There seems to be a rising movement of anti-intellectualism and homegrown "experts" believing they know more than experts who have spent their careers creating informed opinions based on textbooks, peers, and experience.
"I saw it on facebook", "I googled my symptoms and it's definitely Lupus", "That's just a hypothesis, there's no proof…"
It is increasingly difficult for people to discern what's real from what's fake, and it's undermining the authority of experts. \
Experts make mistakes, and scientists and doctors are constantly learning, but having well-informed experts who can challenge those mistakes and create solutions. We wouldn't have the world today without that established knowledge base.
So how do you become better informed?
First off, acknowledging expertise, and searching for credible sources is paramount. Researching dissenting opinions and sources from the opposite side of the spectrum can also provide insight.
If most the news sources you follow are liberal-biased, don't neglect to research the other side of the spectrum and vice versa. Otherwise, you can end up in an echo chamber. When looking at studies or articles, be aware of fallacies and learn to spot bad science.
Genius Network is a business group that also serves as an advisory board, counselor's office, and idea factory.
It brings brilliant minds and industry transformers together in a forum focused on innovation, creative disruption, and possibility.
Peer groups, like this, help you set (and raise) standards.
They help bring new capabilities, but also new possibilities, new found energies and a reconnection to your purpose, mission, and values.
This is a great place to meet extraordinary people.
Buck Joffrey is one of them. He is a doctor, an international best selling author, member of Genius Network, and host of WealthFormula (which is a podcast where he educates professionals on how to build lasting wealth).
Buck recently interviewed me for WealthFormula. We talked about old-world trading versus new-world trading … and where I think A.I and Machine Learning have the best opportunities to add alpha and help investors make and keep more money.
You can listen to it below (or subscribe to his podcast on iTunes, Android, or RSS).
I'm getting cynical, I understand planned obsolescence … but has it occurred to you that Apple could make their phones act sluggish just before the launch of a new version?
My phone has been driving me nuts. So, (as I write this) I'm up at 2 am to place my order for the new iPhone X.
On one hand, it satisfies my desire for the new and shiny … but, on the other hand, it makes it harder for my wife.
Buying gifts is often hard. But it gets harder when the giftee already has everything (or buys it himself).
Every year since 1959, Neiman Marcus has published a Christmas Book. Primarily comprised of normal Neiman Marcus offerings … the book also contains pretty amazing "fantasy" gifts. For example, who doesn't want a rose-gold Cobalt Valkyrie-X private plane (worth $1.5 million) …
Neiman Marcus
I don't know about you, but it's a little feminine for me.
Or, there is a private Submarine (worth $20,000,000).
Neiman Marcus
But that is only good if you don't have one already.
You can check out NM's 2017 Fantasy Gift List, here, and get a personal trip to Champagne, France or a pair of specially commissioned His and Hers Rolls Royces.
Let me know if you have any good gift ideas. I'm always looking for them.
According to The Guardian, there are now 1,542 billionaires in the world. Meanwhile, last year, the collective wealth of billionaires increased almost a fifth – to six trillion dollars. For context, that's more than almost every country's GDP… except the top 4 (China, United States, India, and Japan).
The first Gilded Age was established by monopolies in US rail, oil, steel, and banking.
Income equality was extreme with the Vanderbilts being worth $185 billion due to his railroad empire, Andew Carnegie being worth $309 billion due to his steel empire, and John D. Rockefeller built an Oil empire (it controlled about 90% of the American oil business) that netted him $336 billion.
It's interesting to look at the transition from the richest in the late 1800's to the richest in 2017 … the transition from industries like Steel, Oil and Rail, into companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Walmart.
While there are more "super-rich" today than before, our wealthiest individuals don't compare to before. Jeff Bezos is worth approximately $90 billion, Bill Gates is worth approximately $90 billion, and the Walton family has a combined net worth of about $149 billion. You can check out a full list of the top 10 richest people here.
Let me know when your name makes that list. I'll do the same.
But, what it means is up for interpretation. For example, one of the top digital marketers remains largely unfazed. Below is a video I did with Ryan Deiss, who has a different perspective on AI than I do.
Check it out:
Ryan understands that marketing relies heavily on data-analytics and automation … but he believes that it is also reliant on the personal touch.
I agree that people are still a vital aspect of many businesses, and can't be fully replaced. However, I am dramatically more bullish on AI and its future and impact.
In many instances, today, what passes as AI is just an elegant use of brute force.
Nonetheless, AI is great at solving problems … and is becoming increasingly able to digest and perform complex tasks (including tasks formerly thought of as done exclusively by humans).
Ryan believes that the best AI makes a conversation more human (in regards to selling and retail) and allows humans to be more human. In other words, as technology frees people up – they are free to spend their time on more valuable tasks and processes.
This has happened many times in society. Fewer people work in farming or manufacturing … and yet there are more people doing more jobs.
So, obviously, in the same way that mechanization freed up workforces for better jobs, AI can do the same.
Realize, however, that human perception is linear … while technological growth is exponential. Consequently, we probably do not know what AI will give (or take from) humans.
Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, some of the biggest companies are making big bets on R&D.
