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Quick Links

• 🖌️ Google has released Whisk, another new AI generative image system which I’ve used for the first feature today. So far it seems like a pretty slick new tool to keep in the rotation.

• 🌅 Here’s a great reason to be on team Dawn Patrol … morning people handily outperform evening people — at least according to a study conducted by the Journal of Sleep Research.

• ☎️ Have you tried calling 1-800-CHATGPT? Designed for easier access to onboard a more novice user but I think it might be an interesting thing to have access to while driving for anyone. I did a few quick test queries and the voice is pretty natural and the response time is quite snappy.

• 🪶 Identifying birds and their migrations has been getting easier and easier thanks to AI which can identify bird calls and classify by species much more accurately than most people. While the initial work was a research project, we can all take advantage using Merlin Bird ID on our phones.

• 🏅 Last week I shared the ClassPass annual data set and since then Garmin and Whoop have released their data as well. Both measure and can correlate data between activities as they track 24×7 assuming you wear the bands or watches. From the Whoop side, it’s terrific to see that the trend of drinking less frequently continues as people begin to see the material impact on sleep and recovery. For Garmin, Training Readiness trends best on Tuesday morning after most people sleep best Monday nights. I would assume this likely also correlates to Monday’s more typical lower training load.

• 🥘 Conagra has added “GLP-1 Friendly” labels to their Healthy Choice meals in a first for the grocery store but unlikely to be the last brand highlighting compatibility with the drugs given the continued rise in interest and prescribed treatment.

• 🐿️ Squirrels have been spotted hunting and eating meat. Nature always finds a way …

• 🏙️ Miami is sinking … and it’s really not good. A University of Miami study found dozens of buildings have been experiencing between .8 and 3 inches of subsidence between 2016 and 2023. The comments on this article in the Miami Herald are filled with deniers who see this all as some sort of conspiracy against them … I guess there’s going to be a solid real estate market until something even worse than the Surfside collapse of 2021.

• 🔫 Guns now officially kill more kids than car crashes. Thoughts and prayers must not be strong enough to implement change.

Long Reads

• 🧑‍💻 I suspect we will all be using cryptography and encrypted messaging more frequently and more directly. While some of our messaging services include end to end encryption, you do typically have to make sure it’s on to take advantage. This piece at Wired explains how it all works.

• 👨‍🎨 The search for van Gogh’s lost Masterpiece left me hanging but I enjoyed the chase.

• 🩰 Mikhail Baryshnikov is still killing it. This NYT profile was excellent and it’s awesome to learn how even at 75, he’s still redefining expectations.

• 4 women raced across the ocean by rowing a self supported boat. What an amazing trip and result! Sadly this link is only available via Apple News so hopefully that works for most of you. If you happen to read Popular Mechanics, it’s also in the Jan / Feb 2025 issue.

I hope you enjoyed this edition and welcome feedback. Please feel free to hit reply!

I have served.  I will be of service.

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