Capitalogix

Things That Happen Every 60 Seconds [Infographic]

Every 60 Seconds, more than 300 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube; more than 400,000 Tweets are sent ... and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Things are happening faster, and on a broader scale, than most could imagine – even a few years ago.

Here is an infographic with the latest statistics on "The Things That Happen Every 60 Seconds" on the Internet.

 

via Go-Globe. 

Likewise, you should see how fast trading is evolving.  There is a virtual arms race for more algorithms, faster calculation, and more ways to win.

Onwards.

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

At some point, it becomes more important to focus on what you want ... rather than what you don't want.

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• AI Comes to Work: How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Business. (BND)
• Princeton Tops List of 2017 U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings. (USAToday)
• iPhone 7 Plus Vs IPhone 6S Plus: What's the Difference? (Forbes)
• Scientists Followed 5,000 Genius Kids for 45 Years — Here's What They Learned about Success. (Insider)
• It’s Now Possible, in Theory, to Predict Life Success from a Genetic Test at Birth. (ResearchDigest)

 

Trading Links:

• One Year Later, This is What Would Prompt Another "Risk-Parity" Blow Up. (ZeroHedge)
• Competition to Reinvent the Car is Getting Fiercer. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Fed's Next Move Will Impact Oil Markets. (OPEC)
• America Has Leverage over China Because It Owns So Much US Debt. (Trump)
• “Complacency” Indicator Implies Market Top.  (SocGen)

iRobot: Artificial Intelligence ... or Artificial Stupidity?

We often think of Artificial Intelligence as a relatively recent creation – but that's not necessarily true. 

Of course, to compare A.I. of the past with what create now would be unfair.  Nonetheless, A.I. has affected thought since Greek mythology. 

Stories of golden robots, homunculi and Golems have fascinated for generations.

More recently, a 240-year-old doll was found that can write any custom text up to 40 letters long using a goose feather and has eyes that follow what it writes. Imagine what the creator of that gadget could do with the tools we have today.

 

 

 

Seems pretty simple in comparison to all the different applications of A.I. we have today.

But as smart as Artificial Intelligence has become, it doesn't take much to thwart its purpose.

For example, iRobot's Roomba seems like a pretty cool piece of technology, right?  It'll vacuum for you, learn where your furniture is, etc.

Unfortunately, it's not smart enough to tell when your pet has left a "present" on the floor for you ... in which case, it just might spread poop over your whole house.

Yup, that's a real Roomba story, worth a chuckle while you read it here.  

This image shows A.I. isn't always a substitute for lack of the real thing.

 

via Facebook

People claim that they fear Artificial Intelligence ... I think artificial stupidity is pretty scary too  - even when it doesn't result in smearing poop across your carpet.

One of the biggest challenges in automated trading is how quickly we can recognize when things aren't going right, and get back to doing the right thing again.  It isn't just about making money, it's about making and keeping money, consistently.

As for the iRobot,  they are aware of the automated poop-spreading issue and are working on a fix. 

Onwards.

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading - August 13, 2016

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

 

Lighter Links:

• Three Ways the Tech Industry (Still) Misuses Metrics. (FastCompany)
• Machine Learning Key Terms, Explained. (KDNuggets)
• We Have Become an Idiocracy. (Time)
• Combat Juggling. (Neatorama)
• How to Use Distraction to Your Advantage. (99u)

 

Trading Links:

• Beaten-Up Hedge Fund Billionaires Reminisce About the 'Golden Age'. (QuantNews)
• A Booming Wall Street Business is Based on Guesstimates, and That Could Be A Problem. (BI)
• Authorities Want to Know If Electronic Trading Giants are Cheating Small Customers. (Fortune)
• Who Owns America's Debt? (Money)
• Megacities, Not Nations, are the World’s Dominant, Enduring Social Structures. (Quartz)

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

Lots of crazy stories from the Olympics.  For example, an Olympic Kayaker capsized after hitting a submerged sofa.  At least they figured out how to deal with the mosquitos.

