đWorlds Fair 2.0,The Pony Express Returns, and a SMART US Flip Phone
can we get another pyramid?
Why Hellooooo. How are you doing this fine week?
If you live in the US, itâs Thanksgiving week! If you havenât planned your dinner yet, might I introduce you to the turducken.
Did you contribute to the Constitution DAO?
The crypto organization that tried to buy the constitution at last weekâs Sothesbyâs auction. It was one of 11 surviving first edition copies. They raised an astounding $46 million in less than a week.
Iâm not going to lie - I was really hoping that we would win. However - I find it likely that a DAO will win in some big way in the next year or two. Maybe a NBA team? Who knows!
On a random note - if youâve been hoping to try Google Stadia, but donât feel like spending $70 on it I have good news.
Google Stadia turned 2 years old last week - so theyâre selling it for just $22 - plus tax. What a deal!
Iâll admit - I bought another one. My wife and I will play some of our multiplayer games.
Oh - Iâve got some fun work tunes for yâall that I found. This retro synthwave album is amazing.
Letâs dive on in shall we?
đThe Worlds Fair 2.0
When I was younger, I would often read stories about the Worldâs fair of years ago.
The 1893 Worldâs fair boggles my mind every time I read about it.
There were over 65,000 exhibits at the fair. The fair covered 630 acres in Chicagoâs Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance-a narrow strip of land designated as an amusement area. Although other worldâs fairs had been held in the 19th century, the Columbian Exposition was the first to have an area specifically for âamusement.â (source)
It was that World Fair which was âilluminatedâ by Teslaâs A/C current. It was so lit up the fair was nicknamed âThe White City.â In fact, this fair ended up being the pivotal moment that determined the value of A/C for widespread use.
Heck - weâre still enjoying products showcased at the fair.
Several products introduced at the fair are still popular today, including Shredded Wheat, diet carbonated soda, Aunt Jemima syrup and pancake mix, and Chicagoâs own Wrigleyâs Juicy Fruit gum. (source)
Sadly, there hasnât been a true Worldâs Fair since the 80âs. We just have occasional expositions in different countries.
Today, World's Fairs have been rebranded as "International Expositions" that occur every 5 years, and are a hollow shell of their former glory. They no longer showcase the promise of the future or celebrate achievement. Instead, they serve as national branding exercises, infrastructure development projects masquerading as innovation, architecture competitions, and an opportunity to promote tourism. If anything, they're the perfect representation of our current vision for the future: unfocused and uninspiring. (source)
It would be awesome if the Worldâs Fair could come back, wouldnât it? I donât know about you but Iâd be willing to pay quite a bit of money to go to some grand once-a-decade event.
A showcase of all the tech and innovations that are being developed? Can you imagine how inspirational and aspirational that would be to millions of people?
Heck - what if countries had to build experimental cities to host Worldâs Fairs? Smart homes, mixed-use housing, eco-friendly innovations, vertical farming. The possibilities would be endless.
Thereâs a movement to bring back the Worlds Fair - led by Cameron Wiese. Heâs hoping to move the conversation forward on its return.
The Twitter has been active recently - Iâm hoping the movement works out.
Check out the site!
đ´The Pony Express Returns
but for text messages!
In all seriousness though, Pony Messenger is an intriguing new Messenger app that only allows you to receive messages a few times a day.
Thereâs no instant messaging here. You have 3 options
Thatâs it. You canât pick any other options. Oh - this includes message delivery and pickup.
You can create messages in a letter style format - and drop pictures and links. Ya know - the basics.
The goal of Pony is to create mindful correspondence with others - a strange thing to ponder in an era where all communication is a click away.
This is Ponyâs mission.
Pony is designed to give us the space, time, and structure we need to have mindful communication. Our mission is to elevate your correspondence and to foster deep, lasting connections.
Itâs something that needs deep consideration in this day and age.
How often do we actually communicate in a meaningful way with others? One of the ways Iâve tried to be more intentional is to call friends and talk to them - rather than just text.
It would be interesting to use Pony with a small group of friends - and only communicate through Pony with those friends (or a phone call).
Sounds like an interesting challenge. đ¤ I might try it.
Go check out Pony Messenger at the link!
đThe Cat S22
I canât believe it! Thereâs a REAL smart flip phone available in the United States.
I donât mean the Galaxy Flip or Moto Razr - those are hybrid touch screen flip phones. I mean an old-school-style flip phone with Android.
The Cat S22 Flip is now available - unfortunately exclusively with T-Mobile
The phone just screams rugged aestheticc.
Iâve waxed nostalgically several times here in The Land of Random about finding the perfect flip phone - and this is the closest Iâve found.
Overseas - itâs a different story. There are phones like the Galaxy Folder, and others. Here in the USA - we never created an alt flip smartphone space.
It would be fun to use as a back up phone, at the very least - for those days or weeks when you want to have a more minimalist approach.
It is a CAT phone after all - itâs probably practically indestructable.
Hereâs some of the specs
2000 MaH battery
2 Gigs of Ram
16 Gigs of storage
Android 11 Go
itty bitty VGA touch screen
5 MP and 2MP cameras
Itâs old school specs (2014 specs tbh) butttt it is Android Go - which tends to be a lighter load.
That 2000 MaH battery size is concerning, Iâll be honest. Would that really last a whole day? Iâm not too sure.
For the low price of $230ish bucks - and if you have T-Mobile, it can be yours.
Check it out!
đThe Land of Random
Random, Random, Random links!
Non-Linear Apps
I went nuts and made this really extensive Kinopio board with all the non linear tools Iâve found so far - from Muze Chat to Skittish and many more.
What is this
What in the Super Mario 64. 2008 was a weird place fam.
Happy Little Apps
Build fun little apps in the style of Bob Ross
Unity Buys Weta Digital
Remember Weta Digital? from the Lord of the Rings movies? Unity just BOUGHT THEM.
The SproutyPod
Grow your own Sprouts in this nifty little container. Looks cool!
Spotmaze
Build a digital world for your Forum - itâs almost like a Mind Castle - but for your forum. Itâs hard to explain. Check it out!
Danielâs Network
Explore fun aesthetic neocities sites! Need I say more?
TikToks You Canât Miss
That is the sketchiest of houses
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Scarrrrryyyyyyyyy
A most glorious Gandalf
I had no idea 4th wall books were a thing
This would be a awesome backyard shed
Now that I see them side by side, Iâd never buy an old Switch
Thatâs all for this week! See you next time. :)