This week's best things
Goldman Sachs question the AI hype, semiconductors over farming, tiny microphones, crisis comms, German web design, human seasons, Monglian uniforms, and a 3.6km-long slackline
Back after a slight illness-, holiday-, and Bruce Springsteen-induced hiatus.
Here are some good things I've seen this week.
Pop Culture
A good long read from Edward Zitron looking at the recent analysis from Goldman Sachs on the AI hype.
As Zitron says, this report is notable because "Goldman Sachs, like any investment bank, does not care about anyone's feelings unless doing so is profitable."
The full thing is well worth a read and looks at the credibility of the various scenarios and industries that AI will purportedly revolutionise, the technical progress of these tools (and what's required to sustain progress at the pace we've seen to date), the economics of these businesses, and more.
"A week and a half ago, Goldman Sachs put out a 31-page-report (titled "Gen AI: Too Much Spend, Too Little Benefit?”) that includes some of the most damning literature on generative AI I've ever seen. And yes, that sound you hear is the slow deflation of the bubble I've been warning you about since March.
The report covers AI's productivity benefits (which Goldman remarks are likely limited), AI's returns (which are likely to be significantly more limited than anticipated), and AI's power demands (which are likely so significant that utility companies will have to spend nearly 40% more in the next three years to keep up with the demand from hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft)."
Edward Zitron
Taiwan makes tough decisions as it faces its worst drought in nearly a century
Following on from the article above, I came across this NPR piece from 2023 which reports on a drought in Taiwan during which rice farmers were incentivised not to plant crops because the water was instead required by semiconductor factories.
The big noise about tiny microphones
I don't know if it's because I'm an audio geek but it feels like half of the things that are shoved into my various feeds involve someone holding a lavalier mic and using it to interview someone.
This piece in the FT charts the rise of these 'tiny microphones', touching on the history of sound in Hollywood, the objectively terrible quality of the audio these microphones can capture, and how the dimensions of the microphones influence the format and tone of the content they're involved in creating.
"Johnson says actors on the carpet find them refreshing. “Their first reaction, when they see just how dang tiny the mic is, is a great ice breaker.” Julia Roberts, at the premiere of Leave the World Behind, played along with the format – Johnson says his team “did not expect her to let loose and join in on the silliness that is tiny mic”."
Natalie Whittle
The CrowdStrike Outage Is a Lesson in Crisis Communications
You probably noticed the slight kerfuffle caused last Friday when the cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, rolled out an update that caused all Windows machines running the software to crash.
Technical details aside, the way in which various companies and organisations dealt with the disruption contains lots of lessons about how to communicate during a crisis.
"Delta was criticized for its lack of immediate and transparent communication. Passengers across various airports were left in limbo, evidenced by countless social media posts capturing scenes of exasperation and hours-long waits. Industry experts have since argued that Delta’s handling could have been markedly improved by proactively managing and distributing more accurate information and reassurances through various channels to maintain customer trust and mitigate frustration."
Christina Garnett
Modell und Ruine
It's been a while since I shared some weird and wonderful web design so here's something that my always-curious colleague, Paddy, discovered (of course it's German, they're always German).
It's pretty disgusting but there are some interesting concepts lurking in there if you spend enough time with it.
Which season are you in?
Spotted this piece from Mari Andrew via Faye's Thinking Outside the Charity Box newsletter and it really resonated with how I've been feeling for much of this year.
It feels like a good and useful way of reframing how you think about your motivation, enegery, hopes, and general state of being.
"I seem to be emerging from a three-year winter.
I first read about the concept of human seasons in Thomas Moore’s book, Care of the Soul, and have thought about my life in natural stages ever since. It's such a relief to say "I'm not in a particularly creative season right now" rather than "I have writer's block, possibly forever." And it's comforting to remind myself "I'm in a season of nesting right now so I'm not getting out much" whenever I miss my old peripatetic ways and wonder if maybe I'm just done having adventures.
No, it's only for a season. (Sometimes the season just happens to last years.)"
Mari Andrew
Maps of stuff
I'm a huge fan of maps, but that's a conversation for another day.
Since moving to Sweden it has been useful to discover the various maps that Swedish folks have created through - I imagine - pretty massive crowd-sourcing.
Such as this map of all the swimming spots in the country (complete with star ratings and reviews), or this one of all the communal outdoor grill locations.
Ignore the fact they look like they were designed in 2007, they are incredibly useful and comprehensive.
Writing about other things
I really enjoy putting this newsletter together, and it's lovely to hear from lots of you that you find it useful.
But I also like writing about things other than digital things, things like running and cycling and walking and photography and music and mountains and living in Sweden, so I'm looking for ways to do that too.
Ideas appreciated.
How Mongolia’s Viral Olympics 2024 Uniforms Came Together in Just 12 Weeks
The Olympic Games started this week, and I love the Olympic Games. This is a fun read in GQ about the Mongolian team's official uniforms, which are wonderful.
The world's longest slackline
I'm pretty scared of heights, so this video of someone on a 3.6km-long slackline between Messina and Sicily wasn't an especially fun watch. But it is impressive.
3.6km! Madness.