Iterate Weekly - Issue 165
This week we're looking at a more focused computer, quiet vacations, Kia launches the EV3, a free laundry bug, and "Everybody's In LA"!
Welcome to issue 165 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
Can Daylight reinvent a more focused computer?
Are you ever just sick and tired of your existing technology? Our computers in particular haven’t changed a whole lot over the years. The same bright screens in slightly different sizes. The same big companies pushing the same software across all of your devices.
Here’s a breath of fresh air (or new sign of Daylight?) in the world of personal computers. A company called Daylight is rethinking the modern computer. They’re hoping it can be a lot less distracting than the machines that we’re used to.
What makes this machine so special? Most of the magic lies within the screen. It is a new take on an e-ink display that promises faster, more seamless refresh rates. All of the joy of e-ink without the lag. Obviously, the goal here is to reduce eyestrain and it does that by eliminating blue light. But it also can play full screen video and do virtually everything else that you can do with your normal computer or phone screen.
The Daylight looks perfect as a replacement for your e-reader or tablet, but will it be able to hold its own as a computer? I have my doubts, but the custom version of Android that’s running on the device should be able to run any Android app on the market. That means it should be able to handle all of the big productivity apps in addition to the fun stuff you do on your phone. All with a relaxing golden glow on the screen.
As someone who already owns the Remarkable 2 tablet, I’m very intrigued by the Daylight. The Remarkable screen is easy on the eyes and the writing experience feels pretty solid most of the time. But I wish it had a backlit display for nighttime journaling or reading PDFs in bed. I also wish the software was a little more robust, especially when you opt-out of their yearly subscription.
This thing costs nearly as much as a standard laptop at $729 during their pre-order discount. That’s quite a bit more than any other e-ink tablet. And will it be able to totally replace your existing computer? Probably not for most people. It will be an additional device that could be useful, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors in direct sunlight.
My hope is that it sells well enough to encourage other more established brands to put out something that looks different from the standard laptop. It seems like we’ve been hyping up e-ink screens forever. If they’re really so great, now is the time to let them do everything that we can do on a standard laptop while giving out eyes a break.
Anyone out there interested in getting the Daylight Computer?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
It could be a summer of “quiet vacations”
By this point, many people have heard of the term “quiet quitting”. It’s essentially the practice of dialing back your work efforts in a remote job as far as possible without actually telling the boss that you quit.
Well, a new phenomenon is creeping up this summer. It’s called “quiet vacationing” and you can probably piece together the definition. It’s when remote employees decided to just up and leave to an exotic locale without actually taking any proper vacation time.
These employees may actually do some work on these trips but usually not nearly as much as they would in their regular home working setup. Nearly forty percent of recently surveyed millennial workers admitted to participating in some quiet vacations and that number is likely to rise.
I would typically see no harm in the practice as long as important deadlines aren’t missed. But the troubling part is that many of these workers have plenty of actual vacation days to use if they chose to. Instead, they opt to perhaps stretch themselves too thin by trying to mix work and leisure on the same trip. I suppose it’s a sign of the times when employees are too burned out to actually take a proper vacation.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Can the Kia EV3 make Americans love small cars?
Small car lovers rejoice! We may soon have a new option in America that bucks the trend of larger, heavier SUVs.
Kia recently unveiled their upcoming EV3 electric vehicle.
It follows some of the design language of their other electric cars, most notably the widely popular EV9. I’m no mathematician, but an EV3 makes sense as smaller version of the EV9. Perhaps it’s not a full 1/3rd of the size, but it does look like a squished version of the 3-row SUV that has been very well received by customers around the globe.
Why is this car so noteworthy? Because there have been so few electric car options for Americans who don’t want or need a large vehicle. As models like the BMW i3 and Chevy Bolt have been discontinued, consumers are clamoring for replacement options that are smaller, more efficient, and frankly just more interesting looking.
What’s even more interesting is that Kia will be including a new voice assistant in this vehicle. It’s rumored to be powered off Chat-GPT and may be a revolutionary way to interact with your car.
For those of us who aren’t particularly impressed with traditional car specs, voice assistants and high-tech safety features can be the deciding factor when buying a new car. If two EVs give you similar range and power but one of them has an amazing voice assistant to help you out on all of your travels, which one are you going to choose?
The only downside here is that the EV3 will launch in Korea and Europe well before its American launch. Kia has confirmed that it will eventually make it to the US but who knows what that version will look like or when it will arrive.
🛍 Grab Bag
UC Santa Cruz students find bug for free laundry
It’s always heart-warming when hackers use their skills for good right?
Well some enterprising students at UC Santa Cruz were able to hack their local laundry machines in order to offer students some free washing.
The students were able to find a vulnerability in an internet-connected laundry system being used around the world. And these upstanding kids even alerted the laundry machines creators of the exploit in a sign of good faith. Apparently CSC ServiceWorks didn’t respond to the helpful note but were able to patch the bug in question.
Evidently, it was quite easy to trick the machines into doling out washes at no cost or making them think that associated accounts had millions of dollars available to cover the laundry costs.
It’s a friendly reminder that maybe not all internet connected appliances are created equally right now. When it comes to laundry machines, a bag full of quarters may still be your best bet.
💬 Quote of the Week
"We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine."
-H. L. Mencken
📺 Content Recommendation
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA
If you’re looking for a laugh, I suggest you go check out “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA” on Netflix.
Even if you’re not a fan of Mulaney’s comedy, the format of this show is intriguing. It’s one of the many new Netflix offerings that was originally aired live on the platform. It is basically a late night talk show crossed with a news-focused sketch variety show.
If you actually live in LA (or really California in general) you’ll appreciate some of the segments here. The breakdown of the map of LA seen above was pretty hilarious. It shows just how ridiculously large of an area is considered just one city by LA standards.
Some of the guests on the show don’t really hit and the live call-in segments can be challenging. But overall, I love the risks that this show takes. There really isn’t anything else like it on television (or streaming) right now. It almost feels like a futuristic version of what late-night television may be like in the future if it didn’t have to appeal to the wide audiences of network TV.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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