TL; DR With Tyler | $200M Disposable Camera
Good morning and happy Wednesday š. Iām only a little ashamed to admit that every time I wake up on a Wednesday morning, this video plays on repeat in my headā¦ enjoy.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of TL; DR. Weāve got tech, thought-provokers, and of course David Dobrikās new $200M app (itās really good)- a lot to dig through today.
National ___ Day: Old Stuff Day š“. Today gives notice to all of the old stuff in your life and encourages you to try something new. Approach today with a different attitude, and consider alternatives to each of the choices you make each day. For myself, I think Iāll finally finish putting away all of my Christmas decorationsā¦ thatās gotta count for something.
Here are your TL;DR articles of the day.
TRAVEL
Where you can go with a vaccine passport; A country-by-country guide
If youāve got the travel bug like myself, youāve either got or renewed your passport at some point over the last 12 months in anticipation of restrictions being loosened and being able to travel again. But what you may not have considered is that most countries outside of the US will require another kind of passport ā a vaccination passport. Itās still early in the vaccine rollout process, but a handful of nations have already announced they are (or will soon) allow access, and waive quarantine and testing mandates, for visitors who are fully vaccinated. Save up those points, get your shot(s), and go somewhere warm this year. You deserve it.
And if you need a little travel inspirationā¦
RETAIL
At-home fitness company Tonal to open shops within 40 Nordstrom stores
Didnāt quite fit into those workout leggings you just tried on in the changing room? No problem! Just get a quit workout in while you shop.
In an effort to nourish its in-person brick and mortar business, Nordstrom has partnered with Tonal, a company that sells kinda-expensive wall mounted work stations. These work stations come equipped with adjustable cables, a plethora of cable attachments, and an on-screen personal trainer to virtually kick your butt during your workout. Weāve seen a boom in at-home fitness equipment since the pandemic began, but itās a bit ironic that at-home equipment is now a lever to draw consumers out of their homes and back into physical storefronts, donāt ya think?
Using the attached cables, Tonal can automatically adjust weight, range of motion, and workout based on a physical assessment and your workout habits over time. āThe machine knew my strength better than I didā ā someone who is probably happy they canceled their Planet Fitness membership.
TECH
Sprawling glass windows, bright lights, clean and open simplicityā if youāre familiar with Apple products, thereās no denying they extend the design language of their products into their storefront experiences. Their products are set up like displays at a museum rather than clothes at a department store, catering to the customer experience rather than their own sales related objectives. Itās truly a jaw dropping experience visiting an Apple store, and clearly wasnāt designed overnight.
This video does a great job at breaking down how Apple has perfected the ideal in-person āshoppingā experience through innovative design, and challenges the misnomer that traditional brick and mortar retail is no longer lucrative.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING
The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship
POV: You show up to the gym at the same time you do every Tuesday. The familiar front desk worker greets you with a smile and welcomes you by name. You walk in, and see that guy who is always at the gym at the same time as you, and you exchange friendly head nods as you walk to the locker room.
We have typically held many of these types of relationships in our lives ā the barista who starts making your usual order while youāre still at the back of the line, the co-worker from another department with whom you make small talk on the elevator- they might be someone youāve never directly met, but you share something in common and are aware of each others existence.
American culture does not have many words to describe different levels or types of friendship, but sociology provides a useful concept to describe this type of relationship: weak ties. During the past year, itās often felt like the pandemic has come for all but the closest of my close ties. This article does a great job breaking down the psychology behind these ties and how removing the weak ones is affecting us culturally. I sure do miss the lady who always remembers my Pad Thai order as soon as I sat down.
TECH
David Dobrikās new app is the 4th most popular on the AppStore
Dispo, a new photo-sharing app that mimics the experience of using a disposable camera, is taking OFF. In the app, users frame photographs through a small rectangular viewfinder. There are no editing tools or captions; when the images ādevelopā ā i.e. show up on your phone at 9 a.m. the next day ā you get what you get. Multiple people can take photos on the same roll, as might happen with a real disposable camera at a party. Iād call it innovative, but it seems on-par with other trends that were once popular and are now making a comeback, with a 21st century twist.
Iām a big fan, because itās like you get to open a present the next day when the photos develop. Some are great, and some end up like the photo below.
Itās currently in beta and āinvite onlyā, so get on that wait list while you can.
Daily hot take. The movie āWar Dogsā is bad. It boasts an impressive cast and has received tons of 5-star ratings, but it seems wildly hyperbolic and takes itself just a bit too seriously for my liking. š¤·āāļø Donāt take my word for it though, check it out Netflix.
See you next week!
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