Capitalogix

Part 2: Using ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Capabilities to Draft a Blog Post on Exponential Technologies

In part 1 of this post, I played around with ChatGPT’s new Advanced Voice Mode. I used it to create an article with essentially no editing, showing how quick and easy using the tool was. This time, I’ll redo that process, emphasizing the prompts used to interact with the AI. Then, I will add some additional prompts to refine the writing. Creating an article this way was dramatically quicker and easier than our typical process. And it’s pretty surprising to see the level of quality content that you can produce with the current state of the technology and relatively minimal effort.

This image was created using X’s Grok AI to pair with this article.

What follows is the transcript from my chat with Advanced Voice Mode, with only light editing and formatting to provide better insight into the process and its outputs.

 

“I want to write an article about how exponential technology will change life and business. Can you ask me questions until you have enough information to create an outline? And then I’ll give you some other topics, and you can ask me more questions until you have enough time to write the article.”

00:22

Great, let’s dive in! First, for the article on exponential technology, could you share what specific areas of life and business you want to focus on? Are there any particular technologies or industries you find most intriguing? This will help shape the direction of the outline.

“Yeah, I am the CEO of an AI platform company, and I tend to communicate with entrepreneurs, senior executives, and investors, and I’m primarily talking about AI.”

00:15

Great, focusing on AI makes a lot of sense given your background. Let’s narrow it down further. Are you interested in exploring how AI impacts specific industries, like finance or digital media? Or would you rather discuss broader themes, such as AI’s role in transforming business operations, customer experiences, or decision-making processes?

“It started in areas like finance and digital media, but it will impact broader areas.”

00:12

Great point! We can explore how AI began transforming finance and digital media and is now set to revolutionize various other sectors. We could highlight emerging trends and future possibilities in healthcare, education, retail, and more. How does that sound for the article’s direction?

“Sounds fine, but I also want to discuss how it will change everything. AI isn’t just another technological advancement; it’s a fundamental shift transforming the very fabric of our lives. It’s something different ... because it’s no longer just about the technology itself, but the adoption and what it creates and makes possible.”

00:16

Absolutely, AI’s impact hinges on how it’s adopted across industries and societies. It’s this integration into daily life and business that will truly redefine our future. Should we explore examples of this adoption and its potential to change everything?

“Yeah, and I think we ought to talk about how fast OpenAI got ChatGPT to a million users, and then to a hundred million users ... and the fact that it’s not only that the users are playing with the technology, it’s that the companies now have data about what people are trying to do and what they’re having challenges doing, and it’s literally giving them a roadmap of how to eliminate constraints faster and create what comes next at unprecedented speed and rates of change.”

00:21

The rapid adoption of ChatGPT highlights not just public interest, but also the potential for businesses to harness user data. This provides invaluable insights into user needs and pain points, effectively offering a roadmap for innovation. Shall we delve into how this data-driven approach is reshaping business strategies?

“Yes, and let’s do that at a high level and then pose a challenge to the user saying, you don’t have to figure out how to use the current state of technology today ... It’s more important for you to build the muscle about thinking about how tools like this are going to help you build what you want to create for tomorrow.”

00:22

That’s a powerful perspective. Let’s summarize the high-level implications of AI adoption and then challenge readers to think beyond current capabilities. By building a mindset geared towards leveraging AI for future opportunities, they’ll be better positioned to innovate and stay ahead in a rapidly changing landscape.

“I think that’s great. On a separate note, not related to the article, can you speed your voice up by like 0.25?”

00:10

Sure, I can do that. How does this sound?

“I also need you to increase the delay when you’re waiting for me to talk, because I’m someone who thinks and then talks. But I want you to talk a little bit faster like that, and that will seem much more natural for me when brainstorming.”

00:18

Got it! I’ll speak a bit faster and give you more time to think before jumping in. Let’s keep the brainstorming going. What other topics are on your mind for articles?

“I think that agentic processes are poised for the next big wave of innovation. And as much as everybody’s going to start to hear about it, it’s going to follow Gartner’s hype cycle, where we’re going to create inflated expectations and excitement ... but then have a trough of disillusionment as people find that it’s harder to do than they expected. As a practical aside, my company has created an autonomous trading system. In the beginning, we thought it was about trading better ... but it’s really about figuring out the myriad of ways that life gets in the way – from power failures, internet outages, fires in the server room, and geopolitical events. But the real issue is figuring out how to make something work reliably even in the face of errors, competition, mistakes, and bad luck.”

00:50

That’s a fascinating shift in perspective. It really underscores the importance of resilience and adaptability in AI systems. Do you think exploring these real-world challenges in an article could offer valuable insights for others in the tech industry? It seems like it could be a great way to share your expertise.

“Yeah, I just think we have to do that somewhat superficially, so that they think about some of the challenges but then realize that the right thing to do is partner with somebody who’s already figured it out.”

00:14

That’s a smart approach. You can introduce the complexities of implementing AI, just enough to highlight the challenges, and then pivot to the value of partnering with experts who have navigated these obstacles. This could position your company as a trusted guide in the AI landscape. How does that sound as a direction for your article?

“It sounds good. However, you’ve gone back to speaking slowly again. I don’t know if some human is reading the transcript, but you were doing great, and now you’re back to your original pace.”

00:19

I’ll keep the pace up. It sounds like you’re all set. What else would you like to cover?

