Iterate Weekly - Issue 192
This week we're talking about Spotify Wrapped, "brain rot" is the word(s) of the year, Rivian takes out a loan, a robodog runs a marathon, and "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story"!
Welcome to issue 192 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Spotify Wrapped adds some AI fun
Spotify Wrapped has become somewhat of an annual tradition for media consumers. It’s a chance to relive your listening habits for the past year for better or worse.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never cared much about my Spotify Wrapped info just because my listening is sporadic and involves far too much children’s music.
But this year, I’m a bit more interested since Spotify is adding in an AI podcast to accompany your listening data.
I’ve always enjoyed my time with Spotify’s AI DJ. It’s lifelike enough to make you think you’re listening to a real person, but it knows your listening preferences enough with the obvious smarts of a robot.
The AI Podcast really sounds like two humans are discussing my specific musical tastes, kinda fun and kinda creepy. I did notice a few mispronunciations of bands and albums that hurt the credibility a bit.
While the AI podcast is cool, I still have plenty of issues with the Wrapped content. I guess it’s mostly because my Spotify account gets used by too many members of my extended household. I wish I had a better setup that was accurate to my tastes, but oh well. It kills the vibe when it tells me my most listened to artist is someone who I literally have no recollection of actively listening to this year.
Whether you are a diehard Spotify user or not, this is a great use of technology. If you haven’t already, I suggest checking out your Wrapped AI podcast.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
“Brain rot” is the word(s) of the year
It’s December, and that means that all of the dictionary folks out there will start declaring words and phrases of the year.
This one from Oxford University Press seems to be a bit of a downer. They are anointing “brain rot” as the word of the year.
Sure, that might actually be two words but we’ll let it slide.
Let’s take a look at the official definition shall we?
“supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging” as well as “something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration”
We all know exactly what they’re talking about here. And selfishly, I hope that brain rot never comes to mind when reading my work. But alas, this is a very timely ailment that plagues society.
I actually had no idea that the term goes all they way back to Henry David Thoreau.
“While England endeavours to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”
-Henry David Thoreau, Walden 1854
What’s old is new again I guess? Add this to the list of current things that feel like they’re turning back to the 1800s.
Let’s all make a resolution to avoid brain rot as much as possible in 2025!
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Rivian takes out a loan to build factory in Georgia
Rivian is the latest EV brand to take on a federal loan in hopes it ensures longterm viability.
Specifically, it is a loan for over $6 Billion that will allow it to complete construction on a factory in the state of Georgia.
This plant should be up and running by 2028 to increase production of Rivian’s line of electric vehicles. Currently, the trucks are coming off an assembly line in Illinois, so this should nearly double their capacity.
With the Rivian R2 and R3 in planned development, the automaker is looking to cement its place in the landscape for decades to come. I think their outlook is pretty rosy, but that is assuming the next two vehicles are as well received as the currently available R1T and R1S.
🛍 Grab Bag
Robodog runs marathon
I think the title really says it all here.
Yes, there is a robotic dog that was able to complete a full 26.2 mile run on its own.
It surely is a feet of endurance for the cyborg pooch, but I think the key takeaway here is the battery capacity in relation to weight. It wouldn’t be a big deal if fido stopped for a few DC quick charges along the race route. But to be able to do this on one charge is fairly impressive in my eyes.
The race took place in South Korea and apparently did offer up some hills and variable terrain which is interesting. It’s not like they just set this thing down in a controlled treadmill environment. And the little bugger finished in just over four hours! Not too shabby.
Let’s just say that I would not want to be one of the human runners who were passed by a robot dog during the last stretch before the finish line.
Will running races with robo animals become a common thing for runners in our lifetime?
💬 Quote of the Week
"Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage."
-H. L. Mencken
🎥Content Review
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story
It’s the holiday season, and that means I have to recommend some cheesy Hallmark movies!
Today, we’re talking about “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story”.
This one isn’t quite your typical Hallmark movie. No, this is the big time for Hallmark. They actually got approval from the NFL for this to be an official Kansas City Chiefs love story. The film includes appearances by a few (ahem…lesser, sorry Mecole Hardman) actual players from the Chiefs including coach Andy Reid. When I heard that, I was pretty excited. Alas, they are super small cameo appearances.
Even the superstar mother of Chiefs’ TE Travis Kelce shows up in a few scenes. I guess it’s a nice touch for football fans, but they really added nothing to the plot itself. It also felt like somewhat of a reunion for the cast of “The Drew Carey Show” if that tickles your fancy.
Tis the season for some cheesy holiday-themed rom-coms, so why not go watch it for yourself?
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.