SHAPE Missive May 6

Hello! I wrote this over the weekend, but had a meeting scheduled over lunch on Monday, and completely forgot to send it. Thanks, Erica, for reminding me to send it.

More AI chatter

But there’s other links you can jump down to.

This AI-powered wearable kickstarted by a Theil fellow¹ promises to capture your conversations as they happen, transcribing everything you, and assumably anyone around you, say and summarizing it down into key highlights. “Liberate yourself² to fully engage in conversations” is a hilarious way of saying you can back up and search everything you say moving forward, externalizing your the way you create memories and/or mold your reality.

What infuriates me about these types of projects is that anyone who’s read any sort of speculative fiction³ understands how these stories end—direct access to quantified ‘memories’ is not a magic key that unlocks a more happier, more fulfilled life. Maybe, if I’m being generous, the hook here is gaining efficiencies by summarizing massive chunks of your time. I’m just having trouble connecting efficiency to a better quality of life. More capital, yes, but… I digress.

It’s Game Time.

New York Times Simulator. You’re trying to max out your viewership and become editor-in-chief by editing headlines and placating interest groups. Silly, and evocative.

Equinox has been making the rounds for a good reason this past week. Little Workshop has work on a few other little projects I’ve liked, though I think a project like Equinox is a bit hard to pull off for an actual brand. Mixing storytelling and brand narratives is hard—it’s better when brands simple sponsor artistic endeavors, IMO.

I don’t want to ruin the hook here, but if you like Tetris but thought it wasn’t nearly stressful enough, you’re going to be a big fan of Neltris.

DOOM on rails in your browser. A fun little proof-of-concept.

Prosperity Quest seems like it’s aimed at school-aged kids, though I’ll be honest, I didn’t ready anything as I clicked through, and I didn’t even attempt to pass a level. Fun to walk around for ~8 seconds, though! An Intuit joint.⁴

I have yet to play this with another person, but Neon Knives seems like it would be a super fun game to play in an office with other folks one afternoon when no one had any pressing deadlines. I don’t miss a daily commute, and I appreciate the flexibility of working from home, but I do really hate working remotely ☹️ 

Stay safe out there,
Dave

1  Wow, three strikes already!

2  lol

3  I’m currently reading Egan’s early collection of short stories and I’d really recommend it.

4  Wish they had a game teaching me how to avoid taxes like a billionaire. JK, I like having public schools and libraries and roads and fire departments.