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Apr ’23: Wind and windfalls April saw the season of long weekends begin here in the UK. Easter saw me inspired by the Ermine to...
6th May 2023
113

Apr ’23: Wind and windfalls

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th May 2023
April saw the season of long weekends begin here in the UK. Easter saw me inspired by the Ermine to check out Dorset’s Chesil beach. We struck lucky with the weather and had a fine, distinctly non-London, time, over a very blustery Easter weekend. My walking shoes seem to have...
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How Experts Sensemake Two decades ago, the US military funded some research into how humans sensemake. This piece is about...
7th Apr 2026
1

How Experts Sensemake

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Apr 2026
Two decades ago, the US military funded some research into how humans sensemake. This piece is about that theory — the best theory of sensemaking that we have — why it matters for expertise, and how you can apply it to make sense of AI.
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Deposit franchises as natural hedges Many observe that banks seem to be blowing up due to predictable consequences of rising interest...
5th May 2023
45

Deposit franchises as natural hedges

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th May 2023
Many observe that banks seem to be blowing up due to predictable consequences of rising interest rates. How did we get here?
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Who Decides What AI Can Do? Plus! Diff Jobs; Fun Trades; Insiders; M&A; Two-Tier Rounds; Switching Costs
2nd Mar 2026
1

Who Decides What AI Can Do?

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Mar 2026
Plus! Diff Jobs; Fun Trades; Insiders; M&A; Two-Tier Rounds; Switching Costs
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Disney World's New Theme Park: The White House and Congress A "Pirates of the Caribbean" themed experience is planned, where the taxpayers are repeatedly robbed...
1st Apr 2026
1

Disney World's New Theme Park: The White House and Congress

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Apr 2026
A "Pirates of the Caribbean" themed experience is planned, where the taxpayers are repeatedly robbed by a motley crew of miscreants. In a blockbuster deal, an obscure federal agency has granted Disney the rights to develop the White House and Congress as a new FantasyLand...
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It’s Time to Build… Assets? One of the main reasons for the decline in goods and services in the United States, and to a lesser...
28th Mar 2026
1

It’s Time to Build… Assets?

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

28th Mar 2026
One of the main reasons for the decline in goods and services in the United States, and to a lesser extent, the world, is the financialization of our economies by excessive money printing. Let's break that down into simpler language. The quality of the things and services you buy...
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What’s an Operational Definition Anyway? Two principles on collecting data, from the field of Statistical Process Control. As with most...
3rd Oct 2023
88

What’s an Operational Definition Anyway?

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Oct 2023
Two principles on collecting data, from the field of Statistical Process Control. As with most principles in SPC, this is both simpler and more important than you might think.
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America's $175 Trillion Problem The true state of the global financial system, in ten charts.
25th Jul 2024
132

America's $175 Trillion Problem

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

25th Jul 2024
The true state of the global financial system, in ten charts.
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The Surprising Distribution Effects of "Buy-Borrow-Die" Plus! Full-Stack; Scarcity; Sum-of-the-Parts; Nice Problems to Have; Distribution
2nd Jan 2026
1

The Surprising Distribution Effects of "Buy-Borrow-Die"

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jan 2026
Plus! Full-Stack; Scarcity; Sum-of-the-Parts; Nice Problems to Have; Distribution
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The Edge Thinking with Machines was such a joyful read that I finished it in a single sitting during a...
8th Feb 2026
1

The Edge

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Feb 2026
Thinking with Machines was such a joyful read that I finished it in a single sitting during a seven-hour flight. Do read it if you want to understand how AI will change the way we live and work. Vasant has lived through every major shift in AI, from expert systems to today’s push...
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Markets in power How physics and infrastructure combine to generate (ba dum bum) the power market.
30th Sep 2022
43

Markets in power

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

30th Sep 2022
How physics and infrastructure combine to generate (ba dum bum) the power market.
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Dec ’25: 2025 in review It’s over. The year of 2025, the thirteenth year I’ve been systematically tracking my investment...
19th Jan 2026
1

Dec ’25: 2025 in review

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

19th Jan 2026
It’s over. The year of 2025, the thirteenth year I’ve been systematically tracking my investment portfolio every month, is over. One of the reasons I blog is to track my performance with a bit more discipline and rigour than I might manage otherwise. And part of that process is...
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The Bitcoin ETF is the spiritual reversal of Executive Order 6102 Back in 1935, they seized the gold. But now, digital gold is back.
11th Jan 2024
128

The Bitcoin ETF is the spiritual reversal of Executive Order 6102

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jan 2024
Back in 1935, they seized the gold. But now, digital gold is back.
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There Is No Truth in Business, Only Knowledge 'Knowledge' here is defined as 'theories or models that help you predict better'. How an idea from...
4th Apr 2023
108

There Is No Truth in Business, Only Knowledge

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Apr 2023
'Knowledge' here is defined as 'theories or models that help you predict better'. How an idea from W. Edwards Deming may well be a working philosophy of business.
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The Only Thing That Matters Business skill, as the ability to cut a messy business problem down to a single, most important...
3rd Nov 2025
18

The Only Thing That Matters

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Nov 2025
Business skill, as the ability to cut a messy business problem down to a single, most important thing.
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California Is Not A Democracy It's a one-party state. They hold elections, but the Party always wins.
10th Jun 2024
147

California Is Not A Democracy

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Jun 2024
It's a one-party state. They hold elections, but the Party always wins.
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AI is polytheistic, not monotheistic And ten more thoughts on AI.
3rd Aug 2025
61

AI is polytheistic, not monotheistic

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Aug 2025
And ten more thoughts on AI.
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Why Healthcare Is in a Death Spiral: Follow the Money If each of these is not a part of any 'reform,' than all that is being done is pouring money into a...
1st Dec 2025
2

