Football season is officially underway! In honor of that, here's a look at each position's composite "player" (as of 2019).
As you might expect, different sports have different ratios of ethnicities. For example, you might expect more Pacific Islanders in Rugby or Asians in Badminton.
The same is true for various positions on a football team. Offensive linemen are more likely to be white – while running backs are more likely to be black.
Here is a visualization that shows what happens when you average the top players' faces in various positions.
While you may be thinking "this player must be unstoppable" ... statistically, he's average.
The "composite" NFL player would be the 848th best player in the league. He's not a starter, and he plays on an average team. You probably don't know his name if you don't root for his team.
We found the same thing with our trading bots. The ones that made it through most filters weren't star performers. They were the average bots that did enough not to fail (but failed to make the list as top performers in any of the categories). Meaning, the survivors were generalists – not specialists.
In an ideal world, with no roster limits, you'd want the perfect lineup for each granular situation. You'd want to evaluate players on how they perform under pressure, on different downs, against other players, and with different schemes.
That's what technology lets you do with algorithms. You can have a library of systems that communicate with each other ... and you don't even have to pay their salary (but you will need data scientists, researchers, machines, data, alternative data, electricity, disaster recovery, and a testing platform).
You won't find exceptional specialists if your focus is on generalized safety. Generalists are great, but you also have to be able to respond to specific conditions.
Getting old is tough ... and it gets tougher the older you get. As a result, finding your 'reasons for being' and joy in life become increasingly important.
The past couple of years have been a period of massive upheaval for many. Reasons for this include stress, change, pandemics, quarantine, new jobs, new goals ... or, at the other end of the spectrum, lack of change, lack of a job, or lack of purpose.
Most people know that life is much better than the alternative (and that life becomes even better when you learn to enjoy living and let go of what isn't serving you). Consequently, it makes sense to understand and search for the things that bring you pleasure or fulfillment.
A Japanese concept called "Ikigai" may help better define your motivating force and the things that give you a sense of purpose or a reason for living.
Ikigai centers around finding purpose as you grow older. Paradoxically, it makes sense to start the process as early as possible.
Here is an infographic that lays out some "Reasons for Being."
Finding your "reason to be" and living with purpose are keys to making the most of your time.
The beauty of 2022 being a fresh start is that you can also change your approach and your vision.
The graphic highlights something interesting (yet almost counter-intuitive) ... When two areas intersect, it creates something positive (e.g., a passion or a mission). However, where three areas intersect, it creates a pain point (for example, it could be what you're good at, you love doing it, the world needs it ... but it doesn't make you any money – so now you're struggling).
Worth examining and thinking about for a bit.
On a related note, this TEDx talks about the nine common diet and lifestyle habits that help people live past 100.
Serena Williams officially retired on Friday after a loss in the third round of the US Open to 29-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena won her first Grand Slam Title 23 years ago in the same stadium.
Serena started playing professional tennis in 1995 as a 14-year-old. Twenty-seven years later, she walks away from the game with 858 tour victories, an 85% win rate, 73 singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 319 weeks at No. 1. With her sister, Venus, they won 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.
Recently, I shared this graph that helps put the Williams sisters' dominance into perspective.
Serena is undoubtedly one of the most dominant athletes - man or woman - in any sport.
To be great requires an extraordinary level of grit, determination, and pain tolerance over an extended period of time. It isn't just what you choose to do from moment to moment – it's about a persistent commitment to who you choose to be!
During Serena's final match, an ESPN commentator said something interesting about what makes her (and many famous athletes) great. For context, Serena was down 5-1 in the final set of the final match, with her opponent having won two sets already. It's 'game point'. To get here, Ajla will win a point, then Serena - it goes back and forth like that more than seven times. Yet, Serena keeps finding a way to keep herself in the match despite everything going against her.
While this is going on, the commentator exclaims, "How can she care so much? How can she keep dancing on the lip of the volcano?"
Imagine being in Serena's position. She's 40, she's announced her retirement, the match has been going on for almost 3 hours, and her chances of coming back are almost nil ... she has nothing left to prove ... but she keeps finding more in the tank. She keeps putting herself in a position to turn it around. After the match, her opponent makes clear that she never once thought that Serena was out of it - that she couldn't turn it around and clinch victory.
It was beautiful - and it was a testament to the passion and discipline it takes to be that elite for that long.
There's a difference between good and great - but there's also a difference between great and the greatest.
