Zag To The Zig #56 :: Downscale cars, downscale phones and downscale middlemen-fees
It feels like Wednesday is the new ZTTZ day. Not because the open/click/delivery rates are better. Who cares? But mundanely, there is a correlation with the hobby agenda of our daughter. Let me explain.
I used to compile it in a few hours during her Monday hobby. And even though that time slot moved, I kept aiming for that Monday ‘deadline’. Which I continuously missed.
Then, I realised it wasn’t about the deadline. It was about planning, i.e. finding the predictable energy and the right mindset to do it. So now, my timeslot has moved to Wednesday. Went with the flow, feels much better.
Hope you’re having a lovely week.
Let’s start in the Tech Room this week
No, Tesla is not a car company. It's a data company. So it's now launching its own insurance product.
It’s quite an apt example, as I'm currently doing some work for a data sharing blockchain start-up. I've learnt that it’s crucial for organisations to share data. You know, insurers would love access to car data to create such a product, but it’s cumbersome and/or impossible. And Tesla doesn't have those bottlenecks and doesn’t have to ask anyone.
Who's buying one of these? Apparently, it's got Snake on it.
The Russians really have a their hands on the shoulders of Google and Apple. Stay down, son.
I'm not a fan of cars, so I enjoyed this very good (short) presentation: the 10 Commandments of Micromobility. I loved the idea of Unbundling a car.
In the Ethics Corridor
Who needs protection: local restaurants, delivery riders, consumers? And how does that relate to the tech companies that run the food delivery industry? Such is the complexity of participants in this network economy. New York has made a law that sets the maximum fee that Uber Eats,... can charge from the restaurants to 15%. It used to be up to 30%!
I got this from this insightful NewYorker interview with an anti-trust researcher on the economics of meal deliveries.
In the Gaming Room
So, I though that top gamers screen experiences would benefit them more, but physical athletes have better visual skills than e-gamers, i.e. better peripheral vision etc. It made me think the research that shows that one of the key factors to the success of footballer Kevin De Bruyne is his skill in visual scanning.
The best thing I read this week was about how blockchain based games, like Axie Infinity, enable to people to make money from playing. This article explain pretty well how the economics work, what the new games are (Star Atlas, anyone) and how the games themselves make money.
I really should nudge junior’s screen time in this direction! Play-For-Pocket-Money.
Which naturally brings us to the Economy Room
We love the stories of people in Venezuela replacing their income with crypto earned from playing Axie Inifity. But the reality of creator economies is - unsurprisingly - that the majority of the pie gets eaten by a few top creators, TikTok celebrities etc. The Harvard Business Review has 10 suggestions how the creator economy can pay more attention to the middle class.
Random ZTTZ
This is my new favourite Twitter account. Latest in Engineering will find the most interesting nerd stuff. This one: an AR app that puts a smile on everyone's face.
We know we need it.
🏁 End note: 1 thing I’m doing this week
I’ll be starting on a research project about the future of conference and event venues in these digital times. Really looking forward to that.