Business

  • Mr. Kim Jong Un, Give Up Those Nukes!

    Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met last week in Singapore. At the meeting, Donald shared a four-minute movie trailer called "A Story of Opportunity for North Korea"

    I was a little surprised by the video clip that Trump brought with him.  I don't normally think about diplomacy and videos.  But, it is a new world.

    It depicts a brighter future for North Korea in the event of a nuclear deal.  It also presents a stark choice to Kim … trade in your nuclear weapons for a peace deal with the U.S., or don't and you'll be decimated. 

    Was it me, or does the video seem strangely reminiscent of a pitch you might receive for a real estate deal or a timeshare? 

    It's worth a watch. 

     

    Was the intended audience Kim Jong Un, American voters, or the World?

    Did it remind you of  Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev?

    It will be interesting to see the results of the movie … and this meeting. 

    What did you think?

  • Hiring the Right People: Revenge of the Nerds

    Capitalogix was on the news this week.  They did a story about finding tech talent.

    I'm proud of our team.

    The robots aren't coming for our jobs.  We're creating the robots, the AI, and the automation. 

    The secret to great AI is that it still has a heartbeat. 

    Here's the article. You can watch the video below. 

    via NBC DFW

    We are always hiring.

    It's not enough to invest in the right ideas or technologies. You have to invest in the right people as well. 

    "Standing still is moving backward … so you don't only need new technology, you need a new level of data scientists –  a new level of professional that can think about what's possible, rather than how to do what we want to do right now."

    Even though we've got an incredible edge now. I recognize that edges decay faster than ever. The trick is to stay ahead.  

    I can predict that the future is bright … And I know that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

    Onwards!

  • If Algorithms Came with IKEA Instructions …

    Some Professors put together IKEA inspired instructional booklets for their algorithms and data-structures lecture. 

    So far they've created assembly instructions for Quick Sort, BOGO Sort, Public Key Crypto, Binary Search, Merge Sort, Balance Tree, Graph Scan, and One Stroke Draw algorithms. 

    3202018 bogo-sortvia ideainstruction

    This is a pretty cool idea, or at least I thought so. My youngest son said "I don't particularly understand IKEA directions or algorithms so this is basically the worst of both worlds for me."  Finally, we agree about something.

    Hopefully, you find it helpful. If not, there's always Wikipedia. 

  • The Future According to Elon Musk

    Abraham Lincoln said, "The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It."

    It is tough when your vision's bounded by awesome potential … and potential horrors.

    That is the challenge when you are going after MoonShots (or a Mission to Mars).

    Perhaps that is why Elon Musk (who is an amazing entrepreneur) sometimes sounds more like a dystopian futurologist (like Ray Bradbury or George Orwell).

    Here is a look at some of Musk's predictions. Click the image to see the full infographic. 

     

    5102018 elon muskvia RS Components

    What do you think? Will his predictions for the future become a reality in our lifetime (or our kids' lifetime?)

    As technology growth and innovation quicken, humanity faces serious challenges to our health and quality of life.

    For a look at some of those issues, take a look at the Hastings Center. 

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – May 20th, 2018

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

    Lighter Links:

     

    Trading Links

     

     

  • Inspiration Comes in Many Forms

    Once a year, I go to the World BBQ Championship at Memphis in May. 

    It's three days of friends, food, fun, and bad puns (like #AporkalypseNow and  #MeatDrinkAndBeMerry).

    You've heard the phrase  "Put your money where your mouth is …"  This year we sponsored a tent and brought some of the Capitalogix team to enjoy the festivities. 

     

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    Here's a look at what was cooking in our tent.  It had a Brazilian "churrasco" flair. 

     

    150518 Memephis in May
    Our Grill Master was Blake Carson, who took a traditional Brazilian Steakhouse cooking style – and innovated upon it – creating the Carson Rodizio kit (which started as a Kickstarter project).  

    It is a multi-rotisserie rack that converts your favorite backyard grill into an open and spinning Brazilian style Steakhouse.  It's clever, functional, and cool … and it's been used to win multiple barbecue championships.

    I love to experience an entrepreneur's mind at work.  

    It's not always about what you add.  Sometimes, it is about what you take away.  Less is often more. 

    Here is a one-minute interview I shot with Blake last year.

     


     

    For more on Carson Rodizio, here is their Facebook page.

    Innovation, like opportunity, is all around you.

    But it's not there for you if you don't see the opportunity, and seize it.

  • Are You As Good As You Once Were?

    Toby Keith has a song that claims: “I ain't as good as I once was … But I'm as good once, as I ever was.”

     

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    Probably not … but it was fun to get back in the Shot Put circle at Duke University.

    I was there for Graduation Weekend.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook today delivered the 2018 commencement address. Here is a video.

     

    Cook challenged students to "think different" rather than accept the status quo, and to leave the world better than they found it, by following in the footsteps of leaders like Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

    An excerpt from his speech:

     

    The pace at which progress is possible has accelerated dramatically. Aided by technology, every individual has the tools, potential, and reach to build a better world. That makes this the best time in history to be alive. Whatever you choose to do with your life, wherever your passion takes you, I urge you to take the power you have been given and use it for good. Aspire to leave this world better than you found it.

    I didn't always see life as clearly as I do today. But I've learned that the greatest challenge of life is knowing when to break with conventional wisdom. Don't just accept the world you inherit today. Don't just accept the status quo. No big challenge has ever been solved, and no lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different. Dare to think different.

