Capitalogix

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - September 15th, 2019

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

Lighter Links:

 

• New Blood Test Accurately Predicts When People Will Die within 5-10 Years. (BigThink)
• What Brain Supplements Can and Can't Do, According to a Neuroscientist. (FastCompany)
• The No. 1 University in America Now Comes with a Total Sticker Price of Over $293,000. (MarketWatch)
• Tim Cook Used a Specific Communication Strategy in Apple's iPhone Keynote. Here's Why Every Public Speaker Should Too. (Inc)

 

Trading Links:

• Counting on a Black Swan Event? There's an ETF for That. (Bloomberg)
• Jack Ma Ends 20-Year Reign at Alibaba with $41.8 Billion Net Worth. (Fortune)
• China's New Digital Currency Could Encourage Worldwide Use of the Yuan, Says CEO. (CNBC)
• The US Deficit Topped $1 Trillion. the Year's Not Even over Yet. (CNN)
• Trashing Fed 'Boneheads,' Trump Calls for Central Bank to Cut Interest Rates to 'ZERO'. (Politico)

 

Getting Used To A New Normal

In the first part of this exercise series, I talked about mindset and action.

In Part 2, I talked about normalizing your habits and picking consistent, normalized metrics. This doesn't just work at the gym; it applies to life and business as well. 

Today, I want to explain how and why this helps. To do so, we will talk about controlling your arousal states. 

Watch the video, it is only 90 seconds.

 

 

Chemically, most arousal states are the same.  Meaning, the same hormones and neurotransmitters that make you feel fear also can make you feel excited.  They affect your heart rate, respiration, etc.  ... Though, the outside stimuli you experience likely determines how you interpret what is happening.  

In most situations, a heart rate of 170 beats per minute is an indicator of extreme danger (or an impending toe-tag).  If I felt my heart racing like that in a meeting, it might trigger a fight or flight instinct.  I prefer conscious and controlled responses.  So, I train myself to recognize what I can control and to respond accordingly.

One way I do that is by being mindful of heart rate zones during exercise.  

My goal is to get as close to 170 bpm as I can, then stay in that peak zone for as long as possible.

Here is a chart showing a Fitbit readout of an exercise session.

 

As you can see, every time I reach my limit ... I get my heart rate back down.  It becomes a conscious and controlled learned behavior.

Here is a different look that shows effort based on my maximum heart rate.  It is from an app called Heart Analyzer.  

 

 

Recognizing what this feels like is a form of biofeedback; it's not only gotten me better at controlling what happens after my heartrate reaches 170 but at identifying when I'm close – even without a monitor. 

Now, when my heart rate is at 170 bpm (regardless of the situation), I don't feel anxious ... I think about what I want to do. 

I currently use an Apple watch with the HeartWatch app to measure heart rate during the day.  The Oura Ring is what I use to measure sleep and readiness.

These are useful tools.

It's the same with trading ... Does a loss or error harsh your mellow – or is it a trigger to do what you are supposed to do?  

Getting used to normalized risk creates opportunity.  

When you are comfortable operating at a pace, or in an environment, that others find difficult – you have a profound advantage and edge.

Measuring Normalized Behavior – Stop Worrying and Love The Pain

When your doctor tells you that you are fat, it is easy to discount (because you pay them to tell you that).  When your massage therapist tells you that you are getting fat, you've got to listen (because they're trying to be nice to get a better tip).

Well, for the past two months, I've been getting back into fitness.

I used to be a competitive athlete.  In the past, for me, exercise was about gaining an edge and competing better.  In a sense, that is still true (just on a different field).   Now, I work out to stay healthy, fit, and vital while managing the challenges of running a company, navigating an overbooked calendar, and traveling every week.

In my last post on mindset and action, I talked about the habit of conditioning yourself to take the next best step.

This is about focusing on the right things so you can best measure progress.

 

 

Normalizing your habits and picking the right metrics isn't just a habit for the gym.  It's a habit you should pick up in life. If you don't set the right measuring stick you'll always be unhappy or underperform. 

Plan forward – but measure backward ... you have to make sure you're not so focused on the horizon that you don't track what you've accomplished. 

Normalizing the result makes this easier and better.

In running, for example, it is the time it takes me to finish one mile, while never going above 170 heartbeats per minute.

Meanwhile, in trading, we do this by comparing different opportunities based on a constant risk level (for example, the expected return for the next day of $1M, assuming a 2% maximum drawdown).  It doesn't matter what market we trade, or how many trades the system makes ... we can make a fair comparison and get better insights about performance.

Hope that helps.

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - August 18th, 2019

Larry Kudlow confirmed that Trump wants to buy Greenland.

