Iterate Weekly - Issue 218
This week, we're using AI to help with holiday shopping, InboxPurge can fix our email issues, Pila smart batteries, Yule Book Flood, and the return of "The Micromobility Podcast"!
Welcome to issue 218 of Iterate Weekly.
Happy Thanksgiving week to those Americans who are celebrating the occasion! For my Canadian readers, apologies for being late.
This week we should all pause for a moment in our hectic lives to appreciate all that we do have…and maybe let AI help us shop for all the holiday gifts that our loved ones want but do not yet have.
Lots of good content to share this week from around the Internet.
Thank you as always for reading and if you’re feeling extra generous why not become a paid subscriber or share my work with someone else who may enjoy it?
🖥️ Tech
AI as a holiday shopping tool
I wanted to share a great article from the New York Times about the proliferation of AI shopping assistants this holiday season.
It’s true, we are no longer alone when purchasing holiday gifts. We do have the power of a host of virtual assistants to make sure we’re finding that perfect gift at the perfect price point.
While ChatGPT, Gemini, and all the usual AI suspects can be used for this purpose, the NY Times article also mentions an increase in chatbot assistants built by specific brands. And that makes a lot of sense. When many of the products we buy are available at a variety of retailers, we may be more likely to purchase them from the store who offers up the most helpful assistant to make sure we’re getting exactly what we need without wasting a whole lot of time searching for it.
You can see an example of Target’s branded shopping assistant above. It looks pretty slick to me but I’m not sure I’d put all my trust in a mouse whose earmuffs aren’t actually covering their ears.
Roughly 42 percent of shoppers are already using A.I. tools for their holiday shopping, according to a survey of more than 4,000 consumers that Harris Poll conducted for Mastercard last month.
Do you fall into that 42 percent? Have any of you taken Target’s virtual mouse shopper for a spin yet?
🎓 Productivity/Work/Software/Gear
Inbox Purge
This is probably worth saving for its own post where I rant about the state of my inbox.
Let’s just say that I used to be a very dedicated inbox zero person. The cleanliness of my inbox was arguably more important than the cleanliness of any of my physical spaces.
But at some point, I just had to give up. Maybe it’s the business of being a parent and caring less about these things as I get older. Or maybe it’s just an insane influx of emails from all walks of life.
Either way, I found myself recently in need of an Inbox Purge. And of course there is a piece of software with that name to help you out!
Inbox Purge gives your inbox some super powers to quickly find, delete, and/or unsubscribe from messages in bulk. There are a variety of price tiers but I found it helpful to pay for a week-long license to do a quick cleanup.
Did it solve my problems? It certainly helped but I still have some work to do. With all of the powerful computing that happens instantaneously in our lives, it’s still mind boggling that it can take a while for emails to delete. I noticed several hangups where I wasn’t sure if anything was happening or not. It still requires some effort to sort through what’s needed and what’s not needed in your inbox. No piece of software can really answer that question for you, but they can help you take action once you know what stays and what goes.
Any other Inbox Purge users out there? Any other software that you’ve found to work well at taming the inbox?
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Plia Smart Batteries
If all goes according to plan, I should have my solar panels and Sig Energy battery backup system installed just before the end of the year.
So, I likely won’t need any additional backup batteries in my house right now. But, I’m still tempted to get one of these super cool batteries from a company called Plia.
Based right here in the Bay Area, Plia offers smart battery backup systems that offer lots of flexibility for homes that don’t have large scale whole-home backup systems.
For example, you could get one of these gorgeous batteries to store above your refrigerator. If there is a power outage, the fridge can remain powered on for hours and you can monitor all the details using Plia’s app.
Maybe you only need one or two batteries to power up the essentials during an emergency. Or maybe you add on some additional battery packs to get you through longer blackouts. The point here is that the Plia offerings are very customizable and quite a bit less expensive than having a large battery or two in your garage or basement to power your whole house. And it doesn’t hurt that they are so easy on the eyes.
I think it’s an amazing idea and a beautiful product that I’d be happy to use in addition to my newly-installed system. Plia is taking pre-orders now and will be shipping their batteries early next year in a variety of colors with a plethora of accessories to help you find the perfect system for your needs.
🛍 Grab Bag
Yule Book Flood
Are you familiar with the concept of a Yule Book Flood?
It stems from an Icelandic custom of books being published just before the holiday season in an effort to sell copies to eager bookworms looking to read in the coziness of winter. These books are often gifted on Christmas Eve where families read together by the fire while indulging in holiday sweets and warm drinks.
A lovely image isn’t it?
I only discovered the idea last year when one of my favorite local stores celebrated by offering an eclectic variety of beautiful books paired with chocolate and festive drinks.
Yes, I did purchase that beautiful copy of “The Wind in the Willows” you see in the photo above last year for my daughter. It was a hit and I plan on continuing the tradition this year. A California Yule Book Flood may not feel the same without an impending 3 months of frigid darkness, but the sentiment can really be appreciated in any climate.
May this be your public service announcement to purchase more books as gifts this year. And bonus points if you can find creative food or drink pairings to bundle with the books!
💬 Quote of the Week
"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."
-Victor Hugo
🎧Content Review
The Micromobility Podcast is Back!
Loyal readers might remember that I first recommended the Micromobility Podcast way back in Iterate Weekly #100 in February of 2023.
At the time, I thought it was the best place to learn all about the emerging industry of e-bikes, electric scooters, mobility sharing trends and anything else in the world of light, electric vehicles.
Well, the podcast changed hosts and formats several times and then went on a roughly year-long hiatus. But I was pleasantly surprised to see it back in my podcast feed recently with some really informative episodes.
Any of the interviews with Micromobility Industries founder Horace Dediu are particularly valuable in my opinion. I could honestly listen to him talk about mobility trends all day long. And an early heads up that there will be another Micromobility America conference happening in San Francisco later this year. I plan to be in attendance and may also be one of the featured speakers. More to come on that, but enjoy the Micromobility podcast in the meantime!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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