The Weekend Wind-Down #33 - October 13, 2024

Happy Sunday! Here's this week's list.

Best marketing tool I've been using this week

I've used several transcription and AI video editing tools, but after subscribing to Descript this week I found that it far surpasses anything else I've tried. Although I've done some video editing in Premiere Pro for personal and professional projects, I never have gotten competent enough to feel comfortable doing a lot with it. Things like text, resizing, and adding subtitles have always been a ton of work and not very intuitive or flexible. This new generation of tools makes all of that a breeze. There are still some flaws in the AI transcription, like incorrect punctuation, capitalization, and spelling of names, but it is still a huge time saver. It feels very similar to how Canva does things vs. Photoshop/Illustrator; more intuitive, with better UI, and easier to create things without being an expert.

What I experienced being on a podcast this week

This week I was thrilled to be a guest on "Dad Dialogue ", a podcast for fathers to support and learn from each other and their parenting experiences. The creator, Laurence Chinery, used to live in Hong Kong before moving to the Netherlands and becoming a stay-at-home father to his two boys. It was great to discuss some common shared experiences like the anxiety of watching your wife get ready to give birth, bonding with other fathers, watching them grow so quickly, and much more. One area we spent quite a bit of time talking about was confinement nannies and domestic helpers, something very common in many countries across Asia, but not the rest of the world. I find this to be a touchy subject to talk about as the idea of having a live-in helper was very foreign to me and has taken me a long time to start to get used to. On the surface, it feels very extravagant, no one I knew growing up had live-in help or even part-time cleaners. But it is the reality of how things work here. Overall I feel it is beneficial; for parents who want to keep working and progressing in their careers, which might not be able to happen if there wasn't extra help, and for the kids who have another caregiver they love and are close to and not needing to go to daycare at a very early age, and the workers who are able to earn more than they could in their home country and save money and support their families. The episode will be out in a couple of weeks, but the podcast is well worth checking out if you want to hear from other fathers around the world.

What I watched this weekend

The new Korean Netflix hit "Culinary Class Wars " is the number one watched show in Singapore today, and for good reason. Formatted in the style of "The Physical 100" this show takes the exciting competition elements and moves them into a cooking battle. We get to learn more about some of the most famous and up-and-coming chefs in Korea as they compete in various challenges. Once again, the Korean style and culture shine through, as the contestants are highly competitive but still respectful. None of the yelling, insults, or over-the-top behaviors are present, which makes the show much more enjoyable to watch. The cooking skills and food displayed are amazing as well, no wonder this show is so popular!

What I learned from an interview with a CEO this week

I helped support an interview with the CEO of a well-known software company this week, which was a fantastic experience. What impressed me most, was not just the content of the interview, but the CEO's attitude and demeanor during the process. He was here on a trip from the US, and I'm sure had a packed schedule filled with events, internal and external meetings, and much more. But he was extremely gracious and not rushed at all, he took the time to say hello to all of the crew, chat with the interviewer, and snap photos afterward. He was super humble and down to earth, dressed in jeans, and if you walked by him on the street, you would have no idea he leads one of the biggest tech companies in the world. It was great to see that he doesn't take himself too seriously and is still down-to-earth. I'll share the interview when it's out!

AI news in Singapore this week

OpenAI announced that it will open an office in Singapore later this year! This will be their second office in Asia and will serve as a hub in the region. They have already started hiring here and will build their team out to around 10 people. They also will hold the first developer day in Singapore on November 21. They also shared that Singapore is among the highest per capita users worldwide, and weekly average users have doubled since the beginning of this year. This is fantastic news for Singapore and the tech industry here, as Sam Altman emphasized they will seek to partner with the local AI ecosystem.

That's all for this week, have a great rest of your weekend!

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