Issue 002 | Higher Rates, AI Anxiety & Smart Glasses

The gist: The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point last week, bringing its target range to 3.75%–4.00%.

The reason? Inflation is still proving stubborn. Fed officials expect their preferred measure of inflation to end the year at 3.7%, still well above their 2% target.

That means interest rates could stay elevated for a while longer, despite earlier hopes that borrowing costs would be coming down by now.

Why it matters: Interest rates quietly work their way into almost everything: mortgages, car loans, credit cards, business borrowing and even what you earn on your savings. The message from the Fed is that getting inflation back under control may still require keeping borrowing costs elevated.

Go deeper: Federal Reserve, September 16 policy decision

The gist: The AI boom isn't slowing down, but public enthusiasm isn't exactly keeping pace.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Americans are concerned AI companies aren't doing enough to prevent potentially catastrophic consequences from the technology. Fifty-five percent said they support slowing AI development, while 73% said developing AI safely and responsibly should take priority over staying ahead of other countries.

More broadly, 39% now say AI is having a negative effect on society, compared with just 11% who say its effect is positive.

Why it matters: AI is becoming part of everyday life faster than the rules around it are being settled. The gap between how quickly companies are developing the technology and how comfortable the public feels about that development could shape everything from regulation to how AI products are built and introduced.

Go deeper: Reuters/Ipsos, September 22

The gist: Snap is betting that the future of computing won't require looking down at a screen.

Its new SPECS are see-through augmented-reality glasses designed to put digital information directly into the world around you. They can display virtual screens, connect to a computer, work with Bluetooth keyboards and run augmented-reality experiences for things like navigation, translation, entertainment and work.

Snap has also introduced SPECS Intelligence, an AI service designed to use context from the apps and tools you choose to connect and surface useful information before you ask for it.

The catch? SPECS cost US$2,195. They're expected to begin shipping this fall in the US, UK and France, so this is still very much early-adopter territory.

Why it matters: Tech companies have spent years trying to figure out what comes after the smartphone. If devices like these eventually become smaller, cheaper and genuinely useful, the next major shift in computing may be less about the screen in your hand and more about putting information directly into your field of view.

Go deeper: Snap SPECS

Perspicacious per-spi-KAY-shus | adjective

Quick to notice, understand or figure things out, especially when something isn't immediately obvious.

In a sentence: “Her perspicacious questions got straight to the heart of the problem.”

Why it's worth knowing: It's a more interesting way to describe someone who's perceptive or particularly good at reading a situation.

And yes, it's a compliment. A pretty good one, actually.

There’s an interesting distinction between the two.

When you ask someone for feedback, you’re asking them to evaluate what you’ve already done. That tends to focus attention on what worked, what didn’t, and what’s wrong with it.

Ask for advice, and you shift the question toward what you could do next.

So instead of:

“Can you give me feedback on this presentation?”

Try:

“What would you change to make this presentation stronger?”

Research has found that people asked to give advice tend to provide more actionable, improvement-focused input than people asked to give feedback.

Same person. Same work. Slightly different question. Potentially much better answer.

COPY AND PASTE:

I'm going to give you a topic, object or everyday situation that seems ordinary.

Help me see it differently.

Give me:
- Three surprising questions I could ask about it.
- One historical, scientific or cultural connection worth exploring.
- One interesting fact, with a credible source I can check.

A short explanation I could share in conversation without sounding like I'm giving a lecture.

Keep it curious, accessible and specific. Don't invent facts or sources.

My topic is: [INSERT ANYTHING].

One thing you didn’t know you wanted to know.

Why do we say “OK”?

It's two letters we use constantly, but the origin is surprisingly specific.

A widely accepted explanation traces “OK” to an American newspaper fad in the late 1830s, when people jokingly abbreviated deliberately misspelled phrases.

“OK” stood for “oll korrect,” a playful misspelling of “all correct.”

The expression gained wider attention during Martin Van Buren's 1840 presidential campaign. His nickname, Old Kinderhook, gave supporters another reason to use the initials.

The spelling joke faded. The abbreviation stuck.

Now it's one of those tiny pieces of language that feels like it's always existed.

Your conversation starter: What's a word or phrase you use constantly but have never thought to question?

Go deeper: The Hilarious History of “OK” — Merriam-Webster