Gadgets

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • Hyper-Reality: The Future of Augmented Reality?

    Our physical and virtual realities are beginning to blend.  Animation is becoming more realistic.  Virtual and augmented reality are becoming more affordable. Wearables are becoming pervasive.  And, the internet of things will soon overtake the Internet.

    We're moving towards a world where technology envelops every aspect of our lives … figuratively and literally. 

    The following (still fictional) video is thought-provoking.  What happens when these new technologies are used to influence behavior, decision-making, and even your identity?  

     

    Keiichi Matsuda via Vimeo

    Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are not new fields – but, they are evolving quickly. Technology and infrastructure are getting to the point that AR and VR will become common for us.

    You have already started to see it (from Google Glass, to the NBA, and of course, to porn). 

    "Not too far in the future you will begin to see the integration of AR and VR together eventually leading to having your favorite performer on your lap, in your bedroom doing a custom performance for you and responding to your verbal and physical cues."

    – Anna Lee, HoloFilm Productions

    Your doctor or nutritionist could help you make better choices for you.  Your therapist or coach could help you perceive and respond differently to the challenges life presents you.  Marketers could better influence your purchases.  Employers could better monitor and measure your performance and productivity. And governments will not be far behind … doing what they do.

    Like many things, these technologies make possible awesome new capabilities (if used well) and horrific consequences (if abused or used in authoritarian ways).

    Similar issues are being dealt with in the fields of BioEthics and AI Ethics. In addition, there is a growing discussion of the impact these technologies will have on society. 

    We live in interesting times! 

    Related articles
    What Effect Will VR and AR Have on B2B Customer Service?
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    Get ready for augmented reality *everything*
    Remember Google Glass? It just got its first update in 3 years. Seriously.
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    23 concepts that show what Apple's futuristic smart glasses might look like (AAPL)

  • Slaughterbots Assemble!

    Technology can be scary – especially when it is used to move towards autonomous killing machines. 

    Recently, a UC Berkeley computer science professor helped to create a video that imagined a world where nuclear weapons were replaced by swarms of autonomous tiny drones that could kill half a city and are virtually unstoppable.

    Stuart Russell, the professor, said these drones are already a technological reality.

    The video takes the viewer to an auditorium where a speaker showcases a drone roughly the size of a mockingbird. At one point the drone lands on his hand, the speaker quickly recalibrates it and then throws it out into the audience again. After a few seconds, the small drone turns back to the stage and crashes into the forehead of a dummy standing off to the left of the speaker.

     

     

    The video was released earlier this month by the Future of Life Institute, which is backed by Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. It was presented by Russell at a United Nations Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva, according to The Mercury News.

    “Trained as a team, [the drones] can penetrate buildings, cars, trains, all while having the capacity to evade any countermeasure. They cannot be stopped,” the speaker told the audience in the video.

    Russell said that although A.I.’s “potential to benefit humanity is enormous, even in defense,” allowing the widespread use of machines that “choose to kill humans will be devastating to our security and freedom.”

    Expect to hear a lot more about Swarm Intelligence (and some of the more positive things it can do).

  • What Is The Internet of Things?

    The Internet of Things (IoT) is literally just a connected network of digital "things" that can interact with each other through the internet (or intranets). 

    Yet, the IoT also represents a paradigm shift (and the next big upgrade to the web). By 2020, over 26 billion (with a b) things will be connected to the internet.

     

    But how does it work, and why do you care?

     

    Information Is Beautiful created a helpful interactive primer on the IoT that's worth a look.

    Click here to see it. It answers questions like "What kind of things? and "how will the things be used?" but also gives you a chance to look at the innovations, the innovators, and the challenges involved. 

     

    4132018 Internet of Things

    via Information Is Beautiful

    Ultimately, things like cars, buildings, home appliances and wearables will communicate and interact to create a connected world. 

    People's homes are already becoming more connected. With smart hubs you can control your alarms, your lights and HVAC, all the way down to starting your coffee machine. 

    Now imagine that connectivity in a hospital or a supply chain. It's going to be a huge breakthrough. 

     

    But what about challenges?

     

    As we get more technologically advanced and interconnected, there are inherent issues and weaknesses. 

    For example, as more devices access the internet you have more chances for attacks by hackers. 

    Computers, smartphones and other devices often come with virus protection, security measures and more. The same isn't true of your fridge or your coffee machine…

    If there's one vulnerability in your network, that can easily affect all other devices on your network. 

    In fact, hacker's just stole a Casino's high roller database through a "smart" thermometer in their lobby aquarium. 

    As well, there are privacy issues, bandwidth issues and the unfortunate reality for many companies which is … you may not be nimble enough to keep up with this innovation landscape. 

    What do you think about IoT? Do you have a connected home already? Can you start your car with your phone?  Does your hedge fund use technology like this to let trading systems communicate, coordinate, and collaborate?  Can you imagine what that would be like?

    I can!

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – April 1st, 2018

     Happy April Fool's Day. What were your favorite pranks?  Here is a list of some that made news this year.

     

    3302018 April Fools

    via LegallyDrawn

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

    Lighter Links:

     

    Trading Links:

  • Avoiding Death by Snowmobile

    I was in Saskatchewan, Canada last week for my first-ever snowmobiling experience.

