Capitalogix

Scientists Have Just Cloned Monkeys

Do you remember Dolly the Sheep?

She was the first mammal cloned "from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer."

Dolly was cloned from a mammary gland and was named after Dolly Parton ... for obvious reasons.

Since then, many other large mammals were cloned, including pigs and horses. 

 

TIME via Youtube

It was just announced that Chinese scientists have cloned two long-trailed macaques using the same technique that produced Dolly. 

Since humans are primates as well, this is an exciting, and mildly terrifying, step towards cloning humans. 

Pragmatically, this bolsters medical research by making it possible to study diseases on uniform subjects, but it also raises tough questions on human cloning. 

As A.I. and cloning advance, some tough bio-ethic issues will take front stage.  It is time to start thinking about what defines a person (or even a living creature) and what rights they have.

Innovation stops for no one ... and Nature finds a way.

Onwards!

 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - January 14th, 2018

 

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

Lighter Links:

• Tesla Model 3: the First Serious Review. (The Drive)
• How Religion Made a Global Comeback in 2017. (The Atlantic)
• New Year's Fitness Resolutions: the Smartest Way to Keep Them. (WSJ)
• How Kaspersky's Software Fell under Suspicion of Spying on America. (Wall Street Journal)
• Could Your Apple Watch Save Your Life?: How Smartwatch Sensors Could Help Tackle a Dangerous Heart Condition. (ZDNet)

Trading Links:

• Kodak Announces Blockchain Plan, Share Price Soars. (FinExtra)
• Here's Why Spotify is Bypassing the Normal IPO Process and Why More Companies Don't Do It. (BI)
• As Dow Tops 25000, Individual Investors Sit It Out. (Wall Street Journal)
• Amazon Has a Master Plan to Turn Alexa into a Full-fledged Economy All on Its Own. (Insider)
• A Crypto Expert Explains the Difference between the Two Largest Cryptocurrencies in the World: Bitcoin and Ethereum. (BusinessInsider)

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - December 22nd, 2017

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

Lighter Links:

• How One Connection Could Change Your Life (In Less Than 90 Days). (Forbes)
• Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds. (NewYorker)
• Long Island Iced Tea Soars after Changing Its Name to Long Blockchain. (Bloomberg)
• How Quantum Computing Will Change the World. (NewStatesman)
• Cracking the World Famous Enigma Machine with Artificial Intelligence in Just 13 Minutes. (7WData)

Trading Links:

• Here's How the Tax Bill Will Affect the Richest 1% in All 50 States. (CNBC)
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Just Sold $1.1 Billion Worth of His Stock. (Money)
• This Animation Shows the Explosion in ICO Funding over the Last Four Years. (Insider)
• The First $100 Billion Dollar Blockchain Company Could Be the next SAP. (Forbes)
• Worldwide Cognitive Systems and Artificial Intelligence Revenues Forecast to Surge past $47 Billion in 2020, According to New IDC Spending Guide. (IDC)

Can You Afford To Think Linearly in this Exponential Age?

Human's can't do a lot of things. Honestly, the fact that we're top of the food-chain is pretty miraculous. 

We're slow, we're weak, and we're famously bad at understanding large numbers and exponential growth. 

Our brains are hardwired to think locally and linearly.

It's a monumental task for us to fathom exponential growth ... let alone its implications. 

Think how many companies have failed due to that inability ... Radioshack couldn't understand a future where shopping was done online and Kodak didn't think digital cameras would replace good ol' film. Blockbuster couldn't foresee a future where people would want movies in their mailboxes, because "part of the joy is seeing all your options!" They didn't even make it long enough to see "Netflix and Chill" become a thing. 

   

via Diamandis

Human perception is linear. Technological growth is exponential.

There are many examples.  Here is one Diamandis calls "The Kodak Moment."

In 1996, Kodak was at the top of its game, with a market cap of over $28 billion and 140,000 employees.

Few people know that 20 years earlier, in 1976, Kodak had invented the digital camera. It had the patents and the first-mover advantage.

But that first digital camera was a baby that only its inventor could love and appreciate.

That first camera took .01 megapixel photos, took 23 seconds to record the image to a tape drive, and only shot in black and white.

Not surprisingly, Kodak ignored the technology and its implications.

Fast forward to 2012, when Kodak filed for bankruptcy – disrupted by the very technology that they invented and subsequently ignored.

 

via Diamandis

Innovation is a reminder that you can't be medium-obsessed. Kodak's goal was to preserve memories. It wasn't to sell film. Blockbuster's goal wasn't to get people in their stores, it was to get movies in homes.  

Henry Ford famously said: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Steve Jobs was famous for spending all his time with customers, but never asking them what they wanted.

Two of our greatest innovators realized something that many never do. Being conscientious of your consumers doesn't necessarily mean listening to them. It means thinking about and anticipating their wants and future needs.

Tech and A.I. are creating tectonic forces throughout industry and the world.  It is time to embrace and leverage what that makes possible.  History has many prior examples of Creative Destruction (and what gets left in the dust).

