Iterate Weekly - Issue 201
This week we're celebrating Apple's new Macbook Air, Caveday's "The Fundamentals of Focus" course, Rivian launches hands-free driving mode, Microsoft retires Skype, and "A Complete Unknown"!
Welcome to issue 201 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Apple’s new Macbook Air
Apple recently announced their new Macbook Air.
Why does it matter? Apple managed to improve virtually all aspects of the previous version AND they lowered the price.
It’s pretty rare these days to hear of things lowering in price but here we are. The base model of the Macbook Air can be had for $999. And for most people, it’s probably the computer I’d recommend.
While it lacks a few things that the Macbook Pro offers (most notably the improved screen resolution) it’s still an extremely capable machine with the inclusion of the new M4 chip.
And in a surprise move, Apple even included a new blue color option. OK, it’s more bluish silver if we’re being honest. But I love an option to get a Mac computer in a color other than grey.
If I were purchasing a new laptop today, the new Macbook Air would be at the top of my list.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Caveday’s “The Fundamentals of Focus” course
It’s been a while since I last plugged one of the amazing courses being offer by the folks at Caveday.
They are again offering up spots in their “The Fundamentals of Focus” course. I personally took this course the first time it was offered (you can even see my video testimonial on the sign-up page!).
If you’re someone who has been struggling to find focus lately, this course could really make a difference.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Rivian launches new hands-free driving mode
As Tesla’s struggles continue, US-based EV brand Rivian hopes to gobble up some of their market share.
This week they announced some new features coming via over-the-air update that include a hands-free driving mode.
The update will allow Rivian drivers to engage an Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) to take control of the vehicle in certain environments. To start, it will be available on select highway routes with plans to further expand in the future.
To be clear, this is a Level 2 driving assistance system. The driver will need to keep their eyes on the road even if their hands aren’t on the wheel. There will be an internal camera to check that the driver isn’t looking away or becoming distracted when the system is engaged.
This sounds very similar to the Advanced Highway Assistance system that is on my BMW iX and it is fantastic. While many of us hope for even more autonomous driving in the not too distant future, this technology is available right now and makes monotonous highway driving much more enjoyable.
Let’s hope that Rivian’s launch goes well and it can expand to more roadways soon.
🛍 Grab Bag
Microsoft is retiring Skype
The time has finally come for Skype to ride off into the sunset.
Yes, Microsoft is finally retiring the service and pushing Skype users over to the Microsoft Teams product suite.
It’s a bittersweet time for those of us who were big Skype users in the early days. Skype was nothing short of revolutionary. You could instantly talk with anyone around the world with little fuss. It changed the way we communicated.
And then of course it was surpassed by a host of other video chat services, VOIP phone services, and instant messengers. The use case just didn’t make sense anymore for a lot of people.
Personally, I found myself logging into Skype just a few months ago when I was looking to move an old cell phone number over to a digital provider. Sadly, it didn’t work for what I was trying to do. Essentially, I was trying to create a Google Voice experience using Skype but the functionality isn’t there anymore.
I also remember logging into Skype every couple of months to send one text message in order to keep my account active so I wouldn’t lose calling credits that I had stockpiled over the years. Am I the only one who did that for years?
So long Skype, you will be missed!
💬 Quote of the Week
"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
🎥 Content Review
A Complete Unknown
The Oscars have come and gone! I was glad to see Anora take home the win for Best Picture, it was well deserved.
But I did finally get around to watching “A Complete Unknown” and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I don’t think it was worthy of Best Picture but Timothée Chalamet’s performance was excellent. It was on par with Adrian Brody in The Brutalist and they both could have won the award.
While it may not have been the Best Picture in my mind, it is the movie from this Oscar season that I’m most likely to rewatch. That’s definitely worth something!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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