Amazing Amazon -- June 14, 2024

Locator: 47855AMAZON.

Updates

June 15, 2024: Amazon's AWS, link here.

Original Post 

I'm visiting and staying with our younger daughter in Portland, OR, for a few days. I needed a couple of items (handkerchiefs and instant coffee) and simply ordered them from Amazon yesterday; they arrived today. With Amazon Prime, no minimum order. 

Absolutely amazing.

At home, our shopping list is getting shorter and shorter. As soon as my wife mentions we need something -- just before I left, it was Bounty, the better-picker-upper -- or as soon as I realize I need something, I don't put it on the shopping list if I can order it from Amazon. 

My wife thanked me a couple of days ago when a year's supply of Bounty paper towels arrived at the door. Just kidding -- not a year's supply but a whole lot more than I would have bought at the local Walmart had I gone simply because it's a pain to carry so many rolls of paper towels.

Absolutely amazing. 

I honestly don't know why "everyone" doesn't have Amazon. One doesn't have to subscribe / pay for Amazon Prime to get free shipping. 

***********************
Amazon Prime Video

Speaking of Amazon. 

Link here.

We have Amazon Prime and we love Amazon Prime Video -- which is "free" with Amazon Prime.

From the linked article:

The streaming ad market was upended earlier this year when Amazon converted its entire Prime Video subscriber base to a new ad-supported version, giving customers a chance to switch back to ad-free streaming for an extra $2.99 a month.

Prime Video’s large ad-supported subscriber base means it has a significant amount of ad inventory that is affecting the negotiations that Netflix, YouTube, TV networks and other streamers are having with advertisers as they commit to buying billions of dollars in commercial time for the coming TV season—a process known as the “upfronts.”

The e-commerce company is driving down ad prices for everyone, analysts and ad buyers said.

I gladly pay the $2.99 / month. It was a no-brainer. One cup of Starbucks.

Amazon is amazing.

Someday, it will be interesting to read how Amazon prices "buy" and "rent" videos. It must be absolutely fascinating.

***********************
EVs -- Can You Afford The Insurance?

Link here.

From the linked article:

In the U.S., the average severity of a claim for a repairable EV was $6,066 in the first quarter, nearly 30% higher than for internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles, according to Mitchell, which provides software and data to auto insurers and the collision-repair industry.

Car-rental agency Hertz , which in 2021 announced its plan to buy 100,000 Teslas, sending both its stock and that of the automaker higher on the news, has reversed course this year.

The company cited the “damage expense associated with EVs” in its January decision to sell a third of its EV fleet.

Part of that cost can be the greater work involved: over three mechanical labor hours on average for a repairable EV claim estimate, versus less than two for ICE vehicles, according to Mitchell data. Mechanics sometimes have to de-energize electric vehicles before removing their high-voltage batteries to avoid damaging them during repairs, Mitchell said.

There may be behavioral driving changes, too. EVs naturally have more torque, which means that their electric motors can instantly deliver power to the transmission. Some insurers worry that faster acceleration from traffic lights could lead to more accidents, though some reviews have also found that EVs are less frequently involved in insurance claims.

***************************
Sports

NHL Stanley Cup: Florida one game from the Cup and a sweep.

NBA championships: Dallas finally wins one, 122 - 84, and now it's onto game 5.

PGA US Open: holy mackerel, Scottie Scheffler barely made the cut; +5. Bryson is in second place along with two others; Rory in fifth place, tied with two others. The leader is at -5, meaning Scottie is ten strokes behind the leader. Scottie's first round, one over; his second round was atrocious. Not one birdie, but two bogies and one double-bogie. I guess it's tough when the LIV folks (Bryson) come to play.

************************
That "Bump Stock" Ruling

I hate the ruling -- the US Supreme Court's ruling -- but now that I've read The WJS op-ed on the ruling, I feel much more comfortable.

As should everyone, on either side of the issue, who can read at the 8th grade level or greater.

Interestingly, it took Judge Alito to explain the court's reasoning. Something I've been saying for years, on many issues, not just gun issues.

***********************
Duolingo

Link here.

In October, I'll have completed four years of Duolingo/Spanish without missing one day, if things continue the way they have been. As is it, three-years-+ streak of Duolingo. 

And the writer of the linked article has it exactly right:

From the linked article:

So why are you always opening the ones from Duolingo? 

It’s not just because you’re intrinsically motivated. It’s mostly because behind that cartoon owl named Duo is a large team of engineers, researchers, strategists and product managers giving you that extra push. 

The best way to learn a language is getting in the habit of daily practice, and the best way to form that habit is getting a well-timed nudge, which makes streaks and notifications essential to Duolingo’s surprising business success.

I wrote an entire book about the power of streaks, but I’ve never come across an example of streaks as powerful as Duolingo.

Humans are so wired to look for streaks that we see them even where they may not exist. Duolingo takes our propensity for streaks and turns it into a motivational tactic. It turns out people are willing to do all sorts of peculiar stuff if they have the incentive of a streak—like sneaking out of a bar right before midnight to speak a few minutes of Japanese.

The longest active Duolingo streak is now longer than 4,100 days. The only thing more impressive than a few people using the app every day for more than a decade is that five million people have streaks of a year. In fact, the company says that more than 70% of the product’s more than 30 million daily active users have weeklong streaks.

Those numbers are especially notable because of Duolingo’s competition: everything you can do on a phone that doesn’t require verb conjugation. 

That is absolutely true. I absolutely obsess about keeping my streak. I go to Duolingo at least two times more than I need to each day just to ensure I keep my streak. You only have to go to Duolingo once each day to keep your streak alive, so I hit the site at least three times daily. One can finish a Duolingo lesson in less than five minutes. I often get a Duolingo lesson completed standing in line at my least favorite standing-in-line-store: Target.

By the way, the only "non-tech" app / site Tim Cook mentioned in the WWDC keynote presentation was Duolingo. Pretty impressive. Not Babel. Not Rosetta Stone. Not any others.