Capitalogix

Happy Hanukkah 2021

It's that Holiday time of year again. 

Wow, how time flies. We're past Thanksgiving, and Christmas and the New Year will be here quickly.

It turns out that tonight was and the last night of Chanukah - which is the Jewish festival of lights. This is the holiday that involves lighting the Menorah (Chanukah candles), eating latkes (potato pancakes), exchanging gifts, playing spin the Dreidel (a gambling game), and enjoying a sense of family togetherness for eight days and nights.

That's a long time, right?! Well, sometimes it seems even longer with my family. 

As a gift to all of you, here is "The Chanukah Song," performed by comedian Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live.  It became an instant classic (and he since released a second, third, and fourth version.)

Here is the video. And, if you're feeling left out - here's Adam Sandler's Christmas Song.

 

via SNL

It's not too different from Christmas. 

The cynic in me believes the gift part of the holiday was invented by merchants.

Regardless, the Capitalogix team has been in a festive mood, and the office has been filled with holiday cheer. We recently celebrated a Thanksgiving Potluck as well. 

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From my family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Thriving Through The AI Revolution

The world is poised on the cusp of an economic and cultural shift as dramatic as that of the Industrial Revolution. - Steven Levy

Artificial Intelligence is one of my favorite things to talk about ... It makes so much possible! 

In a previous article, I mentioned that forecasts expect AI to impact or eliminate up to 50% of current jobs. Nevertheless, I think that is the start of the story. The ultimate impact will be more significant and more positive than most people expect.

Freeing humans to do more has always been a boon to society. Electricity put a lot of people out of work ... but, look what it made possible.

We'd be naive to think AI isn't going to influence the job market, but that doesn't mean you can't navigate that shift. 

A Look At Industrial Revolutions

The Industrial Revolution has two phases: one material, the other social; one concerning the making of things, the other concerning the making of men. - Charles A. Beard

There are several turning points in our history where the world changed forever. Former paradigms and realities became relics of a bygone era. 

Today, we're at another turning point.

Tomorrow's workforce will require different skills and face different challenges than we do today. You can consider this a Fourth Industrial Revolution. Compare today's changes to our previous industrial revolutions. 

• First industrial revolution - Discovery of the steam engine and creation of factories
• Second industrial revolution - Introduction of the assembly line and mass production
• Third industrial revolution - The world wide web and computers connect the world together, heralding the digital age. 

Each revolution shared multiple similarities. They were disruptive. They were centered on technological innovation. They created concatenating socio-cultural impact.

The fourth shares all the same hallmarks.

We're harnessing new technologies like AI, the IoT, renewable energy, and the blockchain. Automation will reach new levels in this revolution. But there also will be an explosion of new fields, new markets, and new necessary skillsets - it's going to impact the world as holistically as electricity did. 

How will humans create value in an increasingly automated world?

I believe that, if managed well, the Fourth Industrial Revolution can bring a new cultural renaissance, which will make us feel part of something much larger than ourselves: a true global civilization. I believe the changes that will sweep through society can provide a more inclusive, sustainable and harmonious society. But it will not come easily. - Klaus Schwab

One of the distinctions I've recently made about the industrial revolutions is that for a long time, technology helped humans act like robots. Think about a plow and a farmer, or a seamstress and a sewing machine. After that, it helped robots try to act like humans, which you've seen more recently. 

I believe we're at another inflection point, where new capabilities will free up humans to be more human and to pursue more of what they really want. 

Robots can do many things, but they've yet to match the creativity and emotional insight of humanity. As automation spreads to more jobs, the need for management, creativity, and decision-making won't go anywhere ... they may be bolstered by data analytics, but they won't disappear. 

Our uniqueness and flexibility rightly protect our usefulness. AI and automation free us up to be our best selves and to explore new possibilities. 

These are exciting times!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - October 24th, 2021

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

Lighter Links:

• Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure. (HBR)
• Can this Company Take Pet Cloning Mainstream? (TexasMonthly)
• China's Test of Orbital Hypersonic Missile Is a Big Deal. (Dailysignal)
• AI 2041: Ten Visions For Our Future. (NextBigIdea)
• The Head of NASA Says Life Probably Exists Outside Earth. (Quartz)

 

Trading Links:

• Denver Airport's Jobs Fair Hoped For 5K Visitors – Only 100 People Showed Up. (FoxBusiness)
• Trump SPAC Skyrockets As Much As 1,657% Since Deal Was Announced. (CNN)
• Hedge Funds Slash FAANG Exposure to Two-Year Low Before Earnings. (Bloomberg)
• Scoop: Facebook Exec Warns of "More Bad Headlines". (Axios)
• Tesla CFO: Profound Awakening of EV Desirability Has Caught Company Off-Guard. (GCR)

A Day of Atonement and Kintsugi

Thursday was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and one of the High Holy Days in the Jewish religion.