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• MIT's New Interactive Machine Learning Prediction Tool Could Give Everyone AI Superpowers. (TechCrunch)
• Why You Need Innovation Capital and How to Get It. (HBR)
• The Myth of Rational Thinking. (Vox)
• The Hotel Hackers Are Hiding In The Remote Control Curtains. (Bloomberg)
• Watch the Meaning of Life: One of the Best Animated Short Films Ever Made Traces the Evolution Life, the Universe & Beyond. (OpenCulture)

 

Trading Links:

• Amazon's Most Lucrative Business is Headed to Space. (Quartz)
• Training a Single AI Model Can Emit as Much Carbon as Five Cars in Their Lifetimes. (TechReview)
• These Indicators Show Where You'll See the Eventual Recession Hit First. (Globe&Mail)
• Big Techs Raise Important Issues Globally beyond Traditional Financial Risks. (Forbes)
• We are Very Close to Peak Fintech, with More Than 10,000 Startups Jumping into the Boom. (Quartz)

Finding A Way – Just Do It!

It's hard to fight Mother Nature.

Willpower isn't always enough. 

The trick is recognizing that you can create conditions that make your success much more likely.

No matter how much internal resolve you have, changing the story you tell yourself, and the environment you create for yourself, are reliable ways to make meaningful and lasting change.

Is How You Do Something, How You Do Everything?

On some level, I think so.  To make the point, let me start with a brief story. 

I was at the gym and getting pretty close to the end of my workout.

Frankly, I was at a point where being done was way more attractive than the option of doing additional exercise.

Over time, I've developed many habits and beliefs that focus on finding the best next step - or a way to do just a little bit more. So this time, I used reverse-counting to help me finish that workout strong.

I started with 10 push-ups. I know I can do 10 push-ups, even at the end of a hard workout. Without putting my knees down, I can rest in plank position for a moment or two ... then I do nine more push-ups. That has to be easier than 10, right? Then eight more ... seven ... six. You get the point.

Each set is a little bit harder than the one before; but mentally I'm prepared for it, and can convince myself that I'm so much closer to the goal.

So I get to three, and sweat is dripping off my nose, my arms are shaking, and my hips want to sway. Somehow knowing that there are only two more sets, then only one more, allows me to finish.

That story could have been about creating profitable trading systems, developing a new database, or recovering from a setback.  It's about finding a way, regardless of external circumstances.

Finding a Way to Do Just a Little Bit More.

There are many times that it seems easier to do nothing, or to give up. That's just not my nature. It's not in my "nurture" either.

My father used to say that the secret to success was getting up. What he meant was that if someone knocked you down 10 times, then the secret to success was getting up 11 times. And if someone knocked you down another time, then the secret was to get up 12 times. There's a lot of truth in that.

I laugh when I think of all the little things I do that condition me to take the best next step. Here are a few examples of small things that help define that mindset.

• I never stop reading until I finish a chapter.
• Also, when I play a strategy game on my iPhone, I never stop until I win.
• And, when I play a strategy game that I'm good at, I never stop until I achieve a certain score. 

It doesn't matter if I'm frustrated or tired.  I find a way.  Each of these things, in its own small way, helps condition me to know that I can do anything I commit to do.  Ultimately, what that means is that regardless of what happens, my outcome depends most on what I choose to do.

Sometimes these habits seem silly, quirky, or even a little bit OCD to me. Yet, they serve me.

Many benefits come from knowing that the game's not over until you say it is ... or until you win.

Moreover, it's comforting to know that there's always a best next step, or at least a different perspective that will create new opportunities and possibilities.

I tend to take that perspective in business as well. We focus on the progress we're making, and what that makes possible, rather than how far we are from the ultimate goal. Why? Because, as we continue to make progress, the things we shoot for are bigger and farther away. Focusing there would always show a shortfall. Obstacles and setbacks become the raw material for new growth, ideas, and strategies.  The trick is getting back up, isn't it?

Sometimes the best advice is simple. Nike got it right in their ad ... Just Do It.

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - August 9th, 2019

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Important. (Zapier)
• DNA Data Storage is Closer Than You Think. (Scientific American)
• The Man Who Can Remember Every Day of His Life. (BBC)
• How the West Got China's Social Credit System Wrong. (Wired)
• Scientists are Making Human-Monkey Hybrids in China. (TechReview)

 

Trading Links:

• First Spotify, Now Slack: Wall Street May Be Losing Its Iron Grip on Silicon Valley. (Vox)
• The Tokenization of Securities is Happening Right Now and No One is Noticing. (VB)
• 5 Big Breakthroughs to Anticipate in 3D Printing. (SingularityHub)
• How the State Runs Business in China. (TheGuardian)
• Researchers Map Global Economy in Collaboration with LinkedIn. (Phys)

Arnold Schwarzenegger Still Has It

Recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger was dropkicked by a stranger at an event he was attending in South Africa. 

