Books

  • What’s In The Box? The Consequences of Labeling

    “Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing.
    They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures,
    when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast.
    The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.”
    ― Karen Marie Moning

    The current socio-political climate has me thinking about the consequences of labeling things, creating boxes, and simplifying ideas into news-ready headlines.

    Whats-in-the-box

    via Se7en

    With more news sources than ever and less attention span, you see ideas packaged into attention-grabbing parts.  The focus isn't on education or the issues, but on getting the click, making your stay on their page longer, and sending you to a new article utterly unrelated to why you clicked on the page.

    Complex issues are simplified – not even into their most basic forms – but instead into their most divisive forms … because there's no money in the middle.

     

    200705 Einstein's Simplicity Quote

    via Quote Investigator

    The amplified voices are those on the fringe of the average constituents' beliefs – precisely because those are the ones who are often the most outspoken.

    Issues that should be bipartisan have been made "us" versus "them," "liberal" versus "conservative," or "right" versus "wrong." The algorithms of most of these sites create echo chambers that increase radicalization and decrease news comprehension.  Identity politics have gotten so strong that you see families breaking apart and friend groups disintegrating … because people can't imagine sharing a room with someone they don't share the same values as. 

     

    Neitzche

    via BrainyQuotes.

    In psychology, heuristics are mental models that help you make decisions easier.  They're a starting point to save mental bandwidth, allowing you to spend more brain cycles on the important stuff.

    That's a great use of "boxes" and "simplification"… but it shouldn't preclude deeper thought on important issues. 

    In an ideal world, we would all have the bandwidth to view each case of an issue as a whole issue within itself.  Most things are nuanced, and the "correct" answer changes as you change your vantage point.

    I recognize that's not realistic.

    Instead, I encourage you to remember to continue to think and learn … even about things you already know.  Confirmation Bias is one of the more common forms of cognitive bias.  Here is an infographic that lists 50 common cognitive biases.  Click to explore further.

    200705 50 Cognitive Biases Small
    via VisualCapitalist

    Important issues deserve more research.  New insights happen between the boundaries of what we know and don't.  Knowledge comes from truly understanding the border between what you are certain and uncertain about. 

    I challenge you to look beyond the headlines, slogans, and talking points you like most.  Look for dissenting opinions and understand what's driving their dissent.  Are they really blind or dumb (or are their value systems just weighted differently)?

    Not everything needs to be boxed.  Not everything needs to be simple.  You should explore things and people outside of your comfort zone and look to see things from their point of view … not your own. 

    Applying This Lesson  

    “I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions.”
    ―     Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

    I love learning a lesson in one space and applying it to other spaces.  It's one of the cool things about AI.  An algorithm can learn rules in the construction space that may help in the medicine or trading space.  Everything's a lesson if you let it be.

    In that vein, the lesson on labeling also applies to yourself and your business.  Don't get me wrong – naming things is powerful.  It can help make the intangible tangible.  However, don't let the label (or your perception of the label) stop you from achieving something greater. 

    Many things are true because we believe them to be, but when we let go of past beliefs, the impossible becomes possible, and the invisible becomes visible.  

    We are our choices … and you can make choices today that change who you are (and what you or your business is capable of) tomorrow. 

    Hope that helps – Onwards!

  • “Earl, Honey”

     

    51TPgTXbtzLMy first wife (and mother of my children) Denise is a smart and talented author.  I still remember the first time she asked me to read an early copy of her work.  She never let me do it again. 

    That being said, she recently released a new book, Earl, Honey.  The book is loosely based on the real story of her family history.  I enjoyed it.  It's a southern coming-of-age story set in the 1920s – which is not my typical genre.  Nevertheless, it's a poignant story with insight into the human condition, and its dramatic realities remind us how good we have it. 

    It's a story she learned, first via her grandmother, long after the events of the book take place.  Those events shaped the lives of generations of her family. 

    It's a tough and heart-wrenching Southern Gothic read that covers incest, domestic abuse, and more.  Check it out. 

    Here's the book's blurb from Amazon:

    "Ever since Pa hit him in the head with the two-by-four, Earl had lived with blinders on. Not real blinders, of course, because that would be foolish. It was his own brain that blinkered him."

    Earl Hahn is slow, the last one to catch on to things. Since the day his father hit him in the head with a 2×4 of loblolly pine, he's struggled with a "thickness in his brain." It takes him longer to make the connections others arrive at easily. When his father is prosecuted for the crime of incest, it feels like deliverance for Earl, his mother Lizzie Belle, and the entire Hahn family. Unfortunately, his father's abhorrent actions are not done exacting a price.

    Everyone in the household will pay for their patriarch's crimes – no one more than Earl.

