P.S. You Should Know... | Issue #451

Priority Scam

my story 🚀

Sunset Ride

📱 I want to talk about two new features that I’m discovering in my new iPhone. The first is a very cool call screening tool. I think it makes the callers from unknown numbers answer a question about why they’re calling. It then transcribes that and shows it to me in case I want to answer the call. That’s great, because probably 85% of the calls I get are spam and now I don’t even need to answer my phone to confirm.

The second feature is the one that deems some calls very important and promotes them to me as Priority Notifications. The interesting case is when the two features interact, my phone shoves a scammy call in my face and gives it undo legitimacy!

One thing I’m thankful for this year is the skepticism I learned growing up in the early days of the internet. Stay safe out there, folks, and Happy Thanksgiving!

fun facts 🙌

A mosquito killing drone is coming to market. Tornyol Systems introduces a drone that’s “silent, safe, chemical-free” for autonomous mosquito defense. With ultrasonic sonar and intelligent control algorithms, it promises a mosquito-free environment. ~ learn more

It’s not the same Toy Story. This is an interesting link for cinema fans and those of us who saw the original Toy Story in theaters. It was one of the first fully-digital movies. But Pixar needed to distribute it on film. The painstaking transfer process altered its color and texture, and artists compensated for that. But they eventually released it digitally, and it never looked the same. ~ learn more

Picasso and the Mona Lisa heist. When the “Mona Lisa” vanished from the Louvre in 1911, suspicion bizarrely landed on Pablo Picasso. “A terrified Picasso and Apollinaire were eventually brought to court, where it was determined that Picasso was indeed in possession of stolen art — just not the ‘Mona Lisa.’” The actual thief was later identified as Vincenzo Peruggia, who believed he was returning the masterpiece to its rightful home. ~ learn more

tech, startups, internet ⚡

AI eats the world, November 2025 edition. Ben Thompson’s presentations are always fantastic. This is no exception. Generative AI is the next platform shift after smartphones and the web. So where will it take us? ~ learn more

AI as normal technology. “AI is a tool that we can and should remain in control of.” This perspective contrasts with both utopian and dystopian views, suggesting that extreme policy changes aren’t necessary to manage AI. The discussion focuses on AI’s potential impact, comparing it to past technological revolutions, and emphasizes gradual adoption over transformative leaps. ~ learn more

An AI networker’s network effects kick in. “Convincing the first 1000 people to call @boardyai felt like pulling teeth. I begged my family and friends to try it.” Andrew D’Souza reflects on the uphill battle to gain initial traction with Boardy. Now with 100,000 users, more people are experiencing life-changing connections daily. ~ learn more

better doing 🎯

How Rockefeller and his partners built Standard Oil. In contrast to popular accounts, Rockefeller’s empire wasn’t built on shady railroad deals but “returns to scale and capital efficiency.” From 1865 to 1872, their production expanded 20x, dropping costs by over 85%. They used that scale to crush competitors, first locally, then nationally, and even globally. ~ learn more

How to use ChatGPT without brain-rot. “ChatGPT was the precise opposite of a desirable difficulty. It allowed the essay writers to give answers before doing their own thinking.” Relying on AI too early may lead to “cognitive debt,” where critical thinking suffers. The key seems to be engaging your brain first, then using ChatGPT strategically. ~ learn more

Collaboration sucks. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” PostHog argues that over-collaboration erodes motivation, confidence, and effectiveness, urging for “extraordinarily high ownership” instead. ~ learn more

to your health ⚕

Whoop’s ‘import your labs’ feature. I’ve been saving my lab result pdfs for a couple years, so this new feature got my attention. I think it’s really good! It feels as slick and market-leading as their Journal feature once was. “WHOOP goes deeper, helping you understand how your biomarkers connect to your recovery, training, and longevity.” ~ learn more

Being sedentary is not neutral. “Even in the absence of symptoms or abnormal labs, it’s a condition of early dysfunction.” Sedentary lifestyles can compromise your metabolism without you even knowing it, increasing risk for diseases lurking beneath the surface. ~ learn more

retail therapy 💸

Coffee chains under pressure. Recent bankruptcies among coffee chains highlight challenges like high coffee prices, adverse weather, and costly tariffs. “Starbucks is in the midst of a restructuring plan that involves closing underperforming stores and cutting staff.” ~ learn more

under the microscope 🔬

New gel restores dental enamel. “We are very excited because the technology has been designed with the clinician and patient in mind. It is safe, can be easily and rapidly applied, and it is scalable.” This fluoride-free gel mimics natural proteins to regrow enamel, potentially transforming dental care. ~ learn more

3D printing’s strength revolution. A new method uses 3D printed resin as a scaffolding to create materials with remarkable strength and complexity. “Our materials could withstand 20 times more pressure compared to those produced with previous methods, while exhibiting only 20% shrinkage versus 60–90%.” The process involves infusing a hydrogel with metal salts, resulting in ultra-dense metal or ceramic objects. ~ learn more

profiles of people 🚶

The intuitive way of investing. “My deepest insecurity is that I have these intuitions about things that I cannot explain to anyone,” said Joshua Kushner. Despite the massive success of his venture capital firm, Thrive Capital, Kushner seeks advice from unlikely places, like music producer Rick Rubin, on trusting his gut when making investment decisions. This is a long and interesting profile of the investor who will drop everything to help his people, like the time he swung into action on Shabbat (“the only one anyone at Thrive can remember Kushner working”) to help Sam Altman regain his spot at OpenAI. ~ learn more

thanks for reading!