Opportunity or Chaos ...  You get to decide.

Onward!

Who Can You Trust? Ranking Your News Sources

Fake news this ... phony sources that ...

It is harder than ever to know what to trust.

"Noise Reduction" is important in this volatile geo-political climate.

The chart, below,  lists the least and most trusted news sources.

 

via RJI

As someone who reads a lot, this was interesting.

As a side note,  I was a little surprised to see the "Internet" on the list as source itself.  Darwin would be somewhat comforted to see that people don't trust everything they see on the internet. 

The following chart is a bit outdated (it's from 2014), but it's a good study with diverse leanings.  It presents the trust levels of various news sources by ideological group.   

 

via Journalism

Which of your news sources do you follow? Were they as trusted as you expected?

Another question worth asking yourself is "Am I getting an idea of what the other side is thinking?"  In trading, I always want to understand what the other side sees.

Finally, let me know if there are resources you think I should look at.  

You are either growing or dying.

Rich People Spend Their Time Differently: An Income Distribution in Americans' Pastimes

When it comes to American pastimes, many people focus on the big 3 sports: Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Nevertheless, there are a lot of different ways people spend their time.  It is interesting to see what they watch - and what they actually play. 

Nevertheless, there are a lot of different ways people spend their time.  It is interesting to see what they watch - and what they actually play. 

There is also a big difference based on income distribution.   Here is an infographic.

 

via VisualCapitalist

Apparently, rich people like golfing,  yoga and racquet sports ... while poorer people disproportionately liked relaxing, writing for personal interest, and having hobbies.

It is also kind of interesting to see when people tend to do certain activities.   Here is a chart showing the peak time for various sports and activities.

via Henrik Lindberg

You could build a business around data like that.

Interesting?

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - May 27th, 2017

There is a place to go with deep wishes  ...

 

 

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

Lighter Links:

• What the Dying Teach the Living. (LongNow)
• Why Close Encounters with Animals Soothe Us. (New York Times)
• Will We Ever Elect an AI as President? (Wired)
• 'SNL' Releases McCarthy's 'Spicey' Outtakes. (CNN)
• The Dark Art of How (And When) to Buy an Airline Ticket. (NYMag)

Trading Links:

• The Quants Run Wall Street Now. (Wall Street Journal)
• The MMC Ventures AI Investment Framework: 17 Success Factors For The Age Of AI. (Medium)
• The Real Reason Saudis Rolled out the Reddest of Red Carpets. (Bergen)
• SoftBank and Saudis Launch Largest Tech Investment Fund Ever, $93 Billion in Committed Capital. (CNBC)

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

Someone sent me a motion-activated toilet bowl night-light for my birthday.  I guess that is an early indicator that Depends won't be far behind.

  

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• Palestinian Activists at the DNC Believe Time is on Their Side. (Huffington Post)
• The Hidden Meanings behind the Set Designs of the RNC and DNC. (Wired)
• Why the Suspected Russian Hack of the DNC is Such a Game Changer. (FastCompany)
• Scientists Use Lasers to Regrow Teeth from Stem Cells. (IFLScience)
• Mark Cuban Says He’d Consider Being Vice President — for Trump or Clinton. (Re/code)

 

 

Trading Links:

• Nasdaq 100 Catching up to All-Time Highs - What Could this Mean for Market? (Stockcharts)
• AI Needs Oversight – Time to Set Standards for Autonomous Tech. (NewScientist)
• 'Pokémon GO' is the Biggest Mobile Game in History & It's about to Top Snapchat. (Forbes)
• Cadillac Bets on Virtual Dealerships. (Wall Street Journal)
• How Will Bots Make Money? Here are 7 Business Models. (VentureBeat)

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

The new GOP Symbol says it all.

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• The Incredible Power of Ignoring Everything. (Washington Post)
• 3 Scientifically Proven Ways to Optimize Your Brain. (Inc)
• Will the Singularity Mean the Death of Religion? (Kernel)
• How One Doctor is Waging War on Bulls**t Science. (Huffington Post)
• If You're Alive in 30 Years, Chances are Good You May Also Be Alive in 1000 Years. (HSK)
•  

Trading Links:

• Why We Think We’re Better Investors Than We Are. (New York Times)
• These 7 Iconic NYC Properties are Now Owned by the Chinese. (Video)
• China Central Bank to Fed: a Little Help, Please? (Reuters)
• Global IPOs at 7-Year Low. (Insider)
• Dark Days are Here Again on Wall Street-Investment Banking Earnings down 36% YTD, Lowest since Q1 2009. (David StockMan's Contra Corner)

There's No Crying In Trading

As a fund manager, I am always looking for ways to eliminate emotions (like fear and greed).  

But as a father whose son just got married, the equation was different.

One of my son's instructions to the "officiant" was to make me cry.  I made it through the Ceremony; then, I got a chance to say a few words at the Wedding Reception.  Here they are ...

 

 

via YouTube.

The words "I love you" are powerful.  Most people consider it an expression of emotion.  It can also be a promise ...