 

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• There Are More White Voters Than People Think. That’s Good News for Trump. (NYT)
• Inside the Bitter Last Days of Bernie's Revolution. (Politico)
• The Pittsburgh Steelers are Practicing with Football Robots. (PopSci)
• The Craziest Predictions  From Tech BigWigs Recently. (PScience)
• Dos Equis Wants to Rank You on the "Most Interesting Person in the World" Index. (FastCo) 

 

Trading Links:

• The Big Banks are Becoming ‘Dumb Pipes’ as Fintech Takes Over. (CB Insights)
• How the World's Currencies Got Their Names. (World Economic Forum)
• Fund Managers Fear Central Banks Will Create Next ‘Lehman’ Moment. (MarketWatch)
• What Would Happen If 40 Million Americans Defaulted on Their Student Loans? (FastCo)
• Alleged Russian Spies in the U.S. Were Interested in High Frequency Trading. (QuantNews)

Finding Dory

On Father's Day, my son took me to Finding Dory.  

Let's not dissect the story ... I appreciated spending time with my son  (but also the art and the technology used to make it).

   

 

The current state of animation is mind-blowing (not just 3D ... the textures, shading, and sense of natural movement.

The rendering math is cool.  Yes, I know that makes me a nerd.

But, they are using GPU servers to do massive computation (just like a Quant Fund).  

Watch the video, below, to see how they did it.

 

 

CNet via YouTube.

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

While conspiracy theorists argue whether the NBA rigged the finals to get to get to game 7, I find this more disturbing ... it's a photo combining Hillary and Trump into a Clump.

 

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• 12 Neglected Questions Successful Leaders Keep Asking. (LeadershipFreak)
• The 5 Books Bill Gates Wants You to Read this Summer. (Inc)
• Netflix Launches Fast.com, a Dead Simple Way to Test Your Internet Speed. (Mashable)
• Your Life in Weeks. (WaitButWhy)
• The 8 Most Elite Special Forces in the World. (BusinessInsider)

 

Trading Links:

• Buffett Becomes Apple’s 56th Largest Shareholder with $1 Billion Investment. (BuzzFeed)
• Apple's Latest Billion-dollar Business: Venture Capital? (Mashable)
• 22 U.S. Companies that Just Keep Getting More Profitable. (MarketWatch)
• What Current Trends Tell Us about the Future of the Hedge Fund Industry. (QuantNews)
• JPMorgan Has New Theory about What Really Caused the Flash Rally. (Bloomberg)

The Future of FinTech

FinTech is hot ... and FinTech startups are disrupting the value chain, and the industry itself, by grabbing market share, increasing customer churn, and putting pressure on margins.

I recently was at the Future of Finance conference, where I talked with the CEO of CB Insights about the changing landscape of trading and asset management.

 

 

 

via YouTube. 

At the conference, one of the sessions was about how banks are "suffering death by a thousand cuts" and being relegated to utilities as they fail to adapt to new tech trends.  Here is a graphic showing the competitive pressures FinTechs are putting on banks.

 

via CBInsights.

Likewise, according to a report by PwC released last week, 9-out-of-10 insurers fear losing meaningful business to stand-alone FinTechs.

The game is changing, and so is what you have to do in order to win.

 

Related articles

PwC: Global Alternative Asset Industry Heading Towards Center Stage

PwC Looks Ahead to 2020: Offers a Roadmap for Alternative Investment Managers

Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

A friend of mine just bet me that Trump would win the election.  So far, Trump has offended a lot of "interest groups" with campaign remarks.  But, then there is Hillary.  It is going to be close.

 

 

 

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

 

Lighter Links:

• 17 Surprising Interview Questions these CEOs Always Ask. (Inc)
• Should We Be Afraid of AI? (Aeon)
• Don't Read This! (It's Only the Most Valuable Psychology Hack You Can Learn.). (Entrepreneur)
• Liberal Brains are Different from Conservative Brains, with Psychiatrist Gail Saltz. (BigThink)
• Jerry Jones Disinterested in Presidential Run, but “Proud” to See Hillary Clinton Earn Democratic Nomination. (Star-Telegram)

 

Trading Links:

• Delinquency Rates Surge in 2016, Poised to Head Higher. (FinancialSense)
• 4 Blockchain Companies that Could Change Everything from Accounting to Money Transfers. (MarketWatch)
• In the U.S. and Abroad, More Young Adults are Living with Their Parents. (PewResearch)
• Top 100 Economics Blogs of 2016. (Ritholtz)
• How Much Did the Clintons Make from Paid Speeches in 2015? (CNW)

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)