Television

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – June 6th, 2021

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

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  • Make News Beautiful Again

    My mother watches the news religiously. To her credit, she watches a variety of sources and creates her own takeaways based on them. Regardless, there's a common theme in all the sources she watched – they focus on fear or shock-inducing stories with a negative bias. As you might guess, I hear it when I talk with her.

    While I value being informed, I also value things that nourish or make you stronger (as opposed to things that make you weak or less hopeful).

    Negativity Sells. 

    Sure, news sources throw in the occasional feel-good story as a pattern interrupt … but their focus skews negative.  History shows that stories about improvement or the things that work simply don't grab eyeballs, attention, or ratings consistently.

    The reality is that negativity sells. If everything were great all the time, people wouldn't need to buy as many products, they wouldn't need to watch the news, and this cycle wouldn't continue.

    It's worth acknowledging and understanding the perils our society is facing, but it's also worth focusing on the ways humanity is expanding and improving.

    As a brief respite from the unending doom and gloom of mainstream media, Information Is Beautiful has a section of their site focused on "Beautiful News".

    It's a collection of simple data visualizations for positive trends, it's updated daily, and can be sorted by topic.

     

    Screen Shot 2021-06-06 at 2.20.21 PM

    Beautiful News via Information Is Beautiful

    If you're looking for more "good news", here's a list of 10 sources focusing on good news. 

  • AI Meets Dr. Seuss

    Dr. Seuss was recently in the news for stopping the release of 6 of its books. 

    Whether it was a marketing ploy or not, I've been seeing a lot more Dr.Seuss content. 

    To start, here's a video of an A.I. written Dr. Seuss book with animation. 

     

    via Calamity AI

    In addition, here's an A.I. remastered World War II cartoon written by Dr. Seuss with a character named Private Snafu. It's one episode of a series of shorts that were banned post-WWII, and it's one of the more tame episodes.  For an extra piece of trivia, the name of Private Snafu and his series of shorts was based on the military acronym for "Situation Normal: All F***ed Up". 

    It's an interesting piece of history … enjoy. 

     

    via Adam Maciaszek

    While produced by Warner Bros., these shorts which were made for the US military did not have to go through the Production Code Administration and thus got away with raunchier humor, foul language, and what we would today categorize as racist propaganda against the Japanese and Germans. 

    While it's okay to acknowledge that we should be doing better today, I also think it's interesting and informative to watch older materials in the context and time period they were written. 

    Racism isn't okay, but if you don't know history, you're doomed to repeat it, and art can be discussed and enjoyed within that context as well.  

     

  • Streaming Wars

    Streaming services were big winners during the pandemic.  While that wasn't surprising, their subscriber growth and usage surge are impressive.

    VisualCapitalist put together an infographic highlighting the numbers. 

     

    Streaming-Service-Subscriptions-2020

    via VisualCapitalist

    I enjoyed the chart, and had a couple of different takeaways: 

    • Many companies tried to capitalize on the streaming wave by launching half-baked streaming services, but it's clear that the pioneers are still extending their lead on the fast followers. 
    • Despite Netflix already being the industry leader, they saw a 34% increase in 2020. 
    • China's largest provider – Tencent Video – only has 120M users, which is about 8% of China's population. In contrast, Netflix has 74M US users, which is about 23% of the population. 
    • The New York times is the only News subscription source big enough to make the list, yet it's at the very bottom with 6M users. Though, it did see a 61% increase in 2020. 
    • Disney+ grew 95M in its inaugural year, which is a credit to the brand recognition Disney holds.

    Interesting stuff and large numbers!

    How will the world re-opening impact those numbers?  How about 5 years from now? What do you think?

    Will virtual reality and augmented reality start to impact these numbers?

    With that much money and on the line, I expect this to remain an industry segment primed for innovation, growth … and a few surprises.

     
     

  • Who Can You Trust?

    Information is Power.

    Consequently, your choice of information source heavily contributes to your perceptions, ideas, and worldview.

    Coincidently, news sources are a lightning rod for vitriol and polemic.

    I am still a little surprised by the abject hatred I hear expressed towards a particular news source by those who hold an opposing bias.  This often leads to claims of fake news, delusion, and partisan press. Likewise, it is common to hear derision toward anyone who consumes that news source.

