New Start PM

04/02/2025

I currently use Perplexity Pro for research and brainstorming, and it does a decent job, but I'm starting to recognize its limitations. I tried Sider.ai's Deep Research as a comparison, and my first impressions are positive.

**Prompt:**
Identify the most appropriate knee brace for synovial plica syndrome and explain why you chose that type of knee brace. Include instructions on how to ensure the correct fit including diagrams.

Note: Sider's free trial has a character limitation on prompt size.

**Perplexity Pro**

* Process:Briefly displayed its thought process before providing a response.
* Response:
* Included a recommendation for a specific knee brace.
* Provided a short, bulleted list justifying the recommendation.
* Offered bulleted fit instructions.
* Overall, the response was reasonable but lacked detailed information.
* Web Pages Scanned: 41
* Sources Cited: 6

**Sider Deep Research**

* Process: Asked relevant clarifying questions upfront. Displayed six paragraphs walking through its reasoning and sources, including why certain sources were deemed inappropriate. Reasoning steps were persistent and available for later review.
* Response:
* Provided a detailed explanation of synovial plica syndrome.
* Presented a multi-step reasoning process behind its knee brace recommendation.
* Included additional suggestions for managing the condition.
* The response was comprehensive, resembling a short book on the topic.
* Web Pages Scanned: 81
* Sources Cited: 12

**Recommendation Comparison**

* Both systems recommended different knee braces.
* Both recommendations are reasonable for the condition.

**Pricing**

* Pricing is comparable across both platforms for their advanced model and reasoning tiers.

**Conclusion**

Sider Deep Research appears to offer a more in-depth and comprehensive analysis, providing a more detailed rationale for its recommendation. Persistent reasoning and clarifying questions provide a more transparent and informative experience. I'll keep experimenting to see if it holds up for my use cases.

https://sider.ai/?landing

Sider, the most advanced AI assistant, helps you to chat, write, read, translate, explain, test to image with AI, including GPT-4o & GPT-4o mini, Gemini and Claude, on any webpage.

03/26/2025

In search of positive news, I found MIT Technology Review’s list of breakthrough climate technologies for 2025. They describe the list as "tech that’s either breaking into prominence or changing society."

If you're involved in green tech, please share your innovations in the comments. Let's celebrate the work together.

https://www.eweek.com/news/mit-breakthrough-tech-2025/

MIT’s 2025 Breakthrough Technologies list is out, but some game-changing innovations didn’t make the cut. Here’s what MIT left off and why it still matters.

03/19/2025

If you're doubling down on AI for customer support and your wait times are long... STOP!

I spent two and a half hours trying to get Microsoft to reset my account's authenticator token. It was set up on a phone I no longer have access to, and I need to set it up again on my new phone.

I waited in two separate chat queues. One made me wait for 90 minutes, answered, then went idle without engaging and disconnected the chat. The next one was a bot that sent me two incorrect links before telling me the equivalent of unplugging it and plugging it back in. The "resolution" was that they could not help me, but I could fill out a feedback form.

You better have excellent customer service if you start customers with a long wait time. Bots are not going to cut it.

I've known exceptional customer service representatives throughout my career. They are worth their weight in gold. In the age of AI, excellent customer service is a standout product differentiator.

03/12/2025

LinkedIn pulled a sneaky move.

I often switch my feed from most relevant to most recent because of the overwhelming number of sponsored posts and poorly disguised ads. A couple of weeks ago, when I tried to re-sort my feed to most recent, I noticed the feature was missing.

"As part of these improvements, we’ve removed the sort filter on desktop for some members, bringing the experience in line with the LinkedIn mobile app, where content is already organized by relevance and recency. This change is part of our ongoing effort to make your feed simpler and more streamlined."

Now, you have to dive into your settings to change how the feed is sorted.

But wait:

"If you are located outside of the European Economic Area and in the Most Recent feed view, you will see the updates most relevant to you in reverse chronological order."

If I change my settings, I will still receive the "most relevant" feed. What?!