Why Healthcare Is in a Death Spiral: Follow the Money

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Dec 2025
If each of these is not a part of any 'reform,' than all that is being done is pouring money into a monopolizing cartel, just in a slightly different way. Unbeknownst to those of us with little inside knowledge of the complex financial plumbing of the US healthcare system,...
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Warren Buffett’s Thanksgiving Letter Warren Buffett's Thanksgiving Letter sheds more light on why he decided to retire.
11th Nov 2025
1

Warren Buffett’s Thanksgiving Letter

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Nov 2025
Warren Buffett's Thanksgiving Letter sheds more light on why he decided to retire.
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Country Risk: My 2024 Data Update After the 2008 market crisis, I resolved that I would be far more organized in my assessments and...
24th Jul 2024
27

Country Risk: My 2024 Data Update

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

24th Jul 2024
After the 2008 market crisis, I resolved that I would be far more organized in my assessments and updating of equity risk premiums, in the United States and abroad, as I looked at the damage that can be inflicted on intrinsic value by significant shifts in risk premiums, i.e., my...
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A Few Books and Resources I’ve Found Useful Over the Years If someone had told me three and a half years ago that there would be something called ChatGPT that...
31st Dec 2025
1

A Few Books and Resources I’ve Found Useful Over the Years

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

31st Dec 2025
If someone had told me three and a half years ago that there would be something called ChatGPT that could answer questions across almost any discipline, I would have called them a lunatic. And yet, here we are. That’s exactly what ChatGPT does today. I can ask it coding...
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Mar ’25: Anticipating tariffs What’s in the news? Talking about the news in March, give nwhat’s been happing on the tariff front...
11th Apr 2025
58

Mar ’25: Anticipating tariffs

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Apr 2025
What’s in the news? Talking about the news in March, give nwhat’s been happing on the tariff front over the last few weeks, seems a bit pointless. We entered March with a lot of drama about Ukraine, and some notable ‘ceasefire’ activity on the diplomatic front. We finished March...
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Network School 2025 Network School reopens March 1 with double the capacity. Apply now at ns.com.
2nd Feb 2025
82

Network School 2025

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Feb 2025
Network School reopens March 1 with double the capacity. Apply now at ns.com.
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Sep 23: Antisocial markets For some reason shoplifting is in the news. There’s evidently an epidemic of it. Not just in the UK,...
8th Oct 2023
116

Sep 23: Antisocial markets

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Oct 2023
For some reason shoplifting is in the news. There’s evidently an epidemic of it. Not just in the UK, but wider afield too – hence major brands pulling out of cities like San Francisco. From what I hear there is a general increase in antisocial behaviour, dating from the covid-19...
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What Do Brontosauruses Know about Uncoordinated Conspiracies? Brontosaurus skeleton at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (allegedly) Let’s pretend for a...
2nd Sep 2024
33

What Do Brontosauruses Know about Uncoordinated Conspiracies?

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Sep 2024
Brontosaurus skeleton at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (allegedly) Let’s pretend for a moment that brontosauruses are made up, despite them being accepted by the public and scientific community, having ample evidence for their existence, and appearing in museums all...
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1st Sept 2026: An Increase in Membership Prices Commoncog is increasing membership prices on 1st September 2026. If you’d like to lock in the old...
11th Aug 2026
1

1st Sept 2026: An Increase in Membership Prices

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Aug 2026
Commoncog is increasing membership prices on 1st September 2026. If you’d like to lock in the old prices, you should probably sign up before then.
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Binance reopened its doors and $3.6 billion walked out Binance’s first day back, OpenAI wants a nicer word for data centers, Google prices space compute at...
a week ago
1

Binance reopened its doors and $3.6 billion walked out

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

a week ago
Binance’s first day back, OpenAI wants a nicer word for data centers, Google prices space compute at 100x, and a benchmark where the best AI scores 12%.
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Business Ecosystem Change Takes Time The birth of Sony, and the possibility that private corporations and private individuals can change...
11th Jun 2024
141

Business Ecosystem Change Takes Time

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jun 2024
The birth of Sony, and the possibility that private corporations and private individuals can change broader business ecosystems.
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15 mental Abilities & Traits Which Make You Successful But Are Not on an IQ Test 1. Empathy 2. Dexterity 3. Persuasion 4. Musicality 5. Confidence 6. Ambition 7. Grit 8....
2nd Jun 2024
26

15 mental Abilities & Traits Which Make You Successful But Are Not on an IQ Test

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jun 2024
1. Empathy 2. Dexterity 3. Persuasion 4. Musicality 5. Confidence 6. Ambition 7. Grit 8. Creativity 9. Flexibility 10. Energy 11. Individualism 12. Willpower 13. Stoicisim 14. Objectivity 15. Allure
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Apple’s 2025 Product Unveiling: What’s New and What Actually Matters Apple’s latest keynote delivered a sweeping set of updates across AirPods, iPhones, and the Apple...
9th Sep 2025
59

Apple’s 2025 Product Unveiling: What’s New and What Actually Matters

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Sep 2025
Apple’s latest keynote delivered a sweeping set of updates across AirPods, iPhones, and the Apple Watch lineup.
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All Property Becomes Cryptography For 99%+ of what's valuable, for every financial asset and capital asset, we will secure it onchain.
28th Jul 2025
52

All Property Becomes Cryptography

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

28th Jul 2025
For 99%+ of what's valuable, for every financial asset and capital asset, we will secure it onchain.
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Claude vs. ChatGPT: A Comprehensive Comparison In today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, two names stand out in the realm of conversational...
4th Mar 2025
59

Claude vs. ChatGPT: A Comprehensive Comparison

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Mar 2025
In today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, two names stand out in the realm of conversational assistants—Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Although both are built on large language models, they diverge sharply in design philosophy, technical implementation, safety...
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My exits – a post mortem Readers will know that I dabble with active investing – I pick stocks. Lord, make me passive, but...
4th Feb 2025
75

