In this newsletter:
📝 Post: AI Is Good, AI Is Bad, AI Is… Misunderstood
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Event
😎 Pick of the Week: Fitness Apps and Tracking
📦 Featured Product: Mid Century Chaise Lounge
📝 AI Is Good, AI Is Bad, AI Is… Misunderstood
I’d like to start this post with a quote from Jim Anderson with Beacon:
AI is bad, AI is good, and AI is Misunderstood
All pieces of that statement are conclusions that are arguably true. I think businesses and consumers alike have seen plenty of the good of AI, as evidenced by The Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps by unique monthly visits or active users. Users are growing, apps are growing, and plenty of personal and work use cases are saving people time and money while helping them become more creative to do things they may have never imagined.
AI isn’t just impacting how we write, though — it’s changing how we speak and interact with others. This concept of writing and sounding like ChatGPT (at least virtually) will continue to escalate, too. Not being careful in how we use AI could also cause us to end up in The AI Darwin Awards. By not reviewing the output of our prompts, we allow the AI to ‘run with it’ and not be corrected. Meaning, it doesn’t know it’s incorrect and assumes the answer given is a great one, which it will repeat next time.
This isn’t just happening textually; it’s happening with audio and video at a much larger and public scale. And it’s so good, sometimes we can’t correctly answer Is it real or is it AI? With the ability for AI to recreate an avatar of someone and mimic their voice, we are served videos created by AI that appear to be real. Sometimes we can catch it, as seen by Will Smith's concert crowds, but many times it slips right by.
All that said. Many people probably don’t know too much about the misunderstood part. In short, there are many things in AI happening “behind the curtain” that make us think things are either black or white, when in reality, there’s a lot of gray area.
This gray area essentially can be minimized through our understanding of what AI is actually doing, but also understanding what AI is doing — based on the prompt we give it. I don’t want to rehash a lot of what I wrote about in Weekly Wheaties #2411, but what’s even more important is understanding this idea of prompts regarding AI. There are tons of resources available to help Discover AI Prompts for Better Results or learning Generative AI for Beginners. Understanding prompting, or more specifically, the capabilities of AI models that can be modified based on specific prompts, can change our entire outlook and use cases for AI.
A popular post on Reddit, What are some actual uses YOU have come up with to use ChatGPT? brought out tons of use cases for AI that people are doing independently. These are things no one else will ever see, and the effects are almost impossible for an outside party to track. Some examples in this scenario include: using AI as a journal, a to-do list, a habit tracker, or a workout/cooking/mental health buddy. There are other use cases you may have seen before, like uploading a picture of your house to have something edited, a language coach, or travel planning.
As we look to the future, it’s important to remember that prompting will change with iterations and updates to our favorite chatbot. A fun site to browse to show the power of AI is How well can AI predict the future? by Prophet Arena.
What unique use cases are you using AI for?
🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Event
At this year’s Apple Fall Event, three devices in their lineup received updates: the iPhone, Watch, and AirPods. First up, the AirPods Pro 3 now have live translation during conversations, an IP57 water resistance rating, heart rate sensing, come with higher audio quality, active noise cancellation, and a new shape with more eartips for a better fit.
The Apple Watch Series 11, SE3, and Ultra 3 all received upgraded chips to make them faster with longer battery life, along with updated sleep tracking based on sleep score. The budget-friendly SE3 now has an always-on display and gestures like the double-tab. The Series 11 is more comfortable, thinner, and durable, with an upgraded 5G modem. It and the Ultra 3 can now monitor blood oxygen levels for hypertension. The Ultra 3 also sports a brighter and larger display with satellite connectivity, now able to send iMessages and utilize location tracking through Find My.
Lastly, 3 new updated iPhones (the 17 and 17 Pro/Pro Max), with an all-new iPhone Air - Apple’s thinnest, lightest, and most durable iPhone ever. It has specs similar to the Pro models, but compromises on cameras (1 lens instead of 3) and battery life. The base iPhone 17 inches closer to the Pro models with a brighter and more durable screen with ProMotion (120 hertz) and always-on display. It has two camera lenses (standard and ultra wide). The 17 Pro and Pro Max have the Pro chip, an extra telescopic lens, can record video with studio-quality settings, and have a much longer battery life. All phones have an upgraded front-facing camera to allow selfies to be taken in landscape without having to turn your phone, come with the iPad and Mac’s Center Stage feature, and allow dual capture videoing.
Before ordering any new phone, be sure to check your Carrier for any deals they may be offering!
😎 POTW: Fitness Apps and Tracking
Fitness apps are in a league of their own, and there are so many to choose from. In the past, I’ve shared one I like - HitFit, but since then, I’ve actually made my own tracking system within Notion. There, I can see my workouts (reps and sets), videos to show me how to complete the exercise, and a checklist as I go through them. Finding workouts to complete is also a bit of the wild west. I really like this new site I found - MuscleWiki - that “makes fitness fast, simple and accessible to everyone.” Here, you can sort by muscle group and/or equipment to be used.
If you just want something simple and repeatable, you can be like Tom Holland and complete 27 Rounds of the Classic CrossFit Workout “Cindy” in 20 Minutes. Whichever wya you’re planning to go, download the Peak: Fitness Widgets to track your steps, workouts, and more on your phone’s home screen.
On the other side of fitness, tracking your food intake can be just as important. You’ve probably heard of MyFitnessPal before, but also consider checking out one of its competitors - Cronometer.
Lastly, if you’d like a custom workout developed for your age, sex, weight, nutrition and workout goals, and more, reach out to Coach g and his team with Tandem Nutrition.
📦 Featured Product
As mentioned before, I’m a big fan of architecture - especially the mid-century modern type homes and buildings. However, I’m also a fan of that style of furniture. I enjoyed watching the Mad Men series solely for the props used on set. I recently saw where someone posted about the popular Mid Century Chaise Lounge Chair with Ottoman, and wanted to share.
