Iterate Weekly - Issue 152
This week we're not putting our wet phones in rice anymore, work/life balance doesn't exist for Gen Z, EV owners don't go back to gas cars, MLB's uniform problem, and "Portal"
Welcome to issue 152 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.
Thank you as always for reading!
🤖 Tech
Actually, you shouldn’t drop that wet smartphone in rice
Quick! What’s the first thing you do when you inevitably drop that smartphone in the toilet or a swimming pool? You may give it a quick towel dry but for years we’ve been told to drop the device into a nice big bowl of rice.
But now, Apple is telling everyone that they’ve been wrong this whole time. The days of drying your iPhone in a bowl of rice may be over.
Apparently those small particles of rice could do more damage than good when looking for a quick way to dry things out. And it makes total sense. We go to such great lengths to keep dust and dirt off of our phones, dropping it in an unwashed bowl of dry rice is only going to increase the chances that something else get into your phones ports.
So what do you do if your phone gets wet? There is no miracle cure. Apple suggests manually shaking out any excess water that may be hiding in the charging port. Then just leave it out in an area that gets good air flow. After thirty minutes or so, you’ll probably be in good shape.
Also, just try not to get it wet in the first place! These days, most smart phones have decent water and dust resistance but none of them are truly waterproof despite what any marketing materials may tell you. If you’re often bringing your phone into wet and wild places, just dress it up in a waterproof case to avoid the rice situation all together.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Gen Z can’t seem to find work/life balance
Work life balance is becoming harder for all of us to find. And it turns out if you’re a Gen Z worker whose career is still young, you may have never known proper balance.
Yep, young professionals tend to have very few boundaries around their work lives and it is really taking its toll.
It’s no secret that the daily work routine has changed quite a bit in just one generation. People used to travel to work, clock-in and clock-out at regular intervals, and achieve a clear distinction between working time and leisure time. For many young knowledge workers, they’ve never known a world where their work didn’t travel with them wherever they went. And they’ve never had clear boundaries around when they’re reachable and when they’re not.
And this challenging setup may be the reason why Gen Z employees have been in need of more vacation time to help break the burden of a life lacking in balance.
♻️ Health & Environment
Less than 1% of EV owners go back to gas-powered cars
Much has been made of the stagnating growth in fully-electric cars lately. Yes, perhaps some are better suited for hybrid models or efficient gas-powered vehicles, but very few people are going back to internal-combustion cars after owning fully-electric models.
In fact, while the body of evidence is still relatively small, less than 1% of EV owners go on to purchase another gas-powered car.
I’d be curious to see if those numbers have changed at all after that initial study several years ago. It’s also worth noting that the study took place in the UK and the sentiment may be different in the United States.
🛍 Grab Bag
Nike’s see-through uniforms are embarrassing for MLB
It’s been too long since I’ve written about something related to the magical world of athletic aesthetics, but this story is just too good to pass up.
In case you haven’t been following, Major League Baseball is releasing some new uniform designs for the coming season. In partnership with Nike, they’re releasing uniforms that are supposed to be lighter, thinner, more streamlined and just overall better than the previous versions.
Unfortunately, the material is comically see-through and resulting in some hilarious, yet catastrophic bad publicity for the league.
As if baseball didn’t have enough challenges right? They’re trying to make the game faster, more fun, and more appealing to a younger audience who haven’t taken to it like their parents and grandparents. I guess one way to cause some excitement is to leave nothing to the imagination when it comes to the lower body.
Photos like the one above are becoming all too common. MLB and Nike have a serious problem on their hands and it’s wild that they didn’t do a better job of testing the material for issues like this before it was forced upon players who don’t seem to be pleased with the updates.
I’m curious to see what’s next in this ridiculous saga. Opening day is only a few weeks out, it could be one fun season if these transparent pants aren’t remedied!
💬 Quote of the Week
"A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition."
-William Arthur Ward
📕Content Recommendation
Portal: San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities
This week we’re taking a break from the movie recommendations to mention a book that I thoroughly enjoyed recently.
It’s called “Portal: San Francisco’s Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities”. While it may seem like a book geared toward Bay Area locals, it actually has wide-reaching appeal.
The history of the Ferry Building is pretty remarkable. It was the first major landmark for a city who has added many over the years. Its symbolic location still acts as a portal between the nature of the bay and the culture and civilization of the city. During its history, it’s been a bustling transit hub, an empty eyesore, and it was even covered up by a freeway. The Ferry Building has seen it all, and it endures.
Outside of San Francisco, the book does a great job of comparing urban growth patterns in cities like New York and Boston. The problems of these cities aren’t all that unique and each place can learn from each other.
If you’re a San Francisco history buff, this is required reading just for all the “what-ifs” regarding what the ferry building could have become. But if you have any interest in urban planning in general, you’ll also learn a ton. I can’t recommend this book enough. And bonus points for that eye-catching cover!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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I'm reading The Power Broker at the moment, and the Ferry Building book sounds like it's along similar lines. I'd love to check it out!