Sep 10, 2018

Seattle, Tel Aviv and the Immortal Iron Fist

Seattle: Startups and a damn fine cup of coffee

I decided to drop down and see some friends in Seattle since it was close to Vancouver – I checked out the Amazon Go store where you can just walk out without paying and other Seattle tech stuff - read all about it here – and if you are a Twin Peaks fan like I am, then you’ll be happy to see that I finally visited the area they shot the show in the 90’s.

Tel Aviv: Hotter than hot but still an amazing time

Just back from a hot week in Tel Aviv for the DLD Innovation Festival - my first trip ever to the tech mecca of the world and it was everything and more. It was a lot hotter than I thought, and to my surprise Bird had launched there making getting around the city easier and more fun. Thanks to Danielle Tichner for making it more fun and to Yossi Vardi for the invitation - see you guys at Web Summit! Pix from the trip at the bottom.

My Overall Picks of the Week

Digital Nomad pick of the week:

PAKT One - I took out the new bag to Tel Aviv for a week and it was great. The team that produced this really put everything in its place. With 3 zipper openings, multiple hidden pockets and easy to access ones, this really was the answer to my traveling packing dreams. It’s heavy when fully loaded, with no wheels, so probably only for stronger digital nomads. I do miss the easy push of my 4-wheel Lojel carry-on but its not as well organized as the Pakt.

Entertainment of the week:

Iron Fist Season 2 - if you like the Netflix Marvel shows this one is a great entry. There is a post-credit scene at the end of Episode 10 for the next series. Read the Immortal Iron Fist series to see what they have planned next.

Book of the week:

The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung - all about how no diet will ever work because of the way our bodies are set up and that fasting is the only way to reset our bodies to burn stored fat. Which leads to the…

App of the week:

Zero - if you want to try intermittent fasting here you go. Recently funded for $1.2 mm as the world gets up to speed on this eating style. I’ve been using it since March, and its basically just a timer but it will test you to see if you can do a simple 16-hour fast.

Still my favorite cowork interior: Neuehouse in LA.

My 3 Future of Work Picks of the Week

The Anywhere Office: A study on how you won’t work from any one space in the future.
Y Combinator is investing a bunch of food startups like this Mac and Cheese one (!!!) that don’t need their own physical restaurants - your office lunch is coming from food delivery apps anyways! This story means so much to how food is delivered and served and places like Bite Unite in Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Campfire from Hong Kong signs a huge property deal to expand their coworking space footprint. Did I mention coworking space is hot in Asia?

Ovolo Southside was a great co-living space; expect more of these types in Asia.

My 3 Picks from Asia

I checked out the TenCent WeStart Creative Hub in Hong Kong.
Why Chinese cinemas are empty but full.
I’ve always missed this in person but I always think it’s a great idea if you want to experience a 100-floor Elevator Pitch in Hong Kong for US$120,000.

If you missed the China Internet Report that debuted at RISE you need to check this out.

My Newsletter pick of the week

Pageflows - weekly walkthroughs on how sites work. very interesting if you don’t test out as many apps as I do but very good for anyone building a new app or website.

My Podcast pick of the week

Techmeme Ride Home - if you don’t have time to read all the tech news this podcast (which if you’re in Asia is the “Techmeme Ride to Work) is 15 minutes with all the headlines you need with a touch of snark.

Next stops: NYC and Toronto

YC for Code Commerce and Toronto for Elevate. Reply to this email if you want to meet up or introduce me to someone.

...and finally my 5 Photos from my Camera Roll

Fireside chat in Israel with Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan.

The tallest building in Tel Aviv holds a co-workspace!

Holy Da Vinci Code! A day trip to Bethlehem and Jerusalem to see the past...

...and then in Tel Aviv to talk about the future!

At the MoPop Museum in Seattle hanging out with a childhood friend.

Thanks for reading - many new subscribers this issue (thanks, you can read back issues here), please forward this on to people that might like to skim it.

Your friend,

Casey

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