“That Natural Language Processing has become a key component of AI innovation. It’s amazing how it’s changing how humans interact with computers or access AI capabilities. It used to be that you needed to be good at prompt engineering, but companies like OpenAI have figured out how to interpret simple requests and build a more detailed prompt behind the scenes, so you’re still getting the benefit of prompt engineering without having to become an expert at it yourself. A simple example is the difference between the response to a prompt simply consisting of the word “Improve – and (then a sentence)” six months ago, versus what you’ll get today. And the same is true for a simple image prompt. The result you would have gotten six months ago is vastly different than what you’ll get today because the tools and technologies and multimodal capabilities are working together beneath the surface to create a much more robust and resilient and capable answer engine.”

01:06

That’s a great observation. The evolution of AI is making it more accessible, allowing users to focus on their needs rather than the technicalities. This progress opens up new opportunities for innovation and creativity, as users can leverage AI’s capabilities more efficiently, effectively, and easily.

“OK, do you have enough information to create a basic outline?”

00:04

Absolutely! Here’s a basic outline for your article:

 

Title: Navigating the AI Revolution: From Exponential Technology to Practical Applications

I. Introduction

• The rapid growth of AI and its transformative impact on life and business.
• Brief overview of AI’s origins in industries like finance and digital media.

II. Exponential Technology in Business

• How AI is revolutionizing various sectors, including healthcare, education, and retail.
• AI’s role in reshaping business operations, customer experiences, and decision-making.

III. The Role of Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• The evolution of NLP in making AI more user-friendly.
• How companies like OpenAI simplify complex requests, enhancing user experience.

IV. Real-World Challenges and Resilience in AI

• Introduction to the challenges of implementing AI systems, using autonomous trading as an example.
• The importance of resilience and adaptability in AI, focusing on overcoming real-world obstacles.

V. Data-Driven Innovation

• How user data from AI applications provides insights for

 

“Your outline is fine. Please generate a rough draft. Please use some quotes, headlines, subheads, and bullets. I like structure in the article. And please end with a conclusion.”

00:17

Absolutely. Here’s a rough draft with the structure and formatting you requested.

 

Note: The entire conversation with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode occurred during a casual neighborhood walk lasting 10-15 minutes. I made no effort to rush the process - it was simply a natural dialogue with my handphone that concluded before I returned home. At this point, ChatGPT generated a draft of the article that was okay, but similar to last time. It didn’t really reflect our style to the level that would make us happy. So, I asked ChatGPT to rewrite the draft using my voice, tone, and style. To accomplish this, I provided five examples of previous articles and instructed it to analyze the voice, tone, and style ... and to generate a prompt that mimics those characteristics. I then returned to the original conversation where ChatGPT had provided its draft and requested it to rewrite the content with those instructions. Here is the output.

 

Navigating the AI Revolution: Bridging Exponential Technology with Practical Application

Imagine a world where artificial intelligence, once the stuff of sci-fi dreams, shapes the foundations of our daily lives and businesses. What began as a tool in niche sectors like finance and digital media now pulses through healthcare, education, and retail, each industry redefining its approach to productivity, decision-making, and even creativity. Yet, while AI’s exponential growth makes headlines, the real story often lies in the complex journey of making these systems resilient and truly reliable on a large scale.

This image was created using X’s Grok AI to pair with this article.

AI’s potential doesn’t just come from its incredible computational speed; it’s about adaptability—learning as it goes. Think of the impact it’s having in healthcare, where AI diagnoses diseases earlier and personalizes treatments, or in retail, where it sharpens customer experiences with laser-focused recommendations. But here’s the catch: many businesses hit roadblocks when trying to bring this transformative technology into their workflows. Moving from promise to practice takes more than powerful algorithms. It takes a strategy that integrates AI into every part of an organization, backed by a collaborative culture and a solid tech infrastructure to handle the unique demands AI brings.

Natural Language Processing: A Giant Leap Forward

One of the most accessible advancements in AI is natural language processing (NLP). You no longer need a deep technical background to generate impactful results. Companies like OpenAI have unlocked the potential for anyone to leverage complex technology without getting bogged down in the intricacies of prompt engineering. By transforming simple requests into nuanced responses, NLP democratizes technology—empowering business users, entrepreneurs, and consumers alike to harness AI for content creation, strategic analysis, and decision-making.

Real-World Resilience: AI’s Practical Challenges

Despite its transformative promise, deploying AI in the real world is not yet a plug-and-play endeavor. Take autonomous trading systems as an example. While initially focused on optimizing trading strategies, it became clear that the real mission was building resilience against the unpredictable: power outages, unstable internet, server issues, and even geopolitical shifts that could halt operations in an instant. Making AI that doesn’t just perform but thrives in an unpredictable world calls for a fundamental shift in thinking—from optimizing a single outcome to building systems that can handle whatever comes their way.

At its core, AI transforms raw data into actionable insights. For companies, this translates into deeper customer insights, trend forecasting, and optimizing operations on a grand scale. But here’s the challenge: it’s not just about amassing data but about pulling the right insights while respecting user privacy and regulatory requirements.

Those companies that can weave AI seamlessly into their processes—and keep the trust of their users—will lead the charge in this data-driven revolution.

Conclusion: Moving from Exponential to Essential

As AI advances from a cutting-edge tool to an essential part of business strategy, success will hinge not on speed but on the quality of execution. It’s about embedding resilience, enhancing user experience, and remaining ethically grounded. Companies that bring a clear vision and long-term adaptability to AI adoption will find themselves ahead, not just capitalizing on its transformative potential but building a future where AI becomes a natural, reliable partner in progress.

 

At that point, ChatGPT said:

Let me know if you’d like any adjustments! This draft keeps the original article’s structure and depth while incorporating your reflective, future-oriented tone and approachable insights.

