Iterate Weekly - Issue 80
This week we're talking about ditching our lightning cables, taking advantage of Polywork opportunities, eating trash pies at Shuggie's, the Productivyist Podcast, and Devil House by John Darnielle!
Welcome to issue 80 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
Apple Forced to Give up on Lightning Port
I feel like I’ve always been the guy with the weird charging cable.
Yes, I’ve been an Android user since the early OG Droid days so I’ve never shared the same cables as my iPhone brethren. When I had micro-USB, other folks had mini-USB. When I was totally invested in the USB-C world, other devices still hung onto micro-USB ports and of course Apple has its lightning cable.
I’m one of those rare birds who prefers Android phones and Apple computers. So I do have some lightning cables in my life, but I’m eager to ditch them. I’m currently typing this using a wireless Apple Keyboard and trackpad that both charge via lightning cable. And when these devices die, I find myself frantically searching for a damn lightning cable when the rest of my setup is littered with USB-Cs and the occasional micro-USB.
Anyway, I’m ranting about the lightning cable today as word comes that the European Union is moving forward with plans to standardize phone cables in the region to use USB-C connections. That will likely spell doom for Apple’s lightning port, at least in that corner of the globe.
By late 2024, Apple will need to update their European devices to fall in line with the new rule. The logical move would be to introduce a new version of the iPhone that has an updated USB-C port, but there is a chance that Apple ditches the port entirely and opts for solely wireless charging.
I’m largely in favor of this decision and hope it causes a ripple effect in other countries around the world. Could we actually live in a world where my wife and I use the same cable to charge our phones? I don’t think we’ve ever enjoyed that level of intimacy! Plus it should lead to much less waste and less of a need to ship new cables with every single device you buy.
But then again, I am a bit nervous about legislation like this getting in the way of innovation. If the whole world is bound to using USB-C connections, it seems much more difficult to get people on board for a possibly slightly faster future cable (USB-D?).
What say you? Anyone sad to see the lightning cable becoming obsolete?
🎓 Education/Productivity
Polywork Opportunities
Way back in Issue 20, I first wrote about Polywork.
At the time, I saw it as the future of what a professional network could be. I thought it would be a more modern take on LinkedIn. A digital resume for the current state of work. A place where you could cobble together disparate projects and side gigs to give a better sense of your interests and accomplishments.
Well Polywork has grown in some really interesting ways over the past year and secured a new round of funding to keep up the momentum.
So i thought it was worth examining again to encourage folks to check it out. Plus, I wanted to share the most interesting part of Polywork that I wasn’t anticipating when I initially signed up.
I’m talking about Polywork Opportunities
This is the section of the site where people can post requests for collaborators in certain areas. I’ve been really impressed with the variety of posts that come through. This isn’t just a place for people to post job openings. You’ll see calls for podcast guests, chances to beta test new apps, or give feedback on new content formats.
I’ve had several great interactions with folks through the opportunities portal and it only seems to be growing.
I do think there is still a place for LinkedIn, maybe Polywork isn’t the LinkedIn replacement I saw it as when it first launched. But whatever it is, it’s worth checking out. Consider this a PSA for you to join Polywork to see what all the fuss is about.
Anyone else already on Polywork? Find me here if you want to connect!
♻️ Health & Environment
Shuggie’s Trash Pies
I was pleasantly surprised to see this story in FutureParty recently about Shuggie’s Trash Pies.
Shuggie’s is a restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District that I had the pleasure of visiting a few months ago. It’s gaining notoriety for its goal to only serve food that has been cast off from other food purveyors.
Yep, that’s a nice way of saying that they repurpose garbage and charge you good money to buy it.
There are all sorts of jokes to be made here, but Shuggie’s has very noble intentions. Food waste is obviously a huge problem in many developed countries (between 30-40% of all food grown in the US ends up in the landfill). They’ve found a scalable solution to take ugly produce or discarded meat scraps and transform them into creative pizzas that I can personally say taste great.
This feels like a trend that’s only going to continue. If the long lines at Shuggie’s are any indication, people are excited to eat food that tastes good and solves an environmental issue. And even without the up-cycled theme, the vibe and decor are a lot of fun.
If you find yourself in San Francisco, get to Shuggie’s! Maybe show up right when they open to make sure you get a table.
Who’s excited to help the environment by eating some trash pies?
🛍 Grab Bag
Productivyist Podcast
I have a podcast recommendation for you today. It’s the Productivityist Podcast from Mike Vardy.
I first met Mike nearly a decade ago when I hosted his fantastic CreativeLive course on time management.
Since then, he’s become one of the foremost authorities in the world of productivity and his podcast has nearly 500 episodes.
I’d like to single out his interview with Caveday founder Jake Kahana as a great place to start. So many great nuggets of wisdom in this one.
If you’re intent on becoming better at managing your time and getting more done, Mike Vardy is a great name to have on your radar.
💬 Quote of the Week
"A book is a journey: It's a thing you agree to go on with somebody, and I think every reader's experience of a book is going to be different."
-John Darnielle
📕Content Recommendation
Devil House by John Darnielle
Here is a book recommendation that doesn’t feel at all like I book I’d typically recommend.
It’s called “Devil House” by John Darnielle, and it’s worth a little explanation.
This book’s cover jumped out at me while perusing the amazing selection at one of my favorite independent book stores, Point Reyes Books in…wait for it…Point Reyes, CA. It’s a spooky cover with some striking imagery that really stands out in black, white, and red.
Then I saw the name of the author. For those who don’t know, John Darnielle is the frontman for one of my favorite bands of all time, the Mountain Goats. Obviously, he’s a talented songwriter and I knew he dabbled in poetry but I didn’t realize he had published several novels.
I was sold on the book despite it being billed as a “true-crime murder suspense novel.” Yeah, that’s a genre that I typically don’t get into. And it had also been a long time since I bought an actual hard-cover physical book on a whim that hadn’t been on my “Want to Read” list first.
Let’s just say I’m glad that I got out of my comfort zone with this one. It’s a fantastic read, especially during the spooky month of October. There are passages where I can almost hear Darnielle singing the lyrics like they’re taken from a Mountain Goats song.
If you’re like me and typically steer clear of creepy murder fiction, this could be your perfect chance to try something new.
Hey! I’m testing out some new polling tools that Substack has recently added. Keep your eyes on this section and please help me get some feedback by taking a second to choose an answer in my poll. Thank you!
POLL
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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