📚 Opportunity for AI formbots, New rules of media, Birdwatching in Colombia, Untold tales from Mughal history, Rubber stamps
Whatsapp as a cultural force, Right cooking oil, White Lotus, Love hotels
Hello, this is post #190.
If you're reading this, you have my respect. I'm currently on vacation with my extended family, soaking up the sun and sea in Goa. I'll be extending the break with a short trip to Hyderabad. If you have any recommendations for these places, do send them my way.
Today’s curation offers a truly global coverage – stories from Thailand, Colombia, India, Japan & more. Here take a quick look:
A lot to cover today, let’s not wait any more.
3… 2… 1… Let’s go
📝 Opportunity for AI Formbots
Despite the evolution of user interfaces across new form factors and interaction modes, one area has lagged behind: research surveys and forms. Whether it’s the paper forms handed out at restaurants with your bill or the online surveys from your favorite e-commerce site post-purchase, these forms remain frustratingly outdated and cumbersome.
Seth Godin envisions the opportunity for AI formbots to bring some radical change in this space. He suggests:
Leaving technology out of this for a moment, imagine what intake might be like if, instead a form, you were talking to a human who could make decisions based on what you said? If you’re applying for a visa to Spain, they wouldn’t ask you questions that are irrelevant to this fact over and over again. But they might ask if you’ve had a travel vaccine yet.
It’s a quick read and could spark some creative ideas in your next customer experience brainstorming session.
📺 New Rules of Media
Kyle Chayka shares the new rules of media as a collection of little axioms about how things work now in our micro-era of news influencers, video podcasts, and group newsletters.
A couple of noteworthy ideas:
5. Consumers tend to find a few trusted sources of facts and opinions and stick to them, then it’s hard to tear the consumers away. The sources could be podcasts or influencers or TikTok accounts or platforms. But when one sinks into decay or disappears completely there’s a chance to grab the formerly loyal consumers.
8. The most compelling publications or media brands are the ones that can throw the best parties, because it shows they can mobilize an IRL group of interesting people, who are then consumers and customers and clients. (See Feed Me, The Drift, Byline / The Drunken Canal cinematic universe.) Media brands increasingly work like fashion brands: Consumers have to want to wear them. If no one wants to come to your party, you’re doing it wrong.
Tiny insights on evolving consumers behaviour and new dynamics of media business.
By the way, this post also links to an intriguing listicle titled “The New Rules” — a guide to modern dating, partying, parenting, and more. It’s a long but fascinating read, packed with thought-provoking tips for navigating life today. Definitely worth a click if you’re in the mood for fresh perspectives!
(via Storythings)
🦜 Birdwatching in Colombia
My understanding of Colombia has mostly been shaped by TV shows about Pablo Escobar—stories where the country’s breathtaking beauty often fades into the background.
Recently, Vox shared a fascinating story about Colombia’s growing ecotourism around birdwatching (archived here). The country seems to be embracing this new wave and preparing for it in thoughtful ways. The article dives into how this shift happened - some fascinating stories there. The post, in itself, is a visual treat with all those photos of vibrant, beautiful birds.
What is it that makes some people so obsessed with birds? One explanation is that you can find them pretty much everywhere. That makes birdwatching easy to start and practice, no matter where you live. Birding can also connect you to a community. It tends to bring like-minded people together, both in person and through platforms like eBird and iNaturalist, where they can share their observations. Plus, it’s free and done outdoors, which is one reason why birding became so popular during the Covid-19 pandemic when people were avoiding crowded, indoor spaces.
There are the usual concerns about sustaining this as tourist numbers surge. The government has set up some guardrails, and local business owners seem to have a practical grasp of the situation.
Then there’s the most important guardrail: Birdwatching tourism doesn’t work if it’s not sustainable. Even if you put out fruit, the birds won’t come if they have no habitat — no forest, no wetland. Birding is not like going to the zoo, where you can always expect to see animals. It’s in the economic interest of the birdwatching industry to make sure ecosystems remain healthy.
“You can’t do this business without conserving,” Javier Rubio, who runs another birdwatching destination, called La Florida, at his property northwest of Cali. “If you don’t conserve, you put your future as a business at risk. If you start cutting down trees and damaging the forest, [the birds] will be left without food, which is the reason why they are here.”
Here's hoping this industry thrives and, in turn, helps preserve the environment and its beautiful ecosystem.
💬 Whatsapp as a Cultural Force
I’ve mostly used WhatsApp in the usual ways—chats and groups. When it comes to groups, they’re usually with people I know in real life. Only a handful, based on shared interests or hobbies, connect me with people I’ve only met online.
I still haven’t dived into the whole community aspect—it’s something I’ve missed so far.
This post by Rest of World explores how WhatsApp has become an unstoppable cultural force in many countries. From movie stars using it to build fandoms, to Indian aunties matchmaking and offering marriage advice, to teachers running classrooms—this simple app has been adopted in ways most of us couldn’t have imagined.
