Capitalogix

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - November 18th, 2018

This is how we warm-up for Thanksgiving in Texas ...

 

 

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

Lighter Links  

• Is this AI? We Drew You a Flowchart to Work It Out. (TechReview)
• In Defense of "Designer Babies". (Reason)
• China's Artificial Sun is Now Hot Enough for Nuclear Fusion. (Futurism)
• Science Confirms: Earth Has More Than One 'Moon'.(BigThink)
• Sign Your Address up for USPS Informed Delivery Before Scammers Do. (LifeHacker)

Trading Links

• Billionaire Ray Dalio Says Capitalism is Not Working for Most People. (Barrons)
• Bank of Japan's Balance Sheet Now Larger Than Country's GDP. (Reuters)
• Meat Has a Replacement but No One Knows What to Call It. (Bloomberg)
• Here are the Most Outrageous Incentives Cities Offered Amazon in Their HQ2 Bids. (Buzzfeednews)
• A Virtual Assistant Called Abbie is Picking the Best Bonds for Traders to Buy or Sell. (TechReview)

 

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. 

 

 

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

 

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.

Here is to Spring, Re-Birth, and Spring Cleaning. Let My People Go!

Happy Easter!

Hope you had a great weekend.

This week also was Passover, a holiday that recounts the story of Exodus. This happens during the ritual meal featured in DaVinci's Last Supper.

 

 

So, today, lots of people are celebrating.

For my Christian friends, this is a holy time ... and a family time.  

For my Jewish friends, it is Passover.  

One of the memorable phrases from Exodus is when Moses says "Let my people go!"  For generations, people assumed he was talking to the Pharoh about his people's freedom.  But after a week of eating clogging matzoh, matzoh balls, and even fried matzoh ... for many Jews "Let my people go" takes on a different meaning.

 

via BudgetBytes

Here is to Spring, Re-Birth, and Spring Cleaning.

Hope you had a great weekend.

 

Related articles

This is why Easter lands on a different date every year

Da Vinci's iconic depiction of Easter's beginnings has a violent history it barely survived

Passover 101

A Guide to the Passover Seder

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - February 25th, 2018

Sometimes it is nice to be reminded that  great works are often performed by perseverance rather than strength.

 

via BrainyQuote

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

 

Lighter Links:

• 5 Ways Blockchain is Changing the Face of Innovation of 2018. (Forbes)

• Singularity's Top 50 Breakthrough Tech Predictions. (Diamandis)

• Don't Be Fooled: Russia Attacked U.S. Troops in Syria. (Bloomberg)

• Not the End of the World:  The Return of Dubai's Ultimate Folly. (TheGuardian)

• The Price Per Square Inch of Pizza at 8 Major US Pizza Chains. (Visual)

 

Trading Links:

• It's Getting Harder to Tell Banks from Tech Companies. (Bloomberg)

• In Praise of Elon Musk. (NationalReview)

• It's Time to Make Every Road a Toll Road. (Wired)

• No End in Sight for Amazon's Wild Ride. (Wall Street Journal)

• Apple Sold More Watches Than Rolex, Swatch, and the Rest of the Swiss Watch Industry Combined. (Insider)

The Experience Economy: Man Vs. Food Edition

I recently drove several hours (to the middle of nowhere) in order to try the Burger you see below.  And, yes, I know you don't have to capitalize the word "burger" ... But, in this case, it deserved it!  Take a look.

 

 

If you are curious, the restaurant is Big Jud's in Rexburg, Idaho.  And the monstrosity is Big Jud.  No, sorry, it is their "Man Versus Food Burger" (which was featured on the TV show Man V. Food).

It's got 4 pounds of meat and all the accouterments ... It's the type of burger that makes  you say "Holy Cow!"  Even the knife they give you to eat it with is scary. 

Obviously, it is not the type of burger you eat because you're hungry ... you eat it because you want the experience.

The idea of an Experience Economy isn't new.  

Rich people know it makes sense to spend money on experiences.  

And smart businesses know that it makes sense to avoid competing on a commodity, and to create something unique. For example, think about Cowboys Stadium (Click to read about the Experience).

Even millennials are spending more on experiences than on physical products.

Something to think about ... How would your business be different if you prioritized the experience?  