 

Breaking The Fourth Wall

Hopefully, it wasn’t too confusing to read the transcripts and the article. In this section, I’ll discuss the experience and what I want to improve.

Ultimately, even after asking ChatGPT to rewrite the article, it doesn’t feel exactly like something I wrote. Yes, it was objectively better - cleaner, more structured, more polished. Yet it wasn’t quite “me.”

Better isn’t always good enough.

But here’s the real insight: This “almost but not quite” result might be what we need in the age of AI-assisted content creation. Think of it as a high-quality first draft that gives you a massive head start. Instead of staring at a blank page, you’re starting with something substantial that just needs your unique touch.

To be fair, I could have easily gotten closer to the intended target with just a few more prompts.

In addition, I could easily train an AI in-depth on my voice and writing style. Frankly, I should do that.

In the old days, we relied on style guides. With today’s level of AI, you can create custom AI prompts to transform base content into audience-specific communications. This opens up an intriguing possibility for businesses. The implications for scaling high-quality, consistent content are significant.

Or, I could practice what I preach and use this as the base primer to write something better. This article demonstrates the power of that hybrid approach. Some parts detail the AI’s contribution, while others share strategic insights and personal perspectives. Together, they create something more valuable than humans or machines can produce alone.

If you genuinely enjoy writing, AI shouldn’t be your replacement - it should be your amplifier, enhancing and multiplying what makes your writing uniquely yours.

As much as that’s true, sometimes you just have to produce decent-quality output. This process certainly did that, and there are plenty of simple add-ons that can elevate the quality from merely acceptable to genuinely good.

Even though I didn’t want to use another tool (because of the premise of this article), I pasted the article into a tool called Type (which is similar to Lex). Both are AI document editors that speed up and simplify the writing process. Type gave me these options, each of which would have improved the article.

• Improve: Remove clichés, fix errors, and improve transitions.

• Fix Errors: Fix grammar and spelling errors.

• Shorten: Remove fluff and simplify lengthy phrases.

• Enhance Structure and Formatting: Make things easier to skim and read.

Additionally, Type has a cool feature that analyzes your document and suggests things to incorporate at specific points. It can generate sentences, lists, and paragraphs directly at your cursor as you write. It also can help you find the perfect idea with real-time suggestions. Type analyzes your writing to identify opportunities to expand or improve it. When you like a suggestion, Type’s writing AI can write it out and insert it into your document.

Here are some of the suggestions it had for the “Navigating the AI Revolution” article.

• Highlight successful case studies of companies that have effectively integrated AI.

• Include specific metrics and ROl examples from Al implementations.

• Outline the necessary steps for businesses to begin their Al transformation journey.

• Describe the role of human oversight and the balance between automation and human judgment.

• Explore the future implications of Al on workforce development and job markets.

• Discuss the importance of cross-functional teams in Al implementations.

• Address cybersecurity concerns and protective measures when deploying Al systems.

It’s like having a team of grammar, style, story, and industry-specific knowledge specialists. You can brainstorm and examine issues from multiple angles to incrementally improve your base product and transform it into something worth saving and sharing.

In conclusion, I spent more time crafting the intro and conclusion than writing the base article with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode.

When I first started playing with AI tools, I hoped they could improve my writing. Now, I realize they’re already so capable and powerful that they are changing how I write and even how I think about writing.

In business, I often say you don’t want to be the bottleneck or limit of how good things can be. With tools like these, that’s true with writing as well. The limits of your initial thinking or knowledge no longer constrain the upper limit of what you can produce.

For executives and teams looking to stay ahead, the question isn’t whether to use AI in content creation - it’s how to use it most effectively while maintaining your authentic voice. The leaders who crack this code first will have a significant competitive advantage.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article or how you are using AI.

Why I'm Still Excited About The Future of GPTs as a 20+ Year AI CEO

Last week, I explained how to create content by simply talking to your computer using ChatGPT's new voice interface. In that post, I multi-tasked in a whole new way by writing the article by merely talking with ChatGPT while walking around my neighborhood to get some fresh air and "exercise."

In that article, I shared my conversation along with the end result - a quick and dirty article about the applications of AI voice agents. I didn't edit the article the way I usually would, but that was intentional to demonstrate what it could create on its own. My evaluation was that it produced content that met the minimum standard and provided a great starting point for me to enhance.

Next week, I'll redo that process, emphasizing the prompts used to interact with the AI. I also used some additional prompts to refine the writing.

As I find new tools, prompts, and applications, I can't help but share them with the people around me. Technology has always excited me and given me energy.

Meanwhile, as I share these tools and prompts with my son, Zach, it's clear he's not as excited as I am about them. For context, Zach and I work on these articles together. So, when I find a new writing tool that I think will make our lives easier, I'm quick to share it.

This past week, I shared some prompts with him that I thought were profound (because they were simple – but produced useful productive output). Through simple prompts and appropriate context settings, we can now get ChatGPT (or other tools like Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity) to perform functions a small business may not have internally. For example, a company could use AI as a comptroller or product manager. It can also help create reports and summarize meetings better than my assistant or I would.

 

Zach acknowledged the utility of capabilities like these ... but described them as 'pedestrian.' He was unimpressed because, in his eyes, these were capabilities that were already possible early into the public release of ChatGPT.

He does appreciate more specific use cases for generative AI – but focuses more heavily on apps with a singular utility. For example, he likes a writing app called Lex, which works more like a standard Word Processor (but with several nicely done AI assists) ... or the Hemmingway Editor app, which helps make your writing concise and correct (by suggesting fixes for lengthy, complex sentences, and common errors).