Part of the app’s appeal is its intimate feel. Users enjoy a unique measure of control on WhatsApp: It is easy to block contacts, mute other users, exit groups, and hide one’s online status. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp doesn’t display ads in personal chats nor bombard users with targeted suggestions.
It’s incredible how such a simple product has evolved to serve countless use cases—many of which its creators probably never imagined.
👑 Untold Tales from Mughal History
This year, I ventured into history as a new area of exploration and discovered some excellent resources. The Empire podcast provided an engaging listening experience and expanded my understanding of Indian history.
Lila Krishna’s The India House List offers fascinating stories from lesser-known aspects of Indian history from the last century.
Sam Dalrymple is a recent discovery. He is currently diving into the Mughal era. I recommend reading “The kingdom of winged men”. Here’s the premise for this post:
For almost two hundred years, from the mid-16th to mid-18th century, Almora was the capital of a Mughal vassal state known as the Chand kingdom. It was never directly ruled by the Emperors of Delhi, but as a vassal it was hugely impacted by the Empire, and Mughal art and architecture proved a major influence in the region.
The post is packed with fascinating anecdotes and stories. Sam’s breezy writing style makes it an enjoyable and engaging read.
Another standout piece that captured my attention was Alice Evans' "Can architecture reveal the spread of purdah?" Her deeply researched post spans a vast canvas—both geographically and historically—crafting a compelling narrative built on the evidence she’s gathered. It’s sprinkled with fascinating nuggets like this:
Perhaps most remarkable was Nur Jahan, Jahangir's favourite wife. Known for her marksmanship - reportedly killing two lions with a single shot - she wielded significant authority. She minted coins in her name, issued imperial orders, held jagirs (typically male-only land grants), distributed robes of honour to nobles, and received ceremonial drum salutes after the emperor. A skilled poet and patron of literature, she commissioned numerous architectural projects including pleasure gardens, a mosque in Kashmir, and serais (rest houses).
Long read, but worth your time!
(via MR Blog)
🉑 Intriguing Story of Rubber Stamps
This week brought a delightful surprise to my inbox—after a two-year hiatus, Inky Memo finally dropped a post! It was the usual stationery goodness, but with a fascinating twist and a sneak peek into a new blog entry - “The intriguing story of rubber stamps”.
Here's the teaser:
What connects rubber stamps and false teeth?
The rubber stamp has a macabre history, if not directly then by association. As with all human developments occurring in fits and bursts through strange coincidences, the rubber stamp was invented due to the fortuitous timing of the invention of anesthesia and the development of cheaper false teeth in the mid 1800s.
Exciting! Isn’t it? I clicked immediately and wasn’t disappointed. From Charles Goodyear’s vulcanized rubber to artificial dentures and eventually rubber stamps, the connections are brilliantly woven.
On a related note, I’m on the hunt for a custom stamp design for “Stay Curious”. If you know an artist or store that could create something unique and beautiful, I’d love your suggestions!
🫕 How to Choose Right Cooking Oil
The Whole Truth Blog recently shared an eye-opening post on choosing the right cooking oil. Back in the day, we had just a few options, so the choice was simple. But now, with global ingredients and endless social media recommendations, it’s overwhelming. Every other post loudly claims one oil is the ultimate solution, leaving us to sort through the noise.
This blog takes a deep dive into oils, offering solid scientific insights, practical tips, and a heads-up about misleading marketing. It’s packed with information but avoids sounding preachy or salesy. A useful read for anyone curious about their ingredients—or share it with someone who cares!
Here’s a quick summary:
(via Sunday Snippets by Sarthak Ahuja)
✨ Everything else
White Lotus is blooming in Thailand this season. The last two seasons were wild, almost strange, but the music was amazing—I had it on repeat for weeks. I’m curious to see what they’ve got in store this time! (via Kottke)
Dinosaurs, UFOs and fairytale castles: A travel diary of Japan’s roadside love hotels. Some more photos on François Prost’s website.
And now, Nigel Richards has won the Spanish Scrabble championship (Archived here). And like he did in the French version, he did it without speaking the language. Seth Godin’s post on Bongo last week had mentioned about how some games have design flaws that can skew its gameplay like this in favor of a selected set of players. Nigel has shown it time & again now.
Vincenzo Pagliuca traverses the Apennines in search of singular and solitary houses. Looks like these are an outcome of financial incentives offered to move to some small communities in rural Italy.
ICYMI…
Warren Buffet on succession planning, 24 Hours on the NYC subway! Neighborhood calendar challenge and The big wait are my favorite from last week and I highly recommend checking them out in case you’ve not yet done.
That's all for this week, folks!
I hope I've earned the privilege of your time.
If you liked this post, please hit the ❤️ below and leave a comment to tell me more. Forward it to a friend who will find it useful, there is no better way to make this world more curious!
This person makes custom stamps. Haven’t got one personally but have been following her for quite long.
Insta is cute too - https://www.instagram.com/ko.necessity?igsh=MWhoODN0MHFiMjJ2OA==
https://www.konecessity.com/