    I was lucky to learn from someone who believed this deeply—someone who knew that changing the world starts with following a vision, not a path. He was my friend and mentor, Steve Jobs.

    Steve's vision was that great ideas come from a restless refusal to accept things as they are, and those principles still guide us at Apple today. We reject the notion that global warming is inevitable—that's why we run Apple on 100 percent renewable energy. We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy. So we choose a different path: collecting as little of your data as possible, and being thoughtful and respectful when it's in our care.

     

    Cook graduated from Auburn University and got his MBA at Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.  He is a member of Duke's Board of Trustees.

  • Trading Eyeballs… What Comes After “As Seen On TV!” with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington

    It's a lot easier to manage something you measure. 

    Here at Capitalogix, we measure the expectancy score of trading systems.

    Former "Shark" Kevin Harrington does something similar with eyeballs. 

    For years he killed it on TV with products like Ginsu Knives, the George Foreman Grill, etc. 

    But TV viewership has dropped over 50% … and that's not a sustainable model anymore.

    Luckily, like a true "Shark" he realized something that many people don't…

    You have to be committed to your goals, not the tools you use to accomplish that goal. 

    I shot a video with Kevin where we talk about that … and more. Check it out

     

    If you have been doing the same thing for 18 months (or longer), chances are the practical realities of time, technology, and a changing competitive landscape implies that you should be doing something different (or at least differently).

    What are you doing to stay relevant in your space?

  • The United States of Apathy

    When I think about World Leaders (in places like North Korea, Russia, or Syria), I recognize how lucky we are to be able to elect our leaders in fair and free elections. 

    Unfortunately, that's not an opportunity that we take advantage nearly enough. 

    America has a two-party system,  and we count our votes down district and state lines to decide which candidate will end up with the electoral votes for that state … but what if abstention was counted as a vote for nobody?

     

    4272018 The United States of Apathyvia Philip Kearney

    It's an interesting exercise to visualize what our absenteeism in voting looks like … in the last presidential election, four times as many voted for nobody as for Trump and Hilary (combined!). 

    For all the people who whine and moan in any Presidency, you'd expect more people would have taken action to support their beliefs.

    Now, try to imagine how few people vote in the more minor election cycles.

    There are many interesting practical and theoretical discussions to be had about voting – engagement, education, etc. – but looking at this graph certainly puts one of the problems into perspective. 

    It's easy to point out a problem.  It's more productive to propose a solution.

    • Making election day a national holiday?
    • Allowing mail-in or digital ballots?

    Many individuals feel they don't need to vote because their state uses an "all or none" electoral college approach, or because they feel they already know how their state is going to vote. 

    In addition, unless you're in a battleground state – it can often feel pointless – whether or not it is. 

    What do you think it would take to increase turnout?

  • Disney’s Imagineering Process – An Overview

    180422 Magic of Disney

    How do you build something new and bold?

    What steps help make thoughts become things?

    What does it take to transform a vivid vision to a revolutionary reality?

    Disney calls it 'Imagineering'.

    What follows is a simplified version of the process Walt Disney Imagineering uses when it designs and builds theme park attractions, resorts, and other venues.

    There are seven pieces or stages in the process. Five stages form the core of the process, while the other two serve as its Prologue and Epilogue.

     

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    Prologue: Needs, Requirements, and Constraints: Before the process actually begins, you must identify the project’s specific Needs, Requirements, and Constraints. These form the core parameters of your project.

    The goal of the Prologue is to define your overall objective, including what you can do, can’t do, and must do when developing and building your project.

    Blue Sky: The initial stage of any Imagineering project is the Blue Sky stage, where initial ideas and concepts are created through a combination of brainstorming and concept design.

    The goal of the Blue Sky stage is to create a vision with enough detail to be able to explain, present, and sell it to others.

    Concept Development: Once a concept born from the Blue Sky stage has been selected for development, it undergoes a period of concept development where the idea is more fully fleshed out and realized.

    The goal of the Concept Development stage is to develop and flesh-out your vision with enough additional detail to explain what needs to be designed and built.

    Design: The Design stage is where detailed design documents and specifications are created that will guide the physical construction of the project. These can include architectural documents (blue prints, plans, elevations, etc.) but also more Imagineering-specific documents such as Show Information Guides (documents that outline the story behind the attraction).

    The goal of the Design stage is develop the plans and documents that describe and explain how your vision will be brought to life.

    Construction: The last major stage of the process involves the actual physical construction of the project, including land development and fabrication.

    The goal of the Construction stage is to build the actual project, based on the design developed in the previous stages.

    Models: At each main stage in the process, the Imagineers build models of various sizes and scales to help identify and solve potential design challenges.

    The goal of creating models and prototypes is test and validate your design at each stage to help solve and/or prevent problems that may arise during the design and construction process.

    Epilogue: Openings, Evaluations, and Show Quality Standards: Once construction is complete, the attraction is opened for Guests (including Cast Member previews, Soft Openings, and finally a Grand Opening). In addition, once in operation, the attraction is periodically evaluated to ensure that it maintains a level of quality and that the original Creative Intent of the attraction is intact.

    The goal of the Epilogue is to present your project to your audience, allow them to experience it, and evaluate its success and effectiveness over time.

    [taken from “CHAPTER TWO: An Overview of the Process” of The Imagineering Process: Using the Disney Theme Park Design Process to Bring Your Creative Ideas to Life]