Instead of focusing on the new generality & ubiquity - and automating tasks outside his wheelhouse - he gets excited about supplementing his ability or improving his efficiency.

His lack of excitement helped me understand more why I'm excited.

Since the '90s, I've been fascinated by AI. For much of that time, two types of people shared my excitement. The first was Hollywood executives, who created cliché dystopian depictions to perpetuate a false human vs AI dichotomy (think The Terminator, I, Robot, or 2001: A Space Odyssey). The other were other people like me. Entrepreneurs or academics looking to leverage exponential technologies.

The average person had very little practical exposure to AI outside of the hidden-in-plain-sight applications that were often glorified decision logic. Eventually, you got tools like Siri or Alexa that put it into everyone's home.

My son takes for granted that even when ChatGPT grew popular, using it well took expertise. You had to be clever, deliberate, and patient to get results that weren't verbose garbage.

AI is genuinely becoming not just available but accessible.

Three great examples are Letterly, Talktastic, and Rosebud Journal.

Letterly is an application that allows me to dictate whatever I'm thinking. It runs a process behind the scenes to organize and clean up disorganized text. Then it gives me dozens of rewrite options that allow me to choose the tone (Business, Casual, Friendly, Clear and Concise, etc.), the purpose (Email, Social Post, Journal Entry, etc.), and the type of output (Structured, 2X Shorter, Meeting Takeaways, Detailed Summary, Outline, etc.). It sounds much more complicated than it really is. The primary reason that I like it is that it's so simple that I take it for granted. 

Another tool like that is Talktastic. For short burst dictation, TalkTastic is better than speech recognition tools (like ChatGPT, OpenAI Whisper, Google Speech-to-Text, or Apple Dictation). It is a game changer because it interprets what you're saying based on what it sees on your computer screen, regardless of the app or website. That means when you trigger it to run, TalkTastic analyzes a snapshot of your chosen app and automatically understands your conversation's tone, style, and substance while accurately spelling people's names and easily confused words. So you can turn your rough ideas into thoughtful and articulate language everywhere. I use it dozens of times every day to create short messages, emails, and even some of the sentences in an article like this. Currently, Taltastic only works on macOS devices (and is totally free while in beta).

Rosebud is a journalling app reimagined to incorporate AI in many subtle and clever ways. I've been tempted to journal many times throughout my career, but always found reasons to abandon the practice. That's not true anymore. Rosebud's AI journal has fundamentally changed how I look at and use tools like this. Chatting with AI tools is one thing (I wrote about that in a post called Conversing With AI), but Rosebud is a level beyond even that. It has all the benefits of a traditional journal, but it adds intelligent responses, subtle prompts, and reminders to think about certain things. It's interactive and collaborative. It challenges you to re-examine certain beliefs, set goals, or measure success in different ways. Try it!

Each of these tools is a great example of something you quickly take for granted because it's easy to get used to nice things.

Expect a lot more things like that.

Isn't that exciting?

Getting Educated Before You Vote!

Early voting has started, and if all goes to plan, we’ll know who will be the President on Tuesday, November 5th. Realistically, it’s more likely that you’ll know who you think the President is ... but the country may still be officially undecided.

It has gotten more challenging to exercise truly educated decision-making through the fog of fake news and the growing echo chambers of noise surrounding the candidates (and their policies).

The reality is that most of our news sources are tinted by the lens of their ideology - which is okay. That means they’re appealing to their targeted audience. 

That being said, it may also be worth looking at the same news story from a comparative news source from the other spectrum - or even better, a primary source when it comes to science/economics. I found two tools that help me do this kind of comparison easily – Ground News and Particle.

Ground News is a news aggregation platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias, and break free from algorithms. Key features and benefits include:

• Source comparison: Allows users to see how different news outlets cover the same story, grouped by political leaning (left, center, right)
• Bias distribution: Shows the breakdown of political orientation for news sources covering each story
• AI-generated summaries: Provides summaries of coverage from different political perspectives
• Blindspot feature: Helps users identify stories not widely covered by their preferred sources
• Ownership information: Shows the ownership/financial interests behind news outlets.

Particle is a news reader app that delivers AI-powered news summaries to help you understand more, faster. It was created by an ex-Twitter alumni. The Particle app lets you browse a personalized list of stories to get you up-to-speed at a glance ... or go infinitely deeper to understand various perspectives, broader context, and how a story has unfolded over time. They’re still in private beta. You can sign up for the waitlist here.

Here’s a chart that shows where news sources rank. You can click the image for an interactive version with more details. And, if you’re curious about their methods, click here. 

via Ad Fontes Media

On top of reading various news sources, there are a couple of other tools I like: 

• FiveThirtyEight - Uses graphics to tell visual stories on valid statistics. Named after the number of electoral votes. Also has a visual presidential forecast. 
• RealClearPolitics - Aggregates news from various sources, as well as writing their own opinion pieces. Also has a good visual on the current state of the presidential, senate, and house races. 
• Brittanica ProCon - Tracks the stated positions of politicians on various issues. It can be sorted by candidate and by issue. It also has a quiz you can take to assess which candidate you actually resonate with. 
• Politifact & FactCheck - Both sites fact-check presidential statements, party statements, and more. We know politicians often lie by omission or focus only on the specific stats that are relevant to their point. Fact-checking helps you gain a more holistic picture. 