My exits – a post mortem

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Feb 2025
Readers will know that I dabble with active investing – I pick stocks. Lord, make me passive, but not yet Rather like The Investor at Monevator, I firmly believe in the merits of low cost index tracking as an investment strategy, but I also enjoy the thrills / intellectual...
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Under The Hood How do you shape employee culture? How do you win employee commitment? Under The Hood has a coherent...
12th Nov 2024
85

Under The Hood

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Nov 2024
How do you shape employee culture? How do you win employee commitment? Under The Hood has a coherent model for building this skill.
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Tobi Lütke: AI Agents, Better Decisions, and the Future of Work Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke joins Shane Parrish to discuss AI agents, better decision-making,...
10th Sep 2026
1

Tobi Lütke: AI Agents, Better Decisions, and the Future of Work

from Farnam Street [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Sep 2026
Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke joins Shane Parrish to discuss AI agents, better decision-making, and the future of work. He explains how he uses an AI council to examine his hardest decisions and why taste, judgment, and responsibility become more valuable as AI becomes more...
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All the Demand Ideas from The Heart of Innovation, Simply Stated All the ideas of the Heart of Innovation, compressed into one piece.
3rd Mar 2026
1

All the Demand Ideas from The Heart of Innovation, Simply Stated

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Mar 2026
All the ideas of the Heart of Innovation, compressed into one piece.
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Issue 53 – Choose rich Euphoria has risen along with crypto prices, but nothing has changed from the last bubble.
13th Mar 2024
121

Issue 53 – Choose rich

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

13th Mar 2024
Euphoria has risen along with crypto prices, but nothing has changed from the last bubble.
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Issue 94 – Backdoor deals Trump is still corrupt, a core developer warns bitcoin won’t survive an upcoming code change, and...
8th Oct 2025
34

Issue 94 – Backdoor deals

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Oct 2025
Trump is still corrupt, a core developer warns bitcoin won’t survive an upcoming code change, and crypto lenders are ratcheting up leverage like it’s 2022.
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Embeddings – Part 2 This is the 9th post in my series on building a toy GPT. For better understanding, I recommend...
3rd Dec 2023
125

Embeddings – Part 2

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Dec 2023
This is the 9th post in my series on building a toy GPT. For better understanding, I recommend reading my earlier posts first. Word embeddings convert words into fixed-length numerical arrays. Each number in these arrays corresponds to a specific characteristic of the word, such...
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August ’25: Warm memories While the global soap opera of the Gaza crisis, Trump/Putin PR, Ukraine misery etc continued, I have...
11th Sep 2025
48

August ’25: Warm memories

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Sep 2025
While the global soap opera of the Gaza crisis, Trump/Putin PR, Ukraine misery etc continued, I have created some warm memories in August. I spent a bit of time in the New Forest, at both ends, and the middle. Which included a trip to Mudeford, site of the UK’s most expensive...
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Trillion Dollar Market Caps: Fairy Tale Pricing or Business Marvels? Stock markets have always rewarded winners with large capitalizations, and with each new threshold,...
3rd Dec 2025
1

Trillion Dollar Market Caps: Fairy Tale Pricing or Business Marvels?

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Dec 2025
Stock markets have always rewarded winners with large capitalizations, and with each new threshold, the questions begin anew of whether animal spirits or fundamentals are driving the numbers. A few weeks ago, Nvidia seemed unstoppable as its market capitalization crested $5...
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A glass half-full take on Caucasus sanctions evasion Ed Conway of Sky News recently published a very good investigation on sanctions evasion being...
2nd Oct 2024
25

A glass half-full take on Caucasus sanctions evasion

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Oct 2024
Ed Conway of Sky News recently published a very good investigation on sanctions evasion being carried out through the Caucasus. He visits the Lars border crossing between Georgia and Russia to document how smugglers are openly moving British and German luxury cars into Russia, in...
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Is the wholesale marketplace Faire right for your e-commerce business or brand? My company has sold $2.6 million on Faire over the past 4.5 years. As selling on Amazon has become...
6th Feb 2026
1

Is the wholesale marketplace Faire right for your e-commerce business or brand?

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Feb 2026
My company has sold $2.6 million on Faire over the past 4.5 years. As selling on Amazon has become tougher and tougher, we are thankful for the growing sales Faire has brought us. That said, it's a difficult, counterintuitive marketplace to operate on, and one that is getting,...
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Warren Buffett on Berkshire’s Valuation Warren Buffett has typically avoided commenting on Berkshire's stock price, but he has provided some...
3rd Mar 2025
1

Warren Buffett on Berkshire’s Valuation

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Mar 2025
Warren Buffett has typically avoided commenting on Berkshire's stock price, but he has provided some clues that are worth considering.
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Amazon’s Pricing Policies Promote Inflation The state of California has sued Amazon in what may be the biggest antitrust case for 25 years, when...
30th Apr 2023
25

Amazon’s Pricing Policies Promote Inflation

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

30th Apr 2023
The state of California has sued Amazon in what may be the biggest antitrust case for 25 years, when 20 states joined the US Department of Justice to sue Microsoft. These cases revolve around whether consumers are harmed by the company’s actions. The case against Amazon focuses...
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Bond Villain When Powell devalued bonds, he destroyed the economy.
4th Jul 2023
46

Bond Villain

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Jul 2023
When Powell devalued bonds, he destroyed the economy.
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Issue 61 – Soft war by the enemy How will recent Supreme Court decisions affect the crypto world? Also, more absurdity from the...
5th Jul 2024
134

