Iterate Weekly - Issue 31
This week we talk about Face-err Meta and the metaverse, memory hacks for kids, another endorsement for naps, atmospheric water harvesters, and getting nostalgic on the Purple Stuff Podcast!
Welcome to issue 31 of Iterate Weekly!
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
Facebook & the metaverse
In past issues, I have mentioned the “metaverse” but with the latest news about Facebook changing their name to Meta, it felt like it was exploring a bit deeper.
Well, there are really two fascinating items to address here. First, the concept of a company changing its name. And second, the rush to establish dominance in this futuristic metaverse that most people can’t even wrap their heads around.
Let’s start with the name change. This move instantly reminded me of what Google did a few years back creating the parent company called Alphabet. At the time it seemed silly. Now Google would just be the “G” name in the A-Z portfolio of a new company called Alphabet? There have been a few other companies pop-up under the Alphabet name, but not every letter has been accounted for yet.
Yes, Facebook has acquired many other companies aside from its core social media network product. I’ve personally cringed at the way Oculus was folded into the Facebook brand. It’s just a VR headset, why should it only operate with a Facebook account? I’m hoping that the Meta brand will allow for a little more freedom under its umbrella.
But what about the metaverse itself? The concept of a virtual futuristic world reminds me a lot of the book “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. In the book (and movie) students don’t physically go to school at all. They just climb into special chairs and strap on their headsets and get transported off to a virtual classroom where fellow students don’t even know their true identity. I’m excited and terrified if Meta is the sole company to bring this to life.
I’ve seen the demos of Facebook’s Horizon platform. The Workspaces seem like a horrible vision into a future of co-working that isn’t as good as in-person collaboration but also doesn’t afford the flexibility and anonymity of non-VR remote work. Yes, the metaverse is definitely on its way. I just hope there is more competition so one company doesn’t screw it up.
🎓Education
Memory hacks for kids (and adults too)
We don’t spend enough time working on improving our memory.
The concept of a “memory hack” still sounds gimmicky and has a certain stigma around it. But the truth is, most schools don’t really teach students how to retain information properly. Sure, they encourage kids to “study” or review material on a regular basis, but it’s not the most effective way.
This article gives some suggestions that really work for both kids and adults. It still blows my mind how few people use techniques like the “Memory Palace”. In fact, something like this could be even more useful for kids who tend to have more vivid imaginations when building the elaborate visual memory canvases in their head.
I’ll even plug a quick book recommendation here that really helped me improve my working memory.
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer - This was my first exposure to memory palaces. Even if you don’t practice any of the techniques, it’s an entertaining story.
The bottom line is that we’re pretty horrible when it comes to remembering things, kudos to any teacher who can help students learn these methods from a young age.
🩺Health & Nutrition
Another endorsement for naps!
The evidence in favor of naps just keeps growing.
I’ve never been a huge napper myself. I’m more inclined to just skip the nap and opt for an extra early bedtime if I need it. That said, I may need to start looking for 90-minute windows in my day to fit in a motor-skill improvement nap!
The 15-minute power nap gets a lot of praise, but if you can find time for a proper 90-minute sleep cycle, the benefits could be huge. Athletes tend to nap before big games, but this could be an amazing way to get your brain right before a big presentation, interview, or challenging task.
Any nappers out there?
🛍Grab Bag
Do you need an open-sourced atmospheric water harvester?
This story is a nice call back to our discussion about Meta and large companies changing their name. Google’s infamous Project X, aka the “Moonshot Factory” is now a proper company called X under the Alphabet umbrella.
X has created an interesting piece of technology called an “atmospheric water harvester”. This ingenious device could help bring clean drinking water to a huge segment of the world who wouldn’t otherwise have it. Its simple design takes in air, heats it with solar panels, and allows clean drinking water to form via condensation.
It potentially could create up to 5 liters of water per day. The only problem is getting the costs low enough to make this a viable option. The team at X has opted to release all of its work as open-source code for others to continue building. Anyone is free to check it out for themselves on Github and Figshare.
💬Quote of the Week
“When you press the pause button on a machine, it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings, they start.” - Dov Seidman
📺Content Recommendation
Purple Stuff Podcast
For years, I have been a big fan of the content being put out by Matt at Dinosaur Dracula and formerly x-entertainment.com (I know it’s hard to believe that isn’t a porn site).
It’s a yearly tradition for me to check out his Halloween Countdowns during the month of October. It’s a trip down memory lane from Halloweens of my childhood and also plenty of reviews of new products. Did you know that there was an apple cider donut flavored Oreo this year? There was (and I ate exactly 2 of them and likely won’t need anymore for the rest of my life) but I learned this wonderful tidbit from Dinosaur Dracula.
And yet, as we are now into November, I still want to recommend that folks check out his incredibly entertaining “Purple Stuff Podcast”.
If you grew up in the late-80s to mid-90s and consumed pop culture of any form, you will find something to fondly look back on and laugh (or cringe).
Get this website and podcast on your radar now and prepare for their fantastic holiday content and end of year discussions from now until January.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!