Comes down to the present infrastructure and "arrogance of space" that forces everyone who does not want to ride 25mph+ or get crushed by a tank to ride in the remaining 10% of space.
Cheers - I recently wrote a blog post about my journey to create a "2-in-1 reading and writing hack" that combines an e-reader, notebook, and pen into a single, portable unit.
Why? As a UX designer, I've been exploring how to develop healthier media consumption habits and make reading and journaling more accessible in our digital age. This post delves into my experiences and the prototypes I've created using duct tape, Velcro, and magnets to unify these devices.
Why This Matters:
- Combat Digital Obesity: Shift from screen overload to mindful reading and journaling.
- Portable Literacy: Everything you need fits in a backpack, ideal for outdoorsy types.
- Accessibility: Bring the input (books) and output (thoughts) closer together.
- Open Source: Looking for collaborators to create a low-waste, detachable notebook system for e-readers.
Features:
- Paper Haptics: Enjoy the tactile feel of paper while using an e-reader.
- 2-Way Stand: Use the notebook as a 2nd stand, perfect for reading in bed.
I'm eager to hear your thoughts and collaborate with anyone interested in taking this concept to the next level. Let’s make reading and journaling more accessible together!
I'm looking forward to that: Let's link our ChatGPT chat histories with Tinder, have the LLMs impersonate us, simulate all the pre-date conversations, talk about basics, discuss fundamental life ideas, let them ghost each other etc and find out which conversation in theory survives the longest. With these few people, after receiving a tailored date / relationship / expectations briefing you can then meet up. No more time wasted in endless texting / boring job interview dates in cafes. Texting would only last for coordination.
I noticed this on my Sonicare Toothbrush already. I expected there would be Home Assistant integrations or Gadgetbridge-like alternatives but no: Creating an account is a must. Instantly returned it for a "non-smart" model
It's slowly getting to Europe though. Every second car being sold in Germany nowadays is an SUV, there is barely anything affordable below the 15k EUR mark - most of them are probably on a lease. I'm just wondering, what's going to be next... Tanks again?
Best example I guess is Ford who discontinued its Ford Ka and Fiesta because "they wanted to focus on EVs" - on the other hand they introduced the F150 to Germany. Not the most honest move.
I'd argue 80% of customers are sheeple following whatever is advertised on TV / parked in the neighbours driveway. I used to enjoy cars but with the climate crisis and just by how automotive attempts to innovate these days, I cancelled this entire industry.
- 1 VanMoof X3 for my daily commutes around the city (it really lowers the barriers and doesn't make me think about how far I might go that day - be it 60km on a regular office day). I also haul my kayak with it and overall see it as car replacement (6000km per year)
- 1 Folding bike (non-electric) for mixed-modality journeys (when I hop on a train / coach to another city) or bikepacking (long stem allows putting a huge bag in the front) (~2000km per year)
- 1 Babboe Big cargo bike (non-electric) for cargo trips / hauling stuff from A to B (usually <10km but I also use it for workout - this thing's heavy to get up the hill (took it to Germany after having lived 4 years in NL)) (~1000km per year)
I used to be the same: Pedelec / E-bike critical - but the numbers just speak for themselves: The average distance is higher, meaning it drastically lowers the comfortable distance for average people who would otherwise use a car (which is a far more complex and inefficient tool for a simple task). And those are the people we want to have cycling to justify good cycling infrastructure (not only the ambitious 5% weekend cyclists)
Sometimes I don't like the public relations and behaviour of VanMoof but I also don't like the fragmentation on the bicycle market which makes it intransparent for people to overlook and make a good purchase decision. Many people just want a pillar to hold on to (brand), security (VanMoof theft protection) etc. - unfortunately the pillar of VanMoof is crumbling atm which is a dark moment for the bicycle industry that imho. especially needs innovation-leading brands like VanMoof to build a strong lobby against big oil / car.
