Hello, hello! Here’s what I found interesting recently. Thanks for reading. 🗺 Geopolitics #1 Peter Thiel- “I do wonder whether at this point Bitcoin should also be thought in part of as a Chinese financial weapon against the U.S.” Peter Thiel: Well, you know, I think there’s sort of a lot of different things that … Continue reading Tidbits #39
Hello, friends! There’s a lot to talk about. A lot that is interesting. A common theme that I think is becoming increasingly prevalent is the fungibility of technology. Not just software, but all of tech, including biotech, across all industries and aspects of life. What I mean is that technology is increasingly not its own … Continue reading Tidbits #38 – The Pastry AI That Can Detect Cancer
Hi, friends. 👋🏻👋🏻 I missed the beat last week, but now I’m back. Had some personal issues to attend to as I learned a college friend passed away. Moments like these remind me that life is short. There is never a better time than now (or now + 1) to get started on something that … Continue reading Tidbits #37 – Bottlenecks and Blockages Everywhere
I’m sure you already know the market had a crazy week. Maybe it’s tech (and frothy valuations). Maybe it’s interest rates. Maybe it’s ARK Invest? Who knows. What I know is that there are a lot of tech / tech-like things going up like rockets 🚀🚀🚀 that do not and are very unlikely to eventually … Continue reading Tidbits #35 – Semis, NFTs, Media, and More
Hi, friends. 👋🏻👋🏻 What a week! Not only were markets extremely volatile, many companies and industries continue to undergo fascinating change. Major change is coming in the media space if Snap, Twitter, and Spotify’s recent investor / product presentations were any indication. And beyond that…the boom in NFTs (non-fungible [crypto]tokens) is wild in its own … Continue reading Tidbits #34
Hello, hello. 👋🏻👋🏻 I usually start off each Tidbits with some overarching theme relative to what’s going on in the world in order to make sense of it all or themes that I believe people should spend more time thinking about… But nothing I say can better encapsulate the disruptive (but rejuvenating?) chaos that is … Continue reading Tidbits #33 – “I am not a cat”
Hi, friends. 👋🏻👋🏻 Hope you’re all enjoying the long weekend. If you have a significant other, hopefully you were able to do / enjoy something nice together for Valentine’s Day. For all my Asian readers, happy lunar new year! And for all my American readers, happy President’s Day! As always, thanks for sharing a little … Continue reading Tidbits #32 – The World Continues to Spin
🎭 Society In light of the impact that tech is having on society, this article seems like a good place to start the discussion. What’s amazing is that these concerns have been going on for a very long time, and yet we are no closer to knowing the answer on whether our lives are better … Continue reading Tidbits #31
Hello, hello! 👋🏻 👋🏻 Thanks for reading. A little longer than usual, but I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. If you can’t get through all of it, please at least check out #20! It’s awesome. I guarantee it. 🗺 Geopolitics #1 Twitter Locks Out Chinese Embassy in … Continue reading Tidbits #30
Given the heaviness of the last edition of Tidbits in which the most consequential development was the storming of the U.S. Capitol by rioters, you may think that edition #29 would be (should be) dull in comparison. But that could not be further from the truth. Because we are starting to see and feel the … Continue reading Tidbits #29 – “All Roads Lead to Rome”
I bylined Tidbits #26 with “Did not expect that” in reference to the year 2020. Well, the start of 2021 is certainly no less surprising. Did not expect that… We are in a weird cauldron of convergence across everything – geopolitics, politics, tech, media…the old way of doing things is out the door. The physical, … Continue reading Tidbits #28 – “Did not expect that” Déjà vu
Pretty quiet few days over the holidays as you would expect…less to talk about. But it should pick up, again, next week. 🗺 Geopolitics The world is changing, and geopolitics is one of the most consequential areas where this is playing out. There is no “navy” on the internet. And all the countries of the … Continue reading Tidbits #27
Hope you had a restful Christmas / holiday season! Here’s what I found interesting recently. 2020 is not the year that anyone expected. But a lot of unexpected things continue to happen. Good thing it’s almost over. 🤑 Economics #1 Why the US Dollar Could Outlast the American Empire But modern trade has gotten more complicated, largely … Continue reading Tidbits #26 – “Did Not Expect That”
Happy holidays, and thanks for reading! 🎄🎁🦌 🗺 Geopolitics Russia has hacked entities across the US, creating a historic mess…it will take time before the US realizes the full scope of the attack and what has been taken. #1 How to Understand the Russia Hack Fallout THIS WEEK NEWS broke that United States government agencies and … Continue reading Tidbits #25 – The World Reminds the US They Exist
Here’s the articles that I found interesting recently. While the world is increasingly converging on the need to go digital because of the pandemic, it is also becoming increasingly clear that the digital leaders are diverging in how they think about the future. This is in contrast to the last 5-10 years where mobile was … Continue reading Tidbits #24 – Convergence AND Divergence
Here’s what I found interesting recently. 🌎 Our World #1 China’s Chang’e-5 Probe Successfully Lands on the Moon Chang’e-5 is one of the most complicated and challenging missions in Chinese aerospace history, as well as the world’s first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years. Source: Xinhua I changed the usual “Geopolitics” heading to “Our … Continue reading Tidbits #23
