Hobby Explorer

Waymo vs Zoox in San Francisco: Waymo came in minutes, Zoox never did

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 16:30:28 GMT

Magesh and Soundarya set out to compare San Francisco's two robotaxis: Waymo, Google's self-driving car project, and Zoox, Amazon's. Waymo arrived in about 30 seconds and took them from Civic Center to the Panhandle: 2.16 miles, 13 minutes, $15.30. On the way they rate it for availability, comfort, fear and price, walk through the levels of self-driving, talk about the night Waymos stopped in the street during the San Francisco power outage, and check how a 2012 Sergey Brin prediction aged. Zoox never came: even inside its service area, the app kept saying it was busy, that day and every time since. Part 2 will try Zoox from its Rider's Lounge.

Key takeaways

Waymo showed up fast. The car arrived in about 30 seconds and parallel parked to pick them up.
Zoox never came. Zoox only runs inside its own territory. Even after walking inside it, the app kept saying "busy," and it still did on later visits.
The ride itself is a 9 out of 10. Good speakers, comfortable seats and enough leg room in a Jaguar I-PACE.
Two small scares. A song started playing automatically when the ride began, and the car never asked them to wear a seat belt.
Waymo is level 4, Tesla is level 2. Level 4 means no human driver, though a steering wheel is still there. Tesla owners are still told to keep their eyes on the road.
The steering wheel still matters. During the San Francisco power outage, Waymos stopped in the middle of streets and humans had to take over.
Robotaxis feel normal now. Two years ago people stared at Waymos. Now nobody looks.
Final scorecard. Availability: Waymo 9, Zoox 0. Comfort: Waymo 9, Zoox not rated yet. Fear: Waymo 7. Price: Waymo 2, Zoox 10 (free, if you can get one).

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I let an AI order my food on Uber Eats ($50 max)

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:30:36 GMT

Magesh hands GrokBot his Uber Eats login and a few rules: no cuisine, no restaurant, spend no more than $50, and tip $5 only if a human delivers it. GrokBot asks about allergies, gets past Uber's two-factor checks (including the last six digits of a driver's license), and places a $44 order. A Honda Accord arrives with Kung Fu Dim Sum: shrimp dumplings, beef shumai and kung fu fried rice. GrokBot also offers a surprise breakfast every Friday, and the next Friday a mini California omelette with hash browns and toast arrives from Bill's Cafe in Fremont, after Uber adds a PIN check because it spotted an automated order.

Key takeaways

The rules were simple. No cuisine, no restaurant, a $50 maximum, and a $5 tip only if a human driver delivers.
GrokBot asked before it ordered. It wanted the address and any allergies. Magesh said he likes pork dumplings but not a strong pork smell.
Uber added extra checks. Signing in triggered two-factor prompts and a request for the last six digits of a driver's license.
It played it safe. GrokBot chose Kung Fu Dim Sum, which matched the dumpling hint. The food came to $31.42 before fees.
The Friday surprise worked. GrokBot set up a weekly breakfast, and Bill's Cafe in Fremont delivered the first one. Uber asked for a PIN at the door because it saw a bot order.

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Traditional, hybrid or self-publishing? A 3x author's playbook for your first book

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 19:03:28 GMT

Soundarya has written a study-abroad guide, a US immigration handbook co-authored with a lawyer, and a novel arriving in 2027. She has self-published twice and is now working with literary agents to find a traditional publisher, so she has seen both sides. Magesh, who is planning a book on fitting fitness into daily life, asks her everything a first-time author wonders about: self vs hybrid vs traditional publishing, the real money behind advances and royalties, when a co-author helps, what a great editor changes, the order of synopsis, outline and drafts, how to use AI, getting feedback, handling reviews, and how to market a book.

Key takeaways

There are three paths, not two. Self-publishing, hybrid publishing and traditional publishing. Traditional publishers are reached through a literary agent, not directly.
Royalties differ a lot by path. Traditional publishers pay about 7–15% of the price, the hybrid publisher she spoke to offers 25%, and self-publishing keeps about 40–50% after Amazon's share.
Self-publishing means you do everything after the writing. Print-on-demand, KDP and AI make it lighter than five years ago, but it is still operationally exhausting.
A publisher's edge is distribution. Libraries, airports and bookstores are far easier to reach through one. Hybrid gets you the supply chain, but not the "Penguin-published author" stamp.
An advance is pre-paid royalties. At about $2 a book, a $100K advance earns out after roughly 50,000 copies, and it is often paid in stages.
Non-fiction deals follow your audience; fiction follows the story. An author with an existing following gets a bigger non-fiction advance. Debut fiction advances are small.
Co-authors add credibility in non-fiction. A lawyer co-authored her immigration book. Agree up front who carries the load and how they are paid.
Bring in an editor after the first draft, not when you only have chapter outlines. Good books have editors.
Before outlining, write the back-cover summary and at least five separate reasons you are writing the book.
Marketing is part of the job. Her plan for 1000 Days of Love includes social media, community partnerships, creator collaborations, paid ads, cold outreach and launch events.