You are probably sick and tired of all the noise surrounding the election. However, our democratic system thrives on the intricate system of checks and balances powered by information sharing and continuous debate. This process compels the government to remain responsive and accountable to the people. 

Remember, choosing not to vote is still a choice ... and getting out to vote is the only way to make sure that your voice is heard - whether or not you believe in the health of America's democracy. 

 

Atoning & Rebuilding

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, which translates to “Day of Atonement” and is 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 ... even though much has changed in the World... apparently, human nature hasn’t changed much.  

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 …).  

I’ve had a reasonably challenging year. Instead of feeling like a victim or using the struggles as excuses, Yom Kippur is a day to look back honestly, reflect, and choose to be better.

To help mark the day’s importance, participants read a prayer 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 real power to create the experience and environment you will live in next year.

This time of year, we can also learn from many other cultures. For example, 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 diminishes the object. 

This concept is an excellent reminder as we unpack the “trauma” of shootings, culture wars, actual wars, and more. 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. In the Jewish faith, that concept is called Tikkun Olam. 

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

As I look at my year, atone, and look forward, I'm reminded of two definitions I heard recently. 

One is that “intelligence” can be defined as the ability to get or move towards what you want … and the second is that “learning” is the ability to get a better result in the same situation.

I choose to look at going forward as a chance to clear the slate and Be and Do better … personally, professionally, in the business, and in relationships. I know that there’s lots of room for improvement, opportunities for growth, and the ability to simply put the past behind me and focus on a better future.

Initially, I looked at Capitalogix as a technology company that built trading and fund management capabilities. Over time, I realized that the team, our tools, and the things we do backstage are more valuable than the front-stage results that we produce. We can leverage these to amplify intelligence in virtually any industry.

The future is going to be about making better decisions, taking better actions, and continually improving performance. That won’t really change. Almost everything else will. So, the business is really about the things that don’t change.

I think this is probably true in life as well. Many parts of you change … but the part of you that doesn’t is really the core of who you are.

There are Less Than 100 Days Left in 2024.

There are only 80 days left until 2025. Many will spend those days stressing about the upcoming election, grumbling about inflation, and pretending it’s the universe’s fault they didn’t accomplish what they set their mind to ... yet, it’s also 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?

What could you do to make the life of someone around you better? Likewise, how can you let others know you’re thankful for them?

To reference a book by Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan, transformational change is often easier than incremental change (because you don’t have to drag the past forward).

So, what can you do that would trigger 10X results?   Will you?

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!

Examining Life Expectancy & Longevity

Life expectancy has been on a steady global rise for longer than I've been alive. 

via worldometers

Meanwhile ... the United States has fallen to 48th on the list of countries with the highest life expectancy.

Hong Kong tops the list with an average life expectancy of 85.63 overall - and 88.26 years for females. 

For comparison, the U.S.'s average life expectancy is only 79.46.

Many factors potentially impact the findings, for example, the average height and weight of a population (with shorter & lighter people tending to live longer), diet, healthcare system, and work/life balance. 

While some of this is out of your control (OK, a lot of it is) - there are definitely things you can do to increase your healthy lifespan. Meanwhile, some people like Bryan Johnson are doing everything they can to live forever. 

Popular Mechanics put together a video series called How to Live Forever, or Die Trying, where they interview scientists and anti-aging gurus to give you insight into pursuing a future without death. 

Unfortunately, recent science has shown that adults in their mid-40s to early 60s begin to experience significant changes in their alcohol, caffeine, and lipid metabolism, an increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, and a noticeable decrease in their skin and muscle health. When you hit your 60s, you also begin to see negative changes in carbohydrate metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, and a further decline in the previously mentioned factors. 

Here's the good news. Not only is science and technology getting better, but you're always in control. You can make lifestyle changes to increase your longevity, and you can also find supplements, treatments, and protocols that can reverse those factors of aging. Even simple measures like increasing your physical activity or avoiding alcohol before bed can make a massive difference. 

They say a healthy person has thousands of dreams, but an unhealthy person only has one.

That is one of the reasons I spend so much time and energy thinking about staying healthy, fit, and vital.

Focusing on the positive is important ... But to extend your healthy lifespan, you have to start by telling the truth and finding out what you and your body struggle with the most.

A doctor friend gave me some advice. He said it doesn't matter if you are on top of 9 out of 10 things ... it's the 10th that kills you.

Despite our best efforts, Mother Nature remains undefeated.

With that said, here are some of my previous articles on longevity and health: 

• Live Long & Prosper
• How Much Time Do You Have Left?
• Changing Your Definition Of Resolution
• Workouts That Work
• Getting Used To A New Normal (Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3)

The goal isn't just to stay alive longer; it's to live life to its fullest for as long as possible.

I recently joined a fantastic mastermind group called DaVinci 50, run by Lisa and Richard Rossi. It brings together a remarkable collection of medical professionals and entrepreneurs focused on the latest research, treatments, and opportunities in health and longevity.

Another great tool I rely on is Advanced Body Scan. Early detection is crucial, but so is tracking the history of your scans to monitor changes over time. In my opinion, the most valuable scan is always the next one.

Additionally, I use a growing list of trackers and biometric devices to measure my heart rate, along with apps and tools for mindfulness, breathwork, and journaling. Together, these practices recognize that mind, body, and spirit combine to define how you live your life.

To end this post, I'll use a farewell phrase I heard often while growing up ... it translates roughly to "go in health, come in health, and be healthy." It's a beautiful way to wish someone well on their journey, emphasizing the importance of health and well-being.

I hope you found something interesting.  Let me know what things and practices work best for you.

