Weekend Briefing No. 588
Important Questions -- Green Steel -- Your AI Radiologist Will Not Be Seeing You
Welcome to the weekend.
Prime Numbers
42 — The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reported that the U.S. led global disaster displacement with 11 million people displaced last year (out of 46 million worldwide), with cyclones causing over half of all displacements and flooding accounting for 42% of cases.
40 — In a study of parental gender bias, school principals were 40% more likely to contact mothers than fathers when responding to school inquiries and still called mothers 12% of the time even when fathers explicitly stated they were more available.
15 — Suez Canal revenue plummeted from $2.4 billion to $880.9 million year-over-year as ships rerouted around Africa due to regional tensions, prompting authorities to offer a 15% discount on transit fees for large container ships.
Important Questions
Morgan Housel, one of my favorite writers, recently posted a list of important questions. Here are some of my favorites: 1) If I could not compare myself to anyone else, how would I define a good life? 2) How many of my principles are cultural fads? 3) What question am I afraid to ask because I suspect I know the answer? 4) How do I know if I’m being patient (a skill) or stubborn (a flaw)? 5) Which future memory am I creating right now, and will I be proud to own it? Collab Fund (5 minutes)
Green Steel
What if the famously dirty steel industry could suddenly operate with virtually zero emissions? Named one of MIT Technology Review's 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025, Sweden's revolutionary Stegra startup has quietly raised a staggering $7 billion to reimagine steelmaking by using hydrogen created from renewable electricity instead of coal-fired blast furnaces, potentially eliminating the industry's massive 8% contribution to global carbon emissions. Instead of the traditional method that produces two tons of CO2 per ton of steel, Stegra will split water through electrolysis powered by clean wind and hydro electricity, creating a chemical reaction with iron ore that generates almost no emissions whatsoever. While the plant's initial 4.5 million metric ton output represents just a fraction of global steel production, its 2026 launch will prove that premium-priced green steel is technically feasible and commercially viable, potentially sparking similar facilities worldwide as industrial decarbonization accelerates. MIT Technology Review (2 minutes)
4200%: The ROI of Newsletters
For every $1 spent on email marketing, companies generate $42. Email is (still) one of the highest return on investment channels to reach your audience. Yet, it’s never been harder to stand out in the inbox. The companies that get the highest ROI don’t just sell products and promote themselves — they build long-term, human relationships with insightful editorial newsletters. With a few simple changes, you can turn your newsletter into an unfair advantage. See how your newsletter stacks up with this Newsletter Health Check: 10 Critical Areas to Optimize. Future Forest (Sponsored)
Your AI Radiologist Will Not Be Seeing You
Fears of artificial intelligence replacing radiologists reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of medical reality and the complementary nature of human-machine collaboration. Mayo Clinic radiologists now employ AI to sharpen images, automate tedious tasks, identify abnormalities, and predict disease — effectively giving them a powerful "second set of eyes." While AI excels at specific tasks like measuring kidney volume or detecting blood clots, radiologists continue to provide crucial human expertise through patient consultations, complex interpretations, and collaborative medical decision-making. With over 250 AI models deployed across their system, Mayo's radiology department has grown 55% since 2016, proving that technological advancement is enhancing medical careers rather than eliminating them. New York Times (9 minutes)
Crowdsourced Transit
What if commuters — not transit authorities — controlled bus routes through a simple vote that could launch service in just three days? Shanghai's revolutionary "DZ" system upends traditional transportation planning by letting residents propose routes through a city-run platform where others can opt in or vote until reaching the threshold of 15-20 passengers per trip needed for activation. These customized routes serve diverse needs — from school drop-offs to hospital visits — while collecting market-rate fares and carrying substantial passenger loads (up to 260 daily riders on popular lines). With 220+ routes already operating across all districts, this democratic approach to transit demonstrates how crowd-sourcing can dramatically improve urban mobility by matching services directly to demand, though challenges remain in evening out passenger flows and raising public awareness. Sixth Tone (2 minutes)
NYC Congestion Pricing May Be Working
Contrary to skeptics, New York's congestion pricing has delivered remarkably swift and measurable benefits just months after implementation. The $9 toll for entering lower Manhattan has reduced vehicle entries by 76,000 daily while increasing speeds by 15%, with even greater improvements during rush hours when traffic once crawled at its slowest. This transportation revolution isn't merely shifting congestion elsewhere — speeds have improved system-wide while transit ridership jumped across all modes, with particularly strong growth in bus usage (+13%) as reliability improved dramatically. Beyond faster commutes, the city now experiences fewer crashes (-14%), less honking, faster emergency responses, and more on-time school buses, suggesting that sometimes the most effective policy solutions deliver benefits almost immediately. The Upshot (11 minutes)
Wallace & Gromit’s Breakfast Machine
Could Wallace & Gromit's wildly impractical breakfast contraption actually work in the real world? One determined engineer brought this beloved animation sequence to life through remarkable ingenuity and precision timing. The recreation begins with the creator dramatically falling out of bed directly into a waiting pair of trousers before landing perfectly seated in a chair, followed by automated sleeves and vest placement in faithful homage to the original. Most impressively, he mastered what he called "probably the hardest part of all" — the physics-defying feat of launching a spoonful of jam through the air to intersect perfectly with toast mid-flight after ejection from a toaster. Through countless attempts and calibrations, this passion project transforms whimsical cartoon physics into astonishing reality, delighting fans with its "cracking toast" finale that would make Wallace himself proud. Joseph’s Machines (2 minutes)
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
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Weekend Wisdom
The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. — Epictetus