate Weekly!
Hope you’re all doing well. This is just a friendly reminder that you can always reply directly to these messages or leave a comment on the Substack post. Feedback is highly encouraged and I’m happy to answer any and all questions that come up.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories.
🤖 Tech
Millennials love Voice memos
Voicemails have been out of style for many young people in the last decade. You’re likely to be notified of full voicemail inboxes or generic answering machine messages when you call someone these days. But that trend may be shifting.
It seems like millennials really love voice memos.
Perhaps it’s because everyone considers themselves to be somewhat of a podcaster these days but sending short audio notes has gone from weird to common among many millennials.
Check out some of the stats featured in the FutureParty article above:
WhatsApp reported users sent over seven billion voice messages just last year.
Hinge said users have increased voice messaging by 37% compared to 2022.
Slack users send 1.46 million voice messages per week.
I can’t say that I’ve personally adopted this trend, but I do see the appeal. A voice memo can feel so much more personal than a text message. You can instantly get a sense of the person’s emotion and there is much less of a chance of being misunderstood.
This comes on the heels of Apple announcing some new “live voicemail” features are coming to the next version of iOS this fall. I’ve long been a fan of some of the voicemail tricks capable on Android and Google Voice in particular. I think it might be worth going a bit deeper on this subject soon but now I’m curious.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Zoom is bringing employees back to the office
As a devoted remote worker who can’t picture a life spent in any office, this next story made me pause.
Yes, in many parts of the world there has been a recent trend of employees returning to the office. But now even remote work darling Zoom is asking employees to come back to a physical office!
What’s going on here? Is this the end of remote work as we know it? It makes for a nice headline, but I actually don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Zoom is a company just like any other company. Sure, their product is software that helped fuel the rise of remote work, but that doesn’t mean the company is immune to the pitfalls that can arise with a remote staff.
Just to be clear, they’re only requiring two in-person days per week for workers who live in close enough proximity to an office. It’s still a fairly flexible hybrid arrangement by all accounts, but this is Zoom so people will be talking about it (as I am!)
I still think that there are plenty of industries that are perfectly suited for remote work and I’m fortunate to be in one. It’s also been clear that the Bay Area has been one part of the world that has been most resistant to traditional returns to office culture.
Maybe it’s because we’re tired of the “startup fun office” vibes. Maybe it’s because traffic can be a nightmare. Maybe it’s just wanting more flexibility to enjoy all of the benefits of California life. But no matter what the reason, we’ll see if this Zoom story is a sign of things to come or just another confused company trying to figure things out in the new world of work.
♻️ Health & Environment
Boston launches free bike riding lessons for kids
Boston mayor Michelle Wu is moving forward with a plan to offer free bike riding lessons to kids in her city.
This may seem like a small feel-good story but it’s kind of a big deal. It’s a mayor of a major city in a very car-dominant country admitting that riding a bike is a “crucial life skill.” And obviously this should be applauded.
No, she’s not forcing anyone onto a bike if they don’t want to be. However, this will allow kids from ages 4-13 to receive free lessons to learn something that should server them for the rest of their lives. And I know that people think that everyone can ride a bike and learning how to ride a bike is “just like riding a bike” (meaning you never forget). Yet there are still plenty of children and adults in America who have never ridden a bike and have no clue how to do it safely.
Initiatives like this can help plant the seeds for the future generations of Americans who may not default to the automobile as their default mode of transportation. Plus it gives kids confidence and they can get some much-needed exercise and fresh air.
This type of instruction is common in The Netherlands and other bike-friendly nations but it’s still a novelty in the United States. Personally, I think there should be some state and maybe federal laws requiring bike lessons to be part of physical education requirements in public schools. We make kids do all sorts of things in gym class that just aren’t practical. Why don’t we teach them a skill that they can literally use daily for the rest of their lives?
🛍 Grab Bag
What is proper etiquette for a movie theater?
It’s obvious that the pandemic reshaped our feelings on many things in our lives. Personally, I think that movie theaters really took a hit in the last few years. Sure, they lost tons of money, but I’m talking about the way people act in movie theaters.
Could it be time to redefine the proper etiquette for our theaters?
Maybe several years of exclusively watching movies in the comfort of our homes made it ok to give your phone half your attention during a film. The linked article above tries to pin some of the blame on the Barbie movie that caused countless theater-goers to take photos in an attempt to share the experience via social media.
Whether it’s Barbie, Marvel, or whatever the next huge cultural movie experience will be, how do we make the cinema experience pleasant for all? One idea being tossed around is to offer multiple showings where one screening could be in silence with no phones allowed. But maybe there could be another showing where phones and talking is tolerated and expected!
This may sound insane to the movie purists out there but it’s not the worst idea. As a dad, I’ve seen some theaters promote special showings for babies and toddlers to attend. It’s a chance for parents to take in a flick with their family and not feel guilty during a screaming meltdown when the popcorn box is empty. If you know to expect that something like that may happen when purchasing your ticket, you may be less upset.
Movie theaters are doing everything they can to stay afloat these days. I’m all for them trying all sorts of unique screenings with various levels of expected patron etiquette. If people want to sing along with classic movies, position the 9pm showing tonight as a “sing-along showing”! If tweens want to post on social media during the Sunday matinee film, just embrace it and label the showtime as a “social media experience” on the website. The more flexibility we can give these theaters and customers, the more likely they are to survive.
💬 Quote of the Week
"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose."
-Lyndon B. Johnson
🎥 Content Review
See How They Run
This was a surprising pleasant movie experience with some friends last weekend. I had never heard of “See How They Run” but it was recommended by a friend and I was amazed at the quality of the cast.
It’s a who-dun-it style of film with an ensemble cast led by the always great Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan. It’s a movie about a murder…in a play…based on a book. It’s far more clever than I’m making it seem, trust me.
If you’re into murder mysteries, you will love it. And if you’re someone like me who isn’t usually into murder mysteries, you’ll also still love it because it’s beautifully shot and comes with plenty of laughs.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
Hey! Could you use some help establishing healthy habits? Do you have a big project or new business that you want to get off the ground but could use some advice? Maybe you could benefit from hiring me as your coach. If you’re interested, read more about my coaching services here, or go ahead and book some time on my calendar to discuss further.
Iterate is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you should let me know that this writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless I enable payments at some point in the future. Think of it like an IOU in a tip jar.
See How They Run was such a fun movie. Loved how they made fun of all the Agatha Christie tropes among the recent resurgence of her stories in Hollywood.