I've been to Dubai a number of times and I've been working on the perfect description of the shinier, newer parts... something along the lines of "vegas without the sin city part". It is a wild place awash in investment money from petrochemicals and elsewhere that feels surreal and astonishing. But every time I'm there I demand one of our team dinners be in the back alleys at some little kebab place. I haven't been to the one in this article but my experiences were similar. It makes me want to see (and eat) more from that world. -Brian
This is an incredible list. I've been to or been near to about half of these. And the other half now make up my new travel bucket list. -Brian
It’s official: The VW Bus is back, and it’s electric
THIS would be a heck of a way to travel. I was almost all-in on this, but then I saw the steering wheel. What is that? Why did you do that? What was wrong with the circular steering wheel? Why do car designers constantly do that kind of thing? It's like when car designers decided that knobs that went from red to blue (hot to cold) for AC wasn't good enough. It was good enough.
Anyway, rant over. This still looks amazing. – Calvin
Our Consumption Model Is Broken. Here’s How To Build A New One.
If you like to worry about the future, this one's for you! – Calvin
'You are being programmed,' former Facebook executive warns
If you've read this newsletter for any amount of time you know we are not fans of the impact of "Social Media's" (big scare quotes) impact on our culture, the tone of disagreement, the way it shapes our brains, and the impact it has on our kids (suicide rates are skyrocketing). And apparently we aren't alone. Just this week two different former Facebook bigwigs came out in agreement with us.
Article above (exec 1) and video below (exec 2).
– Brian
UPS Driver Very Excited to See Snacks Left by Homeowner
My friend Tiffany J. has one of those door-cam-bell things (I'm sure Calvin has one of those too, he likes trendy gadgets with one word names... it's probably called "Knock" or ""Open" or maybe "iRing"... but I digress). Recently it caught the delightful and wholesome reaction of her delivery guy discovering the pile of snacks she left for him during the Christmas rush. The story has been picked up by WMC 5 as well as InsideEdition. We could all use a little more of this type of joy this holiday season. -Brian
Uber’s Credit Card Is Bankrupting Restaurants… and It’s All Your Fault
This is a completely theoretical article, but it's an interesting idea: Uber launched a credit card that is (sort of) marketed to those who eat out frequently; if you use the card, they would probably be able to tell where you're eating and when. Eventually they'll be able to use this data in conjunction with their ride sharing product and their delivery product to sell you the exact food you want exactly when you want it.
I'd say probably not, but I do think it's part of a bigger initiative to capitalize on the explosive growth of UberEats.
Also, ghost restaurants are a thing? What?! – Calvin
This podcast was shared with me last week by the inimitable Matthew W., and if I ever actually figure out how to listen to podcasts on the reg I'll be adding this one to my list.
This episode of Reply All addresses concerns over whether or not Facebook is using your device's microphone to eavesdrop on your conversations and sell you things. I think it's strange that this is a really, really common belief but it doesn't seem to stop anyone from using the platform despite how creepy and invasive that would be if it were true. – Calvin
Becoming a Steelworker Liberated Her. Then Her Job Moved to Mexico.
I've spent my professional life in factories all over the world. I've been involved in all the sides of this process. I needed to read this. – Brian
The Destructive Switch from Search to Social
I had a realization just now that there are literally no segues in my newsletters. And in any case, what would the segue be from Lean and Dab to Aging Millennial Complains About Facebook Again? I digress.
At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old person, I'm going to keep sharing articles about what the Internet (or today's version of it) is doing to our attention spans. I particularly love the "Junk Food Media Loop" described in this article, and the quote below:
Yet many adults get ADHD medication anyway to “get ahead” because it’s a simpler solution than stepping away from the cocaine pellet dispenser.
Preach. – Calvin