As part of the holiday, participants read a list of sins (available here), apologize for those committed, and ask for forgiveness.  Read the list ... much has changed, apparently, human nature hasn't.  

Even if you have managed to stay on the right side of the Ten Commandments and haven’t killed or stolen … you have most likely been frivolous, stubborn, hurtful, dismissive, or judgmental (I know I have …).  

To help mark the importance of the day, participants read a poem called the Unetaneh Tokef. Below is a brief excerpt that captures the spirit. 

Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquillity and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.

On one hand, you can read that and pray for Divine intervention (or perhaps favor) or you can recognize that we each have a choice about who we want to be, how we show up, and what we make things mean.  Your choices about these things have very real power to create the experience and environment you will live in during the next year.

This year, the sermon at my local synagogue added an interesting idea. It discussed the Japanese art of Kintsugi. In Kintsugi, the Japanese mend broken pottery by gilding the fractures with gold, silver, or platinum.  This treats the breaks and damage as an element that adds value and enhances the beauty of an object (preserving a part of its history) - rather than something that simply diminishes the object. 

This concept is a great reminder as we unpack the "trauma" of COVID-19 and 2020 and move on both as individuals and as a society. Our steps backward are just as much a part of our journey as our steps forward. As you heal, it is also important to remember to heal the world around you as well. In the Jewish faith, that concept is called Tikkun Olam. 

One of the themes of Yom Kippur is that you're only ever one good deed from tipping the scale towards good for yourself and others.  As you recognize and repent for your sins, it's important to appreciate the good you did (and do) as well. 

100 Days Left

There are just over 100 days before the start of 2022. Many will spend those 100 days stressing about the upcoming elections, grumbling about how 2020 sucked, and pretending it's the universe's fault they didn't accomplish what they set their mind to ... yet, 100 days is enough time to sprint, to make a change, and to end the year on a high note. 

There is plenty of time to make this your best year yet. What can you do? What will you do?

I hope you all experience growth in your mental state, your relationships, and your businesses.  

Best wishes for a great day, and an even better year!

Remembering 9/11 - 20 Years Later

On September 11, 2001, 19 extremist Al Qaeda militants hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Nearly 3000 people were killed during the attacks.

Do you remember where you were when it happened?

For most Americans, it’s easy. That moment – and its ripples – are imprinted on our minds. For my son, Zach, it was in his 3rd-grade class. They wheeled in a TV on a cart for the students to watch. One of his classmate’s uncles was killed in the attack.

A colleague of mine was supposed to be in the tower that day but rescheduled a meeting for the following day – narrowly missing it.

And now 20 years have passed. So much has changed. So much has stayed the same. We’ve analyzed the events of that morning a thousand ways from different vantage points ... and it’s still impossible to fully grasp the weight of the event.

It’s crazy to imagine that there are now full-fledged adults who have no memory of it.

And with that, Visual Capitalist put together a great chronology of the event.

As we honor those that gave their lives – or had them taken from them – it’s a powerful reminder.

Click the image to enlarge.

via visualcapitalist

The Pentagon has been repaired and we have a new World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan – but the wounds of that day still remain.

Even more so for the actual first responders. With that, I’ll leave you with a powerful video from Jon Stewart, fighting for those first responders.

 

 

Confirmation Bias 101

Echo chambers and confirmation bias aren't new.

Recently, however, it seems that we are increasingly presented with issues divided into polar opposite points of view, with little to no tolerance for disagreement. 

Nonetheless, not all topics need to be debated or negotiated. 

Sometimes, a fact is a fact.

Hopefully, this video won't step on any toes - but if you're a "flat earther," I wouldn't watch. 

Here's a clip from Behind The Curve (a documentary on the flat earth society) that I think perfectly shows confirmation bias. 

 

via Behind The Curve

Start with the evidence and then form a conclusion. Doing that in reverse doesn't tend to work out as well.

As a polite reminder, if a conspiracy relies on millions of people (as well as different countries and organizations) to all commit to the disinformation campaign ... it's not likely true.

As Occam's razor states, the simplest explanation is often the correct one. 

World Happiness Levels in 2021

Happiness is a complex concept comprised of positive emotions, lack of negative emotions, comfort, freedom, wealth, and more. 

Regardless of how hard it is to quantify ... humans strive for it.

Likewise, it is hard to imagine a well-balanced and objective "Happiness Report" because so much of the data required to compile it seems subjective and requires self-reporting. 