Cognitive Biases & The Consequences of Labeling

“Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing.
They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures,
when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast.
The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.”
― Karen Marie Moning

Continuing with the theme of cognitive biases, the upcoming election has me thinking about the consequences of labeling things, creating boxes, and simplifying ideas into news-ready headlines.

With more news sources than ever and less attention span, you see ideas packaged into attention-grabbing parts.  The focus isn't on education or the issues, but on getting the click, making your stay on their page longer, and sending you to a new article utterly unrelated to why you clicked on the page.

Complex issues are simplified – not even into their most basic forms – but instead into their most divisive forms ... because there's no money in the middle.

via Quote Investigator

The amplified voices are those on the fringe of the average constituents' beliefs – precisely because those are the ones who are often the most outspoken.  We might think that because they're the voices we hear, these fringe messages fairly represent what people like us believe or think ... but they rarely do. 

Issues that should be bipartisan have been made "us" versus "them," "liberal" versus "conservative," or "right" versus "wrong." The algorithms many of our information sites use create echo chambers that increase radicalization and decrease comprehension. 

Identity politics have gotten so strong that you see families breaking apart and friend groups disintegrating ... because people can't imagine sharing a room with someone with whom they don't share the same values. 

In psychology, heuristics are mental models that help you make decisions easier.  They're a starting point to save mental bandwidth, allowing you to spend more brain cycles on the important stuff.

That's a great use of "boxes" and "simplification"… but it shouldn't eliminate deeper and more nuanced thought on important issues. 

Most situations are nuanced, and the "correct" answer changes as you change your vantage point.

In an ideal world, we'd consider every angle.  I recognize that's not realistic.

Instead, I encourage you to remember to continue to think and learn ... even about things you already know.  And, if you become familiar with the most common cognitive biases, you can hopefully identify them in your thinking and decision-making.

Confirmation Bias is one of the more common forms of cognitive bias.  Here is an infographic that lists 50 common cognitive biases.  Click to explore further.

 

via VisualCapitalist

Important issues deserve more research.  New insights happen between the boundaries of what we know and don't.  Knowledge comes from truly understanding the border between what you are certain and uncertain about. 

I challenge you to look beyond the headlines, slogans, and talking points you like most.  Look for dissenting opinions and understand what's driving their dissent.  Are they really blind or dumb (or are their value systems just weighted differently)?

Not everything needs to be boxed.  Not everything needs to be simple.  You should explore things and people outside of your comfort zone and look to see things from their point of view ... not your own. 

Recently, I've started using a website and news app called Ground News.  They claim to be a news platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias, and break free from algorithms. 

As discussed above, online news and ad-driven algorithms have made it profitable for news outlets to embrace a position on the bias spectrum to target specific consumers.   That bias in the media affects everything from what events receive coverage to how a news outlet frames those events in their reporting.

As media outlets narrow their perspective and range of coverage, I use Ground to help me get a well-rounded view of important issues and become aware of my blind spots.

Applying This Lesson  

“I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

I love learning a lesson in one space and applying it to other spaces.  It's one of the cool things about AI.  An algorithm can learn rules in the construction space that may help in the medicine or trading space.  Everything's a lesson if you let it be.

In that vein, the lesson on labeling also applies to yourself and your business.  Don't get me wrong - naming things is powerful.  It can help make the intangible tangible.  However, don't let the label (or your perception of the label) stop you from achieving something greater. 

Many things are true because we believe them to be, but when we let go of past beliefs, the impossible becomes possible, and the invisible becomes visible.  

Hope that helps. 

“Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis, words mean nothing.
They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures,
when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast.
The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.”
― Karen Marie Moning

Continuing with the theme of cognitive biases, the upcoming election has me thinking about the consequences of labeling things, creating boxes, and simplifying ideas into news-ready headlines.

With more news sources than ever and less attention span, you see ideas packaged into attention-grabbing parts.  The focus isn't on education or the issues, but on getting the click, making your stay on their page longer, and sending you to a new article utterly unrelated to why you clicked on the page.

Complex issues are simplified – not even into their most basic forms – but instead into their most divisive forms ... because there's no money in the middle.

via Quote Investigator

The amplified voices are those on the fringe of the average constituents' beliefs – precisely because those are the ones who are often the most outspoken.  We might think that because they're the voices we hear, these fringe messages fairly represent what people like us believe or think ... but they rarely do. 

Issues that should be bipartisan have been made "us" versus "them," "liberal" versus "conservative," or "right" versus "wrong." The algorithms many of our information sites use create echo chambers that increase radicalization and decrease comprehension. 

Identity politics have gotten so strong that you see families breaking apart and friend groups disintegrating ... because people can't imagine sharing a room with someone with whom they don't share the same values. 

In psychology, heuristics are mental models that help you make decisions easier.  They're a starting point to save mental bandwidth, allowing you to spend more brain cycles on the important stuff.

That's a great use of "boxes" and "simplification"… but it shouldn't eliminate deeper and more nuanced thought on important issues. 

Most situations are nuanced, and the "correct" answer changes as you change your vantage point.

In an ideal world, we'd consider every angle.  I recognize that's not realistic.

Instead, I encourage you to remember to continue to think and learn ... even about things you already know.  And, if you become familiar with the most common cognitive biases, you can hopefully identify them in your thinking and decision-making.

Confirmation Bias is one of the more common forms of cognitive bias.  Here is an infographic that lists 50 common cognitive biases.  Click to explore further.

 

via VisualCapitalist

Important issues deserve more research.  New insights happen between the boundaries of what we know and don't.  Knowledge comes from truly understanding the border between what you are certain and uncertain about. 

