The Future is Pinging: From Screens to Paddles
Navigating a world of nanobots, climate legacies, and the great office return debate
The Thin Wisps of Tomorrow
Less Screens, More Ping Pong — Not surprisingly, too much screen time is bad for the little ones. A new study indicates a link between pacifying little John with an iPad can lead to anger management issues later on. On the flip side, people playing Ping Pong show a superior brain structure and function. You know what you need to do...
Roll Over Hyperloop — The fever dream of connecting cities by ultra-high-speed train lines (or, in this case, essentially a conveyor belt) is not dying. Just this time it doesn’t come from the mind of one of Silicon Valley’s craziest, but a nation which knows a thing or two about building and running high-speed train lines, Japan. By building a 310-mile automated cargo conveyor, Tokyo plans to eliminate 25,000 trucks.
Return to Office Nope — The headline: Dell told its employees to come back to the office or face dismissal in a pivot from COVID-era work-from-home arrangements. Maybe not too surprisingly, many employees figured that Dell might not be their happy place anymore and quit instead. Personally, we doubt that forcing your employees back into the office is the smartest of moves. But hey—maybe it’s an easy way to offload some headcount? Meanwhile, Greece established a six-day, 48-hour workweek in an effort to bolster the economy.
Too Hot — Discover your family’s climate journey with NASA’s new interactive “climate legacy” tool. Enter your or your loved ones’ birth year and see what you or they might face in the future. Be warned: The outlook can be grim if you are not already in your late 60s. Luckily, the atolls might just be fine…
Too Thirsty — Talking about climate, Google saw its emissions jump by 50% over the last five years due to the energy demands by AI... Which might be one reason why today’s inexpensive (and often free) AI services cannot last.
An AI Hype Discussion — Are you wondering whether AI is hype, a passing trend, or genuinely transformative? Here’s a more in-depth discussion on Reddit about this topic.
Nanobots vs Cancer — The nanobots are finally coming. A new research paper demonstrates the use of tiny robotic devices to target cancer cells. This may sound like science fiction, but it could very well be part of the future of healthcare.
What We Are Reading
🧑🏼🎨 How AI Is Changing Creativity AI is going to be a significant development for the creative industry. Not an extinction event, but creative businesses, marketing, advertising, and design agencies are going to need to quickly reorganize and deploy their talent differently. @Jane
🎰 Want To Bet On The CPI Or Jobs Report? A Prediction Market Is Coming To This Brokerage Do we really need something else to bet on? Betting on event contracts such as the latest economic report, or even climate change, will soon be possible. @Mafe
🧑🏼🏫 How Artificial Intelligence Can Catch Up With Pedagogy If we assume that youth education needs to be redesigned to fit the AI era, we might have the whole thing sadly backward. @Jeffrey
🛒 Amazon, Built By Retail, Invests In Its AI Future A shift in strategy that targets Amazon’s sharp strategic focus toward the future of AI. This substantial investment in the necessary infrastructure is Amazon’s response to the demand now and a strong sign of where their orientation lies for the future. @Julian
⏳ Amazon Decides Speed Isn’t Everything Speed is not always king. Amazon is feeling the competition from brands like Temu and Shein and will create an online store focused on unbranded clothing and household items priced under $20. It turns out people are willing to wait for longer delivery as long as the items are cheaper. @Pedro
🕵🏼♂️ Fast Crimes At Lambda School The Lambda School promised to revolutionize education and its associated business model. However, it ultimately proved to be a capitalistic fever dream. This riveting story serves as a reminder that Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” approach often fails to deliver and causes more harm than good. @Pascal
The Fun Stuff
Always wanted to build a potato gun? Not just any potato gun—but the real deal? Here are your (open source) instructions.
Rejoice! A kiss on the cheek will feel the same, whether you are young or old.
Ever asked yourself: “What makes a good tree?” Birds search for trees that meet their specific needs. Whether it’s a secure nesting site, abundant food sources, or ideal shelter, birds carefully evaluate their options. While the criteria for a “good” tree may vary by species, AI can now provide insights into the factors birds consider when selecting their homes.