Issue 61 – Soft war by the enemy

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Jul 2024
How will recent Supreme Court decisions affect the crypto world? Also, more absurdity from the crypto lobby, and some new regulatory actions.
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The Global Trade Game: Jokers Are Wild There may be no winners of the game of Global Domination (tm), and that is likely the best outcome....
2nd Apr 2025
49

The Global Trade Game: Jokers Are Wild

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Apr 2025
There may be no winners of the game of Global Domination (tm), and that is likely the best outcome. Okay, players: jokers are wild, but with a twist: the entire deck is jokers. Since everyone at the table will have five Aces, nobody wins. Welcome to the Trade War Poker...
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Risk and AI: It's Tricky The possibility that AI will end up unleashing waves of 'Anti-Progress'--malicious uses,...
1st Jul 2026
1

Risk and AI: It's Tricky

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Jul 2026
The possibility that AI will end up unleashing waves of 'Anti-Progress'--malicious uses, untrustworthy output and uncontrollable floods of slop--also doesn't occur to those confined in the current belief construct. A funny thing happens on the way to understanding risk: we...
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Business Reality Without Frameworks A paradox: why it’s important to think about business without abstractions, even as we from what’s...
21st Oct 2024
102

Business Reality Without Frameworks

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

21st Oct 2024
A paradox: why it’s important to think about business without abstractions, even as we from what’s come before.
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25 Years of Higher Interest Rates Ahead? Interest rates are linked to inflation, but they're also linked to risk. As a result of...
2nd May 2025
36

25 Years of Higher Interest Rates Ahead?

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd May 2025
Interest rates are linked to inflation, but they're also linked to risk. As a result of recency bias, where we assume the recent past is a permanent state of affairs, many believe near-zero interest rates are "normal." They aren't. As the chart of 10-year US Treasury...
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A Sketch of Meta as an Enterprise AI Company Plus! IP; Gemini; Interfaces; The End Customer; Humans
1st Oct 2026
1

A Sketch of Meta as an Enterprise AI Company

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Oct 2026
Plus! IP; Gemini; Interfaces; The End Customer; Humans
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Issue 69 – Nice Coinbase threatens me that continuing to report on their activities would be “.... unwise”. Also,...
2nd Nov 2024
89

Issue 69 – Nice

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Nov 2024
Coinbase threatens me that continuing to report on their activities would be “.... unwise”. Also, election spending hits a fever pitch, with several new crypto PACs coming out of the woodwork.
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Why We Shouldn’t “Buy the Dip” “Buying the dip” is buy stocks whenever there is a short-term decline in stock prices, under the...
29th May 2023
22

Why We Shouldn’t “Buy the Dip”

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

29th May 2023
“Buying the dip” is buy stocks whenever there is a short-term decline in stock prices, under the assumption that asset prices will quickly revert, enabling you to make money. This article explains why a government-driven culture of “buying the dip” can be damaging to you and...
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The Fiat Crisis This is not a financial crisis. It’s a fiat crisis.
2nd May 2023
40

The Fiat Crisis

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd May 2023
This is not a financial crisis. It’s a fiat crisis.
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Trump-proofing Canada means ditching MasterCard and Visa We're all busy doing our best to boycott U.S. products. I can't buy Special K cereal anymore,...
14th Mar 2025
80

Trump-proofing Canada means ditching MasterCard and Visa

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Mar 2025
We're all busy doing our best to boycott U.S. products. I can't buy Special K cereal anymore, because it's made in the U.S. by Kellogg's. But I'm still buying Shreddies, which is made in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Even that's a grey area, since Shreddies is owned by Post, a big...
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Bank of Canada Holds Rates Steady, Inflation Progress Seen as Insufficient The Bank of Canada (BoC) opted to maintain its key interest rate at 5% today, signaling a cautious...
6th Mar 2024
102

Bank of Canada Holds Rates Steady, Inflation Progress Seen as Insufficient

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Mar 2024
The Bank of Canada (BoC) opted to maintain its key interest rate at 5% today, signaling a cautious stance on inflation despite recent declines. Governor Tiff Macklem acknowledged progress in bringing inflation down to 2.9% in January, but emphasized the need for continued...
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Notes on a non-profit indicted for bank fraud Well-regarded non-profit runs domestic intelligence agency; distributes intelligence product;...
1st May 2026
1

Notes on a non-profit indicted for bank fraud

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st May 2026
Well-regarded non-profit runs domestic intelligence agency; distributes intelligence product; achieves adoption in financial infrastructure; recruits agents and allies; intervenes against U.S. political fundraising.
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How to Handle Disruptive Change As a business, how do you deal with disruption — technological or otherwise? Some patterns from a...
16th Sep 2026
-2

How to Handle Disruptive Change

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

16th Sep 2026
As a business, how do you deal with disruption — technological or otherwise? Some patterns from a collection of case studies.
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A Quarter Century of Investing Lessons learned from twenty-five years of enterprising investing
6th Jan 2025
1

A Quarter Century of Investing

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Jan 2025
Lessons learned from twenty-five years of enterprising investing
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Sovereign Ratings, Default Risk and Markets: The Moody's Downgrade Aftermath! I was on a family vacation in August 2011 when I received an email from a journalist asking me what...
2nd Jun 2025
60

Sovereign Ratings, Default Risk and Markets: The Moody's Downgrade Aftermath!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jun 2025
I was on a family vacation in August 2011 when I received an email from a journalist asking me what I thought about the S&P ratings downgrade for the US. Since I stay blissfully unaware of most news stories and things related to markets when I am on the beach, I had to look up...
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Working Out Will Change Your Life Do you want to lose weight? Have more energy? Sleep better? Improve your mood? If so, then you need...
8th Aug 2023
39