I challenge you to look beyond the headlines, slogans, and talking points you like most.  Look for dissenting opinions and understand what's driving their dissent.  Are they really blind or dumb (or are their value systems just weighted differently)?

Not everything needs to be boxed.  Not everything needs to be simple.  You should explore things and people outside of your comfort zone and look to see things from their point of view ... not your own. 

Recently, I've started using a website and news app called Ground News.  They claim to be a news platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias, and break free from algorithms. 

As discussed above, online news and ad-driven algorithms have made it profitable for news outlets to embrace a position on the bias spectrum to target specific consumers.   That bias in the media affects everything from what events receive coverage to how a news outlet frames those events in their reporting.

As media outlets narrow their perspective and range of coverage, I use Ground to help me get a well-rounded view of important issues and become aware of my blind spots.

Applying This Lesson  

“I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

I love learning a lesson in one space and applying it to other spaces.  It's one of the cool things about AI.  An algorithm can learn rules in the construction space that may help in the medicine or trading space.  Everything's a lesson if you let it be.

In that vein, the lesson on labeling also applies to yourself and your business.  Don't get me wrong - naming things is powerful.  It can help make the intangible tangible.  However, don't let the label (or your perception of the label) stop you from achieving something greater. 

Many things are true because we believe them to be, but when we let go of past beliefs, the impossible becomes possible, and the invisible becomes visible.  

Hope that helps. 

Father's Day Weekend Reflections

My adult son took me to a Pixar movie and Dallas' version of NY Deli today for Father's Day. 

Pixar movies never cease to amaze me.  Whether you're a child, a teenager, or an adult, there's always something to enjoy and take away from them.

I especially enjoyed watching it next to my 31-year-old son and noticing that he responded emotionally to the same scenes I did.  On one hand, it felt good to see what he processed and how he internalized things similar to the way I do.  On the other hand, I thought, genetics is a bitch.

Jokes aside, having great kids is a double blessing.  It's nice to be proud of who your kids are and the things they do.  It's also nice to feel proud of the small part you played in helping them become who they are.

In addition, this weekend, I spent some time thinking about my father and what a terrific influence he had on so many lives.

  

 

My Dad was incredibly loving ... yet he was also incredibly demanding.

For example, after winning the State Championship in the shot put, I watched him run down from the stands.  I figured he was coming down to celebrate.  Instead, he looked deeply into my eyes and asked whether I was disappointed that I did not throw a personal best that day?  I replied: "But Dad, I won." He smiled and recognized that winning was important too ... then he reminded me that the other throwers were not my real competition.  To be and do your best, the competition is really with yourself ... and we both knew I could do better.

My Dad believed in setting high standards.  He explained that most people's lives are defined by their minimum standards.  Why?  Because once those standards get met, it is easy to get distracted by other things and how to meet the minimum standards for them as well.

The point is to set a higher standard and to have a better life.

Here is another one of his favorite sayings.  "The difference between good and great is infinitesimal."  This applies to many things.  For example, people who are good take advantage of opportunities; people who are great create them. 

Here is something else worth sharing.  "It's not over until we win!"  This concept underscores the importance of resilience, commitment, and grit.  My Dad emphasized that many people quit when they're on the brink of victory, simply because they don't realize how close they are.  

This has led me to develop several practices.  For example, if I pick up a book, I won't put it down until I finish a chapter.  If I start a game, I can't stop until I exceed a specific score or level.  And when I exercise, there's no way I'd ever stop before finishing a set.

Integrating these concepts involves aligning your head, heart, and feet.  What I mean is that it's one thing to know the saying.  It's another to make it a value or belief.  And it's another thing altogether to make it a practice. 

Well, that should explain a little of my dysfunction ...  but, if you can't mess up your own kids, whose kids can you mess up?

Hopefully, you had a happy Father's Day weekend.

Making News Beautiful Again

My mother watches the news religiously.  To her credit, she watches a variety of sources and creates her own takeaways based on them.  Regardless, there's a common theme in all the sources she watched – they focus on fear or shock-inducing stories with a negative bias.  As you might guess, I hear it when I talk with her.

While I value being informed, I also value things that nourish or make you stronger (as opposed to things that make you weak or less hopeful).

Negativity Sells. 

Sure, news sources throw in the occasional feel-good story as a pattern interrupt ... but their focus skews negative.  History shows that stories about improvement or the things that work simply don't grab eyeballs, attention, or ratings as consistently as negativity-focused stories do.

The reality is that negativity sells.  If everything were great all the time, people wouldn't need to buy as many products, they wouldn't need to watch the news, and this cycle wouldn't continue.

It's worth acknowledging and understanding the perils our society is facing, but it's also worth focusing on the ways humanity is expanding and improving.

As a brief respite from the seemingly unending stream of doom and gloom, Information Is Beautiful has a section focused on "Beautiful News".  It's a collection of visualizations highlighting positive trends, uplifting statistics, and creative solutions.  It's updated daily and can be sorted by topic.  I suggest you check it out.

 

Beautiful News via Information Is Beautiful

If you're looking for more "good news," here's a list of 10 sources focusing on good news. 

Let me know if you have a site you'd like to share.

Have a great week!

Some Timeless Wisdom From Socrates

Small distinctions separate wise men from fools ... Perhaps most important among them is what the wise man deems consequential. 

This post discusses Socrates' Triple Filter Test, which involves checking information for truth, goodness, and usefulness.  It also explores how this concept applies to decision-making in business and life by focusing on important information and filtering out the rest.  The key to making better choices and staying focused is to avoid damaging or irrelevant information.

