Iterate Weekly - Issue 8
Welcome to Issue 8 of the Iterate weekly newsletter! My name is Chris Jennings. If you really have no idea who I am and why you’re receiving this e-mail, take a look at the about page for a reminder.
You’ll see that the content here is broken down into 4 categories.
Tech - This will be the main focus of the newsletter. I’m dedicated to helping people improve their relationships with technology.
Learning - I consider myself an autodidact and like to examine the concept of learning how to be a more productive learner.
Health - None of these other topics are important if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy them.
Grab Bag - This could be something personal, something silly, something fun that doesn’t quite fit the other categories.
Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a quote of the week and a piece of content that I recommend you check out.
Yes, there may be the occasional affiliate link to a product I recommend, but no one is paying for placement in this newsletter. Thank you so much for reading, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think of this format.
Tech
Is Spotify going to take over audiobooks too?
I’ve written about how Spotify has finally become my music streaming solution after testing out many of its competitors. But Spotify isn’t content to only serve you music or podcasts. They are aggressively moving into the audiobook space by partnering with the company Storytel. Users of Storytel will now be able to access their audiobooks through the Spotify platform.
While this is an interesting announcement, it’s really just an example of how Spotify’s new OAP (Open Access Platform) will work. Storytel is the first major company to take advantage of this open partnership. In the coming months, we will surely see similar agreements to feature content within the Spotify app.
How do you feel about Spotify becoming your one stop shop for all audio content? Do you see this spelling the end of competitor audiobook companies like Audible?
Learning
Google Smart Canvas
Recently Google held their annual I/O developer conference where they announced plenty of new features and initiatives within the world of Android and beyond. Something that may have been overshadowed in all the announcements was the launch of Google Smart Canvas.
Not exactly a new product launch, Smart Canvas promises to merge several Google products together in an effort to simplify and improve productivity. Google feels there is a need for this after our extended remote work lifestyle has pushed us to the brink of what can be accomplished with their current products.
What does this mean exactly? Well, details are still emerging but it should make it a lot easier to link to a specific cell in Google Sheets when you’re creating something in Google Docs. You have been able to tag co-workers with the @ in a doc, but what if you could also tag a folder or document to add additional context? The larger context here is that Google is specifically trying to keep up with Notion (which I love and use regularly for my content creation calendar). It won’t be easy, but this is a start.
Health
Can Google help identify skin conditions?
We’ll keep the Google trend going here as they’ve announced a lot recently during their I/O conference. Google’s latest health initiative wants to help people identify skin, hair, and nail conditions through their smartphone camera.
The concept is AI Dermatology, and it sounds pretty promising. People can take three photos of the problem area and upload them using a simple app. Google will cross-reference these photos with nearly 300 possible ailments found in their skin care database. While it’s no substitution for the trained eye of a dermatologist, it’s a useful first line of defense against minor skin issues.
Right now this technology is classified as a Class 1 medical device in the EU but has not been approved for use in the United States. This seems like a natural progression of our remote, virtual doctor’s visits. While it’s more reassuring to have a human on the other end of the photos, this solution sounds like it would be very helpful to alleviate fear and seek out the next steps in medical treatment.
Would you be open to using an AI dermatologist?
Grab Bag
What happens to old FedEx uniforms?
Do you ever wonder how textiles are recycled? It’s actually not as simple as you might think.
FedEx has detailed its process for turning old uniforms into new materials. It’s not as easy as just throwing all the old shirts and pants into a recycling bin and processing them like bottles or cans. It’s estimated that only about 13% of textiles are properly recycled.
Of course, this story comes directly from FedEx so you should take it with a grain of salt. But kudos to them for at least making the effort to find new uses for their uniforms.
“In 2019 alone, FedEx teams in Brazil collected almost 13,000 shirts and pants to make 2,700 blankets. This saved an estimated 31 cubic meters of landfill space and avoided 62 metric tons of CO2 emissions, equal to the carbon sequestered by 81 acres of forests in one year.”
Quote of the Week
“Begin Anywhere” - John Cagen
Content Recommendation
Ursa Major Skin Products
This week I’m recommending something totally different.
If you’re looking for some skincare products that are good for you and good for the environment, you should check out Ursa Major.
I’ve been using their natural deodorant for quite a while and it’s really been the best of the many options that I’ve tried over the years. Their shampoo and face wash are both really great too.
All of their products are made in Vermont, USA and they smell wonderful without being overpowering. And it’s not just me, The New York Times Magazine recently named their deodorant the best natural option as well.
You made it to the end of my newsletter, nicely done! If you enjoyed this and know of someone else who may enjoy it, please share it with them.