Working Out Will Change Your Life

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Aug 2023
Do you want to lose weight? Have more energy? Sleep better? Improve your mood? If so, then you need to start working out. Working out has a myriad of benefits that can improve your life in many ways. Here are just a few of the ways that working out can change your life:
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Setelinleikkaus: When Finns snipped their cash in half to curb inflation On the last day of 1945, with World War II finally behind it, Finland's government announced a new...
8th Nov 2024
29

Setelinleikkaus: When Finns snipped their cash in half to curb inflation

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Nov 2024
On the last day of 1945, with World War II finally behind it, Finland's government announced a new and very strange policy. All Finns were required to take out a pair of scissors and snip their banknotes in half. This was known in Finland as setelinleikkaus, or banknote cutting....
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Older Articles I’ve Written In reverse chronological order: Starting a Physical Product Company? You’re Gonna Need a Lawyer...
13th Dec 2020
25

Older Articles I’ve Written

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

13th Dec 2020
In reverse chronological order: Starting a Physical Product Company? You’re Gonna Need a Lawyer (October 18, 2020) The Right to a Nonconsensus Opinion (June 9, 2020) Never Invest in Anything Made of Metal (May 2, 2020) Simple 3 Step Strategy to Stop the Coronavirus in the...
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Data Update 4 for 2026: The Global Perspective! If you have read my first three data updates in 2026, I won’t blame you if you skip this one,...
2nd Feb 2026
1

Data Update 4 for 2026: The Global Perspective!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Feb 2026
If you have read my first three data updates in 2026, I won’t blame you if you skip this one, because you found them long and boring. I won't take issue with you either if you viewed them as too US-focused, because I did spend my second data update, looking at US equities, and my...
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Data Update 9 for 2025: Dividends and Buybacks - Inertia and Me-tooism! In my ninth (and last) data post for 2025, I look at cash returned by businesses across the world,...
5th Mar 2025
60

Data Update 9 for 2025: Dividends and Buybacks - Inertia and Me-tooism!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Mar 2025
In my ninth (and last) data post for 2025, I look at cash returned by businesses across the world, looking at both the magnitude and the form of that return. I start with a framework for thinking about how much cash a business can return to its owners, and then argue that, in the...
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LinkedIn Goes All In on Vertical Video For years, platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have dominated the short-form...
4th Feb 2025
46

LinkedIn Goes All In on Vertical Video

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Feb 2025
For years, platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have dominated the short-form video space.
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Jan ’26 January media seemed dominated by Greenland and Davos. As part of my efforts to avoid amplifying...
8th Feb 2026
1

Jan ’26

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Feb 2026
January media seemed dominated by Greenland and Davos. As part of my efforts to avoid amplifying unstable narcissistic media-whore leaders, I haven’t got much to comment about. London has been pretty wet and miserable, as is January’s reputation. Meanwhile, markets were up quite...
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Issue 50 – Bitcoin busts Governments seize huge quantities of bitcoin, and a few people seem to be yearning for the days of...
2nd Feb 2024
131

Issue 50 – Bitcoin busts

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Feb 2024
Governments seize huge quantities of bitcoin, and a few people seem to be yearning for the days of peak crypto mania.
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Modeling Life: Linear Algebra This is the 4th post in my series summarizing the key takeaways from reading the book Modeling Life....
2nd May 2024
140

Modeling Life: Linear Algebra

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd May 2024
This is the 4th post in my series summarizing the key takeaways from reading the book Modeling Life. I recommend reading my previous posts first to gain a solid understanding on how to model dynamic systems. This post focuses on how linear algebra is employed in modeling dynamic...
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What I’ve Been Reading Thoughts on the books I read in Q1 2025
3rd Apr 2025
1

What I’ve Been Reading

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Apr 2025
Thoughts on the books I read in Q1 2025
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Can Tactical Decision Games Accelerate ... Maths? What if we could take Tactical Decision Games — a kind of accelerated expertise training method —...
6 days ago
1

Can Tactical Decision Games Accelerate ... Maths?

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

6 days ago
What if we could take Tactical Decision Games — a kind of accelerated expertise training method — and apply it to subjects like maths?
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Issue 76 – Tripartisan legislation Crypto exchanges face legal troubles, and Trump’s crypto empire grows as regulations are slashed and...
6th Feb 2025
53

Issue 76 – Tripartisan legislation

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Feb 2025
Crypto exchanges face legal troubles, and Trump’s crypto empire grows as regulations are slashed and enforcement is sidelined.
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Money laundering and AML compliance A brief overview of what money laundering is, what financial institutions do about it, and why.
10th Feb 2023
52

Money laundering and AML compliance

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Feb 2023
A brief overview of what money laundering is, what financial institutions do about it, and why.
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Crypto Twitter Found SBF's Fraud The establishment did nothing until the internet revealed everything.
6th Nov 2023
59

Crypto Twitter Found SBF's Fraud

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Nov 2023
The establishment did nothing until the internet revealed everything.
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Perpetual futures, explained Crypto’s most popular product offers capital efficiency for professionals, leveraged exposure for...
5th Dec 2025
2

Perpetual futures, explained

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Dec 2025
Crypto’s most popular product offers capital efficiency for professionals, leveraged exposure for the masses, rich yields for market makers — and a poorly understood failure mode.
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Data Update 1 for 2025: The Draw (and Danger) of Data For the last four decades, I have spent the first week of each year collecting and analyzing data on...
10th Jan 2025
31

Data Update 1 for 2025: The Draw (and Danger) of Data

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Jan 2025
For the last four decades, I have spent the first week of each year collecting and analyzing data on publicly traded companies and sharing what I find with anyone who is interested. It is the end of the first full week in 2025, and my data update for the year is now up and...
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OpenAI Launches GPT‑4.1: What You Need to Know About the New Family of AI Models OpenAI has officially released the GPT‑4.1 family — and it’s more than just a minor upgrade.
14th Apr 2025
65