Over the past several decades, there has been a massive shift in how we produce and consume energy. This has been driven by the tech boom - as well as by climate awareness.
The practical realities of widespread tech adoption directly impact energy consumption. For example, there are now over 7 billion people with smartphones. As the population (and the number of gadgets and tech we use) grows, logically, so does our energy consumption.
Luckily, we're also getting better at powering them.
On a different front, oil is still a meaningful and vital part of the energy ecosystem … but, now, it's being supplemented by multiple renewables.
Over the last decade, investment in green technologies has helped the cost of renewable energies drop precipitously.
That spurred a different set of products and use cases. For example, we've seen the number of electric cars grow exponentially. In 2011, there were approximately 70,000 EV units in the world. Now there are around 16.5 million.
This isn't a commentary on the environmental benefit of renewables; it is an observation about the direction energy is heading.
And, just like with AI, despite being a space that's existed for a long time, it is still in the "early adoption" phase.
If our goal is to be energy independent, we have a long way to go ... Nonetheless, recognize that this creates massive business and investment opportunities.
Sometimes it feels like portraying people who think differently as "evil" has become a default strategy. Frankly, it's exhausting.
As a break from that, here's a story of someone doing what most wouldn't.
Mohamed Bzeek is a Libyan immigrant living in Los Angeles. He's taken on a unique life mission. He fosters terminally ill kids – so they don't have to die alone in hospitals. He's been doing it for over 25 years (and he has fostered over 80 kids so far).
I joke that I have a "tense" problem. I spend a lot of my time thinking about what will be possible in the future. And once I know something is possible, in my head, it has already happened.
It isn’t a reality distortion engine … it is a reality creation engine.
For me, this is centered around the way technology is transforming the world and how it affects my business.
Sometimes it's nice to take a step back and look at all the "quality of life" improvements. The gadgets that make you say "Wow!" … even though they may not benefit you directly.
So, here are a few that caught my eye over the last few weeks.
Augmented Reality Running
In 2020, Ghost Pacer put together a pair of AR glasses that would give you a virtual running partner. The app would analyze the running route and the wearer's desired goals and set them up against a virtual runner who would push them to their limits.
Last year, SNAP and Nike teamed up to create a new AR running experience as well.
Watching the video of this slime is somewhat uncanny. Its movements feel almost lifelike. That being said, the potential for this custard-like slime worm is massive. It can navigate narrow passageways, grasp objects, and more. There are already plans to use this to remove foreign objects from people.
Multiple generations of kids have dreamed of hoverboards after watching Back To The Future. While it's not in homes yet, it is now a reality as seen in this video with Tony Hawk riding one. Unfortunately, since breaking into the scene in 2015 with a successful Kickstarter, I have not seen much from Hendo Hoverboard.
Thankfully, they're not the only company in the space anymore. If you're willing to drop almost 15K, you can own a working hoverboard from Arcaboard.
I remember when we used to go outside to play or exercise.
The Average NFL Player (By Position)
Football season is officially underway! In honor of that, here's a look at each position's composite "player" (as of 2019).
As you might expect, different sports have different ratios of ethnicities. For example, you might expect more Pacific Islanders in Rugby or Asians in Badminton.
The same is true for various positions on a football team. Offensive linemen are more likely to be white – while running backs are more likely to be black.
Here is a visualization that shows what happens when you average the top players' faces in various positions.
osmutiar via Reddit
Composites are interesting.
While you may be thinking "this player must be unstoppable" ... statistically, he's average.
The "composite" NFL player would be the 848th best player in the league. He's not a starter, and he plays on an average team. You probably don't know his name if you don't root for his team.
We found the same thing with our trading bots. The ones that made it through most filters weren't star performers. They were the average bots that did enough not to fail (but failed to make the list as top performers in any of the categories). Meaning, the survivors were generalists – not specialists.
In an ideal world, with no roster limits, you'd want the perfect lineup for each granular situation. You'd want to evaluate players on how they perform under pressure, on different downs, against other players, and with different schemes.
That's what technology lets you do with algorithms. You can have a library of systems that communicate with each other ... and you don't even have to pay their salary (but you will need data scientists, researchers, machines, data, alternative data, electricity, disaster recovery, and a testing platform).
You won't find exceptional specialists if your focus is on generalized safety. Generalists are great, but you also have to be able to respond to specific conditions.
Onwards.
Posted at 03:21 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Games, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Science, Sports, Trading Tools | Permalink | Comments (0)
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