    Perhaps the reality is that that most sources are flawed – and the goal should simply be to find information that sucks less?

    It's to the point where if you watch the news, you're misinformed; and if you don't watch the news, you're uninformed. News sources aren't just reporting the news, they're creating opinions and arguments that become the news.  And many don't care enough to think for themselves – or to extract the facts from the opinion.

    Here's a chart that shows where news sources rank on various scales. You can click the image to go to an interactive version with more details.

     Adfontes

    via Ad Fontes Media

    I once spent fifteen minutes in an argument about how you know whether the information in this chart is true.  If you're curious about their methods, click here. 

    Distrust toward news agencies, big companies, the government, and basically anyone with a particularly large reach is the "new normal." 

    Perhaps even more dangerous is the amount of fake news and haphazard research shared on social media. Willful misrepresentations of complex issues are now a too common communication tactic now on both sides … and the fair and unbiased consideration of issues suffers.  

    Social media spreads like wildfire, and by the time it has been debunked (or proven to be an oversimplification) the damage is done. People are convinced … and some will never go beyond that. 

    The reality isn't as bleak.  People agree on a lot more than they say they do.  It is often easier to focus on "us" versus "them" rather than what we agree upon jointly.  This is true on a global scale.  We agree on a lot.  Most Democrats aren't socialists, and most Republicans aren't fascists … and the fact that our conversation has drifted there is intellectually lazy.

    This idea that either side is trying to destroy the country is clearly untrue (OK, mostly untrue). There are loonies on the fringes of any group, but the average Democrat is not that unlike the average Republican. You don't have to agree with their opinions, but you should be able to trust that they want our country to succeed. 

    I don't know that we have a solution. But there is one common "fake news" fallacy I want to explain at least a little. 

    It's called the Motte and Bailey fallacy. It's named after a style of medieval castle prioritizing military defense.

    Launceston_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_22242

    Launceston Castle via Chris Shaw, CC BY-SA 2.0

    On the left is a Motte, an artificial mound often topped with a stone structure, and on the right is a Bailey, the enclosed courtyard. The Motte serves to protect not only itself but also the Bailey. 

    As a form of argument, an arguer conflates two positions that share similarities. One of the positions is easy to defend (the motte) and the other is controversial (the bailey).  The arguer advances the controversial position, but when challenged insists they're only advancing the moderate position. Upon retreating the arguer can claim that the bailey hasn't been refuted, or that the critic is unreasonable by equating an attack on the bailey with an attack on the motte. 

    It's a common method used by newscasters, politicians, and social media posters alike. And it's easy to get caught in it if you don't do your research. 

    Conclusion

    As a society, we're fairly vulnerable to groupthink, advertisements, and confirmation bias. 

    We believe what we want to believe … so it can be very hard to change a belief, even in the face of contrary evidence. 

    But, hopefully, in learning about these fallacies, and being aware, we do better. 

    I will caution that blind distrust is dangerous – because it feels like critical thought without forcing you to critically think.

    Distrust is good … but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. 

    Not everything is a conspiracy theory or a false flag.

    Do research, give more credence to experts in a field – but don't blindly trust them either.  How well do you think you're really thinking for yourself?

    It's a complicated world, and it's only getting more complicated.  But, hopefully, it encourages you to get outside your bubble and learn more about those you disagree with. 

     

  • Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading – February 21st, 2021

    Click here to see some cool photos and videos from the Perseverance rover. 

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

    Lighter Links:

     

    Trading Links:

     

  • Why Is Tom Brady So Good?

    In 2017, I wrote an article "asking" why the Patriots were so good. 

    It's now 2021 … Tom Brady and the Patriots have parted ways. The Patriots had a middling season – while Tom Brady, who is now the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, made it to his 10th Super Bowl appearance. 

    There is a difference between 'luck' and 'skill'.

    Both exist … yet, luck favors the prepared.

    In life, as in sports, hard work often beats talent (especially if talent fails to work hard).

    Don't get me wrong – all the commentary about the Patriots in 2017 is true. Bill Belichick is an amazing coach with a storied career (even without Brady). 