Product teams, don't do this. This is, to put it nicely, gross.

03/05/2025

I originally shared Ken Norton's article "Zone of Genius and Flow" in October, and I believe it’s a good time to repost it. If you’re feeling burnt out, have recently been laid off, or have an opportunity to reevaluate your current path, I recommend trying his energy audit.

https://www.bringthedonuts.com/essays/flow-and-genius/

Only some challenges that come up against our talent and skill level can lead to a state of flow. Unfortunately, some tasks lead us in the other direction: burnout.

02/26/2025

Take a look at this article on a startup called Carbonzero.eco, founded by a 16-year-old named Harper Moss. They’re turning almond shells into biochar, which can sequester carbon for up to 1,000 years and improve soil quality. I’m new to the biochar discussion, but this sounds promising for regenerative farming and fighting climate change.

According to the article:
• Carbonzero.eco uses pyrolysis to convert agricultural waste into biochar
• They’re planning to produce 30,000 tons of biochar annually
• This could mitigate 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions
• The company raised $3.5 million in seed funding and has $7 million in contracts

Biochar's potential impact on agriculture is an area to watch. What are your thoughts?

https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/02/13/carbonzero-eco-regenerative-farming-startup

Carbonzero.eco is run by Harper Moss with a team of entrepreneurs and a scientist.

02/19/2025

As more people adopt generative AI to produce content, a feedback loop that worsens AI models' output could be created. I hadn't heard of model drift, but it makes sense.

This quote stood out for me:

Models that train on AI-generated data are subject to a problem called model collapse, wherein “indiscriminate use of model-generated content in training causes irreversible defects in the resulting models.”

https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/02/06/why-ai-models-might-degrade-over-time

Issues like data drift and increased hallucinations can arise as certain AI systems get more mileage on them.

02/12/2025

During the pandemic in 2020, we experienced significant supply chain disruptions, and we may face similar challenges in the future. What lessons did companies learn from the events of 2020 that are applicable today? How can businesses balance Just In Time inventory management with potential supply chain interruptions?

What changes did product leaders implement to increase process resilience?

02/05/2025

Many posts highlight LinkedIn's failure to fulfill its potential as a platform for professional connections. The algorithm often promotes AI-generated spam, and fake job postings are widespread.

In the spirit of discovering an oasis in the desert, what LinkedIn groups are you a part of that successfully foster community? Let's give those groups some well-deserved attention. Perhaps we can influence the algorithm.

01/29/2025

During my international travels, I've seen many former Olympic venues. Most of them are now relics and abandoned places. It's refreshing to see some recycling initiatives emerging from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/01/14/paris-olympics-wifi-french-post-offices

Orange, a French telecom company that provided the network for the 2024 Olympics, is refurbishing wi-fi terminals for La Poste.

01/22/2025

The severity of the California wildfires was the result of a combination of wind, drought, and low humidity. Additionally, a new factor is complicating the situation: electric vehicles. In the Los Angeles area, Tesla's market share is three times that of the rest of the country. Fires involving electric vehicles burn hotter and last longer, which complicates clean-up efforts due to the risk of exposure to toxic materials.

As we progress with climate-friendly technologies, it's essential to examine their impact on infrastructure and disaster recovery efforts. Manufacturers should collaborate with first responders to understand the effects on existing protocols and assist them in adapting to these challenges.

https://www.newsbreak.com/the-mirror-us-1900780/3765654275452-burnt-out-teslas-block-la-wildfire-victims-from-returning-to-homes-amid-cleanup-crisis

As Los Angeles-area residents prepare to return to neighborhoods evacuated during the wildfires of the past week, they’re encountering another issue

01/15/2025

Now that they've been available for a while, I'm curious if non-emergency medical transportation services like Lyft Healthcare and Uber Health are successful. While they sound like a great idea, I do not know anyone who has used or been offered this service.

What do you think? Is this a worthwhile product offering? How can these services be improved to help more people? Have you or someone you know used them for medical care?

Do you create software that integrates with these programs? What are some challenges you've experienced?