Iterate Weekly - Issue 125
This week we're talking about autonomous ride share vehicles in San Francisco, new norms for office socializing, re-usable cups at Starbucks, a modern Power Glove, and "No Hard Feelings"!
Welcome to issue 125 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
The Autonomous vehicle ride share debate in SF
It’s become fairly commonplace to see autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. You still notice their cameras and sensors protruding from the roof and they do make a slightly different sound than the usual electric vehicle.
But the debate about how many of these vehicles are allowed on city streets and how they can be used is getting pretty heated.
Just last week, the city agreed to allow robotaxi expansion in an effort to promote a new ecosystem of autonomous ride share vehicles. The decision came after hours of feedback both for and against the expansion. Most reports have the feedback as being fairly even.
There are obviously many future ramifications of autonomous vehicles that we’re still wrapping our heads around. And after many AV proponents celebrated the ruling as a major milestone, the city is now rethinking the ruling. The city has asked the California Public Utilities Commission to pause on the ruling until more information is gathered.
This is getting pretty complicated. It sounds like there are still many rightful concerns from pedestrians and cyclists about the safety of sharing the roads with cars that don’t have drivers. All of the most pedestrian and cyclist-friendly regions rely heavily on eye-contact and human interaction to make their streets safe. That can be pretty hard to do when there is no driver in a car.
Beyond the implications on pedestrians, many emergency vehicle drivers and public transit operators are also concerned about robotaxis getting in the way.
I’m still pretty torn on this subject. As a self-proclaimed “optimistic futurist” I want to embrace self-driving cars and look at all the positives of eliminating human error while driving. But the cycling advocate in me totally understands how scary it can be to assume that a robot taxi is going to stop for me. Eye-contact and waves are crucial for cyclists and without those it could cause far more accidents.
I highly doubt this will be the end of this story. I’ll certainly give an update as more information develops.
Are you ready to hop into a robotaxi?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Redefining workplace socializing
While it may be true that many employees have gone back to a traditional office environment this year, there are still plenty of folks working remotely or some sort of hybrid schedule.
And one part of the work experience that has been difficult since the start of the pandemic is socializing with colleagues.
This is top-of-mind for me after returning from a recent work lunch where none of us work out of the same physical office anymore. The social business lunch that happens every few months for remote workers is an interesting idea. Obviously it doesn’t work for extremely remote employees but it’s perfect for folks who maybe still live in the area or moved a reasonable drive away during the pandemic.
Employers are booking events earlier in the day as many employees no longer adhere to the strict 9-5 schedule. It’s a way to stay connected while still giving employees that freedom and autonomy that they’ve come to appreciate over the past few years.
Creative team building offerings like this outside of the traditional physical boundaries of shared office space could become a new selling point in the recruiting process for remote jobs.
♻️ Health & Environment
Re-usable cups at Starbucks
This story is very literally near and dear to my heart as it’s taking place in Starbucks shops in my neck of the woods of Northern California. I am within short walking distance of the first Starbucks locations to be testing a new form of reusable cup.
You can see in the GIF above how this new system will work. These Starbucks around Petaluma and Napa, California will be offer 100% reusable cups in their shops. These cups are made of a polypropylene and can be reused up to 120 times. Each cup will have a QR code that can be scanned when deposited into the recycle stations located at the stores. Starbucks gift cards will also be auctioned off to those who use the recycling program.
This is absolutely a step in the right direction! Of course, it’s always better to bring your own reusable cup to the coffee shop whenever you can and Starbucks is taking steps to make that easier and more widely accepted. This may seem like a small drop in the bucket for a giant corporation like Starbucks but disposable cups are still a major source of pollution in our society.
The pilot program for the new cups will be running for the next ten weeks and I’m personally looking forward to testing it out and may have a future write-up in store.
🛍 Grab Bag
Can Sony make a modern Power Glove?
Do you remember the Nintendo Power Glove?
If you played video games in the late 80s/early 90s you likely wanted one and probably never actually obtained one. They were hard to come by and actually looked a lot cooler than they actually were. It was essentially just a standard NES controller stuck to a glove but it seemed like the future.
Fast forward to today and rumor has it that Sony is developing a similar gaming glove to be used with future VR and AR systems.
Keep in mind that these are only the initial patents so we don’t have all of the details just yet. But it looks like the glove will have sensors in the fingers to allow the player to manipulate their environment without the use of standard controllers.
It certainly all sounds amazing on paper. Let’s just hope it lives up to the hype unlike the original Power Glove.
💬 Quote of the Week
"I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."
-Albert Einstein
🎥 Content Review
No Hard Feelings
If you’re looking for a fun comedic romp with just the right amount of heart, may I suggest “No Hard Feelings”?
It stars Jennifer Lawrence as a girl who’s desperate to make some extra cash in order to keep her Long Island beach house. What better way to make this cash than to answer a Craigslist ad to become a fake girlfriend for an awkward 19-year old?
Ok, so the premise sounds horrible, but stick with me here. Lawrence is clearly the star and she does a great job of riding the line between endearing and believable and just over-the-top ridiculous. But the ensemble cast also includes the likes of Matthew Broderick, Kyle Mooney, and Hasan Minhaj.
The movie had highs and lows but I’m glad I gave it a shot despite the uninspiring trailer. Just a reminder that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a movie by its trailer.
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.
Don't know about Robotaxis but I'd sure love to sit in a car and have it drive itself one day. Unfortunately I live in a country whose traffic is too chaotic for this to ever be possible haha.