Digital colonialism, AI’s ups and downs, Apple’s Vision Pro developer trove, the Boomer TikTok influencers and the wonders of CBD
June 8th 2023
I hate to say it but last week was a long hard slog. I won’t bore you with the details, but I felt like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain. Words were not helpful, which is rare for me, and I couldn’t get myself to put them together in any sensible way, so I abstained. After all, can we all agree there is too much out there, too much ‘content’? Even agencies seem to be taking stock of the flooding of information out there.
Now that’s out of the way, very much unlike last week, I’ve got a juicy bunch of topics to share with you, which you’ll find compiled below in The Digest. Hopefully, this will energise you as it did me.
Mind you, today I have to send my best wishes to all those currently trapped in the waves of smoke travelling from Quebec to the East coast of the US and Canada, due to unmanageable wildfires, as well as those fleeing the devastation caused by the collapsed dam in Ukraine. While the sky is blue here, in my little clean corner of the world, I can’t help but remember how interconnected we all are. And gosh, if that leaves you with an ‘end of the world’ kind of aftertaste, fret not, there’s plenty to distract you below if these news stories are making your heart race.
As always, thanks so much for reading me, I never take it for granted. Drop me a line and let me know what captured your attention and have a good one.
Until next time.
Much love,
LOOKING AROUND
Quote
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. - Isaac Asimov (via Dense Discovery)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
A good book
The New One Minute Manager: a short little book with some great (and updated concepts) for collaborative management and team empowerment, which I heard about in Will Guidara’s book Unreasonable Hospitality. Highly recommended.
Something new
The Polyvagal Card Deck: I heard of Deb Dana, a clinician, consultant, author and speaker specializing in complex trauma, thanks to the fabulous coach Tara Mohr. Dana’s work is focused on using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma in our lives. I’m just starting to read her book, Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices, and her card deck, ‘Practices for calm and change’ is just the ticket. You can tell, I’m enthusiastic, I’ve just bought a few extras for my friends.
A good tip - Sell the piano
Are you finding it hard to ‘sell’ yourself, or your services? Hard to find perspective to make a convincing pitch? Imagine that instead of putting yourself forward, you are selling a piano. That’s right, a piano!
What simple, concrete steps would you take if you were selling a black lackered upright Yamaha? A nice enough way to gain perspective, lose the nerves and find some new angles to make that pitch (courtesy of master coach Terry Demeo).
PS. I actually have a piano to sell, in case anyone’s interested… 🎹
A podcast episode
Author Emma Gannon talks about her latest book ‘The Success Myth’ with cool girl podcaster and ex-Radio One DJ Annie Macmanus. If you’ve ever felt unfulfilled and trapped by external goals and sensed you need to re-orient or pivot to find your own way to success, this book may be for you.
And while some people say the Great Resignation is over, rethinking goals along the lines of personal success may yet bring some more changes to our workplaces (and it’s about time if you ask me). So listen to Emma openly share her story of successes and burnout with a good dose of perspective and wisdom. Fun fact, I recently read that she, too, has trained with Martha Beck to become a coach. Small (online) world. Her newsletter, the Hyphen, is also worth a regular read.
A newsletter
I can’t get enough of Dense Discovery. I may have said it before, but I’ll say it again. Curated by editor Kai Brach of OffscreenMag, it’s great for design-friendly, eco-conscious and tech enthusiasts. Worth the $22 yearly subscription.
IRL
I’m weighing whether or not I want to attend TED Tech, their first dedicated tech event, in London this September, hosted by Chris Anderson and Helen Walters. They just released a first look at their program. Pondering on.
If you are coming near Geneva this year, I’m excited to tell you about a salon series I’m launching later this month. Called ‘Le Trente’, these salons are designed to introduce new people, projects and ideas in a happy place, under my roof (literally, in my ‘salon’) with the view of bringing together a curious, conscious and connected community. Message to get on the list. More on this to come soon.
LOOKING OUT
APPLE Vision Pro ghosts AI talk
to embrace a direction far from where Google and Microsoft are investing their money right now. It’s an interesting and smart move that makes the news of the headset surpass the current metaverse conversation. Plus, unlike other headsets out there, the tool is being presented as an alternative (or addition) to your laptop, and it does let you see what happens in the world around you. What struck me? How strongly Apple is leaning into the use of the Vision Pro for work, the brilliant move that is to present it to developers first so native apps become the pull for the early adopters when the product launches to market in the US in early 2024. I’m very much looking forward to testing it soon. Read more about it here.
