Weekly Thing 269 / Phind, Textcasting, Tailspin
Welcome to the Weekly Thing by Jamie Thingelstad — a treasure trove of insights and curiosities! Interestingly, 269 is a prime number, belonging to a unique class of primes known as Eisenstein primes without an imaginary part, which means it cannot be formed by multiplying other natural numbers and is of the form (3n-1) where ( n ) is a natural number. — ChatGPT
Another week filled with a wide variety of interesting things:
- We held the 3rd Annual Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser last weekend. More to come on the results from that!
- The two new iMacs I ordered arrived already and I've swapped them in for Tammy and I. These are way faster, quieter, and smaller.
- We had our annual company event for TeamSPS and it was great as always.
- OpenAI DevDay event was super interesting and makes me want to dive even deeper into that tech.
- And I just realized that Bitcoin is up over 100% in the last year.
Lets jump right on into the links… 🕳️🐇
PS: Issues 267 and 268 were not sent from my personal email address but instead via Buttondown's domain. There were some issues that had to be worked around. This is back sending from my personal domain. Nothing to worry about, but wanted to say something in case you noticed.
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives." — Albert Einstein
Featured
Hu.ma.ne
Watch the 11 minute video for this wild device, with way more sensors than I would have expected. The laser display on your hand? 🤯 The device is very well thought out with a variety of capabilities. The battery system is smart to work for as long as you want. I was surprised to see a camera on it but that is critical to give the AI assistant "sight". I love how they are rethinking the entire experience and focusing on an ever present AI assistant.
Will this be successful? I don't know. It is very early and I expect this will feel like a beta product. It also is glaringly obvious how platform advantage will help the existing mobile platforms.
Am I going to get one? No, but I am going to keep an eye on it and how they iterate the device. Certainly has a potential to be the next Google Glass. Very cool experience. The computer vision example looking at food is really interesting.
I was curious what Tyler might think so I watched the video again with him and he was really impressed. He thought the laser display was really cool, and liked how it had so many features built right in.
This is pretty close to a Star Trek communicator on your chest. The TNG nerd in me wants to get one just to tap my chest like Jean-Luc Picard would.
Om Malik wrote about it as the Real Personal Computer. This part of the article resonated with me:
The way I see it, the evolution of apps to “experiences” means that we are seeing the end of the line for the App Store as we know it. “It’s not about declaring app stores obsolete; it’s about moving forward because we have the capability for new ways,” Chaudhri argued. Humane’s idea is to make these workflows (aka apps in smartphone terms) available to us through its myriad interfaces — primarily voice.
And I buy this future! Why? Because I have seen the shift before.
When the iPhone launched, there wasn’t a shortage of skeptics about the notion of a touch screen as an interface. I can still remember the hue-and-cry over a virtual keyboard. Fifteen years later, no one even flinches at the obviousness of a smartphone. In a few years — voice (thanks to the AI) will be part of our digital interaction reality. It won’t be the only one, but it will be an important one.
What an amazing time. 🤩
I wanted to play with ChatGPT "vision" around the house so I asked it "briefly tell me about the person that has these books.".
The collection of books in the image suggests that the individual is highly interested in a variety of subjects but with a strong focus on technology, programming, and computer science. There are several texts related to Python programming, which indicates a proficiency or an interest in learning this particular language. The presence of books on UNIX and open-source suggests a familiarity with or an interest in operating systems and the culture and practice of open-source software development.
Additionally, there are books on product development, secrets and lies in computer security, and the culture of Bitcoin, which implies a broad interest in the intersection of technology with business, security, and digital currency. The mix of technical manuals with books on broader conceptual topics like 'The Success of Open Source' and 'The Promise of Bitcoin' indicates a well-rounded perspective that goes beyond just coding to understanding the context in which these technologies operate.
The owner of these books likely works in or aspires to work in a field that requires a deep understanding of technology and its applications in the modern world. They may be a software developer, a computer scientist, a technology entrepreneur, or an academic in the field of computer science or information technology. The presence of a few books on broader topics like 'Unflattening' and 'What Gets in the Way of Great Strategy' also suggests an appreciation for strategic thinking and perhaps a role that involves planning or management.
It's also noteworthy that this person values continual learning, as evidenced by the mix of introductory and advanced texts, keeping up-to-date with current trends and thoughts in the tech world.
Spot on and truly incredible. 🤯
Nov 7, 2023
Home
Notable
Apple M3 and the State of CPUs | Digits to Dollars
Commentary on the state of the CPU market, reflecting on Apple's recent launch of the M3. Many were impressed by the fact they launched three versions all at once, but I hadn't considered the costs of doing that.
This is somewhat staggering, as we have to assume that tape out costs alone for the three has to be close to $1 billion. Very few companies can afford this large an undertaking.
The assessment is less technical and more market focused, and highlights how Apple has successfully moved into a space all of their own.
Which leads to our broader view of the market. As we detailed in our earlier notes there are really two different sides of the PC market – Apple and everyone else.
To me, Apple in the CPU market seems very similar to Tesla in the auto market. Just playing a different game, and gaining ground while everyone else is still playing the old game.
Phind - AI Search Engine and Pair Programmer
I don't know if I would call this a search engine? It sort of is, but it also is a code generator. I tried a few different scenarios and the results it gave were definitely very useful.
How to be on-call - cat /dev/brain
Being in tech often means that you have to support software 24x7 and it is important to think about how that works. This blog post covers the fundamentals any team should consider to create a structure that will work well. As you get bigger this needs to evolve into an entire Incident Management approach.
