- Yemi's Newsletter
- Posts
- I've got some EXCEL-lent News - which may involve iPhones and Pythons š± š
I've got some EXCEL-lent News - which may involve iPhones and Pythons š± š
Don't be scared...
So hereās whatās been happening
Weāre getting new iPhones on Tuesday!
Apple
Apple just announced their annual September Keynote event where we are expected to see the launch of the new iPhone 15 lineup of mobile devices (or whatever they decide to call it). The keynote is next week Tuesday 12th September at 6:00 PM GMT / 10:00 AM PT
One big change that has been rumoured is the implementation of a USB-C port across the new iPhone lineup. According to long-time Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, If this is done, it is expected to be implemented either through the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt protocol which should translate to quicker file transfer speeds via a wired connection, wider compatibility with even more peripheral devices (USB storage devices, microphones, etc) as well as faster charging speeds.
(6/7)
I predict that 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max will support at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3. This spec upgrade means the wired transfer and video output user experience will significantly improve.ā éęé¤ (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo)
1:24 AM ā¢ Nov 17, 2022
Other than new iPhones, weāre expected to see a few new devices too:
AIrpods ā We may get refreshed Airpods with USB-C ports in the cases as well as potentially new AirPods Max as these are long overdue for an update.
Apple Watch ā These should also get an incremental update, so potentially new colourways for the Ultra model and a few other bits.
Vision Pro ā Earlier in the year Apple announced their long-awaited spatial computing headset and hopefully we should see some more updates to it and deeper insights into other use cases for the device.
You can stream the Keynote on the Apple Website or on their YouTube channel
Apparently, paper straws are now a āno-no ā - really sucks doesnāt it?
Donāt use plastic straws they said. They are bad for the environment they said. (this is true by the way) New research found that the alternative paper straws arenāt all that better either.
The researchers found evidence of PFAS or āforever chemicalsā in straws made with plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo.
Yemi WTH is a PFAS?
So PFAS is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (quite the mouth full huh?) Itās essentially a blanket term for a group of chemicals that can last for ages and as such take their sweet time to break down in the environment; so they definitely donāt belong in our bodies.
PFAS has been linked to:
Certain types of cancers such as kidney, testicular and prostate
Weakened immune system
Decreased fertility
Developmental delays/issues in children
The list goes on
You may find them in certain types of cookware, food packaging such as single-use plastics, cleaning products and more.
Researchers from Belgiumās University of Antwerp examined about 39 different brands of straws made from different materials ranging from plastic, paper, glass, stainless steel and bamboo. In total, eighteen different PFAS were detected, the most common being perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which interestingly enough was banned globally in 2020. They found 69% of them contained PFAS, with paper straws coming out on top with a staggering 90% of those paper straws with the highest concentration versus 75% with their plastic counterparts. With the exception of stainless steel, all the other materials were found to contain traces.
It is believed that manufacturers use these substances in straws to make them more water-repellant, however, they could also be introduced through raw materials.
I feel like we really canāt win at this point as this really does feel like a āchoose the lesser evilā situation trying to do our part to preserve the planet and ourselves. Hopefully, we get better solutions in the near future.
You can now write Python code directly in Excel
Yup, you read that right and you donāt have to install Python to get it to work.
This is a result of a collaboration between Microsoft and Anaconda. This is super exciting news for Excel users as it now gives you the superpowers data scientists and developers had. Imagine being able to create complex visualisations using Matplotlib and Seaborn or even perform statistical analysis with statsmodels and pandas all within your spreadsheets.
Excel is such a familiar application to millions worldwide, so introducing this new feature should help make it even easier for people to get into data with tools they are already used to.
You can learn more about how it works from the official blog post.
Itās not out for Mac just yet, but If youāre a Windows user, you can sign up here to try it out for yourself.
Titbits
Bluesky is a new social media platform supported by ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey thatās (interestingly enough) a similar concept to Twitter/X. Itās still in the invite-only phase and Iāve finally got a few extra invite codes available if anyone wants to give it a go:
bsky-social-5tg2g-6fkqn
bsky-social-a6puw-lpr5o
bsky-social-mbrea-qd5q2
bsky-social-6g6rs-4jnen
āØ Interesting Opportunities
The Aurora Tech Award for Women Tech Founders - Application Deadline: 1st December 2023
UN WFP Digital Green Innovation Acceleration Programme (DGIx) - Application Deadline: 24th September 2023 11:59 pm (CET)
UNCCD Land Heroes Campaign Program - Application Deadline: 15th October 2023
The Happy Noisemaker Prize for Storytelling - Application Deadline: 15th September
African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC) - Application Deadline: 19th September 2023 11:59 PM EAT.
Canon Redline Challenge - Application Deadline: 16th September 2023, 23:59 PM
S+T+ARTS Artist In Residence - Application Deadline: 22 September 2023, 17:00 CEST
START4AFRICA Residencies - Call for Hosts - Application Deadline: 13 September 2023, 23:59 GMT+1
Echo Academy Open Call For Fashion Designers - Application Deadline: 8th September 2023
Open Call: Bibliothek Andreas ZĆ¼st Studio Residency - Application Deadline: 24th September 2023
Open Call: International Human Rights Art Festival - Application Deadline: 1st October 2023
UNICEF Funding Opportunity for Health Tech Startups - Application Deadline: 20th October 2023
OneBeat 13&14 Music Program - Application Deadline: 13th September 2023, 11:59 PM EDT
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program
š§ Iām Currently listening toā¦
Thatās it for today gang. See you in the next one!
Reply