OpenAI Launches GPT‑4.1: What You Need to Know About the New Family of AI Models

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Apr 2025
OpenAI has officially released the GPT‑4.1 family — and it’s more than just a minor upgrade.
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The Imitation Game: Defending against AI's Dark Side! A few weeks ago, I started receiving a stream of message about an Instagram post that I was...
5th Aug 2025
50

The Imitation Game: Defending against AI's Dark Side!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Aug 2025
A few weeks ago, I started receiving a stream of message about an Instagram post that I was allegedly starring in, where after offering my views on Palantir's valuation, I was soliciting investors to invest with me (or with an investment entity that had ties to me). I was not...
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One Definition of Wisdom Charlie Munger’s biggest business mistake, and what it tells us about wisdom.
14th Feb 2024
123

One Definition of Wisdom

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Feb 2024
Charlie Munger’s biggest business mistake, and what it tells us about wisdom.
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The business of wallets How digital wallets work, and how payment costs drive a lot of product decisions inside and around...
30th Apr 2024
124

The business of wallets

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

30th Apr 2024
How digital wallets work, and how payment costs drive a lot of product decisions inside and around them.
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Trillions Flow into AI: The New Infrastructure Arms Race 🌐 Big Tech Bets Trillions on AI Infrastructure
26th Jun 2025
66

Trillions Flow into AI: The New Infrastructure Arms Race

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

26th Jun 2025
🌐 Big Tech Bets Trillions on AI Infrastructure
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[Outliers] Charlie Munger’s Interview with Todd Combs I’m excited to share this previously unreleased 2022 conversation between Charlie Munger and Todd...
1st Oct 2026
1

[Outliers] Charlie Munger’s Interview with Todd Combs

from Farnam Street [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Oct 2026
I’m excited to share this previously unreleased 2022 conversation between Charlie Munger and Todd Combs.  Public Release: Oct 6th. Members have access now.Join us. As with any Munger talk, the subjects are both deep and wide. I’ve pulled out the ideas that most resonated with me....
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Guys what is wrong with ACATS Ever transferred assets between brokerages? Impressive, terrifying machinations happened in the...
24th May 2024
134

Guys what is wrong with ACATS

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

24th May 2024
Ever transferred assets between brokerages? Impressive, terrifying machinations happened in the background. No cats were harmed.
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Popups are the new startups Now you can materialize your cloud community into the real world.
12th Oct 2025
30

Popups are the new startups

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Oct 2025
Now you can materialize your cloud community into the real world.
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Gil Duran Faked A Quote For the New Republic Then they stealth edited the piece. They knew they'd committed libel.
1st May 2024
147

Gil Duran Faked A Quote For the New Republic

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st May 2024
Then they stealth edited the piece. They knew they'd committed libel.
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Issue 81 – Crypto crime is legal Trump continues to dismantle crypto enforcement while expanding his personal crypto empire
8th Apr 2025
48

Issue 81 – Crypto crime is legal

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Apr 2025
Trump continues to dismantle crypto enforcement while expanding his personal crypto empire
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Imperfectly Enforced Rules Create Bad Local Maxima Plus! Ads; Marketing; Pricing; Take Rates; SPVs
1st Sep 2026
1

Imperfectly Enforced Rules Create Bad Local Maxima

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Sep 2026
Plus! Ads; Marketing; Pricing; Take Rates; SPVs
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September ’26: Income rush Last month saw “La rentree” – the return to the real world, after an enjoyable summer. Very much so...
12th Oct 2026
1

September ’26: Income rush

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Oct 2026
Last month saw “La rentree” – the return to the real world, after an enjoyable summer. Very much so for me, as it happens – but with plenty of enjoyment still to be found. I’ve taken in Frida Kahlo at the Tate Modern, a spot of luxury in the south of France, a City ritual…...
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Brainwashing for Confidence My mom brainwashed me to be confident. She told me over and over that I was great and destined for...
15th Apr 2026
1

Brainwashing for Confidence

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

15th Apr 2026
My mom brainwashed me to be confident. She told me over and over that I was great and destined for great things. And it worked. To this day, when I lose or make a mistake, I get mad, but I always wind up where my mother left me: “You’re great. All you need is more practice.” And...
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Setting Up For The Second Half of 2024 A new set of cases for two concept sequences, and the end of the Data Driven Series.
19th May 2024
178

Setting Up For The Second Half of 2024

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

19th May 2024
A new set of cases for two concept sequences, and the end of the Data Driven Series.
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Credit card debt collection Credit card debt is the waste stream of consumer finance. The debt collection industry ends up being...
11th Aug 2023
43

Credit card debt collection

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Aug 2023
Credit card debt is the waste stream of consumer finance. The debt collection industry ends up being sordid, for complex structural and microeconomic reasons.
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Announcing the Commoncog Case Library Public Beta We're testing a cognitive flexibility theory-driven learning library, designed to accelerate...
24th Aug 2022
92

Announcing the Commoncog Case Library Public Beta

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

24th Aug 2022
We're testing a cognitive flexibility theory-driven learning library, designed to accelerate business expertise. Find out more.
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Why sanctions didn’t stop Russia's Garantex from using stablecoins Stablecoins, a new type of financial institution, are unique in two ways. First, they use...
2nd Apr 2025
73

Why sanctions didn’t stop Russia's Garantex from using stablecoins

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Apr 2025
Stablecoins, a new type of financial institution, are unique in two ways. First, they use decentralized databases like Ethereum and Tron to run their platforms. Secondly, and more important for the purposes of this article, they grant access to almost anyone, no questions...
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The Irresistible Temptations of Centralized Power The only "reform" that changes our lives in a fundamentally positive way is radical decentralization...
1st Sep 2026
1