Nonetheless, the World Happiness Report does a good job with its annual look at quantifiable factors (like health, wealth, GDP, and life expectancy) and more intangible factors (like social support, generosity, emotions, and perceptions of local government and businesses).  Click the image below to view the Report.

via World Health Report

In their 2021 report, there was a significant focus on the effect of COVID-19 on happiness levels and mental health. 

As you might expect, the pandemic caused a significant increase in negative emotions reported. Specifically, there was a significant increase in reports of worry and sadness across the ninety-five countries surveyed. Moreover, the decline in mental health was higher in groups that already had mental health problems - women, young people, and poorer people. 

What's interesting about this is the resilience and bounce-back seen within the data. Considering the amount of disruption to households this past year, it's remarkable how stable the averages for countries have been. 

Ultimately, globally, humans persevered in the face of economic insecurity, anxiety, and challenges to mental and physical health. 

Despite the changes in emotions in 2020, overall life satisfaction rebounded quickly after March of 2020. 

via Visual Capitalist

While there was a decrease in overall happiness, the relative balance in the face of such adversity may point towards the existence of a hedonic treadmill - or set point of happiness. I'm always impressed by what people can get used to, and how you can find pockets of joy in even the hardest times ... or how people with everything they could ever ask for can still feel profound unhappiness. 

It's oddly beautiful and a great reminder that happiness comes from within. Obviously, our environment and circumstances play a part. It's easier to be content with a roof over your head and a stable job. But, after a certain point, it's on us to create our realities. 

Onwards!

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - July 11th, 2021

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

Lighter Links:

• Video: Richard Branson's Space Flight Takes Off. (Flipboard)
• Bezos and Branson are Going To Space! Or Maybe Not. (Wired)
• Kosher Lab-Grown Pork from Israel's Growing Cultured Meat Sector. (JPost)
• Death Rates are Declining For Many Common Cancers In the U.S., Report Finds. (StatNews)
• How a Lizard's Venom Inspired the Promising Weight Loss Drug Wegovy. (Vox)

 

Trading Links:

• The Meme Stock Trade is Far From Over. What Investors Need To Know. (Barrons)
• 7 Upcoming IPOs To Watch In the Second Half of 2021. (BankRate)
• For the First Time, the Fed Flags Crypto Prices as a National Financial Risk. (Fortune)
• The S&P 500 Could Drop Sharply in the 3rd Quarter as the '5 P's' Pressure Markets, Bank of America Says. (Markets)
• Shaquille O'Neal Shuts Down the Internet with His Financial Portfolio, Owns Forever 21, Elvis Presley, and Much More. (ABS)

 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - June 6th, 2021

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

Lighter Links:

• Benevolent Bots Are Suckers – Why A.I. Should Be Afraid of Us. (NYT)
• Microsoft's First GPT-3 Product Hints at the Commercial Future of OpenAI. (TheNextWeb)
• Netflix Secret Codes: How to Access Hidden TV Shows and Movies on Service. (Independent)
• Physics' Greatest Mystery: Michio Kaku Explains the God Equation. (BigThink)
• Scientists Gene Edit Mice to Live 23 Percent Longer. (Futurism)

 

 

Trading Links:

• Where Did 1.5 Million Cable Customers Go Last Quarter? Here. (MotleyFool)
• Technology Changes - But Fear and Greed Never Do. (HowardLindzon)
• Higher Interest Rates Would Be Good for the Country, Treasury Secretary Yellen Says. (CNBC)
• A Stealthy Growth Correction. (HumbleStudentOfTheMarkets)
• The Future of Money: The Digital Currency Revolution is Here, and May Sweep Away 5,000 Years of Monetary History. (Globe&Mail)

 

 

 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - May 23rd, 2021

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

Lighter Links:

• Clearly AI is Going To Win. How People are Going To Adjust is a Fascinating Problem'. (3QuarksDaily)
• How AI-Powered Ships Can Help Us Collect Valuable Data About the Ocean. (ThePrint)
• How the Personal Computer Broke the Human Body. (Vice)
• How Jewish is Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah? A Forward Investigation in 9 Verses. (Forward)
• The 5-Second Rule: Science Debunks Food Myth that Stretches Back to Gengis Khan. (Inverse)

 

Trading Links:

• More Investors Than Ever are Borrowing To Buy Stocks. Here's What this Really Means For the Market. (MarketWatch)
• Governments are Deploying 'Wartime-Like' Efforts to Win the Global Semiconductor Race. (CNBC)
• Space Inc: 10,000 Companies, $4T Value ... and 52% American. (Forbes)
• The Pandemic Changed Where Americans Live. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Billionaire Creator of Ethereum Already Expected the Collapse of Cryptocurrencies. (Entrepreneur)