FOOD’S THE NEW LUXURY & BOOMERS TAKE OVER TIKTOK
According to Vogue Business, the TikTok puppy generation, aka those born not so long ago, are fascinated with food, healthy treats and wellness drinks, and that’s something very new. I’m thinking: hold on, haven’t we seen this before? Avocado toast, anyone? When wasn’t food one of the best content to share? However, I note that some interesting partnerships have emerged between food brands and fashion or jewellery. Whether you’re launching a book, working in finance, or are, like me, working across fashion and accessories, it’s always good to remember to connect with other humans through what we care about. Ahh, food. Read about it here.
Also of interest, who sells things now on TikTok is not necessarily who you think. Check out the new (old) generation of TikTokers, boomers rocking everyone’s world and becoming paid influencers in their own right.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF AI
Last week was all about AI. Was it just for me, or is your newsfeed also packed with stories about it?
Here are a few interesting nuggets for you on this topic:
While AI can help us in tricky moments of our lives (a friend uses Chat GPT to send legal-sounding letters ‘sans emotions’ to her ex-husband, clever and effective!) and amuse us (many comedians have given it a go to write their comedy bits, and it sounds as flat as one would imagine), it also can be intolerant, dangerous, and spread biases that affect people’s lives, perhaps even near you. You see, it’s all about the datasets entered into the system, which will dictate the choices made by the AI. That’s something that we all need to become very, very invested in. Read this meaningful and important piece about Big Tech and digital colonialism in Wired.
From Paulette Perhach for the NYT, would you trust Generative AI with your financial planning?
Meanwhile, some lazy lawyer used ChatGPT to supplement his case research giving him several cases and relevant precedents which were all hallucinated by the language model. EEK! The court judge wasn’t too pleased by the resulting argument. This is (I believe) the first ruling that AI-generated content presented in court needs to be declared and checked before being presented. I mean…
Meanwhile, some lazy lawyer used ChatGPT to supplement his case research giving him several cases and relevant precedents which were all hallucinated by the language model. EEK! The court judge wasn’t too pleased by the resulting argument. This is (I believe) the first ruling that AI-generated content presented in court needs to be declared and checked before being presented. I mean…
For a deeper look into how AI is infiltrating our lives, the NYT has put together a selection of podcasts to help you dive in. I heartily recommend MIT Technology Review’s ‘In Machines We Trust’ by fellow TEDster Jennifer Strong.
The other day I used a new tool to record a podcast intro powered by AI. It was offering me a simultaneous transcription of my recording, and I couldn’t help but giggle upon seeing the transcription of my full name: it renamed me ‘and moody Tyler’ (not Anne or even Ann…I am ‘and’) I feel both concerned by my elocution and thrilled because I might have just found my alter ego. Expect to hear about And Moody Tyler again soon. Thanks, Descript!
Lastly, the nice people at the same company, Descript, just shared an important ruling by the U.S. Copyright Office declared any work that has been developed collaboratively with Generative AI is not protected by copyright laws and can be freely copied. Time to rethink your potential use of ChatGPT, no? Read about it here.
LOOKING IN
GEMMA COLAO ON THE WONDERS OF CBD AND THE SPACE BETWEEN SOUND AND SILENCE
I’m so happy to share with you my latest interview for Out of the Clouds, with Gemma Colao, the creative director and co-founder of OTO Wellbeing.
Gemma had a successful career in fashion as a knitwear designer before she first discovered the power of CBD whilst she was struggling in the fast-paced industry to manage her own anxiety and hormonal acne. She became a CBD expert, fascinated by the efficacy of the cannabinoid on her system, after it sorted her sleep issues and lessened her anxiety. She and her husband James embarked on a journey to set up the first online CBD dispensary in California, where they were living. When they returned to the UK, the low quality of local CBD offerings sparked their idea for a new opportunity — and that’s when OTO was born.
Gemma answers my many questions about CBD while enlightening me on OTO’s many offerings, from sleep drops to skincare to seltzers and their newest bitters (to be added to cocktails and soft drinks alike). She also reveals that spa treatments are next (which I can’t wait to try).
We also talk about mindful rituals, balance, how and why we love journaling (different reasons, great benefits all around), and Gemma gives me a tip: how fitting breathing exercises in the shower is just the ticket for the creative entrepreneur and mom of two.
An engaging and rich conversation with an exciting entrepreneur. Happy listening!
EMBRACING SLOW TRAVEL
Do you remember the days of the pandemic lockdowns when we saw nature take over in unlikely places, the skies bluer than ever? Didn’t you also think: oh wow, we really need to pay attention; look at how beautiful the world is when we let it breathe a bit. Perhaps we could travel less, after this is all over? Well, I’m not sure any of us are sticking with our good intentions, but instead of no travel, how about travelling better? Staying closer to home more often and embracing the train instead of the planes? If this feels like something you’d want to explore, this piece from Condé Nast Traveller is probably a good starting point.
And with that, check out this new website called Select Green Hotels which offers a listing of sustainable European properties. It can come in handy if you haven’t booked your holidays yet.
