The Olympics have officially concluded. For many, it was the ultimate display of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. For others, it's a way to boast about their country's medal count. If you're curious, here are the final medal standings.
One of the most captivating moments occurred in the men's 100-meter sprint. It made me reflect on how years of preparation can come down to a few thousandths of a second determining the difference between Gold, Silver, and Bronze — or virtual irrelevance.
Last week, Noah Lyles broke a 20-year U.S. drought in the men's 100m final, winning gold with a 9.784 time.
Lyles came into the race ranked No. 1 in the world, but he had to run his fastest time ever to win the Olympic gold medal, and he did so by the slimmest of margins — 0.005 seconds.
In that race, Lyles achieved an average speed of 25.7 mph, and his max speed hit 27.84 mph.
Surprisingly, Lyles didn't lead the race until the final and most important moment. Many thought that Jamaica's Kishane Thompson had the gold ... but advanced technology showed that Lyles surged ahead in the final stretch, edging Thompson out by a split second to claim victory. Here is the photo finish.
via ESPN
It took over half a minute (much longer than the race itself) for the judges to announce the winner - it was that close.
As a tech nerd, what I found most interesting about the win was the camera used to certify the win.
Omega, which has been the official Olympics timekeeper for decades, released a new camera that shoots 40,000 frames per second, aimed directly at the finish line.
It reminded me of the facial recognition technology NFL teams like the Dallas Cowboys use to track - theoretically - every person who steps into a stadium. The cameras are so good that when a crime is committed, they can completely track the perpetrator as they travel throughout the stadium. The Cowboys' security office boasts that their camera system surpasses even the ones used by Las Vegas casinos to catch cheaters at the gaming tables. However, it seems like Omega has taken things to a whole new level at the Olympics with its advanced camera technology this year.
Many think the 200m race is Lyles' specialty. His personal best of 19.31 seconds in the 200m is the American record, making him the third fastest in the event.
Unfortunately, Lyles couldn't grasp gold in the 200. He got Bronze instead. However, after the race, he revealed that he ran the race with COVID ... which might explain his drop in performance. Still, it stands as a testament of will to me.
As a side note, while the International Olympic Committee does not pay athletes for winning at the Olympics, many countries do!
via Voronai
While the U.S. isn't near the top of the list - American athletes who get gold bring home $37,500. A silver nets you $22,500, and a bronze nets you $15,000.
Of course, these medals can also lead to other compensation and endorsements - but the payout table was still interesting.
The achievements of athletes like Noah Lyles create national pride and open doors to numerous opportunities and rewards.
Meanwhile, the integration of advanced technology in the Olympics highlights the importance of innovation in sports. As we celebrate these victories, we also look forward to the future advancements that will continue to shape the world of athletics and the world itself.
The 2.9 Trillion Dollar Drop
Last Friday was the stock market’s worst day since COVID.
The media says weak job reports and recessionary fears fueled it. Geopolitics might have played a part, too.
Over 2.9 Trillion Dollars got wiped out.
To visualize what happened, here is a market heatmap of the S&P 500 index stocks categorized by sectors and industries. Size represents market cap. There was very little green in a sea of red.
via FinViz
Last year, I asked if we would see a recession in 2024? Here is an excerpt from that post:
Yes, last week was potentially alarming. Even the ordinarily resilient tech giants took a hit.
With the unemployment rate reaching 4.3% in July, the three-month moving average is at least 0.5 percentage points above the minimum of the previous 12 months’ averages. This triggers the Sahm rule, which supposedly signals a recession. According to the rule, reaching the 0.5% threshold indicates a recession. When the jobless rate rises quickly, it suggests the economy is slumping.
But, even the inventor of the rule, Claudia Sahm, says the doomsday narrative may be overblown.
I’m not here to tell you that everything is sunshine and roses, but I am here to remind you that no indicator exists in a vacuum. While the negative performance is real, household income is still growing, and consumer spending and business investment remain resilient.
Not to mention that with graduation, there’s a massive increase in the workforce, which also impacts the numbers.
Recessions can build slowly - but come quickly - but as they build, there is time to react ... and even better - there is time to not ‘react’ but ‘respond’.
AI will likely impact the workforce, business, and eventually ... the economy.
I’ve learned that the market often feels random because you can’t predict events like global pandemics, threats, assassinations, or cybersecurity outages.
Over time, I’ve focussed less on guessing what will happen and more on responding faster and better to what happens.
With that said, I do have an opinion here. It’s an election year, and I suspect the government will push every button and pull every lever to boost the market leading into November. Even though markets and the economy are not the same thing, many voters believe they are. So, I would say this correction is perfectly timed ... and I anticipate a steady ramp-up so that people feel as good as possible about the economy when they vote.
What do you think is going to happen?
Posted at 09:48 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Ideas, Market Commentary, Television, Trading, Trading Tools, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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