The Irresistible Temptations of Centralized Power

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Sep 2026
The only "reform" that changes our lives in a fundamentally positive way is radical decentralization via distributing centralized power. Presidents like to deal with the CEOs of corporate monopolies for self-evident reasons: Rather than engage in the tedious, contentious...
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Issue 78 – President on brink of bailout for bitcoin Trump tries to breathe life back into the crypto markets’ “Trump pump” while federal regulatory...
3rd Mar 2025
47

Issue 78 – President on brink of bailout for bitcoin

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Mar 2025
Trump tries to breathe life back into the crypto markets’ “Trump pump” while federal regulatory agencies wash their hands of any crypto industry oversight
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Understanding Anthropic Plus! Pulled IPOs; Non-Fungibility; The News Business; Opt-Outs; Writing
a week ago
1

Understanding Anthropic

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

a week ago
Plus! Pulled IPOs; Non-Fungibility; The News Business; Opt-Outs; Writing
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Setting the Business Expertise Series Free Removing the paywall on The Business Expertise Series, which covers the work of Lia DiBello and her...
6th Jun 2023
110

Setting the Business Expertise Series Free

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Jun 2023
Removing the paywall on The Business Expertise Series, which covers the work of Lia DiBello and her collaborators.
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Warren Buffett’s Final Brushstrokes Warren Buffett is retiring as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway but he may still make a few final...
5th May 2025
1

Warren Buffett’s Final Brushstrokes

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th May 2025
Warren Buffett is retiring as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway but he may still make a few final brushstrokes on his canvas as Chairman.
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America Underestimates the Difficulty of Bringing Manufacturing Back On April 2nd, 2025, our president announced major new taxes on imports from foreign countries...
6th Apr 2025
107

America Underestimates the Difficulty of Bringing Manufacturing Back

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Apr 2025
On April 2nd, 2025, our president announced major new taxes on imports from foreign countries (“tariffs”), ranging from 10% to 49%. The stated goal is to bring manufacturing back to the United States and to “make America wealthy again”. These tariffs will not work. In fact, they...
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AI Agents vs. SaaS: Is This the Beginning of a Structural Reset or Another Tech Overreaction? Public software companies just had one of their worst weeks in years—and the market reaction was...
9th Feb 2026
1

AI Agents vs. SaaS: Is This the Beginning of a Structural Reset or Another Tech Overreaction?

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Feb 2026
Public software companies just had one of their worst weeks in years—and the market reaction was swift, brutal, and emotional.
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Bits about Money yearly recap and plans What we covered in 2024, what are plans are in 2025, and a solicitation for supporting memberships.
15th Jan 2025
91

Bits about Money yearly recap and plans

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

15th Jan 2025
What we covered in 2024, what are plans are in 2025, and a solicitation for supporting memberships.
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Canada's Housing Crisis: Is There a Way Out? Canada's housing market has become a national concern. Soaring prices have pushed homeownership out...
2nd Apr 2024
126

Canada's Housing Crisis: Is There a Way Out?

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Apr 2024
Canada's housing market has become a national concern. Soaring prices have pushed homeownership out of reach for many, and even renters struggle to find affordable options. The pandemic exacerbated this pre-existing crisis, highlighting the urgent need for solutions. This article...
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Greg Abel’s 2026 Letter to Shareholders Greg Abel's first letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders emphasized the need to keep the...
2nd Mar 2026
1

Greg Abel’s 2026 Letter to Shareholders

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Mar 2026
Greg Abel's first letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders emphasized the need to keep the company's unique culture.
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The infrastructure behind ATMs ATMs are connected to banks by networks which operate little-understood payment rails.
2nd Jan 2023
47

The infrastructure behind ATMs

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jan 2023
ATMs are connected to banks by networks which operate little-understood payment rails.
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June ’26: Is zero tax worth the hassle? Monaco I was lucky enough to go to Monaco for the F1 in June. Something I feel quite strongly about...
19th Jul 2026
1

June ’26: Is zero tax worth the hassle?

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

19th Jul 2026
Monaco I was lucky enough to go to Monaco for the F1 in June. Something I feel quite strongly about and have written about before on this blog is how strong the monkey brain wiring is for us all to peg ourselves off the next rung up on the ladder. No matter how high up… Continue...
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Google’s New AI Summaries in Discover: The Next Blow to Publishers? If you work in media or publishing, brace yourself — another platform update from Google is quietly...
15th Jul 2025
47

Google’s New AI Summaries in Discover: The Next Blow to Publishers?

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

15th Jul 2025
If you work in media or publishing, brace yourself — another platform update from Google is quietly shifting the ground beneath us.
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What I’ve Been Reading Thoughts on the books I read in the second quarter of 2025
11th Jul 2025
1

What I’ve Been Reading

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jul 2025
Thoughts on the books I read in the second quarter of 2025
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Global Crypto Regulation: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? Global crypto regulation is confusing. So I surveyed the information available and created a...
25th May 2022
49

Global Crypto Regulation: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not?

