The Ultimate 3D Printer, The First Mp3 Player, and Oatly's Triumph

Oat Milk won the Milk wars

Apr 12, 2021

Hey friends! Hope you’re doing great this week. We’re finally in April - isn’t it crazy how far we’re already into 2021?

I can’t say that i’m surprised that LG Mobile is shutting down - their phones had a nasty habit of overheating. However, they made some pretty fun and crazy phones. I had the really cool LG G Flex 2 - it was curved and awesome!

Oh - and don’t even get me started on that LG Wing.1

It’s sad to hear that Prince Phillip passed away. It’s like the beginning of the end of an era. Especially when you consider that this is probably the decade that the Queen, Dalai Lama, and other very very old famous people pass away.

Well - let’s not ponder such sad things. In other news - did you watch the Zack Snyder cut of the Justice League? It’s actually quite good! I watched Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League back to back - which really helped the experience.

I do think it would be nice if we actually got the full Snyderverse - but who knows? Maybe HBO Max will deliver.

Anyways, let’s hop on into today’s topics shall we?

🖨The Ultimate 3D Printer

3D printers have been around for over a decade now - and are still in the beginning stages of going mainstream.

For example - how many people do you know personally who have a 3D printer?

I’m always amazed by the advances being made in the industry - or by how cheap they’ve gotten. You can buy some pretty decent printers for 200 or 300 bucks . . .

And you wouldn’t beleive what’s coming around the pike.

3D printers that can print and use parts for themselves! Seriously the printer can think to itself - i need to attach this gear to that one - so I’ll do it.

The Functgraph, as it’s called, is capable of automatically printing and attaching custom tool heads to change its active functionality. This grants users the ability to grab, rotate, and break 3D printed objects to assemble more complex mechanical systems in a single print job. (Source)

Here’s a visual of the set up - it has several attachments to accomplish different objectives, such as picking up and dropping parts.

And that hook you see? The printer made it and picked it up to use to assemble a gear system.

the researchers used the Functgraph to print and assemble an entire bevel gear system from scratch. Firstly, the individual gears were printed flat and unassembled on the build plate, along with the end-effector necessary to assemble them (a hook). The printhead then peeled the hook off the bed and used it to fold each of the gears into the final mechanical assembly – all with one gcode file. (Source)

It’s absolutely wild - the thought that 3D printers are reaching the point where they can print tools to help them build things? That’s unreal.

🎧The First MP3 Player

Do you know when the first MP3 player came out?

No, no it wasn’t the first iPod.

The first MP3 player actually came out in 1998 - while the Cassette tape and CD was still reigning.

In March 1997 a General Manager at Samsung named Mr. Moon was on a plane reading through some work-related documents on his computer and these included some files about the MP3 format. When he took his headphones off and looked beside him he saw he was sitting beside a man listening to music on his Minidisk player. Moon was instantly struck by the realisation that the MP3 format would actually be the perfect format to use on a personal stereo because the music could be easily stored, preserved and transferred in and out via a common computer. (Source)

Moon was able to get his idea into production too!

The first MP Man, Model F10, was showcased at the CeBIT show in Hannover then released in Korea and Japan on 2nd May 1998 and cost an expensive 59,800 Yen (equivalent to £271) for the 64MB model, or 39800 Yen (£180) for the smaller 32MB version. (Source)

Sadly, it didn’t generate many sales - despite the huge press coverage it got around the world.2

Imagine - a few songs you could store on a personal device!

A few years later the first Ipod came out in 2001 - and - well, the rest is history.

These days you can still buy an Ipod - but there’s really no point anymore when phones do everything haha.

Remember those very early days of cellphones when people carried an Ipod and a phone? Good times.

Personally - I wish something like this design by Julien Riviore existed. I’d carry this around in an instant. Check out his site! It’s a Winamp MP3 player concept. So cool!

If you’re in the mood for catching up on some modern MP3 players - you can check out the last survivors at the link!

MP3 Players

🥛The Oatly Revolution

Did you hear the CRAZY news about Oatly?

It’s going to IPO on the Stock Market - and it’s estimated to be worth $10 Billion Dollars!

Oat Milk - a $10 Billion Dollar Industry. It’s mind boggling.

More and more people are switching to dairy alternatives - we’ve come a long way from the nasty soy milk of a decade ago. *shudder*

Did you see their ad? Their hilarious Super Bowl ad?

It’s hilarious and so very eccentric - and i never imagined that the phrase “wow no cow” would get stuck in my head.

For those who hated it - Oatly even made a shirt. Great marketing!

Their website is pretty informative too - and very minimalist.

Adweek @Adweek

Oatly is placing bets on both sides here. #SuperBowlAds

Have you ever tried Oatly Milk? It’s the best non milk milk in my honest opinion - and I hope the company continues to do well AND hold fast to their mission of sustainability.

One of their missions states

We promise to be a good company which means that our drive to help people upgrade their lives always comes before the reckless pursuit of profit.3

I hope that continues! As Adam Chandler wrote in his evaluation of Oat Milk “for a company whose image cleaves so tightly to idiosyncrasies and mission, it won’t be an easy transition. Even the most idealistic companies tend to get milked dry of their morals once froth-mouthed shareholders get involved.”4

Read more about Oatly here at Adam Chandler’s article! It’s a great read.

Oatly

🐙The Land of Random

Random links? Yessss

Alternative Assets Newsletter

I’ve known Stefan for quite some time, and I’m always intrigued by the investing niches that he shares. I wish I had the time to be as thorough! From the fascinating world of watch collecting to trading cards, and DIY retirement IRA’s, he’s always researching the most interesting things to invest in. Who knows? You might just find the next gold mine to invest in! Get in the action and subscribe at the link.

Get That Knowledge 👀

Nature Color Palettes

This site features a ton of really cool images with soft earthy color palettes to match!

Color Palettes

The Cube Rule

This strange site chronicles the strange rules of food. Are sushi and pigs in a blanket realllly in the same cube? Wat

Cube Rule

More Pete and Bass

These old British Rappers go hard. There’s nothing like this in America, or this

Samsung Vs Apple

I love when Samsung creates fun stuff - and this iphone only website that emulates their phone is excellent. Get the scoop here!

The Samsung Emulator

Mariott Vending Machines

Appparently Marriott is testing vending machines to replace their buffets. And some of the items are complimentary to guests. Say no more! I lovve free snacks.

Free Snacks?