Bitcoin’s $13.5B Overhang
This "Wall of Worry" is interesting — governments hold 389.197 Bitcoin they have seized from bankruptcies and criminals. They do plan on selling these coins, and many of those sales are slated to happen in the coming year. Meanwhile, in the last year Bitcoin is up 100% and renewed rumors of a Bitcoin ETF are continuing to push the price. Does a $13B overhang mean much to Bitcoin? That is anybody's guess.
Introducing GPTs
For years I've wanted to hire a GTD Coach but I've never made it happen. (I'll pass on the irony of that. 🙄) A couple weeks ago I wondered if GPT 4 could be a coach for me. I started a new conversation, and told Chat GPT that it was a GTD coach working with a very experienced GTD practitioner. I told it that I had extensive background with OmniFocus, and wanted to focus on the longer horizons of planning. ChatGPT did really well. I continue to have this "conversation" around and am using it to explore ways to improve my GTD practice. It is working.
When OpenAI announced GPTs this week my mind went right to my GTD Coach. That is an obvious example of a GPT.
Bundling up these domain specific "personas", or GPTs, is a great idea. Making them discoverable and easier to use will help with adoption. I can’t wait to go deeper with this idea using a custom GPT. Ars Technica also has a good writeup on GPTs.
Textcasting
Dave Winer spends a lot of time thinking about how to create syndication systems that may improve or build on his earlier creation, RSS. This Textcasting seems very similar to a blog. Kottke's reply suggests additional features.
However, I’m left with a huh? and why? The world doesn't need to have social networks. The web is the original network, and it has social capabilities. I’m pessimistic, or maybe cynical, that there is not such thing as a worthwhile social network.
OpenAI DevDay, Opening Keynote - YouTube
Tyler and I watched this keynote this week and it was great. There were a ton of new announcements around new models and developer products. I was most intrigued by the GPTs and the Assistant API.
I think GPTs will be a way to get much more specific capability from ChatGPT. I suspect using predefined GPTs will be a big win for broader adoption. I could imagine a future iteration of the ChatGPT app not starting with a prompt, but showing you the GPTs you have in your account and starting a conversation with the one you are looking for.
The Assistants API seems like another big win for adoption. Building ChatGPT into your product currently requires a bunch of state management stuff that nobody likes to code. With this new API extending ChatGPT functionality into other offerings should be much easier.
Very smart steps from OpenAI.
The OpenAI Keynote – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
Thompson's take on the OpenAI Keynote is a good read on multiple levels. I shared his feeling of "wonder" in watching the keynote. I usually watch Apple events since I use their products and platforms, but they are rarely surprising. There just isn't a lot that truly surprises but I find what OpenAI is doing super interesting.
This is the implication of a Universal Interface, which ChatGPT is striving to be: it also requires universal access, and that will always be a challenge for any company that is “just an app.” Yes, as I noted, the odds seem long, thanks to Apple and Google’s dominance, but I think there is an outside chance that the paradigm-shifting keynote is only just beginning its comeback.
Worth a full read.
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Journal
Candles are all set out for this weekends Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser!
I voted! Just one election on the ballot so was fast. Minnesota does a great job running polling places. OmniFocus shirt seemed like a good tie in.
Growth Summit 2024
Nov 9, 2023 at 5:26 PM
We had an amazing Growth Summit 2024 with Team SPS today! We had our North American team in person with over 1,500 in the Minneapolis Convention Center. It was Chad Collins first Growth Summit as our new CEO, we got to celebrate our wins, and had a tremendous keynote from Mike Walsh. 👏
Our team (table 40) had a great time at our Growth Summit 2024 Give Back event building a Piper Computer Kit with a Piper Make Rover. Team SPS made over 180 of these combos in partnership with Create MPLS to give to kids in school for STEM classes! 🧑🔬
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- Making Sense: The Low-Trust Society with David Brooks
Briefly
Fancy way to watch a log file and have specific types of information highlighted and easier to identify. → tailspin: 🌀 A log file highlighter
This seems similar to Airtable and that category that blends the capabilities of spreadsheets and databases. This is an open source solution though, and definitely undercuts Airtable on price. → Grist | The Evolution of Spreadsheets
Modern cyclists have highly optimized themselves for many things, and with improved nutrition the ability to push more calories in at a faster rate is a big deal. 5,000 to 7,000 "calorie pipeline" from breakfast to bedtime? Wow. → 'A Massive Change': How a Carbohydrate Revolution is Speeding up Pro Cycling - Velo
Godin reflecting on Steve Pressfield's concept of "Resistance", how it shows up, and how to approach it. → Project resistance | Seth's Blog
My friend Patrick celebrates the 20 years of blogging! 🤩 When you blog for over a decade you create an artifact, a thing, that has real value over the long term. I love it. I also like how Patrick highlights the different "eras" his blog has had. → This Blog is 20 Years Old Today – Rhoneisms
Great example of how you can create something relatively complex using Shortcuts. 🤔 → Using Shortcuts to Display the Temperature from My Outdoor Sensor in the Menu Bar - MacStories
Software is eating the world. → Tech is Going to Get Much Bigger
This may not seem like a big deal but it is. I loved the Photo Shuffle on the Lock Screen but it would find photos from 15 years ago. Limiting it to a single album is way better! → iOS 17.1 finally lets you pick the album to use for the Photo Shuffle lock screen - 9to5Mac
Tons of info on the GPU architecture in the newest Apple Silicon chips. → Explore GPU advancements in M3 and A17 Pro - Tech Talks - Apple Developer
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About
I’m a focused practitioner of the Getting Things Done methodology and am focused on it as a lifelong skill to continually improve my productivity but even more important to give me the mental space and clarity to focus on what I want to focus on at any time.
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