Just another way to win.

When Will You Die? A Look At Cause of Death in Different Demographics

As I get older, I've noticed how much more often my mental perception of myself, and the physical realities are incongruent. 

I remember routinely being the youngest guy in the room. Obviously, that isn't true anymore (unless I'm at Denny's at 4pm).

I remember running around the park (without stopping).  And I certainly remember enjoying working out with my son.

Things that used to be easy (or at least routine) now cause me stress.

But age affects everyone - and while my 24-year-old can still eat like a pig and lift heavily, those days are behind me.  

I recently shared an article on "Conditioning Yourself To Take The Next Best Step," and I talked about getting back in shape ... the mentality it takes, and the habits I carried with me from my days as an athlete

One of the hardest lessons for me to learn has been that I can't work out how I used to ... or I injure myself.

It is not too far a leap to go from that – to thinking about mortality. 

This interactive graphic, below, shows how people of different ages die.  Click the image to try it yourself.

 

via FlowingData

You can see what average mortality looks like (by plugging in "0" as your age) ... or plug in your current age, sex, and race to see what's most likely to kill you (based on you having survived to now). 

Unsurprisingly, congenital issues stop having high mortality around 10, and circulatory/respiratory issues become more prevalent as you get older. 

Sure, this is based on averages - but it's interesting to see how locale and income play a role in your life expectancy. 

According to a Harvard-run study, people live longer in more educated and affluent areas even if they're less well-off, and that's taking even after taking into account labor market, social connectedness, and other factors. 

As well, the richest Americans live approximately 10-15 years longer than the other end of the spectrum as seen below. 

via Harvard Gazette

Live Long and Prosper! ... Or is it prosper and live long?

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, and fun.

This year was special. My friend, Andy Daniels' tent won third place in the ribs contest.

In addition, I gained some inspiration while spending time at Doug McKnight's tent with Blake Carson.

Have you ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse?  On top of an endless supply of meat, they also have a unique "churrasco" cooking and presentation style.

Blake saw that style of cooking - and innovated 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 with Blake.

 

 

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. 

Tasty! 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - April 29th, 2017

Might be easier to solve a Rubik's Cube than to be President Trump.  Check out his first 100 days. 

 

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

Lighter Links:

• Elon Musk and the 100 Hour Error. (MichaelHyatt)
• Gigaom's AI Startup Challenge – Finalists. (GigaOM)
• Access to Nature Reduces Depression and Obesity, Finds European Study. (TheGuardian)
• Fixing Lousy Sleep Could Keep Us Healthy Longer. (Futurity)
• Lab-Grown Meat is Almost Here. (BigThink)

Trading Links:

• Former Fed Advisor Says the Central Bank Shouldn't Comment on Equities. (CNBC)
• Quantopian Makes First Allocations to Crowd-Sourced Algorithms. (HedgeWeek)
• Fintech: Revolution or Evolution? (Ritholtz)
• Norway to Spend $315M on World's First Ship Tunnel. (CNN)
• BlackRock Signals Active Overhaul with Shift to Quant. (FTAdviser)

You Just Dodged a Bullet: The Holidays And Cardiac Mortality

On Christmas, I saw Rogue One with my family, and was impressed at what Disney had done to bring back the likenesses of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher. 

Peter Cushing played Grand Moff Tarkin, a character who they couldn't just cut from a movie featuring the Death Star so heavily (despite Cushing being dead since 1994).  In addition, the likeness of Carrie Fisher was brought back to play a young Leia.

At the time, I didn't know Carrie Fisher would be dead 2 days later, from heart attack complications.  Only a few days later, her mother, Debbie Reynolds died as well (presumably due to a broken heart).

Here is a chart showing cardiac mortality around the holidays.

  

via the American Heart Association.

Good news – if you are reading this, you are on the right side of the daisies.

Let's keep it that way!

What Are Your New Year's Resolutions?

I got my yearly physical a couple of weeks ago, and while it went largely without any surprises, my doctor recommended a more thorough cardio workup.

  

  

Good news, the tests went well – and I'm not pregnant (even though I'm pretty sure I saw the baby move).

Clearly time for some New Year's resolutions about becoming more healthy, fit, and vital.

What about you?