Apps, Authors, Products, Podcasts...
… and other things I am loving at the moment.
I had the idea to start writing about more frivolous stuff when I read a blog recently, written by a prolific ‘substack-er’, detailing the consumer products/services that give them the most utility. It was niche, but it made me think about the stuff I use daily, weekly… ritually. And it made me realise that we should spend more time thinking about what we use, how we use it and why. The point of this blog is to celebrate the stuff that people have built, rolled out, and is subsequently changing the way we do things.
Quick Note: I would also say that recently my wife and I agreed not to buy as much stuff online, partly because we wanted to do more to support independent retailers that are more likely to be found on high streets, but also because buying stuff online often meant getting something that was either the wrong size or wrong all together. So can I start by saying… stop shopping online!
In no particular order, these are some of the things I am loving at the moment:
Monzo -
So the challenger bank has been around for a while. Some people are turned off by the goping orange/pink debit cards, and the slightly ‘cheesy’ name. It used to have the feel of a payment card or a banking service for teenagers. HOWEVER … its becoming increasingly sophisticated, with savings, investment, and pension products. It has a super interface that allows you to connect multiple bank accounts. Payments are easier to make. And it has the ‘trends’ feature which tracks day-to-day spending. I can’t imagine Barclays offering it’s customers pots, perks and spending trends (more on this below). I have used the bank since 2018, and where it started as a joint account for me and Mrs S… now we use it for loads more. I frankly find it much easier and more helpful, managing income and outgoings for me and my family. Monzo as a business is also becoming massively profitable, and has nearly £12bn in deposits. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go on to offer insurance products next… (that is a market desperately in need of disruption). So watch this space!
Substack -
You will have heard of Substack if you are reading this blog, so I’ll save some time glossing over what it is. I’ll just say this… commentators and columnists do not have a stranglehold over commentary anymore. There is a lot of second rate opinions out there, but there are also lots of good ones on niche subjects that Substack has effectively provided a platform for. If you want to read about civil service wastage (see here) and public administration (see here), venture capital (see here) or business more broadly (see here), football (see here) or fashion (see here) you will find a substack-er with a passion that will cater to your interests. The platform has effectively democratised content, and as someone wrote recently… it’s OnlyFans for people with PhDs.
Pivot Podcast -
So I found these guys relatively recently during a trip to the US. Journalist Kara Swisher and ‘bro-fluencer’ Professor Scott Gallaway dissect US political, technology and business news in a way that is both interesting and amusing. I cannot stand left-wing podcasts that are sanctimonious, and this one sails close to the wind (both are avidly anti-Trump, anti-Musk, and generally quite progressive in outlook), but they have style and panache… and a disregard for woke political correctness, that means they get away with it. The chemistry between the two is undeniable… it’s always the case with good podcasts, you have to have a duet that chime. On substance, they are good at breaking down business trends, certainly in new-ish industries. It’s interesting if you want to hear opinions on whether Tesla stock is over-valued, or why DOGE wont work, or on whether Paramount studio will go bust.
Trello -
For people with lots of balls in the air - work, family, life, hobbies etc - having a single point of reference where you can keep track and organise your life is very useful. I have used Microsoft Tasks in the past, and it is good, but Trello is slightly more sophisticated and allows you to keep track of projects, sub-projects, jobs and tasks across a wide array of areas. For instance, it helps me keep track of stuff going on at work - who needs to be written to, what meetings I have to prepare for - as well as letting me list and track things I need to do at home - people I need to contact, blogs I want to write! Admittedly I have never used Monday.com, or some of the other ‘productivity’ task management software’s out there… but Trello seems the most price competitive and easiest to use.
YouTube (Kids) -
Ok so this one is slightly specific for those who have small children. Firstly, let me place my flag in the ground… screens and TV are an essential part of parenting. We all know the research showing kids that are over-exposed to screens, games and tv at a young age may struggle in school later on. But the clue is in the sentence… OVER-exposed… its perfectly acceptable in my opinion to use TV/screens (and great services like YouTube Kids) to keep the children quiet and happy at points in the day when the parents need to clean-up, cook, take a work call, or just wind the day down! Parents who do not do this... are not doing themselves or their kids any special favours (IMHO!). For that reason… I cannot speak highly enough of YouTube Kids at the moment. I am a big YouTube fan anyway, but the Kids offer is great for 20-30 minute segments of entertainment. Netflix has a great kids section… but it’s not as broad and anything you can find on Netflix, you can get on YouTube without paying the subscription fee.
Steve Coll Books -
I first read Steve Coll’s book Directorate S a couple of years ago, I then read his first big hit Ghost Wars over the Easter holiday and it confirmed once and for all, that Steve Coll writes amazing books about incredibly interesting subjects. I have already lined up his most recent work called Achilles Trap (about Saddam Hussein and the CIA) for this summer.
Some honourable mentions:
Paperless Post - Again, its been around for a while, but its still so much better and more useful than getting a printing company to print card and invites for an event that you then have to spend a fortune posting through the unreliable Royal Mail. Even people hosting mega-parties are now even using paperless post (why wouldn’t you) and I don’t think getting a physical invite through the post is preferable anymore… because it inevitably gets lost!
Business of Sport and Rest is Classified Podcast - Pains me to say that Gary Lineker has notched up another win with the latest ‘Rest Is’ instalment. David McCloskey (who writes great books) and Gordon Corera host a podcast all about espionage… and it’s great. The Business of Sport is hosted by two people I have never heard of, but they interview the people who run football and rugby clubs, racing teams, agents etc, and it is …. fascinating. Special mention must go to their interview of Bill Sweeney (CEO of the RFU). Superb interview and changed my mind completely about the situation at England Rugby.
In the spirit of writing about great things, I also thought it might be worth writing about stuff that I think is crap, getting crapper, or is so crap it needs to be chucked from our lives.
Twitter / Facebook / Instagram - I think social media is fast becoming a real problem for everyone. Teens are increasingly at risk of mental ill-health. It kills productivity. 90% of people on there are using it for the right reasons, 10% corrupt it with conspiracy theories, malicious communication and trolling. I used to think social media was harmless, I don’t anymore. Doom scrolling kills relationships. Even the least insecure and body conscious of us aren’t entirely immune to unrealistic projections of other people’s perfect lives and images. I really don’t see what positive value social media plays in our lives anymore. It’s one of the reasons why I think banning smart phone for under-16s is a good idea.
Traditional banking apps - as I mentioned above, I love using Monzo, and loved using Starling, partly because the digital app interface is so good. In my experience traditional banking apps are not very helpful, antiquated, boring and down too often (I still get messages all the time saying ‘app under maintenance this weekend, please don’t make a payment between 19.00 and 7.00am this weekend’). I obviously haven’t used every banking app, but I doubt there is much difference.