Iterate Weekly - Issue 33
This week we're playing in the social VR Sandbox, listening to audiobooks with Spotify, planning a meatless Thanksgiving feast, reading about The New Fatherhood, and curbing our enthusiasm.
Welcome to issue 33 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
Sandbox VR looks to expand IRL social VR
Are you familiar with Sandbox VR?
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of them until recently. Although they offer 3 Bay Area locations, I’ve never had a chance to visit in person.
Sandbox VR offers groups of friends a chance to experience next-generation VR in a controlled setting. Think of it sort of like a mix of laser tag and an escape room. Something you might do for your birthday or an employee team-building activity.
They recently brought in a $37million round of Series B funding that will help them expand to even more locations around the world. Paramus, NJ; Toronto, ON; and London, UK are already scheduled to open soon.
Right now there are five VR experiences for you to choose from when you book a session. I think the curse of Davy Jones and UFL seem like the most appealing, but that’s just me.
We all know that VR is steadily making its way into our homes. But this latest round of funding has me convinced that experiential VR with physical friends in real life could have a post-pandemic future.
🎓Education
Spotify wants to own the audiobook space
Spotify’s quest to take over all of your listening habits continues.
This week they announced the acquisition of the audiobook discovery tool Findaway. It’s very clear that audiobooks are the next frontier that Spotify hopes you’ll listen to exclusively on their platform.
They’ve conquered music, they’re well on their way to being the best option for podcast listening, and now they have their sights on the leading audiobook platform Audible.
Over the years, I’ve used all sorts of platforms to listen to audiobooks. Audible, Overdrive, Axis360, Libby, Smart Audiobook Player, or just the native audio player on my phone to listen to downloaded mp3s. I’ve always loved that each of these apps offered a different audiobook listening experience.
My guess is that Spotify will start to offer exclusive audiobooks on their platform in the same way they offer exclusive podcasts. Audible has taken a similar approach with its Audible Originals catalog.
As I’ve said before, I think Spotify has already won this battle, it’s just a matter of how vast their empire will grow.
🩺Health & Nutrition
Meatless Thanksgiving centerpieces
We’re coming up on Thanksgiving soon in the United States (belated Thanksgiving to all the Canadians out there). And I’ve used this space to highlight healthy meat alternatives in the past. I thought it’d be worthwhile to highlight my top meatless Thanksgiving centerpiece dishes.
Tofurky - The Tofurky roast is the original vegan roast (since 1995) for a lot of people. It was the first meatless option I had at Thanksgiving as a teenager and it still holds a special place in my holiday heart. I don’t think it’s the tastiest (no matter what kind of marinade you use, I find it to taste about the same). The texture can be a bit too rubbery sometimes. But I could still easily eat a few slices and be very satisfied
Field Roast - Field Roast makes some wonderful meat alternatives. They do several different holiday options, the most popular being their “Celebration Roast”. It’s denser than Tofurky (probably due to more gluten than soy), but the texture is really great. I find that this roast really needs very little marinade or prep, it’s pretty tasty on its own. This will be my roast of choice this Thanksgiving.
Gardein Roast - Gardein makes some of my favorite chicken alternatives. Their entry into the holiday roasts is quite good. It probably has the best stuffing of any of the competitors. I suppose it doesn’t carry as much nostalgia for me as Tofurky or Field Roast. I find it to be a great Christmas roast more than a Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Quorn - Quorn may have the juiciest, most flavorful vegetarian meat available on the market. Unfortunately, for a long time, I was allergic to its Mycoprotein (think mushroom/fungus) meat base. It’s a fairly common allergy and they have tweaked their recipe a bit over the years. I have had some of their other products recently with no ill effects, so I may need to revisit the holiday roast. I think it’s the best entry for anyone who hasn’t tried a meatless roast before.
Homemade Veggie Option - I suggest that people try to make their own vegan centerpiece dish some years. It can be as simple as an acorn squash or fancy portabello mushroom. Or you could piece together a dish with tofu or tempeh. Get creative and have fun. The holiday isn’t about making the perfect dish, it’s about having fun and convincing some of your meat-eating relatives to try something new.
🛍Grab Bag
The New Fatherhood
Here’s a shoutout to a fantastic Substack publication that deserves some new fans.
If you’re a Dad (as I am) you should be subscribed to “The New Fatherhood” by Kevin Maguire.
Kevin delivers such a great perspective on what fatherhood means in today’s climate. Check it out!
💬Quote of the Week
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F. Kennedy
📺Content Recommendation
Curb Your Enthusiasm
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” has to be one of the most interesting shows in television history.
They’re currently airing Season 11 but they’ve taken several breaks over the years. It really feels like the premise is just Larry David calling up his friends and making up a few loose storylines that somewhat build off each other over the course of the season.
Yes, it’s sort of still a show about nothing much like “Seinfeld” was. But I’ve found myself eagerly looking forward to each new episode that airs on Sunday night. Larry and the rotating cast of celebrity characters never fail to disappoint. I particularly love how some celebrities play themselves (Jon Hamm, Ted Danson), while we’re expected to believe others are just playing bit roles as background characters (Vince Vaughn, Kaley Cuoco).
If you’ve never watched it, you have 11 magnificent seasons ahead of you. If you haven’t checked in for the latest season, it’s worth jumping back in now.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!