Iterate Weekly - Issue 5
Welcome to Issue 5 of the Iterate weekly newsletter! My name is Chris Jennings. If you really have no idea who I am and why you’re receiving this e-mail, take a look at the about page for a reminder.
You’ll see that the content here is broken down into 4 categories.
Tech - This will be the main focus of the newsletter. I’m dedicated to helping people improve their relationships with technology.
Learning - I consider myself an autodidact and like to examine the concept of learning how to be a more productive learner.
Health - None of these other topics are important if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy them.
Grab Bag - This could be something personal, something silly, something fun that doesn’t quite fit the other categories.
Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a quote of the week and a piece of content that I recommend you check out.
Yes, there may be the occasional affiliate link to a product I recommend, but no one is paying for placement in this newsletter. Thank you so much for reading, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think of this format.
Tech
An app to make your tabs faster?
I’ve written about how endless browser tabs are killing your productivity, but now a new product called Mighty claims that their software will allow you to keep all your tabs open without slowing down.
The product is still in a closed beta where you’ll need to request (and wait) for access. So I can’t say that I’ve tried it out myself yet. But I am skeptical and intrigued. As someone who supports the idea of focusing on one browser tab at a time, it makes me a little nervous. A cloud-connected browser sounds good in theory (more processing speed, less load on your local machine) but there will undoubtedly be some hiccups or compatibility issues.
When requesting access, you’re greeted with a Typeform that asks you a series of questions. These will help get a sense of the type of user you are. Are you more of a browser tab hoarder or do you usually keep things lean? Are you running a souped-up machine with maxed-out RAM or a sputtering old laptop that barely loads anything? Let’s face it, this is more of a research project than an actual queue to see who is worthy of their product. Maybe your answers will get you to the front of the line, but no luck yet for me,
I’ll absolutely follow up on this story once I’m able to give it a spin myself. But if you’re the type who likes to try out new browsers, I suggest you sign-up for the waitlist yourself.
Learning
Do you buy spreadsheets?
This story comes from the ever-evolving world of “The Creator Economy”. We all know about creators selling things like e-books, courses, or other digital products. But when was the last time you purchased a spreadsheet?
A recent story in Mashable highlights the growing trend of creators selling digital templates and worksheets created with “no-code” software like Google Sheets, Excel, or Notion. This is a super-fascinating development. It gives creators the power to share their knowledge without having to work on the code necessary for a more elaborate piece of software.
Knowledge can go straight from your head to a spreadsheet with no intermediary required to make it look pretty or build out complex features. Marketplaces like Gumroad or Etsy act as a digital storefront for these products if creators don’t have their own platform to sell.
What do you think? Have you ever purchased a digital template or spreadsheet before? Do you have any potential ideas that would work in this format?
Health
My personal Calm App streak
Ok, this story comes from my personal quantified-self journal, but it’s applicable to plenty of people who are looking to develop a daily mindfulness practice.
I currently have a streak of meditating for 128 days straight using the Calm App. I’ve been a user of Calm since 2016. So the current streak is nothing to sneeze at, but I’ve had streaks of similar length (or longer) over the years.
If you’ve never used a meditation app, I do recommend Calm as a great place to start. I did use its major competitor Headspace in the early days but found the style of the Calm meditations more to my liking.
Their “Daily Calm” or “Daily Trip” meditations are my go-to options. I think it’s important to always have some variety in your meditation sessions and instructors. Sometimes I appreciate the soothing female voice of Tamara Levitt, other times I need the snarky humor of Jeff Warren. The two of them seem to make a great 1-2 punch for meditators.
Anyone else using Calm or Headspace? Let me know in the comments what kind of meditation practice has been working for you.
Grab Bag
Marvel joins forces with the NBA
Here is a fun story that combines sports, comic books, and good old-fashioned synergistic marketing!
When you read this, the NBA basketball game between the Golden State Warriors (my local team) and the New Orleans Pelicans will have already taken place. But this game will be like no other game ever broadcasted by the NBA or ESPN. No, this telecast will have a special Marvel superhero theme.
And yes, I’m writing this before the game takes place, so I may need to do a follow-up after seeing it with my own eyes. But ESPN will broadcast the standard version of the game on its main channel and then ESPN2 will have the unique Marvel-inspired telecast.
I’ll be honest, I only really became a big Marvel fan in the last two years or so, but I’m a lifelong basketball fan and I’m excited about the creativity here. As our media consumption options grow in every other corner of pop culture, it’s wild that most sporting events only come in one or two flavors. You may get the local broadcast of the game on TV, plus the national coverage on ESPN, TNT, or others. Maybe there is also a radio broadcast for you to check out.
But is there a broadcast specifically tailored for the stat geeks? A telecast for all of the off-court gossip that follows each player? A feed of the game where they only analyze the uniforms and design elements? You get my point.
Nickelodeon did something similar with a kid-focused broadcast of an NFL game a few months back. I’ll admit that I watched some of it and while it wasn’t made for me, it was refreshing to see something different. Let’s hope that the Marvel NBA game is a success so we can start seeing more creative approaches like this in the future.
Quote of the Week
There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither - Alan Cohen
Content Recommendation
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
My wife and I have been watching The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
If you weren’t a child of the 90s, you can feel free to keep scrolling. But if you watched the original beloved movies (there were 3 of them in case you forgot) you will love the modern reimagining of this iconic Disney franchise.
It’s heart-warming with just enough nostalgia from the original movies and plenty of talented child actors to introduce more modern topics that the 2020s teenager can relate to.
Seeing Emilio Estevez on-screen again is worth it alone. Go check it out!
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