Field Notes 4 // New York, note taking, and Blindr

This is Field Notes, my monthly newsletter on technology without the hype. Subscribers get it weeks before it goes up on the blog. Subscribe below.

Welcome back to Field Notes.

The eagle-eyed might have noticed that it is October, and not August, when the next newsletter was due. The end of July into September was a testing period for me. I was often exhausted to the point that I could do nothing in my free time except stream series with my wife and play video games. When you’re that tired, words for blog posts and newsletters just do not flow.

A silver lining was that I made time to finish Death Stranding 2, which I had been chipping away at since its release in May. It’s a beautiful game, both visually and in its themes and execution. I believe Hideo Kojima pulled off gameplay, story, and stylistic elements he’s been trying to balance for years.

I also attended one of the Oasis gigs at Wembley. I’m not a big fan, but I was taken by the atmosphere and the energetic live versions of their songs (I’ve since tried to go back to their recorded material on Spotify, but it’s still not clicking). While not to my taste, Oasis are so culturally significant to the UK that it truly felt like I was watching something historic from up in the rafters.

Lastly, I found my way to New York - a place that left a strong and enduring impression after I first visited last year. Between the mandatory tourist sights and some good food, I had time to think and jot down some observations on what sets the city apart from London and the rest of the world.

You might also notice some upgrades to the blog. These reflect my current direction, with a cleaner look and more focus on my articles. I hope you’ll agree it’s an improvement - let me know if you have any feedback.

Until next time, here’s your usual selection of reading on tech and life.

Things that left an impression

• 70 percent of messages sent to ChatGPT are not releated to work, and only 4.2 percent concern computer programming, according to a recent report from OpenAI. That’s only going to fuel the “AI bubble” skepticism over similar companies’ long-term sustainability.

• Ex-X developer Yacine appeared on The Other Stuff Podcast and raised an interesting consideration when naming your next startup. He reasoned that the pull of the “facebook.com” autocomplete in the browser address bar means any new site beginning with F must battle the user’s social media addiction any time they type the URL.

• Remember Klout? I recently learnt founder Joe Fernandez had the idea when he became interested in measuring the power of word of mouth after his jaw was wired shut for three months.

• YouTuber Joma Tech returned with a 29-minute video following the life of the founder of the AI window blind startup Blindr. The whole thing is spot-on satire to the level of Silicon Valley.

That’s all for now - subscribe below to get next month’s newsletter first!