Iterate Weekly - Issue 94
This week we're talking about ChatGPT in Microsoft Office, Cute new job titles, Moonwalker shoes, Caveday to help new years resolutions, and Michael Ian Black's Navel Gazing!
Welcome to issue 94 of Iterate Weekly!
Just a reminder that you can always reply to this email or leave a comment on the web version. I read all of them, and I appreciate the feedback, questions, and insights from all of you.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories.
🤖 Tech
ChatGPT in Microsoft Office
It seems like you can’t go anywhere on the internet without hearing about ChatGPT these days.
If it still hasn’t entered your purview, let me get you up to speed. ChatGPT is a piece of software from a company called OpenAI that is able to mimic real human chat interaction. Or at least that’s the intention. There are plenty of silly things you can do to try and trick or confuse it. It makes for a great diversion for a few minutes or trendy blog post topic.
But I want to look at a more interesting use for this technology. It will soon be deployed within perhaps the oldest, most unhip, non-bleeding edge software that you use…Microsoft Office.
Yep, that same Microsoft Office that gets used by millions of people each day. Although I have to admit that it has been a while since yours truly has booted up ol’ Clippy’s favorite writing software. These days I’m usually using Google Docs, Notion, or just writing within Substack’s editor. Anyway, my habits are besides the point. This stodgy old piece of software is about to get some super-smart new AI technology and it could be a game changer.
Microsoft is wisely investing $10 Billion dollars in the startup. It may not be a full-fledged acquisition quite yet, but it obviously will have a big impact on the company (co-founded by Elon Musk by the way).
The AI technology can certainly help with basic things like auto-complete and spell check. But that’s just scratching the surface. It could be a versatile digital assistant to help with a variety of tasks in your digital workplace. It could start sending emails on your behalf. And people probably won’t even notice.
Microsoft also plans on incorporating some AI image creation (a la DALL-E) directly into Powerpoint. Imagine having the ability to create one-of-a-kind images for your presentations with ease. And they’re rumored to also start adding OpenAI functionality to the Bing search engine. Yes, Bing still exists and Google is terrified of how good it could be with some AI brains behind it.
I feel like I’ve been saying this about a few things already this year, but this could be THE tech story of 2023. This is powerful technology and Microsoft is looking to put it into as many hands as possible very quickly.
Anyone out there using Microsoft Office daily? How would some AI make things easier for you?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Cute job titles
Job titles really are silly aren’t they? I’ve never cared much about my title. In some cases, I’ve been asked to make one up. In other cases, I’ve had the same title as other employees who seemingly do totally different things. It’s always been a system fraught with errors. The only time it really matters is if that title is directly linked to a potential salary.
I found this story about new cutesy job titles in the C-Suite particularly amusing.
We are living in a more remote work world even if you go to a physical office everyday. People are looking for ways to humanize the workplace. Job titles are a good place to start. It may sound silly and “new agey” but a Chief Empathy or Emotion Officer could be useful in plenty of companies.
All I’m saying is that every job title should be up for a change. You can add more emotion to them or just make it more clear what you actually do.
May 2023 be the year that we all re-examine our job titles and stop letting them define us!
Any particular job title tickle your fancy this year?
♻️ Health & Environment
Motorized walkways on our feet
First off, I want to give a shoutout to the Micromobility Substack publication. I’ve highlighted their work before, and if you have any interest in new, sustainable forms of transportation, you should be subscribed.
They recently posted something about all of the tiny transportation announcements that came out of this year’s CES. CES has become a de facto car show for many companies. And things like e-bikes and scooters have also used it as an annual coming out party.
One product that really struck me was Moonwalkers. These are roller-skate like contraptions that you put on your feet to mimic the sensation of walking on a people-mover treadmill like in an airport.
I encourage you to watch the video below to get a better sense of what I’m talking about. There certainly seems to be a learning curve with these, but they do claim to make you walk 250% faster than when you’re not wearing motors on your feet!
It’s a really cool idea and I can see this getting smaller and more intuitive in future iterations.
Would you cruise around town with Moonwalkers on your feet?
🛍 Grab Bag
January is a great time to try Caveday
You’ve heard me talk about Caveday before. If the name still sounds new to you, it’s a service that runs hyper-focused deep work sprints via Zoom.
I personally lead at least two of these sessions each week myself. And I really can’t recommend a better way to improve your productivity. In the caves (the term we use for each 1 or 3-hour work sprint) I’ve been leading recently, I’ve seen tons of first time Cavedwellers. And for good reason.
We know this is the time of year of new years resolutions and ambitious tasks that benefit from deep concentration. Plus, Caveday is always offering some great intro deals for you to try things out before committing to a monthly subsription.
Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for a way to get more work done with fewer distractions this year. I’d be happy to give anyone more info if you’d like and I hope to see you in one of my caves soon!
Anyone out there already using Caveday?
💬 Quote of the Week
"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."
-John F. Kennedy
📕Content Recommendation
Naval Gazing by Michael Ian Black
If you think Michael Ian Black is just some B-list actor from “Wet Hot American Summer” or “I Love the 90s” you wouldn’t be wrong. I am a fan of both of those things, but he’s much more than that.
He’s a damn fine author and I just finished reading his book “Navel Gazing” after also enjoying his book “Better Man” last year.
It’s a loose collection of essays woven around Black’s notions of body image and the demise of his mother’s health. It sounds weird, I know. But his assessment of the middle-aged male body is pretty spot on and extremely funny.
He also has several chapters on his attempt to become a runner which I really appreciated. If you’re looking for a quick, humorous read to help bolster your body image, this is the book for you.
POLL
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
P.S. - Hey, it’s the new year! Could you use some help reviewing what worked for you in 2022 and what could be better for 2023? Need some help building positive habits or ditching negative ones? Iterating on a new business idea and need some guidance? Or maybe you just want to say hello and pick my brain for a bit, that’s fine too! If you’d like to chat, feel free to book some time with me here!
I've not heard of Caveday, but now I'm intrigued and will explore a few of the intro specials. Thanks for sharing.