Iterate Weekly - Issue 20
Polywork is the new Linkedin, textbook subscriptions are here, a gym that fits in your pocket, use Bitcoin at the movies, and a summer superhero blockbuster that isn't from Marvel.
Welcome to issue 20 of the Iterate weekly newsletter!
Thank you all for being a member of the iterate community over the course of 20 amazing issues. Just a reminder that you can always reply to this email or leave a comment on the web version. I do read all of them and I appreciate the feedback, questions, and insights from all of you.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories.
Tech
Linkedin is the past, Polywork is the future
Are you familiar with Polywork? The startup is aiming to be the new alternative to LinkedIn. With the ever-evolving state of work, we need a new platform to showcase what we do both in and out of our so-called “jobs”.
The company launched in 2020 but recently got an influx of new capital from Andreesen Horowitz’s a16z to help fuel its growth. Instant access is now being given to folks who had previously been on the long waiting list. If you want to connect with me feel free to check out my still meager profile here.
I’m still figuring out the best way to use the platform myself, but I’m a supporter of anything that challenges LinkedIn’s monopoly on the industry. Not every one of our accomplishments easily fits into a line item on a resume. We need to be more creative in how we visualize our career milestones and display them for others to see. It shouldn’t really be a social media platform for people to like, comment, and judge how we work. I’m rooting strongly for Polywork to gain traction in this space.
Learning
A textbook subscription service
There isn’t a whole lot to say about this story but I wanted to bring it to your attention.
It should come as no surprise that textbook manufacturers are now trying to loop students and parents into subscriptions for textbooks. As the headline of the story claims, this could certainly save students a lot of money. Textbooks have always been overpriced based on demand, only a few big players in the industry, and the fact that they are time-consuming to create and update regularly.
We can cheer this as good news, but it still is another subscription to add to our list. Yes, it may save money in the long run but there is still a psychological toll to paying a monthly cost for books rather than just paying that lump sum in August or September and forgetting about it for the rest of the year.
Any students or parents out there who welcome this change?
Health
A gym that fits in your pocket
Here is a fitness story that is very near and dear to my heart.
Since 2016, I have been using workout equipment from the fine folks over at monkii.co. Their primary product was the Monkii Bars. They are essentially TRX-like devices that allow you to connect to a door or tree to do a variety of full-body exercises. The products have been launched on Kickstarter and they’ve set several records for projects in the fitness category.
Their latest product is called Pocket Monkii 2 and it’s available to back right now on Kickstarter. As the name implies, it’s a tiny piece of equipment. Basically, a full suspension training system that fits in your pocket. If you’re looking for a fun, lightweight fitness device that will allow you to change up your boring old routine, this is perfect. I’ve already backed it myself and just wanted to give them some love for making high-quality products that help people stay in shape.
After using them, I could never go back to working out at a gym!
Grab Bag
Bitcoin at the movies
People may be slowly returning to movie theaters after a prolonged absence, but AMC is banking on new patrons paying for the tickets and popcorn in a new way.
They have announced that American movie theatres will be able to accept Bitcoin as a payment method by the end of the year. This is pretty impressive considering all of the places where digital currency still isn’t accepted around the US.
As a parent of a young child, the movie theatre isn’t somewhere I see myself spending time in the near future. So this announcement may not impact me much personally. But as a techie/futurist who is closely watching the adoption of digital currency, I think it’s fantastic.
What say you? Are you frequenting the theaters these days? And if so, will you be excited to pay your inflated snack prices in Bitcoin?
Quote of the Week
“I am large, I contain multitudes” - Walt Whitman
Content Recommendation
The Suicide Squad (2021)
This week my wife and I watched the film “The Suicide Squad”
Yes, it’s your typical summer blockbuster superhero/comic book movie in a lot of ways. But it caught my attention because it comes from DC rather than Marvel. With Disney-owned Marvel having a strong grip on the superhero movie throne in the last decade-plus, this could be DC’s chance to build its own Avengers-Esque franchise.
I was thoroughly entertained through the whole film. It certainly would have been a better experience at a theater rather than HBO Max at home (I did split it up into two sittings, shame on me!). Am I invested to watch spin-off and prequel origin stories for all of these characters? Eh, possibly with Idris Elba or John Cena, but I’m not counting down the days until their release.
But if you’re in need of a violent, high-energy summer blockbuster, you won’t find one better than this
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!