    When I got there, everyone was in great spirits. Apparently, this is a sport done with day drinking, lots of laughter, and abandon.

    We split into groups: Insane, Merely Crazy, and the Turtles.

    I figured I was relatively safe with the Turtles. Still, I have to admit that I was a little nervous. The machines are capable of gliding over the snow at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour. And, I heard stories that 70 percent of these outings ended in some form of injury. Those are some sphincter-tightening things to put together.

    The scenery was majestic.

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    But I didn't notice till it was over.  Humans are deletion creatures. That means they can hold seven things (plus or minus two) in their memory. Everything else gets filtered or deleted. For example, in chess, a grandmaster can focus on the portion of the board that is most proximately related to winning. A novice, however, wastes their buffers with thoughts like "the horsey-thing goes up two and over one."

    While everyone else was focused on having fun, I focused on how to make the sled do something. There were no instructions that said click this, press that. Here's the brake, or, the three most important things to remember are … 

    I quickly learned two rules. The first, you have to lean in the direction that you want to turn (otherwise the sled tips over). By the way, it took me a few iterations to figure this one out. 

    Here is a picture of me just after they dug me out from under the sled.

     

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    The second rule is to try to stay on the sled. I never quite figured that rule out fully. 

    I guess you can be skillful, you can be lucky, or you can pray.

    Luckily, I saw Father Rac before we started.   My question was whether he was here to bless the participants or perform last rites.

     

     

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    After a nice conversation, he said he'd pray for me.

    In my industry, we call that hedging.

    I did last longer than the sled.  It had to be towed.

    Meanwhile, I still have ten fingers and ten toes, ended the day vertically, and had a ton of fun.  Victory!

    I’ll suck less next time.

  • Making Peace With Massage Chairs and Robot Toilets

    Even though my company specializes in automating things that people used to do, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I found out Japan Airlines no longer offers massages in their First Class Lounge. Instead, they have replaced the people with massage chairs.

    I fly through Japan several times a year – and I had come to look forward to the quick massage between flights.  I’d rush from the plane to the club to make sure that I got on the list (and would feel slighted if there wasn’t enough buffer time between flights to accommodate this indulgence).  So, I was somewhat skeptical about the switch to massage chairs.

    The reason was history – I bought my first massage chair in the mid-1990s … and it was not very good.  Things have come a long way.

    Here is a picture of me overcoming my reservations about technology (yet again).

     

    180130 Tokyo Transit Robot Hands

     

    It presses, stretches, rolls … and (most importantly) works. I was relaxed, refreshed, and tempted to press the button to do it again.

    Sure, I didn’t understand the remote.  But, I didn’t understand the massage attendant either.

    On a related note, the club has robot toilets as well.  What I mean is that a “washlet” guidance and targeting system automatically cleans the mess you made.  Disconcerting the first time you use it … but, I want one.

    Imagine the testing and QA process to get that right.  Glad all we have to do is engineer trading systems to make and keep money.

  • Why Elon Musk’s SpaceX Launch Is So Important

    Last Tuesday, Musk launched his Tesla Roadster and it's passenger "Starman" into space on his Falcon Heavy rocket. 

    Cool?  Clever Marketing?  Or Both?

     

    282018 Roadster and Starman

    Space via Twitter

    This feat is exciting for a number of reasons.

    1. Falcon Heavy is cheaper than other heavy lift rockets – yet, it is twice as powerful. 
    2. This means we can ship payloads to Mars (or potentially farther). 
    3. The boosters landed back on their platform to be reused.
    4. And, ultimately, it's inspiring and momentum building to a new age of future space explorers.

    When I was growing up, the space race caught the public's hearts and minds.  I was a kid, but I still remember watching the lunar landing.  It was a big deal! 

    Likewise, I remember when astronauts were positioned as national heroes.  Now, we're more jaded.

    In the past decade, rockets, space-stations, satellites, etc. were often just an afterthought or a small filler news item.  Meanwhile, A.I., Cloning, Voice Recognition, 3D Printing, Drones, and other technological advances were the sexy attention-getting topics. 

    Recently, that has changed.  The space race is getting hot again.  Resources are pouring into this area, and SpaceX's launch is proof that we are making progress (and probably altering life's history). 

    Take a look. 

     

     

    This was supposed to be captivating.  Teachers can show their students a rocket launch where a man shot a car into space … then they can watch the car float through space.  It's taking what we're used to only seeing in movies … and making it real. 

    Passion in the sciences is important, and successes like this can ignite passion in our future, in more than just space exploration. 

    We live in exciting times. 

    Onwards!

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – January 21st, 2018

    It's day 2 of the government shutdown; but what does that actually mean?

    In short: 

    • "Essential" government services will still run even if employees aren't getting paid – USPS, TSA, Social Security
    • Other "non-essential" government employees will be "furloughed" and told to stay at home. 
    • Military will be required to work, but won't be paid until Congress comes to an agreement
    • Employees will be paid retroactively once an agreement is met. 

     Efficiency at its finest … or a force function to get the children to play nicer with each other?

     1212018 Government Shutdown

     

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

    Lighter Links:

    Trading Links: