Iterate Weekly - Issue 95
This week we're looking at AI presentations, Generative productivity enhancement, proximity to bike lanes, Paul McCartney avoiding disaster, and The Menu!
Welcome to issue 95 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
Designer Bot
Last week I wrote about ChatGPT finding its way into Microsoft Office.
This week I’m writing about another competitor in the space. DesignerBot wants to bring generative AI to your presentations.
No one likes that feeling of staring at blank slide in a presentation right? It’s overwhelming. There are just so many possibilities. What colors will you use? Why style font will best get your sentiment across. Then there are the images! You don’t want it to look too stock, but you also don’t want to rock the boat with pictures that are too radically different than what people are used to.
DesignerBot can help you put together those presentations with the power of AI. Presumably, this makes things faster and easier for you. And it should also still churn out work that feels unique and personal.
All you have to do is plug in a few text prompts to let the AI know what you’re looking to accomplish with your presentation. Then it will provide you with templates, sample images, and text that it thinks you’ll find useful. I wouldn’t expect instant presentations that won’t require any edits but it should give you a great jumping off point.
Would you be open to trying some new AI tricks when building your next presentation?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Generative AI will supercharge productivity
Another week, another story about Generative AI.
If you think you’re productive now. How productive could you be if you have AI helping you get through your tasks every day?
No, it may not be exactly like cloning yourself, but proponents of the technology do think it will make you exponentially more productive. With the help of some predictive text engines, I could likely write this story far faster than with my own good ol’fashion writing skills and brain. And of course, typos would become a thing of the past.
The next wave of billion dollar tech companies likely will come out of this space. It may not be all AI-related. The term generative tech gets used a lot as well. No matter what the industry, the goal is to eliminate tedious work and automate some things so our human brains can focus more on what we’re truly good at.
ChatGPT is obviously the big name in this space right now, but there will be countless others. And I’m sure I’ll be writing about them pretty regularly in this space. Stay tuned.
Will creating content without generative tech become the exception rather than the norm?
♻️ Health & Environment
How close do you live to a bike lane?
Here is a stat that I never considered. How close do you live to a bike lane?
Apparently, 90 percent of residents in Barcelona live within 300 meters of a cycling lane.
I have to do some rough math, but I do believe I fit within this statistic as well. And it’s a good thing. Cities do so much to create safe, usable bike lanes. But people are far less likely to use them if they have to traverse some questionable streets first before they hop on the bikeway.
Barcelona is a good example of a city that seems to be doing this right. But it’s interesting to hear that still only 2% of commutes occur on two wheels. Even with such close proximity to bike lanes, people are favoring walking, public transport, and private cars to get around.
How close do you live to the nearest bike lane? Does this incentivize you to bike more?
🛍 Grab Bag
Paul McCartney almost hit by a car reenacting Abbey Road cover
Sir Paul McCartney was nearly hit by a car while recreating the iconic cover of Abbey Road.
I have two reasons for highlighting this one.
How many times has Paul (or any of the Beatles) walked in this scene since the iconic cover was shot? Obviously, the location will be tied to the Beatles forever, but I wonder how many times they’ve actually revisited it. Anytime Paul finds himself in the vicinity he has to stroll across the intersection right?
From the sound of it, Paul’s daughter Mary is able to laugh about this close brush with death so I guess it just makes for a good story. But this just highlights how bad drivers can be doesn’t it? This is perhaps the most famous crosswalk in history with one of the most famous men on earth walking across it. And yet, someone fails to abide by the rules of the road.
Stay safe out there Paul!
💬 Quote of the Week
"Experience is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald."
-Navjot Singh Sidhu
🎥 Content Recommendation
The Menu
Recently, my wife and I watched the movie “The Menu”. It’s currently streaming on HBO Max and I highly recommend that you check it out.
I’ll do my best to avoid any spoilers here. This movie set across the duration of just one evening. I personally love any movie that takes place over the course of one day or night. (“Do the Right Thing”, “Ferris Bueller”, and of course “Groundhog Day” may be my favorite examples of this). A group of wealthy foodies find themselves at a special seating of one of the world’s most esteemed chefs.
Let’s just say that the eccentric chef pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable during a fine dining experience. This film will likely generate a lot of awards season buzz, so it’s worth checking out now.
POLL
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
P.S. - Hey, it’s the new year! Could you use some help reviewing what worked for you in 2022 and what could be better for 2023? Need some help building positive habits or ditching negative ones? Iterating on a new business idea and need some guidance? Or maybe you just want to say hello and pick my brain for a bit, that’s fine too! If you’d like to chat, feel free to book some time with me here!