Pieter Levels

The user is excited about the current state of AI and its potential opportunities. They compare it to the early days of the internet and believe that now is a special time to build and take advantage of the technology. They also mention that most major AI models are now openly available for free or commercially available for a small amount of money, making it more accessible to build an AI company.

The user has been working on their Photo AI project and has released a new feature that allows users to create talking videos using 100% AI. They also mention that they have invested in Synclabs, the company behind the lipsyncing technology used in Photo AI.

The user discusses digital nomadism and remote work, mentioning that the average digital nomad on their platform makes over $120,000/year. They also talk about the differences between digital nomads and the general population, and how digital nomads are often more fit and active.

The user discovers Gopher, a predecessor to the modern web, and is excited about its potential. They compare it to the early days of the internet and believe that it has a certain charm to it. They also mention that they have installed a Gopher browser on their platform, making it easier for users to access.

This week, Nomad List got some new features. The travel map on the site now works correctly even when crossing the international date line. The site also got an offline mode, allowing users to access it even without WiFi. Additionally, filters for DEI culture were added, allowing users to choose whether they want to see airlines with or without DEI programs.

The author was able to reduce the costs of their non-AI sites to $979/mo, achieving a profit margin of 99%. They did this by disabling Backblaze infinite versioning, downgrading their Digital Ocean plan, and cancelling unused SaaS and APIs.

The author discussed airline safety, mentioning that low-cost airlines are not necessarily less safe than traditional airlines. They also talked about the Jeju Air crash and how it was a random event, even though the airline had a good safety record.

The author mentioned that they like the EU regulation that requires all devices to use USB-C, making it easier to charge devices. They also talked about how this regulation reduces e-waste and makes it easier to find chargers.

Pieter Levels discussed the impact of AI on jobs, particularly in the tech industry. He mentioned that most tech jobs will be automated, but having an audience and being a content creator will be harder to replace. He also compared the automation of jobs to the mechanization of agriculture, where machines replaced human labor, but the number of people employed in the industry decreased significantly.

Pieter Levels shared updates about Nomad List, including the new feature to view the digital nomad chat on the web. He also discussed the growth of the community, with over 5,000 people attending meetups in the last 12 months. Additionally, he mentioned the importance of having a community and how it can help people connect with each other.

Pieter Levels shared his thoughts on investing, particularly in real estate and the stock market. He mentioned that real estate is a bad investment compared to other assets, and that the S&P 500 has consistently outperformed it. He also discussed the importance of diversifying one's portfolio and not putting all eggs in one basket.

Pieter Levels shared updates about his products, including Photo AI and the new video model 'video-01-live'. He also mentioned the release of a new crop top and hat in his shop. Additionally, he discussed the importance of having a good user interface and user experience.

Pieter Levels is pushing for change in Europe, citing the need for reduced regulatory burdens on startups, a single pan-European business entity, and tax discounts during the startup phase. He believes that Europe's current approach to tech and AI regulation is stifling innovation and causing the continent to fall behind. Levels also notes that the European Commission is dominated by corporatist interests and that startups are not being represented.

Pieter Levels has been working on various product updates, including the addition of a new feature to JSON.pub that allows users to easily browse their JSON or other data trees. He has also been experimenting with video models, including Sora and Hailuo, and has noted that Chinese video models are currently leading the field due to slower release and safety guard rails on Western models.

Pieter Levels has been experiencing difficulties with the electricity provider in Portugal and has decided to go off-grid, using solar panels and batteries to power his home. He notes that this is a more natural way to live and will help him to avoid the bureaucratic headaches associated with dealing with Portuguese companies.

Pieter Levels has released his Year in Travels 2024 on Nomads.com, which shows that he has visited 12 countries on 5 continents. He notes that his favorite part of the year was doing a tour of the US and visiting the Network State and School in Singapore and Malaysia.

Pieter Levels has been working on improving his AI voice clone, using services like ElevenLabs and RiversidedotFM. He's made significant progress, but still faces challenges like removing unwanted sounds and improving pause timing. He's also been experimenting with tools like ChatGPT to fine-tune his clone.

Pieter Levels has been working on enabling email sending and receiving on his virtual PC, using services like Cloudflare and ChatGPT. He's made progress, but still faces challenges like port forwarding and spam filtering. He's excited about the potential for interactive nostalgia and is looking forward to enabling Quake 1 multiplayer next.

Pieter Levels has been highlighting environmental concerns, such as the burning of plastic in Bali and the lack of effective plastic recycling worldwide. He's used an Airtag to track the journey of a plastic container and has been discussing the need for better waste management practices.

Pieter Levels has been discussing the importance of clear and specific landing page headings, citing the work of Napier Holland. He's also been experimenting with tools like PhotoAI to generate images for landing pages.

Pieter shipped new features, including integrating merch products into Google Shopping and making progress on his virtual PC project. He also worked on a talking AI video script checker using ChatGPT's API.

Pieter's virtual PC project is making progress, with a fully functional 1994 PC and a virtual ISP. He's working on adding more features, including a video selector and a queue worker robot.

Pieter is experiencing issues with RemoteOK and Mapbox, including a high fail rate on Google crawls and incorrect location names. He's seeking help to resolve these issues.

Pieter is trying to train his voice on ElevenLabs using a podcast, but is having trouble removing the other person's voice from the recording. He's seeking help to find a smart way to do this.