Are We in a Bubble? & Dot by New Computer is shutting down

Philipp Temmel -

My name is Philipp and you are reading Creativerly, the internet corner where I unpack my musings, curate and write about noteworthy apps and software, and explore the latest trends in design and tech.

This issue of Creativerly is sponsored by Popt, a fresh take on mobile note-taking: private, fast, fun, yet packing more smarts than meets the eye.

Hey and welcome to Creativerly 341 👋

The past couple of weeks at Creativerly were awesome, since I managed to publish two new deep dives, one about Popt, a lovely and smart iOS note-taking app that auto-tags contacts, places, and dates, making notes fast, fun, and effortless, and another one about Almus, a simple, AI-powered journaling app that helps you capture thoughts, uncover hidden patterns, and reflect with ease. And I would like to take the chance and say thank you for all the support on those two new posts. It warms my hear to read and see that there are so many of you enjoying this long-form content, especially since that is exactly the content I enjoy writing most. So, I guess this is a win-win situation. Lovely. At the same time, I do not want to overwhelm my readers by putting out new content every single week in addition to the weekly newsletter. Additionally, this also allows me to take my time with the long-form posts instead of rushing it.

Therefore, no new long-form post for this week, but I am already working on the next deep dive, as well as on the next part of the beloved series Tiny macOS utility apps I love, since it has been almost a year since I published the last part of that series.

In general, my writing dashboard is currently packed with loads of ideas I would like to write about. One reason for that is that I got back to reading more and taking notes, as well as trying out some new workflows, and a new app to turn information into inspiration, and seeding for creativity.

Other than that, enjoy this week's newsletter, packed with fresh news, and updates, lovely articles, and quick bits.

Rediscover iPhone notes on the go

Sponsored Message

Popt is a fresh take on mobile note-taking: private, fast, fun, yet packing more smarts than meets the eye. As you type, it quietly suggests tags for dates, contacts and places, never interrupting your flow. With one tap, your words become reminders, contact cards, maps and mentions that make your notes pop to life.

Try it today and help us shape the Popt of your dreams – no sign-up, no ads, and 100% free for early adopters.
Discover Popt

This is a paid promotions to support Creativerly. If you are interested in putting your tool, product, or resource in front of over 2000 creative minds, consider advertising in Creativerly and book a sponsor or classified ad spot. Find all the important information at creativerly.com/advertise.

Fresh Updates & News

Dot by New Computer is shutting down →

When I read about Dot and New Computer, a venture by Sam Whitmore and Jason Yuan launched in 2024, I got excited about it. The excitement got swept away though, when more information got released about the app, and it came to light that Dot will be an AI companion that aimed to be a friend and confidante. Co-founders Whitmore and Yuan shared how they shared their deepest struggles with Dot, which then provided shallow "advice" that could not have been more generic while using loads of unnecessary words, just like a kid in school reaching the mandatory word-limit for their next essay. Factoring in the steep pricing of $15 per month if I remember correctly, it was an easy "no thank you" for me.

Fast forward to today, and New Computer announced that Dot will shut down on October 5. The reason for that was that the Northstars as founders had diverged for Sam Whitmore and Jason Yuan. I am wondering whether the development of AI becoming more mainstream, and loads of emotionally vulnerable people have been led into delusional thinking by AI chatbots is the actual reason they decided to shut down. Especially since OpenAI is currently being sued by the parents of a teenager who took his life after messaging with ChatGPT about his suicidal thoughts.

What makes this whole situation from the New Computer point-of-view even more pathetic is that they stated on their website that Dot had hundreds of thousands users, while TechCrunch reported that according to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures, Dot only had 24.500 lifetime downloads on iOS since launching in June 2024, and that was the only operating system it was available on.

I mean.

Yeah.

WriteFreely ships v0.16 with a ton of improvements for the fediverse →

Write.as is a super easy way to share your writing on the web, as it gives you the possibility to create a journal, newsletter, or space for your thoughts. Behind write.as is the free and open source software called WriteFreely, which lets you host a blog on your own server, or start up a community for other to start blogging on. What makes WriteFreely such a powerful service is its open distribution, as you can reach readers using open web technologies, like browsers, RSS, and ActivityPub, integrating with the fediverse. The newest update, also had a great focus on improving the experience of interacting with the fediverse.

With WriteFreely v0.16 you are now able to see how many people have "liked" your post from the fediverse. If your blog has federation enabled, your readers in the fediverse can "like" your posts, and then they will show up on your account as a simple count on your blog post, only visible to you. This new update also improves how posts look across the fediverse, especially on microblogging platforms like Mastodon and Threads. Now these platforms will show an excerpt of your post along with a link to it. Additionally, WriteFreely now supports the fediverse creator tag, which will show another fediverse profile alongside your WriteFreely posts.

To get a glimpse at the full changelog, follow the above linked changelog notes.

Mental Wealth

❯ The product design talent crisis – “Airbnb, the paragon of a “design-led” company, is only hiring a single designer. The job requires more than a decade of experience. There are probably hundreds (possibly thousands) of applicants. The fact that a company known for its design culture is investing only at the top of its org chart is a flashing “check engine” light on the practice of product design.”

❯ Society needs hope – “Young people around the world are experiencing an unprecedented crisis of unhappiness and poor mental health. Many observers blame the expansion of social media that began in 2012-13, as well as the long-term negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social lives of the young, and no doubt those things have exacerbated the decline in mental health. But the causes of the current crisis run deeper. They have to do with the increasingly uncertain futures that the young face due to the changing nature of jobs and the more complex skill sets required to succeed in them; extreme political polarisation and misinformation; an erosion of global norms of peace and cooperation; the uncertainties posed by climate changes; and the decline in traditional civil society organisations – such as labour unions and church groups. Meanwhile, families play a bigger role in providing financial and social support in poor and middle-income countries than in rich ones, serving as a buffer in the face of this perfect storm of trends.”

❯ The Good, the Bad, and the Iffy: is there such a thing as an ethical designer? – “Designers from Pentagram, Koto, Creech, and more talk candidly about the murky waters of client selection, the logistics and risks of rejecting work on moral grounds, and how to keep afloat without losing your soul in today’s design climate.”

❯ Are We in a Bubble? – “Are we in a bubble? There is simply no way of knowing anymore. In the past, most valuations were tied to tangible assets — machines, property, inventory. The book value of such assets represented around 85% of all S&P 500 valuations as late as 1975. When value is tied to physical assets, it is easy to notice when stock prices stray too far from the assets they represent.”

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Appendix

❯ ICYMI

Tired of complex note-taking apps? Discover Popt, a smart, simple iOS app that auto-tags contacts, places, and dates, making notes fast, fun, and effortless. You should not have to worry about creating a bunch of backlinks, connections, numerous folders in order to get the most out of your note-taking practice. Note-taking should simple, plain, fast, smart, seamless, and fun. And with this post, I am excited to introduce you to a fresh new app that ticks all those boxes. Let us dive into my newest deep dive about Popt.

❯ Quick Bits

Thank you to the sponsor of this issue, Popt, a fresh take on mobile note-taking: private, fast, fun, yet packing more smarts than meets the eye.

Till next time! 👋‌‌‌‌

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