🤙Get Random Phone Calls,The Return of Company Towns, and the Humane Phone

Mining Town? I say Gaming Town

Hey everyone! Hope you had a good week.

It’s been exciting at my household. My sweet little baby is starting to take entire steps, and she learned how to blow kisses!

It’s important to find joy, even when the world around you feels pretty nuts.

Even when this is kinda how 2021 feels so far . . .

I find that relaxing music is quite useful when stressed out.

Have you listened to Spotify’s official Vaporwave playlist yet? It’s pretty good.

Of course, nothing can beat the OG LoFi playlist by Chilled Cow

They are some of my favorite playlists for relaxing VibeZ.

Speaking of vibes, let’s jump on in to today’s topics, shall we?

🤙Get Random Phone Calls

Ever wish you could just talk to random people on the phone sometimes?

You know, like the stories your grandparents tell?

No, i’m not talking about places like Omegle or Chatroulette.

I mean having a nice conversation with someone old school style on the phone.

There’s a new app on the block called Dialup, and it does just that. It connects you to people for random calls at pre chosen times.

Want to chat on a call about books at 7 PM with someone on a Sunday night?

or about weekend projectsat 3 PM on a Saturday?

Now you can! There’s even an option where you can get random calls.

I’m going to try it a few times this next week.

I love the aesthetic of it too! It’s super 90’s/early 00’s vibey on their website - which also carries over to their app too.

My favorite part of the app is that as long as you sign up for a particular time, you get a call. No need to sign up - you just get a call!

Of course, you can opt out at any time.

Check it out at the link!

🏙The Return of Company Towns

The other day I saw this tweet, and my mind was off to the races.

balajis.com @balajis

Company towns will be a startup city business model.

Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano

Fortnite developer Epic Games has purchased the "Cary Town Center" in Cary, NC, for $95M and plans to turn the abandoned mall into their next headquarters. With almost 1 million sqft and 90 acres, the place is massive. This was the mall 5 years ago (top) vs. today (bottom). https://t.co/9VHP06K77f

The idea that Epic Games is buying an entire Mall as their next headquarters is wild.

Are Startups trying to bring back the idea of a Company Town?

Way out west, there are lots of old abandoned towns from the days of mining and gold rushes. There were lumber towns like Scotia, Calfiornia where Pacific Lumber rented you your living quarters. (Source)

Then came Facebook and Google with their own spin on the ideas. After all, the happier you make an employee, the harder they work for you.

Don’t want them to spend time worrying about going out to lunch? Give them their lunch.

Want them to feel relaxed? Give them fitness classes

Want to make sure they’re whole and healthy? Give them access to doctors, dentists, and massage therapists.

Want more team collaboration? Put food in front of them at strategic points.

Free food, Cash when you have a baby, Primary care doctors at Facebook, Months of Parental leave (Source)

Free fitness classes, the option to bring your dog to work, free massages, and free food at Google (Source)

And the list goes on . . .

And the cliche snacks/drinks/beer taps and comfy seats that every startup has.

How should we define a company town?

I’m not sure I have the right answer, but . . .

Company town - An employer that provides housing, benefits including insurance, and other perks to its employees.

Personally, I believe it’s the housing that really seals the deal. After all, if an employee doesn’t have to stress about housing costs, insurance, food, doctors, or fitness, that’s a whole lot of the tabs we have swirling around in our heads.

Facebook is working on building WIllow Village, but I’m not sure if housing is subsidized or anything.

The question I pose to you is this - What major company will be the first to build an actual real functioning town for their employees?

It’s an interesting trend to keep track of!

🤳The Hu.Ma.Ne Phone

The iPhone was the first true smartphone as we define it. Rectangular slab with screen and Apps.

Then came Samsung, Google, Sony, OnePlus, and all the other Android phone makers - leaving mankind with two choices. iPhone or Android.

No, I’m not even going to waste my breath on the WIndows phone.

Or Cyanogen Mod. Or Lineage OS. or Amazon’s Android mutant.

There’s a new kid coming to the block, and it’s name is Hu.Ma.Ne

It’s goal is to quit literally bring humanity back to the smartphone. We spend thousands of hours scrolling our phones, isolated from the world around us.

The phone is important, but how can it be made more human?

Hu.Ma.Ne wants to change that.

Here’s their stated mission.

We believe in building innovative technology that feels familiar, natural, and human. Technology that improves the human experience and is born from good intentions. Products that put us back in touch with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Experiences that are built on trust with interactions that feel magical, and bring joy.

Sounds pretty cool! I’m very willing to try out a new phone experience that’s based on a authentic experience - rather than push notifications for the sake of getting us to spend more time on apps.

Did I mention their KILLER team?

Imran Chaundri - of Apple fame - who invented the iPhone UI.

Bethany Bongiorno - of Apple fame - who was the Lead Software Director

Yeah, these aren’t two twenty somethings rebranding a phone from China and naming it Frank. (Had to pull this out of the Wayback machine).

This is the real deal.

Hu.Ma.Ne. is ap roject to keep your eye on. Check out the site!

🐙The Land of Random

Random Links for you!

Apps With Wade

You’re craving some fresh new apps. Well, let me tell you where to get them! Apps with Wade is a informative newsletter crammed full of cool new apps. Subscribe at the link.

Kinkade Goes Star Wars

Something I thought I’d never see. Thomas Kinkade style Mandalorian pictures. Crazy, I know.

Google’s Graveyard

Ever wanted to look through all the the things that Google has killed? Take a look at the link, and stroll through this sad graveyard.

ReadyMag

This very modern web design tool can be used for creating landing pages, portfolios, editorials, and more. You might be saying, “it’s just another design tool,” but this one has REALLY EPIC MODERN TEMPLATES. Check it out. Here’s just one example.

Heartface

Do you host affiliate links on your website? With Heartface, you can make any product instantly shoppable from your website! Yeah. It sounds crazy - but think of all the friction that solves!

Kawaii Upbeat Electronica

Upbeat and energetic, It’s hard to describe what exactly this kind of music is, honestly. Anime music? It’s great for working to.

Who’s Prank Calling You?

Once upon a time, you could look up phone numbers on Facebook to figure out questions such as - Who just prank called me? I’ve done it once or twice. Well, Facebook took away that feature - mostly. This website gives you a little workaround to still do it!

🎶TikToks You Can’t Miss

How to survive a Wendigo attack

Yup, there were lots of songs like that back in the day

One word. Buccees

Oof. That one hurts

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Ah, the old I Spy books. Remember those?

When the significant other is straight savage