It’s really surprising to read some amusing comments on the “ Under 10 Minute Delivery “ model. Of course we don’t need delivery in 10 minutes, we could do with getting the fruit late, or maybe the sugar in the evening. Of course its important that we get the ambulance in 10 minutes vs the 30 as of now, but its not a case of lets not have this, till we have that, we can use the same “ drive “ to get ambulances in time, if anything, healthcare can take a leaf out of these Under 10 min guys.
There are somethings beyond human needs, they are testaments of human efficiency and more importantly a important validation of using technology, machine learning and AI integrated with human psychology and behaviour patterns and then adding all that with speed and efficient logistics gives you a breakthrough which will transform the times to come. It always starts with something as mundane as delivery, but eventually can be used across various fronts.
Humans need for speed and efficiency is not new, Almost 50 years ago, there was no need to break the 4 min barrier, it was ludicrous to even think so.
An excerpt from
Quote
For years milers had been striving against the clock, but the elusive four minutes had always beaten them,” he notes. “It had become as much a psychological barrier as a physical one. And like an unconquerable mountain, the closer it was approached, the more daunting it seemed.”
This was truly the Holy Grail of athletic achievement. It’s fascinating to read about the pressure, the crowds, the media swirl as runners tried in vain to break the mark. Bryant also reminds us that Bannister was an outlier and iconoclast — a full-time student who had little use for coaches and devised his own system for preparing to race. The British press “constantly ran stories criticizing his ‘lone wolf’ approach,” Bryant notes, and urged him to adopt a more conventional regimen of training and coaching.
So the four-minute barrier stood for decades — and when it fell, the circumstances defied the confident predictions of the best minds in the sport. The experts believed they knew the precise conditions under which the mark would fall. It would have to be in perfect weather — 68 degrees and no wind. On a particular kind of track — hard, dry clay — and in front of a huge, boisterous crowd urging the runner on to his best-ever performance. But Bannister did it on a cold day, on a wet track, at a small meet in Oxford, England, before a crowd of just a few thousand people.
When Bannister broke the mark, even his most ardent rivals breathed a sigh of relief. At last, somebody did it! And once they saw it could be done, they did it too. Just 46 days after Bannister’s feat, John Landy, an Australian runner, broke the barrier again, with a time of 3 minutes 58 seconds. Then, just a year later, three runners broke the four-minute barrier in a single race. Over the last half century, more than a thousand runners have conquered a barrier that had once been considered hopelessly out of reach. — End Quote
Before you roll your eyes, no am not comparing the two.
But there is nothing to deny that the need for speed and efficiency has enthralled us over the years and especially the last few years it has been the backbone of innovation and ingenuity , be it faster internet, streaming, payments or even deliveries.
Even if it’s a marketing gimmick, its not, ( I am a user and this is not a paid write), its efficient, quick and very very useful and will shackle quite a few old horses in this race.
If anything these young chaps need to be applauded for making an important breakthrough, not in technology or delivery, but in mindset.
These are the foundation of bigger and better things, So you are right, probably no one needs anything delivered under 10 mins, just like we did not need noodles under 2 minutes, but it’s a damn delight when we get it !!