I'm just now seeing it. In case you haven't, I thought I'd share. 

For some of the most successful people I know ... It is less about what happens, and more about what they choose to focus on, what they make it mean, and what they do.

 

For context, he's 72 - and this is his response to the attack:

Crazy. 

Another Year, Another Lesson!

Yesterday was my 56th birthday - I know, I know, I don't look a day over 55.  Regardless, time marches on, and I become increasingly grateful for the friends and family who are journeying through time with me.

We didn't make it to the Jersey Shore this year or have genuine Philly Cheesesteaks, but we did eat amazing food, tell old stories, and spend quality time together. There is a lot to be said for family and tradition.

When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine being where I am today ... nor could I imagine the path that got me here. Looking back, it all seems to make sense (even though it felt pretty random while making my way through it).

I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time, so consistently, and to find the gift in most situations (even when it seemed so well hidden).

I'm grateful for a lot today, and as much as I love innovation, sometimes things are perfect just the way they are. 

Hope you took time this weekend to let someone know they're important to you. If not, now is a good time for that too!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - July 14th, 2019

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

 

Lighter Links:

• How Did NASA Put Men on the Moon? One Harrowing Step at a Time. (Washington Post)
• 55 Dr. Seuss Quotes for the Places You'll Go. (DevelopGoodHabits)
• Nick Saban on the 5 Choices We Have in Life. (LeadershipNow)
• How to Turn on Fall Detection on Your Apple Watch Series 4. (Mactrast)
• When Charlie Chaplin Entered a Chaplin Look-Alike Contest & Came in 20th Place. (OpenCulture)

Trading Links:

• Electric Vehicles are Outperforming the Traditional S-Curve Dynamics. (SeekingAlpha)
• Are Drones Really the Future of Delivery? [Infographic]. (B2C)
• The World's Biggest Potential IPO May Be on Again. (Economist)
• Moody's Economist: We'll See the Markets 'Tank' If the Fed Doesn't Cut Rates. (Finance)
• Trump Picks Another Fed Member Who Believes in the Gold Standard. this One Really Means It. (CNN)

 

 

Biohacking Gone Wild

Dave Asprey is perhaps the most well-known biohacker (he's even referenced in Merriam-Webster's definition of biohacker) and the founder of Bulletproof. For those that don't know, a biohacker is someone who uses drugs and technology to make their body/mind function better. 

Dave and I shot a video where he discusses life and provides an interesting take on algorithms. 

 

 

It's not surprising that biohacking has become as popular as it has. In a society that encourages (maybe even necessitates) an impossible balance between work, responsibilities, and self-care - it makes sense to want to increase efficiency. 

Biohacking helps you do more with less. Biohacking is popular because you're trying to get peak performance via the path of less resistance.

Having trouble with sleep, but don't want to stop using your phone before bed? Wear blue-light blocking glasses. 

Not getting enough results at the gym? Work out "smarter" not harder, by using cryotechnology and intelligent lifting machines. 

While biohacking started as tricks like that - nootropics to help your mind, light and sound machines to decrease stress - it's becoming increasingly tech-centric and augmentation based. 

Several months ago, I shared Gartner's hype cycle for 2018. Do-It-Yourself Biohacking was one of 5 encompassing trends for the year. 

The future is bringing implants to extend humans past their perceived limits and increase our understanding of our bodies; biochips with the potential to detect diseases, synthetic muscles, and neural implants. - Howard Getson

It's estimated that over 100,000 people already have various types of implants. In Sweden, thousands of Swedes are inserting chips under their skin to speed up their daily routines. They use chips to open locked doors, to store contact information, and to get on to the train. Currently, chips are limited to simple tasks like unlocking doors, holding personal data, and tracking simple to record data.

Longterm, it's likely you'll see it moving toward exoskeletons, AR/XR experiences, and unsurprisingly to sex toys. It's also being used to create artificial organs and counteract memory loss.  The two companies that are leading this movement are Neuralink,  Biohax International and Digiwell. While it's currently being adopted primarily by fast-movers and technocrats, it's pragmatic to think there will be more widely-adopted versions of this as technology gets standardized and protections are put in place. 

For all the excitement, it's necessary to remain skeptical and patient. DIY biohacking raises various ethical issues, especially around data protection and cybersecurity. As a reminder, when it comes to cybersecurity, you "the user" are the biggest weakness.

There's no stopping this train, but there is time to make sure it stays on tracks!

Onwards!

by the way, I highly recommend the Bulletproof product line!