Worth Consuming Vol. 2

Atmospheric rivers, happy tears at the Oscars, oh, and AI.

March 17, 2023

By all astrological accounts, this past week was a big, gross, celestial shit show. The ick was felt by last Friday, March 10th, when the three letters “SVB” shook the banking world and the national economy going into the weekend (more on that later).

Luckily, there were still moments of beauty, kindness, and awe. And by awe, I mean both the wondrous and “oh shit” kind. Here’s a rundown of notable moments and things to keep us afloat as things like the economy and supply chain settle down. Oh, wait…

FYI: Maybe stock up on groceries or consider starting that garden (Again)

What do an atmospheric river and next week’s shopping trip to Trader Joe’s have in common? The former is likely going to make the latter a whole lot weirder. A succession of storm systems has rocked North America, drenching drought-ridden areas with much-needed rain, but in California, we’re getting too much of a good thing. The state’s agricultural engine stalled with the latest storms, flooding farms that supply a vast supply of the US’s (and the world’s) produce supply.

There’s no official word on the extent of the storm damage. Still, judging from the state of the towns and impacted by the heavy rains, the images of the fields, and the infrastructure that shuttles the crops out, it seems we might be in some issues with the grocery store supply chain (I know that word is triggering now; thanks, Covid). Don’t be surprised if strawberries and greens get more expensive or if there are a lot of gaps during your next grocery store run.

More Cool (Scary) Things AI Can do

Barely into 2023, AI continues to emerge and evolve into arguably cooler (read, Scary) things.

After an incredible launch of Chat GPT-3 in late 2022, OpenAI released Chat GPT-4 to premium members unleashing a faster, more precise, and multimodal way to interact with their large language model (LLM) AI, which means what? GPT-4 is trained with even more inputs from the interwebs and can also intake images in the prompt interface. The responses are faster and better, according to many beta users.

Just when I thought Microsoft couldn’t one-up making Bing relevant again, they launched Co-Pilot, the AI tool for its 365 suite. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint now feature a GPT-like interface and new features available to all users, not just premium and enterprise customers. I’m signed up for the waiting list and curious to hear from folks already using it - comment below if you are using it or want to use it.

But wait, we’re still not done. GM, the car manufacturer, announced soon you’ll be able to interact with your car through an AI interface. Latch-key kids like me will get serious Knight Rider vibes from this announcement. Admittedly, there won’t be any crime-fighting weaponry, but it will undoubtedly change the user experience in all vehicles, not just high-end luxury dashes.

And finally, a reminder of what happens from robotics and AI have a baby: You get Slow Robot (see below). This is seriously mind-blowing technology:

What I’m Snacking On

This week’s emotional eating featured new artisan candy maker/confectioner/pastry genius Hey Champ. Alexa Norlin, the creator of Utah’s normal ice cream and soft serve (the only ice cream shop ever to be nominated for a James Beard semifinalists award), launched this line of high-brow/low-brow candies earlier this year. So far, three flavors are available online (Pretzel, Coconut, and Miso Caramel) in individual packs and are worth it for anyone who 1) Appreciates great pastries and candy and 2) Considers themselves an early adopter of cool shit.

I’m not lying when I say the Pretzel option has given me life this crazy week. Order your emotional support snack here.

How to break generational trauma in 30 seconds or less…

I’ll leave you with happy tears. When director Daniel Kwan (one of the “Daniels” who wrote and directed the award-winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once”) accepted his Best Director award, he shared some words for his young son and, in doing so, made third culture, first- & second-generation immigrant kids weep:

Happy weekend, folks!Vanessa

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