P.S. You Should Know... | Issue #461
Winter Week
my story 🚀
🥶 Good luck to everyone in the path of the winter weather this weekend!
fun facts 🙌
QuickQuack. Scroll Wikipedia like TikTok. ~ learn more
Famous trees. “The following is a list of individual trees regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context.” ~ learn more
What is the Millennial Pause? “People have also noted that, once they have been made aware that their recordings include millennial pauses, they find their own habit embarrassing, yet still have trouble breaking the habit.” ~ learn more
tech, startups, internet ⚡
Running a coding agent for weeks. Here comes the future: “Hundreds of agents can work together on a single codebase for weeks, making real progress on ambitious projects.” The team at Cursor are doing crazy things. Coordinating hundreds of agents for long-term projects has yielded significant results, from developing a web browser to improving product features. “The system isn’t perfectly efficient, but it’s far more effective than we expected.” ~ learn more
Cybertruck’s uphill battle. “Tesla confirmed Cybertruck sales were down to ~5,000 units” in Q2 2025, and despite aggressive efforts to revive interest, it hasn’t turned the tides. Ford’s F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck before its production was halted, hinting at challenging times ahead for Tesla’s ambitious truck. But I guess none of this matters because the future is all about the robotaxis!~ learn more
Who will pay for robots? “The key to winning is figuring this out in advance.” As robotics technology accelerates, the financial viability of deploying these robots remains uncertain. This article explores the important business models needed to align costs with evolving capabilities. ~ learn more
LLM problems observed in humans. As LLMs improve, some argue that “the bar for the [Turing] test gets raised and eventually humans won’t pass the test themselves.” The article highlights how traits like small context windows and persistent hallucinations are no longer just problems for AI but increasingly for us too. ~ learn more
better doing 🎯
Neighbors shape your future. I once came to a career day at a high school in West Garfield Park, Chicago. It’s a rough neighborhood. That day I learned the career aspirations of those kids were clustered and different from those I grew up exposed to. That day I learned the phrase you have to see it to be it. Now comes this bit of economic research: “Living next door to someone as a child increases the probability of having the same occupation as them 30 years later by about 10 percent.” ~ learn more
Just get a better job. “In this economy, you don’t just ‘get another job.’ You meticulously choose, and then fully commit to, the one job that will consume your next chapter.” This is an interesting point of view, and I’d say that the nuance is circumstantial. The “in this economy” premise implies we’re all living in the same economy, but practically that’s not the case. ~ learn more
Think before you type. “The pattern is consistent: thinking first, then typing, produces dramatically better results than typing first and hoping Claude figures it out.” Many users struggle to make the most out of AI tools like Claude Code because they jump straight into typing. Taking the time to plan can significantly improve your output quality. ~ learn more
to your health ⚕
Stop calling them vaccines. “If the CDC were being honest, they should tell everyone up front that it’s not a vaccine at all.” BJ Campbell argues that the terminology we use around vaccines has become muddled, especially in light of the flu and COVID-19 shots which do not meet traditional efficacy standards. A thought-provoking examination of trust in public health institutions. ~ learn more
I think the NYT just thinks people are too dumb for health data. This is their coverage of Function Health, which provides access to tons of lab tests direct-to-consumer. There’s a recurring pattern I’ve noticed in NYT coverage of health products that empower consumers. “The start-up Function will send practically anyone to a lab for extensive medical testing, no physical required. Is that a good thing?” ~ learn more
retail therapy 💸
Postal arbitrage is a thing now. "Why send a postcard when you can send actual stuff?" In a quirky twist, you can order Amazon Prime items like cans and pasta for less than sending a letter, complete with a free gift note. ~ learn more
Caught off guard by the cost of a postage stamp. The link above opened my eyes, and I learned that stamps now cost $0.78. I had to google it to check, and last year was “the 19th stamp rate change since 2000 and the fifth hike in two years.” Since that was written, there has been further stampflation. Maybe banking ‘forever stamps’ can be a good investment now? ~ learn more
Judge denies Amazon’s effort to block Saks Global bankruptcy. In 2024 Amazon invested $475 million in preferred equity to help Saks buy luxury brand Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion. They expected the premium real estate would provide some collateral. About 18 months later, here comes bankruptcy to wipe out that investment. ~ learn more
under the microscope 🔬
Exercise vs. therapy for depression “Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression.” Also interesting: “The review found that light to moderate intensity activity may be more helpful than vigorous workouts.” ~ learn more
Why do clothes shrink? “Whenever they’re exposed to heat, moisture or mechanical action, they tend to relax and return to their original crinkled state.” Understanding the science behind textile fibres can help prevent shrinkage and even rescue your favorite garments. ~ learn more
New era for brain-computer interfaces. “The skin placement and extremely small size of this new wireless brain interface could offer a variety of benefits over traditional gel or dry electrodes.” Georgia Tech’s breakthrough in wearable BCIs might enable everyday integration by placing microneedle sensors seamlessly between hair follicles. ~ learn more
profiles of people 🚶
a16z: The Power Brokers. “We have all the models—we’re elephant hunting, going after big game!” This confident proclamation from Marc Andreessen encapsulates a16z’s strategy as they announce a whopping $15 billion in fresh funds, aiming to dominate venture capital like never before. Packy McCormick provides the laudatory coverage of the firm herein. ~ learn more
Meet ski map artist James Niehues. “Many skiers come up to me and we get talking and it comes out that I’m the trail map artist, and they all say, ‘Oh my gosh, I thought that was done by computers!’ And I say, ‘No, I paint all of those trees’.” For over 30 years, James Niehues has been crafting hand-painted ski maps, capturing the subtle details and unique characteristics of ski resorts worldwide. ~ learn more