Iterate Weekly - Issue 136
This week we're talking about immersive domes, learning about learning, the Volvo EX30, unauthorized movie intermissions, and The Ringer Food podcast!
Welcome to issue 136 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
Are immersive domes the future of sports entertainment?
Much has been made of James Dolan’s new Las Vegas Sphere. If you haven’t seen it yet, it claims to be ushering in a new form of immersive entertainment.
I haven’t had a chance to visit it in person yet but I’m fascinated to see if its early success will spawn copycats popping up around the world. Well it seems that there will already be at least two of these “immersive domes” launching in the US in the coming months.
A company called Cosm Venues will be launching their own version of “The Sphere” in Los Angeles and Dallas respectfully. You can see a crude rendering of what the experience might look like above. The interesting thing here is that Cosm has partnered with Turner Sports to show NBA and NHL broadcasts on their future domes.
As someone who loves watching a big NBA matchup on TNT, I’m intrigued by what it would look like in a giant dome surrounded by a few hundred other fans. It’s sort of in between the feeling of watching the game at a bar and being live inside of the arena. Could this third or fourth viewing venue really catch on for sports?
Let’s say that watching at home by yourself or close family is the first venue. Then meeting up with friends and strangers to watch a local bar may be venue two. And of course you could get tickets to physically be there in-person at the arena for the ultimate experience. But how much would you pay for say 75% of the in-arena experience while attending the Cosm dome?
There is no word on how much a ticket will cost for an event like this. The first venues claim to hold up to 2,000 people and will offer both seats and standing room only like a sports bar. You would be able to hear the audio of the broadcast from all around the dome.
If one of these venues were to open up in the Bay Area (and my bet is that they will within the next 4 years or so) I could definitely see myself going to watch an NBA playoff game. If they charged maybe $50 for a ticket at the dome and the cheapest ticket at the actual Chase Center arena was $200-$300 in-person, I think they could get people to bite.
We’ll see how this plays out, but I’m thinking that this really is the future of sports entertainment. People now seem more likely to view games in local immersive domes than to put on their VR headsets to watch at home. I think I would have felt different even two years ago but immersive home viewing just hasn’t seemed to take off like I would have imagined.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Learning about Learning
One of my favorite EdTech newsletters that I’ve mentioned before is the fantastic “Learning How to Learn” from Barbara Oakley.
But this week I wanted to highlight a recent appearance that Barbara made on the Coursera Podcast.
As someone who worked in the EdTech space for years, I still think that Coursera is one of the few companies really doing things right in the industry. Barbara Oakley has authored several successful Coursera courses and has really become one of the authorities for autodidacts.
I highly recommend following Oakley’s work and take a listen to the podcast if you want some tips on how to develop a “lifelong learning mindset”.
♻️ Health/Environment/Electric Vehicles
Will American consumers embrace the Volvo EX30?
Americans just don’t seem to have an appetite for small electric cars. And it’s a darn shame if you ask me.
That’s why I’m anxiously awaiting the debut of the Volvo EX30, as its initial reviews are starting to come in.
It’s a tough sell to get an American audience to buy a vehicle that isn’t some sort of SUV or truck. Volvo is offering a fully-electric vehicle that has some of the styling of an SUV while being about the same size as a VW Golf. The EX30 is an odd little car, but I personally think it can (and should!) sell well in the US.
Volvo has managed to create a vehicle that blurs the line between tiny car and small SUV. Its 250+ mile range should be plenty for most use cases. And it offers some of the small touches that have made people love the Swedish design and safety features of Volvo for decades.
The initial reviews seem to be mostly positive. It seems like the very reasonable ($35K USD) starting price is enough to get people’s foot in the proverbial door. With plenty of luxury features and a quirky design, I think it will end up on plenty of short lists for new EVs to consider in 2024/2025. It certainly ranks high on my list and I hope to check one out in person later this month when they offer viewing at select Volvo dealers around the US.
🛍 Grab Bag
Apple doesn’t approve of “unauthorized intermissions”
I have yet to see the latest buzz-worthy film by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s called “Killers of the Flower Moon” and it’s in theaters now.
What I’m more interested in is the fervor around theaters creating their own “unauthorized intermissions” to give patrons a break during the film’s 3 hour and 26 minute runtime. Apparently the film’s distributor, Apple, is not at all pleased by this.
Apparently, Apple thinks that these short breaks violate the terms of the licensing agreement with the physical theaters. While I can somewhat understand that, I do feel for the folks who can’t make it through the full performance without interruption.
While it’s common for a play or musical performance of that duration to provide a brief intermission, there apparently are different rules when it comes to screening movies.
The Hollywood Reporter story even managed to interview an anonymous theater employee who confirmed that patrons seemed to love the 8-minute pause before the final 2-hours of the film.
“People could come out, order another drink, stretch their legs, go to the bathroom and not miss anything.”
Yeah, that sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. No one likes to miss parts of a movie and even the largest tub of popcorn may need a refill over the course of 3 hours and twenty-six minutes. It’s odd that Apple had to go and spoil the fun here. If local patrons enjoy the intermission, I say let them have it. When box office sales are still reeling, it seems unwise to give people even more of a reason to stay home and watch on their own TV.
💬 Quote of the Week
"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better."
-Albert Camus
🎧Content Review
Ringer Food Podcast
It’s the month of November, and you may find yourself hungry for some new food content to celebrate. Well, look no further than the fantastic “Ringer Food” podcast!
The premise is pretty simple, hosts Juliet Litman and David Jacoby set a timer for 30 minutes and discuss the latest food news of the week. This could be things like restaurant openings, trends in the industry, or just their personal feelings about something in the culinary world.
The latest episode had a fascinating look at a restaurant that adds an extra fee to your bill if they deem your parenting skills are not up to par. That’s right, if your kids misbehave at all, they’ll hit you with a $50 misbehaving children tax. It’s these type of newsworthy stories that make the cut on The Ringer Food podcast.
The two hosts have fantastic chemistry and I love the notion of a podcast that sets an audible timer and just stops talking when it finishes. There is something very satisfying about the predictable listening time and it also gives it a sense of urgency like you’re watching a live event.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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