Iterate Weekly - Issue 182
This week we're talking about a "silky fine mist" projector, new phone productivity, 23andMe is in trouble, Jony Ive's new project and "Uptime"!
Welcome to issue 182 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!
Panasonic creates a screen out of thin air
This may literally be a story about vaporware, but it was too good to pass up.
Panasonic has demoed the technology to literally create a screen out of thin air. They call it a “silky fine mist” projector and it looks pretty sweet.
The use cases may be fairly minimal at the moment, but I’ve always been bullish on a future where any surface (or even the air) could be utilized as a screen. It’s a bit of a party trick right now, but there could be some worthwhile reasons to do something like this.
For anyone who has visited a Disney Park recently, you may recognize a similar method being used to project images for light shows. A projector that can project onto non-solid surfaces just looks like magic. It allows for some visual tricks that can’t be done with other materials.
The other literally cool thing about this Panssonic product is that the mist they’re projecting on is actually used to cool warm spaces. Think of a mist you might feel at a warm theme park or a steamy train station. But because the particles are so small, the mist doesn’t actually feel wet to the touch. It’s some mind-bending stuff for sure.
It isn’t all perfect just yet. The machinery involved here isn’t as compact as you’d like. It’s still not ready to be used in all scenarios. It also uses a fair bit of energy to create this surface. But I’m super excited to see more projectors like this in the future. Check out the video below to learn a bit more about how Panasonic pulls it off.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Can a new phone make you more productive?
You know that feeling of setting up a new phone and getting it exactly how you like it?
It’s fun. It feels like you’re accomplishing something. This little device is going to likely power you for the next year at least! But does a new phone really do anything for your productivity?
I ask this as someone who has integrated the new Pixel 9 Pro into my workflow in the last few weeks. And while it’s been a largely positive experience, I question how many of the new features are actually helping me get more done.
There is something to be said about having a smooth workflow between phone and smartwatch. I’ve taken the time to really dial-in my Pixel Watch 3 notifications in an effort to minimize wasted time staring at the new phone. But what about all those other AI features crammed into the latest Pixel? Have they saved me much time yet?
The answer is…mostly no. While the Gemini assistant has answered a lot of my inquiries in a more pleasant manner, I’m not sure it has generated information any faster than when I previously searched for it. I’m going to hold off full judgement until the next wave of Pixel feature drops that should include some other AI enhancements that were announced this summer.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
23andMe’s entire board resigns
Ten years ago, 23andMe seemed destined to be a giant part of our lives for decades to come.
Maybe that’s an overstatement but DNA analysis seemed like the wave of the future. I was super excited to spit into a tube and send it off to them. I wanted to know all the secrets! Honestly, I didn’t learn a whole lot and never went back to review the results again. I’m sure plenty of people had the same experience.
So fast forward to today and 23andMe is all but dead. The recent news is that their entire board resigned. I’m not sure how you can have a successful company when your board resigns. Not just like one or two people but the full board. That’s a shame.
Maybe the technology wasn’t quite there yet. Maybe their claims were too lofty. Maybe it just wasn’t worth the cost to learn a limited amount about your potential health concerns of the future?
The company can’t seem to figure out how to become profitable and could run out of money within the next year. So things aren’t totally dire yet, but they seem to be heading in the wrong direction.
I encourage you to read the full CNN feature linked above if you want to dive deeper into the reasons behind the decline. But let’s all just take a moment to appreciate the audacity of a company like 23andMe even if they never could quite figure it out.
🛍 Grab Bag
Jony Ive builds a new AI device and a new neighborhood
Don’t worry all of you AI device supporters! Despite a rough year for AI hardware companies, a familiar name is not giving up hope on creating a killer product.
Former Apple executive Jony Ive has confirmed that he’s working on an AI hardware product in partnership with OpenAI’s Sam Altman and its being partially funded by the widow of Steve Jobs.
Wow, that was a statement!
Yes, imagine a piece of AI tech that actually looks elegantly designed but has the smarts of a learning model that can actually provide helpful info. And rumor has it that it may still have some sort of touchscreen as well.
This could be the “iPhone Moment” for the AI space.
And maybe more interesting for those of us in the Bay Area is that Ive is working on this daunting project in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco. In fact, he’s personally been buying up several properties in the area looking to essentially reimagine the neighborhood. As a tech hub? A maker corridor? A lot is still speculation, but that beautiful image above is a rendering of a proposed indoor/outdoor space that will be part of the complex.
This feels like a story that I will be coming back to quite a bit over the next year or so. Let’s hope that it is able to make it through to a fully-developed piece of hardware.
💬 Quote of the Week
"The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby."
-Natalie Wood
📕Content Review
Uptime
This week I started diving into a new productivity book called “Uptime” by Laura Mae Martin.
I won’t give it the full endorsement until I’ve finished it, but so far so good. Martin is known as “Google’s Productivity Expert” which is quite the title. She worked her way up within the company and now works with the CEO and builds plans for all Googlers to be better with their time.
A quick tidbit that I’ve appreciated so far. Productivity isn’t about answering emails, creating content, or attending meetings. It’s really just about setting intentions and acting on them at the time and place that works best. Martin’s initial example? Scheduling a binge watching TV Saturday for herself where she didn’t leave the couch all day. A perfect example of productivity!
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.
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