🔮 FUTURE OF WORK

Google’s new “Project Starline” is developing hologram-like meeting tech

We can all agree that Zoom meetings suck, but would they suck less if they were holograms?

Google is betting that’s the case, and while we can’t yet create holograms their new Project Starline is getting pretty close…

It’s about the size of a flatscreen and uses 3 separate cameras at the top, left, and right sides of the screen to take a 3D image of your face which it then assembles on screen using AI.

The idea is that speaking with a 3D version of someone vs the 2D version we’re used to over Zoom is one step closer to making meetings over the internet suck less and more akin to in-person meetings.

It’s also one step closer to doing meetings like the Jedi…

While you still need the full flatscreen setup, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this standard on laptops!

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🚨 WORD ON THE WEB

We’ve (likely) made it through the peak of tech layoffs

Good news! It seems like we’ve made it out of the Tech Layoff Massacre of 2023.

Layoffs this quarter are much lower than Q1 and will likely end up being lower than the same time last year which is good news for the sector.

The layoffs had a strong effect on the remote work movement since they made some tech workers think twice about fighting for remote privileges.

💾 TECH

World leaders are getting worried about undersea internet cables

The internet that we know and love exists today thanks to 1.5 million kilometers of cables that crisscross the world underwater as a popular hacker tourist once recounted, however, today world leaders are getting a little worried…

As the world splinters into multiple camps, these underwater cables could become prime targets for bad actors who want to destabilize a country’s infrastructure.

This would be nothing new, the first time undersea cables were cut for military purposes was in 1898 during the Spanish-American war, and as recently as earlier this year a Taiwanese island lost connectivity after a cable was mysteriously cut.

So this month various world powers got together and announced pacts to protect undersea infrastructure. The UK and Norway are launching a joint defense program and so are the “Quad leaders” - the US, Japan, India & Australia.

🎒 DIGITAL NOMADS

Latvia’s digital nomad visa has been around for 1 year and attracted ONLY 5 digital nomads

This month Latvia’s digital nomad visa turns 1 year old and reviewing its performance reveals some questionable performance…

Latvia’s nomad visa program has attracted only 5 digital nomads! This is especially shocking when you compare it to Portugal whose nomad visa program attracted over 200 digital nomads in just the first 3 months.

There are several likely reasons why Latvia’s program is struggling:

• Latvia’s climate isn’t favorable to nomads

• Relatively high min income requirement of €3,500 per month

• Lack of information

The latter is likely one of the bigger problems since Latvia simply hasn’t done a good job of communicating about the program’s existence. Many digital nomads have no idea it’s an option, and searching for “digital nomad” on Latvia’s government websites produces exactly 0 results…

Although the 2 weeks of summer per year probably don’t help either!

📆 UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 16-19: Camp Indie [📍 Kent, Connecticut] - adult summer camp & conference for digital nomads & those living an unconventional life

June 21-25: Remotion Festival [📍Burgas, Bulgaria] - A festival for remote workers, freelancers, & digital nomads highlighting the Burgas area as a hub for smart living

June 25-July 2: Bansko Nomad Fest [📍 Bansko, Bulgaria] - for digital nomads, freelancers, and founders in the mountains of Bulgaria

🌍 WFA JOBS:

Looking for a job that’s not just remote, but that you can work from anywhere in the world? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Check out these awesome WFA positions 👇

⭐️ Customer Success Superstar @ AgentFire

⭐️ IT Helpdesk Technician @ SupportAdventure

⭐️ Senior Technical SEO @ TestGorilla

⭐️ Business Development Team Lead @ CoWProtocol

⭐️ Growth Marketing Manager @ GreatQuestion

📊 POLL

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