Here’s what I found most interesting recently. It was a relatively quiet week in the US due to Thanksgiving holiday, but still a little bit of something for everyone. In recognition of the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to extend a warm and hearty “thank you” to you for your support and readership. Especially since … Continue reading Tidbits #22 – A Lot to Be Thankful For
Here’s a selection of what I found most interesting recently. Unlike prior editions of Tidbits where I had a clear narrative or theme laid out before writing, this time was different. However, after I wrote everything below, the narrative easily fell into place…the world (both physically and digitally) continue to shift along existing fault lines. … Continue reading Tidbits #21 – Land Up for Grabs
Here’s a selection of what I found most interesting recently. I started experimenting with some design changes in recent editions of Tidbits…the design changes don’t come through all that well via WordPress’ default email feature, and I’m not confident I will figure out a better alternative to the default email feature soon. May be better … Continue reading Tidbits #20 – Finish Line in Sight
Here’s a selection of what I found most interesting recently. I started experimenting with some design changes in the last edition of Tidbits…the design changes don’t come through all that well via WordPress’ default email feature, and I’m not confident I will figure out a better alternative to the default email feature soon. May be … Continue reading Tidbits #19 – What Happens Now?
Here’s a selection of what I found most interesting recently. I’m experimenting with some design changes…not sure how it looks via email. May be better to read directly in the browser. Of course, the real item of interest is what happens with the elections, whether there will be a constitutional / election crisis, and whether … Continue reading Tidbits #18 – Calm Before the Storm?
💰 Economy #1 The Number of New Businesses in America is Booming The government regularly releases figures on new-business formation, derived from applications for tax registrations. And “high-propensity” business applications—those displaying characteristics typically associated with firm-creation and the employment of staff—recently reached their highest quarterly level on record (see chart). … All this has surprised … Continue reading Tidbits #17
I sensed October was going to get really crazy, but it got crazy, faster than I thought. You know what I’m talking about. Since the whole world already knows what happened yesterday, I’m just going to skip mentioning the elephant in the room because you and I know I have no useful commentary to add … Continue reading Tidbits #16 – Skipping the Elephant in the Room
Here’s some of the things I found interesting recently. Some of the articles can be a bit dated but still worth considering in the grand scheme of things. 🎮 Games + Virtual Worlds #1 Next Installment of Call of Duty Black Ops About to Launch While this isn’t my type of game, Call of Duty … Continue reading Tidbits #15
Below are some of the items that I found most interesting in the last few days. In comparison to prior editions of Tidbits, there isn’t any major cohesive theme that demands our attention. But companies of interest continue to push their agendas forward that will likely lead to industry shifts down the line. Luckily, that … Continue reading Tidbits #14 – The Long and Short of It…May We Find Ourselves in Good Health
In times of chaos, Capital Flywheels’ preference is almost always to invest in change, not to invest in incumbency. Chaos will eventually be followed by a return to normalcy, but the protagonists almost always change. This is because the incentives asymmetrically benefit the disruptors. In chaos, incumbents are incentivized to merely survive, while disruptors are … Continue reading Tidbits #13 – A Summer to Remember…A Summer to Forget?
No…not stocks (maybe depending on the stock!)…but if Amazon, Shopify, and Pinterest’s results last week did not make the point painfully obvious enough, e-commerce IS commerce now. Some data providers estimate that e-commerce share of total commerce increased from 15% last year to 40% in Q2. Normally, e-commerce share only grows about 1% per year … Continue reading Tidbits #12 – Buy, Buy, Buy
What I found interesting recently. 🗺 Society Why the US needs racial progress: Two years ago, Marian Croak was hiding in her office at Google’s YouTube offices, convinced the police would enter and shoot her dead. There was an active shooter on the San Bruno, Calif. campus, and police were moving door-to-door to clear out … Continue reading Tidbits #11
A hodgepodge… 🛍 Commerce #1 Shopify continues to “Arm the Rebels” with a Walmart partnership Starting today, Shopify merchants across the U.S. will be able to apply to sell through Walmart.com. If approved, they’ll be able to connect their Shopify store to their Walmart Seller Account, enabling them to quickly and easily sync their product … Continue reading Tidbits #10
The most important events recently are all macro-related, and hence this issue of Tidbits is very light on company-specific news… Change is always an uncomfortable thing. In stable times, existing power structures resist change…hence progress is often slow, and incumbents often do not see or feel the sand shift beneath them. But in chaotic times, … Continue reading Tidbits #9 – Uncertainty and Risk