Hey friends!
How are yāall doing today?
If youāre stateside - hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! We spent the day with some good friends of ours - and shot off some fireworks.
Some news from our side - weāre six weeks awayy from baby number threeās birth - so weāre pretty excited to meet him!
Weāre buying a new minivan in the next week or so - well ānewā to us, weāre getting a used one haha.
3 kids wonāt fit in the back of our current car - so the time has finally come to upgrade.
cue the dramatic TikTok music.
Did you join Instagram Threads this week? The first 24 hours were pretty fun - with lots of sarcasm, jokes about fake ātop 10 toolsā threads, growthhacking, celebrities/brands making āthreadā jokes . . .
Iām on there (theland_ofrandom) if you want to look for me, but it remains to be seen how often Iāll actually use the platform.
That orb in Las Vegas is an insane sight to behold. It honestly doesnāt look real.
Itās literally a giant LED Orb - hereās a video of it that I found on Youtube.
Itās actually a theater on the inside too - hereās a link a deep dive Verge article about it.
You could make a strong argument that it is a modern āwonder of the worldā - thatās how crazy it looks.
Letās hop on in, shall we?
šGiftcards From The Future
The giftcard - many businesses have them.
Many people buy āem - theyāre the gift you buy when you donāt know what to get.
You buy them, use them, and toss them.
And we donāt think about how many billions end up in landfills.
Starbucks often has cool gift cards - encouraging people to collect or reuse them to pass along. Look no further than Ebay for examples.
āGift cards provide a vital connection between retailer and customer, and like any payment method, is always in need of innovation,ā CEO of supplier MultiPay Global Solutions David Maisey says. āThe scale of the gift card market should not be underestimated. Last year alone 28.8 million adults in the UK received a gift card. Importantly, they are especially popular with Gen Z and millennial shoppers, with 46% and 42%, respectively, purchasing at least one gift card in the three years leading up to 2022. (source)
Zara is experimenting with gift card keychains.
Hereās what they look like.
just like any other whimsical backpack or keys keychain - something fun to carry around, except this one scans at checkout!
In terms of consumer innovation - Iād be curious to see what people would do with these. Theyād be fun to get - thatās for sure.
Would they regift them? refill them for the next time they go to Zara? or just use them as a backpack or keychain accessory?
Iām curious to see if more innovations like these begin to arrive in the West. I really wish there were more cool ways to pay like these debit card stickers in India.
Go check out the Zara gift cards at the link!
šØNeubrutalism
New design approaches are always fun.
Look no further than Dribbble for thousands of cool ideas that rarely see the light of day in the real world.
Have you heard of Neubrutalism?
Hereās a definition
Neubrutalist web design often features elements such as bold typography, minimalistic layouts, rough or unpolished aesthetics, and a focus on functionality over ornamental details. It embraces a certain level of imperfection and simplicity, challenging traditional design conventions and favoring a more straightforward and stripped-down approach. (source)
Itās been around since 2022, but what caught my attention was this Neubrutalism UI website.
Itās a web app where youāll be able to copy/paste styles so you can use them for your own website.
It got me back into looking into Neubrutalism.
Gumroadās website is a good example.
Itās minimalist . . . yet loud and bright.
Neubrutalist designs can evoke a sense of dynamism, energy, and even discomfort. It disrupts expectations and draws attention to the visual impact of contrasting hues. (source)
Hereās another example that someone shared on Webflow.
Isnāt it fun?
I hope we get to see a lot more website use this style!
Go check out the Neubrutalism UI website to experience a taste of the style.
Or read this article for more details about the Neubrutalism trend!
šThe Humane AI Pin
When Hu.ma.ne emerged a few years ago, I was curious.
What was this mysterious startup going to create?
They promised revolutionary technology - but it wasnāt until recently that we discovered what they were going to make.
An AI companion tool.
Itās a little device that fits in a breast pocket - like on a suit or bomber jacket.
To interact with it, you press a button, and ask it a question.
āThe experience [is] Screenless, Seamless, and Sensing - allowing you to access the power of compute while being present in your surroundingsā - Imram Chaudhri. Hu.ma.ne cofounder
I watched Imram Chaudhri (Hu.ma.neās cofounder) do a TedTalk about the device, and it looks pretty incredible.
In it, he demos a few things that the tool can do.
phone calls where the device projects a small menu on your hand
answer questions
speak in a foreign language in your voice and emotion
Summary of a meeting he was in earlier in the day
The more you use our device powered by AI, the more we can help you in all times of need. Your AI . . .becomes a ever-evolving form of personal memory.ā - Imram Chaudhri
The CRAZIEST demo in the video was when Imram holds up a chocolate bar and asks the AI if thereās any health risks with the ingredients. It replies after reading the ingredients list and says yes!
Imran sells the device pretty well on the TedTalk - Iām impressed.
The BIG question is - what else can the device do? Could it truly be a phone replacement in a meaningful sense?
The device is supposed to come out this year - so weāll just have to āwait and seeā when the reviews come out.
Until then - go check out the Hu.ma.ne website, join the waitlist, or watch the TedTalk below!
š The Land of Random
What can I say except āitās random!ā
Suicide Squad Isekai
Wit Studio (Yes - THE Wit Studio of Attack on Titan and Spy X Family fame) partnering with DC to make a Suicide Squad anime was NOT on my 2023 bingo card.
Serverless VPN
A pay-as-you-go VPN? Thatās pretty darn interesting ngl.
Rip to Gfycat
The mid 2000ās gif website will be missed - and Iām sure more internet links will break. yay.
Generate Cool Sprites
This cool little web app will let you upload images and turn them into fun 8-bit pixelated images.
The Raw Materials
10 out of 10 COOL COOL creative design teamās website. This website is amazing. Beautiful. Brutalist. Futuristic. Kinda Neubrutalist.
EVERYTHINGāS A PSYOP
Seriously tho - the e-girl is likely a US military recruiting psyop. The article is nuts.
Pixar are you okay?
An interesting article about Pixar and how it might not be as brilliant as we all think.
The Password Game
I lasted the first 10 rules, and broke at rule 11. how many will you survive?
šµ TikToks You Canāt Miss
Fallout 4, but modded to be like STALKER and Metro
I love when Authors get the āTikTok Treatment.ā
Thatās actually a really cool Kitchen statement piece
Off the grid in Alaska - pretty cool ngl
These games have first-person?
š¤ AI AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I know AI art tools are a dime a dozen these days, but this one looks intriguing
Create an entire AI fantasy novel with this Github - wait till thereās 100,000ās of these and we donāt know whatās written by man or bot.
A free QR Code AI art tool - Try it out before it disappears haha.
Thatās all for this week! See you next time.