    But, when you see this picture from the 2000 NFL Combine, it's hard to believe that Tom Brady would be a 6-time Superbowl MVP taking the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl in his first year with them. All at the geriatric (for an NFL player) age of 43. 

    6a00e5502e47b2883301b7c8d1ec61970b-600wi

    via CBS Sports

    When I talked about the Patriots, I focused on the fact that they were a well-oiled machine with a powerful framework of success that allowed individual greatness to shine. 

    I think Brady's continued success is emblematic of that. 

    Tom Brady is a paragon of culture, process, and hard work. Much of his approach was molded by his time with Belichick, but of course, he gets enormous personal credit as well. 

    He expects the best of himself and brings out the best in his teammates. That's enabled him to stay a top-level competitor despite not being the strongest, fastest, or most mobile QB (and that was when he was young). 

    The System is the 'system'; but, within it, you can measure what works, who contributes, and use it to identify the best things to try next.

    Win, lose, or draw … some things speak for themselves.

  • Trends To Watch Due To The Pandemic

    The pandemic has affected many things beyond basic health. Increasingly, I see research showing meaningful increases in pornography consumption, suicide rates, and a host of other trends that are shaping our world today … but, in the longer-term, it is also affecting the face of tomorrow. 

    Flexible Workplaces

    In May, after only several months of lock-down, I was surprised how many businesses decided that they had no intention of ever requiring their employees to come back into the office. 

    As we close in on a year in the pandemic, I am surprised how easily we adapted to the new normal.  Even with a vaccine in sight, I suspect many of the adaptations will remain.

    Personally, I like going to the office.  Most days, I still do … even though a tiny fraction of our people are there.

    With that said, I know that our business matured.  We are better at the skills, tools, and mindsets that make remote work possible or profitable. We've gotten better at deciding what's a meeting (versus an e-mail or an online chat). People are working hours that are more comfortable for them, and we see meetings happen both earlier and later than they used to, before the quarantine. 

    As a macro trend, we also see a flight from urban centers.

     

    Migration-from-urban-areas

    via visualcapitalist

    I keep hearing about people moving far from their work-places.  Ultimately, they decided that remote work enables a new form of freedom for them – to live where they want, regardless of what they do (or who they do it for).

    Over time, I'm curious how a remote workforce will impact the quality and the amount of work done. 

    Adding to my initial concerns, flexible workspaces cause (or exacerbate) other issues, including cybersecurity, digital collaboration, defining the new workday, and a host of other challenges. 

    Digital Explosion

    I remember the early 2000s and the distress I felt watching how many time cycles my son "wasted" being on his phone (which to me, at that time, seemed like "all-the-time"). But, in retrospect, that was nothing. 

    Flash forward to 2019, and everything was even more "digital" and "smart."  Refrigerators, exercise bikes, billboards, and more all had screens, and 2-year-olds were already digitally literate. "All-the-time" took on a whole new meaning.

    Somehow, the pandemic still took our reliance on the digital world (or our augmented alternate reality) to the next level. 

     

    PAN Graph for HEALTH Survey

    via Alaska DHSS

    Kids are also getting less physical activity and human contact, and spending much more time online.  Contributing to this is the reality that much of their academics have been forced online.  Likewise, adults also are shifting more of their attention and activity cycles to the digital world.

    Continued screen-time increases coincide with video game revenue spiking and Internet traffic increasing by more than 50% worldwide. 

    As the world opens up, I still expect digital reliance numbers to stay above pre-COVID benchmarks. People's reliance on digital to feed their need for information, entertainment, and companionship is growing.

    Changing Business Landscape

    Starting with consumers, we've seen a massive movement toward frictionless and touchless payment. Even physical stores are prioritizing getting in and out without having to deal with another human. In addition, there's a massive move toward delivery services for groceries and meals. 

    On top of the changes to normal retail services, reliance on online shopping has increased, while the time it takes for electronic purchases to your door has decreased. Combined, these factors will terraform commerce.  Consequently, this year was likely an inflection point for e-commerce penetration … and, from that perspective, life will never be the same again.

