Iterate Weekly - Issue 74
This week Elon Musk is eliminating dead zones with satellites, Aimful makes meetings better, California says good bye to gas-powered cars, Kevin Hart opens a restaurant chain, and we're reading Range!
Welcome to issue 74 of Iterate Weekly!
Just a reminder that you can always reply to this email or leave a comment on the web version. I 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
Can SpaceX really eliminate mobile phone dead zones?
Elon Musk really has his hands in everything these days doesn’t he?
Musk’s SpaceX has been developing a satellite technology to improve internet connectivity in remote locations. I even wrote about Starlink way back in Issue 11.
Now, Starlink is joining forces with T-Mobile to ensure that you’ll never find yourself in a mobile phone dead zone again.
I am surprised about how frequently I find myself losing mobile phone service these days. It’s wild that it’s still a concern to be out of network coverage in many corners of the Bay Area (the supposed tech capital of the world). Sure, there are plenty of mountains, valleys, and other human-created interference sources, but dead zones should be less of a concern these days.
This new partnership will give T-Mobile customers access to Starlink satellites whenever they fall out of range of a cell tower. This could prove to be particularly useful in case of a natural disaster or emergency where cell towers are overloaded or compromised.
We’ll see how seamlessly this transfer goes from cell tower to satellite. I imagine there could be some hiccups to start. But if this proves to be a useful and cost-effective (I can already imagine ridiculous satellite roaming charges on your monthly bill solution, it would be a major boost for T-Mobile over its competitors.
Do you still find yourself in mobile phone dead zones often? Would you be open to connecting to Starlink satellites instead?
🎓 Education/Productivity
Aimful wants you to better prepare you for meetings
Stop me if you’ve experienced any of these annoying scenarios before
You’re invited to a meeting that has no clear agenda.
A colleague messages you two minutes before a scheduled meeting to “touch base” about what you’re planning to cover.
Four out of the six attendees say or contribute nothing to accomplish the meeting’s goal. Was there even a goal?
A new company called Aimful is looking to make employees more prepared in order to maximize their precious meeting time.
They’ve put together a great explainer video that can tell their story better than I can.
Basically, it all boils down to being more strategic and intentional during each meeting. If you ensure that everyone does the proper prep work beforehand, things will go much smoother.
It allows everyone on the meeting to have a shared goal. Then each participant can confirm that they’ve prepared in advance in order to achieve said goal. And everyone who is attending will know what’s expected of them (and maybe low expectations can lead to skipping the call!).
As a time management/productivity nerd, inefficient meetings really drive me insane. Kudos to companies like Aimful who are looking to save us all time and energy in an area that can be a major source of frustration.
Aimful is free to try. It just connects to your Google Calendar account and can be installed as a browser plugin.
Anyone already use Aimful or any other meeting prep software?
♻️ Health & Environment
California to say goodbye to gas-powered cars by 2035
The end is in sight for gas-powered cars. Or at least new ones that will be sold within the state of California.
Yes, my home state has announced that the sale of new gas cars will come to an end in 2035.
California represents a third of the total auto market in the United States, so this is a pretty lofty goal. There may be some exceptions to the rule (motorcycles will likely not apply for example as this is for passenger vehicles with combustion engines) but if all goes as planned it will be nearly impossible to walk into a car dealer and drive off with a car running on gas.
It’s true that there may need to be some bolstering of the electrical grid before 2035 in order to accommodate the many electric cars that will be replacing the gas guzzlers. As of right now, about 16% of new car purchases in the Golden State are already EVs, and that number should grow steadily.
And how will the automakers adapt? Most brands already have a pipeline of EVs in the works. And any manufacturer that doesn’t comply would be fined up to $20,000 for every additional gas-powered car that is sold. That number should definitely incentivize companies to phase out combustion engines.
Does the 2035 goal sound achievable?
🛍 Grab Bag
Kevin Hart has a new fast food chain
I don’t know a ton about Kevin Hart. I’ve seen some of his movies. He seems to be somewhat of a media mogul and entrepreneur.
But I didn’t think he’d be the celebrity who would open up a chain of plant-based fast food restaurants.
And yet, that’s what he’s doing. They’re appropriately called “Hart House” and the first location recently opened up near LAX in Los Angeles. I’m not sure I love the name, but it’s a noble pursuit.
Hart hopes to compete with other fast food giants around Southern California (the first location is a short walk from an In-N-Out location) and eventually the rest of the US.
In Hart’s publicity circuit, he claims that this endeavor is a first of its kind. Well, he might be right in some ways but I regularly enjoy a quick vegan meal on the road when I pass by my local Amy’s Drive-Thru location. Amy’s has been doing something similar with mixed results for the past few years. They seem to be expanding to other locations throughout California, and I do believe there is a real demand for a service like this.
So Hart certainly seems to be on to something here. Maybe his name recognition can help spread the word. He also appears to be keeping costs down (sandwiches range from $5-$7, check out the full menu here) in order to stay competitive with traditional fast food outlets.
I’ll withhold judgement until I’m able to visit a Hart House location myself, but the spicy “Turn Up The Heat” vegan chicken sandwich looks pretty solid to me!
Anyone else interested in more plant-based fast food options?
💬 Quote of the Week
“If we treated careers more like dating, nobody would settle down so quickly.”
-David Epstein
📕Content Recommendation
Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Last week I mentioned the book “The da Vinci CURSE” and said that it was on my mind because I was reading another book about multi-talented generalists.
Well I’ve since finished the book and it’s called “Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein.
I really enjoyed this book. It starts off by examining the different stories behind sports legends Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Woods had a golf club in his hand when he was only a few months old. He was eating, drinking, and sleeping all things golf all through his youth and was destined to be a pro while in elementary school.
Federer on the other hand was exposed to every sport imaginable. He dabbled in soccer, volleyball, skiing, wrestling, swimming and skateboarding. He had far more interests and wasn’t ready to commit to any sport until well into his teens.
And yet they both went on to be arguably the greatest in their respective sports. How does that happen?
Epstein examines this through several other fascinating case studies. I certainly consider myself to be more of a generalist than a specialist (as I’m sure you can tell by reading this) and I imagine many of you feel the same way.
This book is well worth checking out no matter where you are in your career or life goals. Consider it a friendly reminder that we’re always iterating to find what works best for us in the current stage of our lives.
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Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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