P.S. You Should Know... | Issue #326
Maps are still lying to you.
Chicago meetup this Thursday. Join me and your fellow readers at PB&J (205 N Peoria Street, Chicago) on Thursday, June 29th at 5pm. We’ll have an area reserved for our group and will have pizzas to snack on. Come to catch up with old friends and make new ones! If you plan to stop by hit reply and let me know so I can get a rough headcount.
my story 🚀
fun facts 🙌
Maps distort how we see the world. In the very first issue of this newsletter I linked to a post that explained how our standard world map was a lie. Today, I bring you a much more detailed and interesting post on the same topic. Especially interesting is Anchorage’s location and its status as the 3rd busiest airport for cargo. ~ learn more
How First Republic targeted Millennials with generous unsecured bank loans. “Interestingly, due to banking regulations, you’re not actually allowed to say This Loan Is For Young Professionals because age is a protected class. “ ~ learn more
A peek inside Japan's largest Dagashi store. “Dagashi (駄菓子) are small, inexpensive Japanese confectionery and snacks you would find in corner stores. 10 yen for an Umaibou, 30 yen for a Cabbage Tarou. It’s what you would buy on your walk back home from school and fight with friends over.” ~ learn more
A tour of the space station at night. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemev records a video of him floating from one end of the International Space Station to the other. It’s very calm. And also absolutely full of wires, cables, tubes and electronics. ~ watch video
oh, chicago 🏆
Tooth Gems are trending in Chicago. “Like any other aesthetic choice, your tooth gems are about personal style preferences. There isn’t really much of a difference between having your ear pierced versus having a beautiful piece of jewelry on your tooth, Llewellyn said. “It’s for anyone.” ~ learn more
tech, startups, internet ⚡
14 charts that tell the story of AI right now. Actually it’s 7 charts and then a paywall, but they are interesting. One is a chart of .ai domain registrations, which went bonkers in December 2022 and has since settled way down. ~ learn more
Geeks think GPT-4 is getting worse. From the Hacker News forum: “Ask HN: Is it just me or GPT-4's quality has significantly deteriorated lately?” My anecdotal experience aligns with this. I’ve been especially disappointed using it for code the past month or so. ~ learn more
What’s Apple’s Vision Pro really for? This is an interesting take published in Harvard Business Review. Summary: “To understand the value of Apple’s new goggles, it’s helpful to think about how virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) correspond to two fundamental tasks in decision making. VR presents new information; AR distills information from an existing environment. But previous headsets and internet-enabled glasses haven’t tapped into the potential for either of these in a decision-making context. Apple is betting that it can build an ecosystem of app developers who can.” ~ learn more
to your health ⚕
You can now use your phone to ID skin conditions. Here’s a cool new feature of Google’s mobile app. “Describing an odd mole or rash on your skin can be hard to do with words alone,” said Google in a statement. “Fortunately, there’s a new way Lens can help, with the ability to search skin conditions that are visually similar to what you see on your skin.” ~ learn more
A hard thing about weight loss. “But a new study has found that it may not be a lack of willpower, but a lack of dopamine signaling in response to nutrients – something more prevalent in adults with obesity – that encourages behaviors like high-sugar food choices and chronic overeating.” ~ learn more
under the microscope 🔬
Brain–spine interface allows paralyzed man to walk using his thoughts. Not only is this an incredible feel-good story, it’s also fascinating just how far scientists have progressed at manipulating our bodies with electric signaling. “When Oskam thinks about walking, the skull implants detect electrical activity in the cortex, the outer layer of the brain. This signal is wirelessly transmitted and decoded by a computer that Oskam wears in a backpack, which then transmits the information to the spinal pulse generator.” ~ learn more
Microbots propelled by acoustics deliver drugs to lab rats. These things are like incredibly tiny propellers. “In the new study, the group deployed fleets of these machines to transport doses of dexamethasone, a common steroid medication, to the bladders of lab mice. The results suggest that microrobots may be a useful tool for treating bladder diseases and other illnesses in people.” ~ learn more
thoughts of food 🍔
Lab grown chicken gets USDA approval for sale. I imagine it will be expensive for a while. “There is still some secrecy around this question, but the company has announced that the first batch of Good Meat will be sold to well-regarded chef and humanitarian José Andrés, who will feature it at one of his restaurants in Washington, DC.” ~ learn more
teaching the kids 👩🏫
The value of student organizations and on-campus education. This short anecdote makes the point that student-run organizations allow young leaders to, “make the key decisions and solve the problems that determine the success of their organization.” The stakes are low, yet they get accurate feedback about the value of their ideas. ~ learn more
on the blockchain ⛓
NFTs invade art town Marfa, TX. “This past October, Erick Calderon stood in front of a crowd in Marfa, the West Texas town beloved by artists, and attempted to explain, in a public town-hall meeting, his new venture: a showcase of N.F.T. art. … When Calderon opened the floor to questions, responses were overwhelmingly negative.” ~ learn more
I'll come to the thing on Thursday!