Capitalogix

Is Biohacking the New Key to Trading?

Last week, I was in Alaska at Steamboat Bay for a CEO retreat. 

One of the other attendees was Dave Asprey - CEO of Bulletproof, author of Headstrong, and a biohacking thought-leader.

Very few people understand what we do at Capitalogix; even fewer understand it well enough to paint a vivid picture ... yet, that's exactly what Dave did ... almost instantly.

I asked him to retell it on video - to try and capture his take.   To set your expectations,  his take is different than you might imagine ... It's got ancient bacteria, futuristic algorithms, and a little genius.

Kind of cool ... Check it out.  

"It takes a lot of computer power, and it takes a lot of algorithms, and it takes a lot of environmental sensors ... that's why we can walk around, breathe, and think." 
    ~    Dave Asprey

Markets are an environment just like the environment we live in. Our algorithms can learn and evolve based on markets in a similar way to how humans evolved and adapted to their environments.

To summarize:  In the beginning, there was an algorithm ... and it was good.  

And, it's just the beginning.

Onwards!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - July 22nd, 2018

 

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

Lighter Links

• The Boston Dynamics Robots Can Now Hunt You in the Woods. (DailyDot)
• What Cyber-War Will Look Like. (Scholars-Stage)
• The Mistakes You Make in a Meeting's First Milliseconds. (Wall Street Journal)
• Does Intermittent Fasting Work? Here's What It Can (And Can't) Do for You. (Cheatsheet)
• 'Never Underestimate Human Stupidity,' Says Historian Whose Fans Include Bill Gates and Barack Obama. (CNBC)

 

Trading Links

• Coinbase Says It Has Green Light to List Coins Deemed Securities. (Bloomberg)
• CRISPR Stocks Plummet over Study Pointing to Potential Adverse Effects. (FastCompany)
• Warren Buffett Donates $3.4-Billion to Gates Foundation and His Family's Charities. (Globe&Mail)
• The 24 Rules for Success Left behind by a Legendary Wall Street Banker. (Time)
• Scientists Discovered a Quadrillion Diamonds Hidden Deep within the Earth. (Inverse)

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - July 8th, 2018

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

 

Lighter Links

• Yes, Your Phone is Spying on You and these Researchers Proved It. (BGR)
• Talking to Your Team about Cyber Threats. (Myventurepad)
• A Mesmerizing 4K Timelapse of Kilauea's Famous Lava Flow. (TwistedSifter)
• The 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Winners. (TwistedSifter)
• Harvard University is Fighting to Keep Its Secretive Admissions Process under Wraps. (MarketWatch)

 

Trading Links

• JPMorgan's Ultimate Guide to Markets and the Economy. (BusinessInsider)
• Yes, America Still is an Export Superpower. (BigThink)
• The Top 10 Biggest Airline Money Making Routes in the World (One Generates a Billion Dollars). (VFTW)
• First Commercial DNA Data Storage Service Set to Launch in 2019. (NewScientist)
• Why Quantum Computers Will Be Super Awesome, Someday. (Bloomberg)

A Helpful Old Parable ...

I was talking to a friend this weekend and was reminded of an old parable I heard years ago...

 

I stand on top of the mountain and I just kick pebbles ... Minute by minute, hour after hour, day in and day out ... I simply kick pebbles.

Mostly, those pebbles fly off into nowhere and I watch them skip away ... Occasionally those pebbles hit a small stone ... Juuuusst right ... and that stone slides down the hill.

...

Then, sometimes, those stones collide, on the way down, and their slide becomes a tumble and they smack a ROCK.

And, those ROCKS begin to fall, end over end, gathering speed ... and a couple hit a BOULDER ... Then ... the Boulder shifts... there is a RUMBLE ... the EARTH MOVES BENEATH ME ...

AND THE ENTIRE LANDSCAPE CHANGES ... EVERYTHING LOOKS DIFFERENT ... !!!

I stand on top of the mountain and I just kick pebbles ... Minute by minute, hour after hour, day in and day out ... I simply kick pebbles!

 

Keep up the good work!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - June 24th, 2018

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

Lighter Links

• Why Blockchain Isn't a Revolution. (Knowledge)
• Daniel Kahneman: Four Keys to Better Decision Making.(CFAInstitute)
• Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children. (The Atlantic)
• Rise of the Machines: Has Technology Evolved beyond Our Control? (The Guardian)
• Leader Schedules; 72% Meeting Time; 43% Priority Time; 3% Customer Time; ExO Course next Week. (Verne Harnish)

 

 

Trading Links

• 4 Horsemen of the Recession and Stock Market Apocalypse. (SeekingAlpha)
• Blockchain beyond the Hype: What is the Strategic Business Value? (McKinsey)
• Cryptocurrency Will Become a $20 Trillion Market: Billionaire Bull Mike Novogratz. (Finance)
• Top Banking Takeaways from the 2018 Internet Trends Report. (TheFinancialBrand)
• How Amazon Became One of Washington's Most Powerful Players. (Wall Street Journal)

Some Father's Day Weekend Reflections

My adult son took me to see a Pixar movie and for a Philly Cheesesteak (in Texas) today for Father's Day.

As a father, having great kids is a double blessing.  On one hand, it's nice to be proud of who your kids are and the things they do.  On the other hand, it's also nice to feel proud of the small part you played in helping them become who they are.

In addition, this weekend, I spent some time thinking about my father and what a terrific influence he had on so many lives.  

 

My Dad was incredibly loving; yet, he was also incredibly demanding.

For example, after winning the State Championship in the shot put, I watched him run down from the stands.  I figured he was coming down to celebrate. Instead, he looked deeply into my eyes and asked whether I was disappointed that I did not throw a personal best that day? I replied: "But Dad, I won." He smiled and recognized that winning was important too ... then he reminded me that the other throwers were not the real competition.  In life, to be and do your best, the competition is really with yourself; and we both knew I could do better.

My Dad believed in setting high standards.  He explained that most people's lives are defined by their minimum standards.  Why?  Because once those standards get met, it is easy to get distracted by other things and meeting the minimum standards for them as well.

Here is something else worth sharing; it was one of his favorite sayings. "The difference between good and great is infinitesimal."  This applies to many things. For example, people who are good take advantage of opportunities; people who are great create them.  The point is to set a higher standard and to have a better life.

Well, that should explain a little of the dysfunction ...  but, if you can't mess up your own kids, whose kids can you mess up?

Hopefully, you had a happy Father's Day weekend.

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. 

 

via 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

 

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

Lighter Links:

• The Myth of Mad' Genius. (Aeon)
• This is Why You Can't Stop Interrupting People. (Fatherly)
• What Makes a Man Attractive? Hint: Look at His Limbs. (ScienceMag)
• Should I Kill Spiders in My Home? an Entomologist Explains Why Not To. (The Conversation)
• As D.I.Y. Gene Editing Gains Popularity, Someone is Going to Get Hurt'. (New York Times)

 

Trading Links

• What is Bitcoin ? (DataScienceCentral)
• Uber CEO: Our Future Won't Just Be Cars.(TheVerge)
• Women are Becoming Billionaires at a Faster Rate Than Men. (Time)
• Russia Sets out to Sanction Western Sanctions.(Bloomberg)
• Satellite Images Reveal Which Countries Cheat on Their Economic Statistics. (Quartz)

 

 

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.

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.”

 

 

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.