P.S. You Should Know... | Issue #411
AI isn't taking over yet
my story 🚀
I had no unread messages but the app still had a (2) badge on it. The solution was to “Ask Siri to read you your unread messages.” I dutifully said “Siri, read my unread messages” and then listen to her recite a couple long spam text messages that weren’t shown in the app. It felt weird because I have not made a habit of talking to my computer. I’ve read it can be great, though! Please share your experience if you use your computer via voice.
I do have a habit of trying to use chatGPT to edit images every so often. Spoiler alert: it has always sucked for me and today was no different. You can see it’s attempts to “replace the 7 with a 2” above. What is more interesting is the optimism with which it names files. In order:
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AI couldn’t make that nice collage above, either. That was good ol’ fashioned powerpoint and elbow grease.
fun facts 🙌
ChatGPT makes fishing content. Premium stuff! “Regardless of his knowledge, Adam, like every angler knows that sometimes you just don't catch anything. After getting "skunked" while out for halibut a few times, he turned to an unlikely source for advice, ChatGPT. Adam had used ChatGPT before while working his old office job so he had a crazy thought.” ~ learn more
The Texas hedge. There are some real cowboys out there. “In livestock trading, the Texas hedge typically refers derisively to Texan cattle ranchers who might buy cattle futures contracts while already owning cattle, thereby doubling their risk exposure.” ~ learn more
A new smart city in the U.S. comes to central Florida. Here’s a fun, unsubstantiated, claim: “Recognized as the Silicon Valley of the East Coast, Lake Nona is attracting commercial and business ventures keyed on innovation in multiple industries.” ~ learn more
oh, chicago 🏆
The Great Chicago Anthrax Scare & Santa Hat Run. Sent to me by a subscriber who ran with the Hash House Harriers. “Back in 2002 a member of the Chicago Hash House Harriers managed to shut down several square blocks surrounding Lincoln Park in a biohazard scare, as such we’ve been celebrating his idiocy ever since. Members will don a hazmat suit and a Santa hat at Anthrax as we jaunt through the city and draw as many curious glances from the holiday shoppers as possible. Anthrax is the Chicago Hash House Harriers largest weekend event and attracts hasher from all over the United States to witness just how crazy attending hash runs during a Chicago Winter can be.” ~ learn more
tech, startups, internet ⚡
Slicing a steak with every AI text-to-video generator. “A pair of hands skillfully slicing a perfectly cooked steak on a wooden cutting board, faint steam rising from it.” ~ learn more
Introducing, The Heist. “Every shot of this film was done via text-to video with [Google Deep Mind’s] Veo 2.” ~ learn more
Apple’s built the robot lamp from Pixar. “In this paper, we present the design and prototyping of a lamp-like robot that explores the interplay between functional and expressive objectives in movement design.” There’s a 5 minute video. ~ learn more
100x defect tolerance. Super interesting view into the semiconductor tech world. “Conventional wisdom in semiconductor manufacturing has long held that bigger chips mean worse yields. Yet at Cerebras, we’ve successfully built and commercialized a chip 50x larger than the largest computer chips – and achieved comparable yields. This seeming paradox is one of our most frequently asked questions: how do we achieve a usable yield with a wafer-scale processor?” ~ learn more
under the microscope 🔬
A large randomized controlled trial of AI breast cancer detection. A study of over 105k women found the AI detected 29% more cancers with only minor increase in false positives. ~ learn more
thoughts of food 🍔
Finally, matzo ball soup in a cup. “It's true, matzo balls freeze dry and reconstitute perfectly! Our technology means that we preserve the taste, the nutrients, and the texture. The balls are slightly fluffier than you might be used to (sorry, no sinkers here), but you will be amazed by the results.” ~ learn more
Ketchup was once sold as medicine. “Doctors believed it was best consumed as a health tonic.” ~ learn more
Food franchises past their prime. This is a video chart that shows decline over time of 10 different franchises. “We pulled the data on the decline of 10 brands over the last 10 years: Quiznos & Boston Market were quite notable. Quizno's dropped from a whopping 962 locations to just ~150 today.” ~ learn more
big ideas 📚
Manhattan in the Saudi desert. “To recap, Neom occupies a large chunk of land – around the size of Massachusetts or Belgium – in the Saudi desert and includes lots of different areas under construction, such as Treyam and Epicon, plus others. The idea behind this unprecedented construction boom is for Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy as oil usage is expected to be reduced in the coming years.” ~ learn more