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Strength training or cardio first? The science, and a 45-minute workout

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:30:14 GMT

If you only have 45 minutes and want both strength training and cardio, which comes first? Magesh, a certified fitness trainer and full-time coach at Hobby Fit Club, explains the body's three fuel sources: ATP (rocket fuel), glycogen (race car fuel) and fat (a diesel tank). They work like a dial, not a switch, depending on how hard you work. Lifting first drains the fast fuels efficiently and hands off to fat for steady cardio, which is why he does strength first. But the best workout is the one you will keep coming back to. He ends with a 45-minute plan based on the National Academy of Sports Medicine's Optimum Performance Training model.

Key takeaways

Your body has three fuel sources. ATP for short, explosive effort; glycogen for something like a 1-mile run or a set of squats; and fat, a slow-burning supply you almost never run out of.
The fuels work like a dial, not a switch. All three contribute all the time. Intensity decides which one does most of the work.
Rest between sets is not wasted time. That's when ATP replenishes.
Lift first, then do cardio. By about the 30-minute mark the fast fuels are mostly used up and fat carries the load, which suits steady cardio.
Doing it in any order beats not doing it. If you enjoy cardio first, do that. Pick what makes you come back.
The 45-minute plan: warm-up (5–7 minutes), core, balance and mobility, power training, strength training, cardio, then a cool-down with 20–30 second stretches.

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I quit my tech job to pursue fitness coaching full time

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:30:04 GMT

After more than a decade as a software engineer at Amazon, Salesforce and Nextdoor, Magesh left tech to run Hobby Fit Club, his online strength training program, full time, and to keep making YouTube videos. He explains why "follow your passion" is bad advice, how strength training and therapy got him through a low point, and how he earned his personal trainer certification, coached at a gym in San Francisco before his tech job each day, and tested paid online classes with his YouTube audience before quitting. Hobby Fit Club now runs about 19 online classes with four coaches he hired and trained. His advice: don't quit from something, quit into something you have already tested.

Key takeaways

"Follow your passion" is bad advice. Nobody cares about your passion. Find something people will pay for.
Strength training and therapy helped him through a low point. Two strength sessions and one therapy session a week, about 3 hours, were the best investment he made.
He got certified and coached before he quit. He passed the National Academy of Sports Medicine's Certified Personal Trainer exam and coached at Strength Camp in San Francisco, at 5 AM, before driving to his tech job.
He tested demand with paying customers. People who knew him from YouTube paid for live online classes and showed up two or three times a week.
Hobby Fit Club is real now. About 19 online classes, 697 class attendances so far in 2026, and four coaches he hired and trained.
Quit into something, not from something. Test the new path while you still have your job, build the skills it needs, plan your financial runway, and talk honestly with your family.
The channel continues. More fitness, building Hobby Fit Club in public, and life as an Indian-American creator in the Bay Area.

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My sleep routine: how I sleep better every night, from caffeine to a dark room

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:30:17 GMT

Magesh breaks down the strategy he uses to sleep well night after night, drawing on Matthew Walker's book Why We Sleep. He explains how adenosine builds up through the day to make you sleepy, why caffeine blocks it and causes the crash, and why strength training helps. Then he walks through his setup: morning sunlight, a noon caffeine cutoff, less water two hours before bed, night mode on screens, no TV in the bedroom, a room at 68°F (20°C) or cooler, blackout curtains or a sleep mask, white noise, and a vibrating watch alarm that doesn't wake your partner. He ends with a full 7 AM to 11 PM schedule you can screenshot.

Key takeaways

Aim for all three stages of sleep. Light, deep and REM sleep all matter, which is why 8 hours is a necessity, not an option.
Adenosine is what makes you sleepy. It builds from the moment you wake up and peaks around 9 or 10 PM. Keeping the same bed and wake times helps your body time it.
Get bright sunlight right after waking. About 10 minutes tells your body to save melatonin for the evening.
No coffee or tea after 12 noon. Caffeine has a half-life of about 6 hours and blocks the same receptors adenosine needs. Tell friends and family so they stop offering it in the evening.
Lift weights, and skip the evening pre-workout coffee. Strength training breaks down ATP, which leaves adenosine behind and builds sleep pressure.
Set up the room once. Night mode on screens, no TV in the bedroom, 68°F (20°C) or cooler, a fully dark room or a good sleep mask, and white noise.
Wake up without waking your partner. A watch alarm vibrates on your wrist instead of making a sound.

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