     

    Ecommerce-forecastvia visual capitalist

    Despite the growth of online retail, many small businesses that couldn't move online are struggling, and many have already gone under. 

    Which leads to the next trend …

    Increasing Wealth Stratification

    While small business owners and front line workers have been struggling, billionaires saw their wealth increase by over half a trillion dollars. 

    Part of this is due to government aid toward large companies, part of it is due to tax laws, and part of it is due to the digital rise mentioned in the previous section. The big tech companies were already thriving, and the pandemic created a positive inflection point. 

    Despite those gains, the pandemic hit millennials and small businesses hard. 

     

    200928_millennial-covid-impact_fullwidthvia Morning Consult

    The longer the economy is affected by COVID-19 measures, the larger the wealth inequality will grow, and the more people you can expect looking for government assistance. The strong will thrive while others will suffer increasingly from learned helplessness.

    Obviously, the 2020 quarantine has created impacts in many other areas – including family stress, community isolation, political radicalization, etc. Moreover, these effects won't be isolated to this year – and we should expect many to impact our "new normal" for years to come.

    Some people consider this a challenge. I think it's the playing field. It's going to be true for everyone. What you make it mean, and what you choose to do, it is up to you.  Some will be like a cork, floating on the water, going where the tide takes it. Others will recognize the situation as an opportunity and thrive.

    The impact has been global, but the choices you make are local … and they are still your to make.

    Here is to making 2021 our best year yet!

    Onwards!

  • What Hacking Isn’t

    We've talked a lot about hyperbole in the news recently – and, unfortunately, it isn't limited to politics. 

    People seek things that engage and entertain.  Consequently, other people's business is to provide things that engage and entertain … even if those things aren't necessarily accurate or truthful.

    For example, I've seen many "silly" artificial intelligence and cybersecurity references on tv shows or the news. These are obviously "hot topics."  But, shocking simplifications are used because most people aren't technical enough to understand real examples.

    In AI, it's pretty easy to notice because you'll see killer robots or humans losing their jobs and being left with nothing to do. 

    Cybersecurity is tough for "normies" to get as well.  For a laugh, check out this clip from NCIS. 

     

    via YouTube

    On top of the gibberish, and the unrealistic imagery on what a hacking attempt would look like, do you think two people typing on the same keyboard would be effective?  And, reminiscent of a "peek-a-boo" game you play with babies, unplugging the monitor won't stop a hacker (it will only hide the screen from you). 

    Makes for good TV, though.

    Sometimes you just have to turn your brain off. 

  • Before You Vote: Getting Educated

    Early voting has started, but, if all goes to plan, we'll know who will be the President on November 3rd. 

    The fears of fake news and the growing echo chambers around candidates (and policies) mean it can be tough to truly make an educated decision. The reality is, most of our news sources are tinted by the lens of their ideology – which is okay. That means they're appealing to their targeted audience. 

    That being said, it may also be worth looking at the same news story from a comparative news source from the other spectrum – or even better, a primary source when it comes to science/economics. 

    Here's a chart that shows where news sources rank. You can click the image to go to an interactive version with more details. And, if you're curious about their methods, click here. 

    Media-Bias-Chart-6.0_Low_Res_Licensedvia Ad Fontes Media

    On top of reading various news sources, there are a couple of other tools I like: 

    • FiveThirtyEight – Uses graphics to tell visual stories on valid statistics. Named after the number of electoral votes. Also has a visual presidential forecast. 
    • RealClearPolitics – Aggregates news from various sources, as well as writing their own opinion pieces. Also has a good visual on the current state of the presidential, senate, and house races. 
    • Brittanica ProCon – Tracks the stated positions of politicians on various issues. Can be sorted by candidate, and by issue. It also has a quiz you can take to assess which candidate you actually resonate with. 
    • Politifact & FactCheck – Both sites fact check presidential statements, party statements, and more. We know politicians often lie by omission, or focus only on the specific stats that are relevant to their point. Fact-checking helps you gain a more holistic picture. 

     

    As a last warning on believing anything you hear, most polls I've seen put Biden in the lead … but if you remember 2016, you know the polls are working on incomplete information. Clinton had a lead on most polls and lost to President Trump. 

    We live in interesting times!