Tree or dinosaur?
July 3, 2024
Early this year, while learning Power Automate, I created a recurring flow to send an email every afternoon with a random motivational quote that also gives me some language practice.
A chatbot helped me gather a collection of foreign-language quotes, including attribution and translations. The result was about 150 quotes in German ("Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt"), Spanish ("La vida es un tango"), Italian ("L'amicizia è una nave che non teme tempeste"), and French aphorisms ("Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera") from across the Francophone world.
One of those motivational quotes came to mind while listening to an "Investing in AI" panel at the Dent The Future AI Startup Showcase, featuring Yifan Zhang, Managing Director at AI2 Incubator, and Matt Shobe, a seasoned entrepreneur and investor. The panelists described what they look for in a venture capital investment:
Vertical solutions, not horizontal tooling.
Overlooked industries -- dull, dry, and/or dangerous.
Founders obsessed with the opportunity.
AI in the mix, but not the entire thing. (No "wrappers" on out-of-the-box AI.)
Above it all was the idea of survivability: Will the prospective investment get crushed by the "dinosaur feet" of Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft?
That very day, I had received my daily motivational email with the Guadeloupean proverb: "Les grands arbres donnent de l'ombre aux petits." The big trees give shade to the small ones.
It was just six months after starting my journey back to being a programmer, and there I was, at the UW Global Innovation Exchange, located at the Steve Ballmer Building in Bellevue's Spring District, adjacent to a Meta campus, mingling with the movers and the shakers.
In a city without so many big trees, would I have come as far in so short a time?
I was going to raise my hand and say something like: "You mentioned the dinosaur feet of the big tech companies, but we should also take a moment to appreciate the vibrant ecosystems that they create."
Then I'd have quoted the Guadeloupean proverb before closing with: "You see dinosaur feet. I see gently swaying branches."
The big trees give shade to the small ones.
What a beautiful thought. But wait a second, that doesn't make any sense. The small trees don't want shade. They want sun, and the big trees block them.
I let the moment pass, wondering about life in Guadeloupe.
Later, I looked up the quote. It doesn't exist. (Until now.)
It was an AI chatbot hallucination. Just like most of my 150 quotes, several of which I've already committed to memory.
It's like what Federico Garcia Lorca(*) once said: "Lo que no se vive se sueña."
*nope
Release Notes
Following up on last week's adventures in timekeeping, I wrote a Python program that generates business cards, each with a different QR Code on it.
Instead of printing 500 copies of the same business card, I'll have 500 different business cards, each with a QR Code that resolves to a dynamically generated webpage. That means I can pick the most appropriate card category for the situation. And I can even change the link destination after I've handed out the card.
Do you want cards of your own pointing to wherever you like? Let me know. I'll need beta testers soon enough. (This offer is open to current newsletter subscribers only.)
Next week I'll be attending Bloomberg Green Festival Seattle (July 10-13, 2024), where I'll be sharing cards that link to recommended itineraries in Seattle Center and Convention City, along with music recommendations for the Day In Day Out festival that same weekend (July 12-14, 2024).
Hope to see you there!
spot the difference