Socrates' Triple Filter

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.  One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued.  "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.

The first filter is Truth.  Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.  You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left.  The third filter is Usefulness.  Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful … then why tell it to me at all?"

With all the divisiveness in both media and in our everyday conversations with friends, family, and strangers ... this is a good filter for what you say, what you post, and even how you evaluate markets, the economy, or a business opportunity. 

How Does That Apply to Me or Trading?

The concept of Socrates' Triple Filter applies to markets as well.

When I was a technical trader, rather than looking at fundamental data and scouring the news daily, I focused on developing dynamic and adaptive systems and processes to look at the universe of trading algorithms to identify which were in phase and likely to perform well in the current market environment.

That focus has become more concentrated as we've transitioned to using advanced mathematics and AI to understand markets. 

Filter Out What Isn't Good For You.

In contrast, there are too many ways that the media (meaning the techniques, graphics, music, etc.), the people reporting it, and even the news itself appeal to the fear and greed of human nature.

Likewise, I don't watch the news on TV anymore.  It seems like story after story is about terrible things.  For example, during a recent visit with my mother, I listened to her watch the news.  There was a constant stream of "oh no," or "oh my," and "that's terrible".  You don't even have to watch the news to know what it says.

These concepts also apply to what you feed your algorithms.  Garbage in, garbage out.  Just because you can plug in more data doesn't mean that data will add value.  Deciding what "not to do" and "what not to listen to" is equally as important as deciding what to do. 

Artificial intelligence is exciting, but artificial stupidity is terrifying. 

What's The Purpose of News for You?

My purpose changes what I'm looking for and how much attention I pay to different types of information.  Am I reading or watching the news for entertainment, to learn something new, or to find something relevant and actionable?

 

 

One of my favorite activities is looking for new insights and interesting articles to share with you and my team.  If you aren't getting my weekly reading list on Fridays - you're missing out.  You can sign up here. 

By the way, I recently found a site, Ground News, that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias, and break free from the blinders the algorithms put on what we see.  I'd love to hear about tools or sites you think are worth sharing.

Getting back to Socrates' three filters and business, I often ask myself: is it important, does it affect our edge, or can I use it as a catalyst for getting what we want?

There's a lot of noise out there competing for your attention.  Stay focused. 

Onwards!

Revisiting Some of My Favorite Podcast Appearances

If you're interested in AI and its impact on business, life, and our world, I encourage you to check out some of my past podcast interviews.

As I work on finishing my book, "Compounding Insights: Turning Thoughts into Things in the Age of AI," I've revisited several old episodes, and some are certainly worth sharing.  I've collected a few here for you to listen to.  Let me know what you think.

In 2021, I recorded two interviews that I especially enjoyed.  The first was done with Dan Sullivan and Steven Krein for Strategic Coach's Free Zone Frontier podcast... and the second was with Brett Kaufman on his Gravity podcast. 

Please listen to them.  They were pretty different, but both were well done and interesting. 

Free Zone Frontier with Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein

Free Zone Frontier is a Strategic Coach program (and podcast) about creating "Free Zones." It refers to the green space where entrepreneurs collaborate and create without competition.

It's a transformative idea for entrepreneurial growth. 

This episode focused on topics like building a bigger future, how decision-making frameworks and technology can extend your edge, and what it takes to get to the next level.   I realize there is a lot of Strategic Coach jargon in this episode.  However, it is still easy to understand, and there was great energy and an elevated conversation about worthy topics.

As an aside, Steve Krein is my cousin, and we joined Strategic Coach entirely separately before realizing we had joined the same group. 

The podcast is 47 Minutes.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

Or click here to listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts

Gravity Podcast with Brett Kaufman

Usually, I talk about business, mental models, and the future of AI and technology, but Brett Kaufman brought something different out of me. 

Brett's Gravity Project is about living with intention, community, consciousness, and connection.  He focuses on getting people to share their life experiences ... with the intent that others can see themselves in your story. 

In my talk with Brett, we do talk about the entrepreneurial journey ... but we also probe some deep insights by discussing the death of my younger brother, how my life changed almost immediately upon meeting my wife, and why love is the most powerful and base energy in the universe. 

 

This was not a typical conversation for me (a different ratio of head-to-heart), but it was a good one (and I've had many people reach out because of this podcast).  It was fun to revisit my childhood, from playing with a cash register at my grandfather's pharmacy to selling fireflies or sand-painting terrariums; it's funny how those small moments influenced my love for entrepreneurship. 

The episode is 65 minutes.  I hope you enjoy it. 

 

Click here to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Listen Notes.

Last year, I recorded two other podcasts that I'm excited to share ... It's interesting to see the change in topic and focus - but how much is still the same (timeless). 

Clarity Generates Confidence With Gary Mottershead

I talked with Gary about intentionality, learning from the past, and how AI adoption is more about human nature than technology ... and more. 

 

Click here to listen on Spotify or Gary's Website.

 

Creative On Purpose With Scott Perry

On the surface, this episode may seem like just another conversation about AI, but I value the diverse insights, points of emphasis, and perspectives that different hosts illuminate.

In talking with Scott, we dove deeper into emotional alchemy, self-identity, and how to move toward what you want in life - instead of away from what you don't want. 

 

Click here to listen at Scott's Substack.

I'm currently planning a podcast series called "Frameworks on Frameworks," where we'll explore great ideas, how they work, and how you can use them.

Let me know your thoughts and any topics you want us to cover.