    So begins a powerful coming-of-age tale about a shy, damaged boy who must overcome unimaginable personal tragedy – both as its victim and its perpetrator. Raw, honest, and filled with heart, Earl, Honey recounts an extraordinary search for redemption amid the perilous world of the 1920s American South.

     

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – May 1st, 2022

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    Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

    Lighter Links:

    Trading Links:

  • A Look At The Future Through Today’s News

    Inspiration comes from many places. 

    I'm grateful for the many groups I'm in, and smart people I know, because they're shortcuts to insights that can be hard to find. 

    One can also find inspiration through events, books, and more. 

    But, while it's easy to discredit mainstream news sources … there's plenty of insight to be gained just from keeping track of various news sources. You have to take them with a grain of salt, and find the articles that provide a different perspective too, but it's still a valuable exercise. 

    It's part of the reason I share my weekly links and this newsletter. They give me a reason to continue to do research and stay on my toes. 

    With that, here are some interesting articles I found recently on advancements in technology. 

    • In VR, You Can Become Your Own Psychologist – There's a new VR psychology treatment where you play both patient and psychologist. It has promising results in leading to detachment from habitual ways of thinking about personal problems. This is on top of already interesting VR technology around meditation and psychedelics. 
    • Synthetic tissue can repair hearts, muscles, and vocal cords – 3D-printed tissues have been growing in popularity recently. Also making progress is synthetic tissue made of a new biomaterial in the form of an injectable hydrogel. It's durable and porous, both important qualities in creating wound repair that can handle the movement and stress put on hearts and vocal cords. 
    • AI Is Discovering Patterns In Pure Mathematics That Have Never Been Seen Before– Mathematicians using computers to discover patterns is not new, but now deep learning models are not only assisting in analysis but formulating conjectures and approaches for formerly unproven ideas. This is a promising indicator for many spaces including chemistry, metallurgy, and material sciences (on top of trading of course). 
    • DARPA Funded Researchers Accidentally Create The World's First Warp Bubble – Warp drives have been part of science fiction for a long time – and science for a decent amount of time as well. Warp drives have been theoretically possible since 1994 but were deemed "impossible" due to their use of theoretical materials and massive amounts of energy. Now, there's tangible progress as a real (but very tiny) warp bubble was successfully modeled. This is very fledgling, but it's always exciting to see science fiction become reality. 
    • Renewables 2021 by IEA – I remember when renewable energies were not only ineffective but very costly. Now, 95% of the new electricity capacity from 2021-2026 is expected to be from renewables. Now, IEA bases their estimates on historical data, so they over underestimate the adoption curves. I would take that number as conservative. Just remember that capacity is different than coverage. Several countries are making a lot of progress on renewables, and several are making none. 

    Have you found any other articles you found interesting?

    Always looking for more sources to read. 

  • Lincoln: The Entrepreneurial President

    A few months ago, I brought my cousin Matt Pinsker, an expert in civil war history and Abraham Lincoln, to talk to an exclusive mastermind. He did an outstanding job of relating Lincoln's letters and history to the entrepreneurial mindset. 

    It was a hit. 

    So, I'm excited that I also convinced him to do a podcast with me, Dan Sullivan, and Steven Krein on the ultimate entrepreneurial president. Steven Krein is also my cousin, so it was a family affair. 

    We talk about revolutions, technology, future-orientation, and more. It's a great episode, and worth listening to for entrepreneurs, history buffs, and anyone looking to thrive in a changing world. 

    Hope you enjoy it. 

  • A-To-Z of The Internet Minute in 2021

    As I get older, time seems to move faster … but it's also true that as I get older, more is accomplished every minute. 

    Technology is a powerful force function. In fact, the amount of data in the digital universe effectively doubles every two years. 

    Every couple of years, I revisit a chart about how much data is generated every minute on the internet.  

    In reverse chronological order, here's 2018, 2015, and 2011. 

    Here's an excerpt from 2015 for some perspective: 

    Compared to 2008 here is what's happened with social networks:

    • The number of people online has more than doubled from 1.4 billion to over 3 billion (2021 #: 5.2 billion) 
    • Facebook has gone from 80 million users to more than 1.4 billion (2021 #: 2.89 billion
    • Twitter had 2 million accounts and now it is 300 million and counting. (2021 #: 206 million ACTIVE users after a big bot deletion)
    • The number of smartphones was 250 million in 2008 and today there are more than 2 billion. That is an 800% increase! (2021 #: 6.37 billion)

    Today this is what happens every minute on the web.

    • 4 million search queries on Google
    • Facebook users share 2.46 million pieces of content
    • Email users send 204 million messages

    Throughout its (pretty short) history, the internet has been arguably the most important battlefield for relevancy and innovation. 

    So, what does the internet look like in 2021?

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    DOMO via visualcapitalist 

    Looking at the list, we see new editions like Clubhouse and Strava. Partially due to the quarantine, you're still seeing an increase in digital cash transfers with tools like Venmo, an increase in e-commerce shops like Shopify, and an increase in (you guessed it) collaboration tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. 

    Just to pick out some of the key figures in the chart this year. 

    • Amazon users spend $283,000
    • 6M people shop online
    • TikTok users watch 167M videos
    • and, Zoom hosts 856 minutes of webinars. 

    Before 2020, I already thought that big tech had a massive influence on our lives. Yet, somehow this past year has pushed their impact even higher. 

    One other thing this chart also helps put into perspective is the rapid rate of adoption. As you look at different year's charts, you can see how quickly apps have become part of the cultural zeitgeist. 

    How do you think these numbers will grow or change in 2022? 

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – December 5th, 2021

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    Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

    Lighter Links:

     

    Trading Links:

  • A New Experience For Me

    We had Nick Nanton and his crew in our office, recently, to film for a documentary on 'Getting to Next' – How AI is transforming the world and humanizing technology. 

     

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    Nick has been involved with many cool projects from a documentary on Peter Diamandis to Operation Underground Railroad (and more). He's also won more than 20 Emmys. 

    Nick is also working on a documentary with Chris Voss – who wrote Never Split the Difference. I spent time in D.C. watching Nick shoot with Chris and his son Brandon Voss, who is the president of Black Swan Group. 

    While I've done podcasts and interviews before, this was a surprisingly fun and cool experience for me.

    It was also interesting to watch some of our more introverted data scientists in front of the camera. 

    The documentary just started shooting – but I look forward to showing you the finished product when it's ready. 

  • Timeless Wisdom From Socrates

    Small distinctions separate wise men from fools. Perhaps one of them has to do with what the wise man deems important.

    Socrates' Triple Filter

    In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.  One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

    "Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

    "Triple filter?"

    "That's right," Socrates continued.  "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.

    The first filter is Truth.  Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

    "No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and…"

    "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

    "No, on the contrary…"

    "So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.  You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left.  The third filter is Usefulness.  Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

    "No, not really."

    "Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful … then why tell it to me at all?"

    With all the divisiveness in both media and in our everyday conversations with friends, family, and strangers … this is a good filter for what you say, what you post, and even how you view markets. 

    How Does That Apply to Me or Trading?

    The concept of Socrates' Triple Filter applies to markets as well.

    When I was a technical trader, rather than looking at fundamental data and scouring the news daily, I focused on developing dynamic and adaptive systems and processes to look at the universe of trading algorithms to identify which were in-phase and likely to perform well in the current market environment.

    As we've transitioned to using advanced mathematics and AI to understand markets it becomes even more true. 

    Filter Out What Isn't Good For You.

    In contrast, there are too many ways that the media (meaning the techniques, graphics, music, etc.), the people reporting it, and even the news itself, appeals to the fear and greed of human nature.

    Likewise, I don't watch TV news anymore either. It seems like story after story is about terrible things. For example, during a recent visit with my mother, I listened to her watch the news.  There was a constant stream of "oh no," or "oh my," and "that's terrible". You don't even have to watch the news to know what it says.

    It's also true with what you feed your algorithms. Garbage in, garbage out. Just because you can plug in more data, doesn't mean that data is adding value. Deciding what not to do, and what not to listen to is equally as important as deciding what to do. 

    Artificial intelligence is exciting, but artificial stupidity is terrifying. 

    What's The Purpose of News for You?

    My purpose changes what I'm looking for and the amount of attention I pay to different types of information. Am I reading or watching the news for entertainment, to learn something new, or to find something relevant and actionable?

    Socrates_quote_to_move_the_world_we_must_first_move_ourselves_5420

    One of my favorite activities every week is looking for new insights and interesting articles to share with you and my team.  If you aren't getting my weekly reading list on Fridays – you're missing out. You can sign up here. 

    Getting back to Socrates' three filters and the business of trading, I often ask myself: is it important, does it affect our edge, or can I use it as a catalyst for innovation?

    There's a lot of noise out there competing for your attention. Stay focused. 

    Onwards!

     

  • A Wordcloud For Each of the Major Religions

    The six largest religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. 

    We often think about the differences between religions.  However, the many similarities are obvious if you look (and may be indications of a more integral "truth". 

    Below is a wordcloud for each of those religions based on their major religious text. 

    Q04t0id427v61teddyterminal via Reddit

    If you find the name "Keith" it's because it was the translator's name, and the word "car" in the Hinduism wordcloud is an old-fashioned word for "chariot".

    It's also worth acknowledging that this wordcloud is from the English translations so some words that may mean slightly different things in other languages can be all translated to one word in English. For example, it's very common in Biblical Hebrew to see different words translated into the same English word. A good example is Khata, Avon, and Pesha–three different ways of committing a wrong, that may all be translated the same.