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

25th May 2022
Global crypto regulation is confusing. So I surveyed the information available and created a heatmap.
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Introducing Xmrit Some free software to create, modify, experiment with and share XmR charts. Unlock the ability to...
10th Apr 2024
144

Introducing Xmrit

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Apr 2024
Some free software to create, modify, experiment with and share XmR charts. Unlock the ability to become more data driven today.
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Demystifying financial leverage Leverage is actually reasonably easy to understand, both in the math and in the implications for...
11th Nov 2022
38

Demystifying financial leverage

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Nov 2022
Leverage is actually reasonably easy to understand, both in the math and in the implications for financial firms.
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May ’26: Angelic timing May was an enjoyable month. I kept reasonably busy, as well as doing a bit of travel around the UK....
17th Jun 2026
1

May ’26: Angelic timing

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

17th Jun 2026
May was an enjoyable month. I kept reasonably busy, as well as doing a bit of travel around the UK. I visited King Charles’ Poundbury for the first time, as well as the south coast and the Cotswolds for a weekend. Meanwhile, the news has been dominated by Trump’s Iran war, and in...
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Nov ’23 revalues the future In the news It has been quite a busy month out there. The Israel/Gaza crisis continues. Public...
5th Dec 2023
124

Nov ’23 revalues the future

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Dec 2023
In the news It has been quite a busy month out there. The Israel/Gaza crisis continues. Public opinion is shifting against the Israel government here, even in North London – which would normally be one of the most sympathetic neighbourhoods outside Tel Aviv. The Ukrainians are...
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Being an Amazon Seller in 2020; Year in Review I’m the founder and CEO of Viahart, an educational toy company. We did about $7.4 million in sales...
3rd Jan 2021
25

Being an Amazon Seller in 2020; Year in Review

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Jan 2021
I’m the founder and CEO of Viahart, an educational toy company. We did about $7.4 million in sales in 2020, mostly through e-commerce channels like Amazon and Walmart.com. This article is going to tell you what that was like and how things were different in 2020 than in 2019. To...
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Operational Excellence is the Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’ It turns out that operational excellence results from the pursuit of a certain form of knowledge....
16th Mar 2023
141

Operational Excellence is the Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

16th Mar 2023
It turns out that operational excellence results from the pursuit of a certain form of knowledge. This is Part 3 of the Becoming Data Driven series, and the result of a deep dive into the field of statistical process control.
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2024 Tax Strategies for Optimization and Savings The new year dawns, not just with fresh resolutions, but also the opportunity to reassess and...
3rd Jan 2024
126

2024 Tax Strategies for Optimization and Savings

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Jan 2024
The new year dawns, not just with fresh resolutions, but also the opportunity to reassess and optimize your tax strategy. While taxes may not be the most exhilarating topic, savvy planning can significantly reduce your liability and boost your financial well-being. So, grab your...
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A Quarter Century of Investing Lessons learned from twenty-five years of enterprising investing
6th Jan 2025
1

A Quarter Century of Investing

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Jan 2025
Lessons learned from twenty-five years of enterprising investing
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What Expenses Can You Write Off Against Your Business Income? Taxes are an inevitable part of running a business, but that doesn't mean you have to pay more than...
6th Feb 2024
122

What Expenses Can You Write Off Against Your Business Income?

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Feb 2024
Taxes are an inevitable part of running a business, but that doesn't mean you have to pay more than your fair share. Fortunately, the law allows you to deduct certain expenses from your business income, lowering your taxable amount and saving you money. But navigating the world...
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The Mirrortable Mirrortables are to cap tables what stablecoins are to fiat currencies. They streamline and...
26th Dec 2021
42

The Mirrortable

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

26th Dec 2021
Mirrortables are to cap tables what stablecoins are to fiat currencies. They streamline and internationalize the logistical mess of angel investing.
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The Anthropic Feedback Loop: The Cost of Capital Delusion and Diversion! I knew that my post on Anthropic would draw strong reactions, when I made it public last week. I did...
a week ago
1

The Anthropic Feedback Loop: The Cost of Capital Delusion and Diversion!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

a week ago
I knew that my post on Anthropic would draw strong reactions, when I made it public last week. I did mention in the course of the post that I have no interest in selling my estimate of value to the rest of the world, both because I don't own the high ground here and because it is...
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Apple has a new CEO. Now comes the hard part. September is here, and there’s actually quite a bit going on.
1st Sep 2026
2

Apple has a new CEO. Now comes the hard part.

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Sep 2026
September is here, and there’s actually quite a bit going on.
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Trump claims US banks can't open in Canada—US banks disagree In what seems to be an effort to extort Canada for additional benefits, Donald Trump complained...
4th Feb 2025
42

Trump claims US banks can't open in Canada—US banks disagree

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Feb 2025
In what seems to be an effort to extort Canada for additional benefits, Donald Trump complained yesterday on social media that CANADA DOESN'T EVEN ALLOW U.S. BANKS TO OPEN OR DO BUSINESS THERE. And so according to Trump, Canada doubly deserves to be disciplined with...
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The Gambling King The start of the Asian Conglomerates Series: we open with a look at the life of Stanley Ho, gambling...
2nd Feb 2025
69

The Gambling King

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Feb 2025
The start of the Asian Conglomerates Series: we open with a look at the life of Stanley Ho, gambling king of Macau.
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Should Congress be Allowed to Trade? Plus! Norms Trading; Point-of-Sale; Trade Trench Warfare; AI and Ads; Bluffing Your Way to Better...
1st May 2025
19

Should Congress be Allowed to Trade?

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st May 2025
Plus! Norms Trading; Point-of-Sale; Trade Trench Warfare; AI and Ads; Bluffing Your Way to Better Management
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Seeing like a Bank The structural reasons why banks sometimes behave bizarrely in interactions with customers, like...
7th Nov 2023
125

Seeing like a Bank

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Nov 2023
The structural reasons why banks sometimes behave bizarrely in interactions with customers, like forgetting things which customers tell them.
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Mar ’24: A towering influence I’ve enjoyed March. I managed to enjoy a few days’ skiing, despite less snow than any of us would...
1st Apr 2024
146

Mar ’24: A towering influence

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Apr 2024
I’ve enjoyed March. I managed to enjoy a few days’ skiing, despite less snow than any of us would like, in the Austrian alps. Back at home, the sun has been getting stronger, and the evenings have been getting lighter – and now with Summer Time we will enjoy lovely late evenings...
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Pretense, Staging, Expediency: the "Solutions" That Implode the Whole Shebang Slapdash quick fixes and policies share one characteristic: they eventually implode the whole...
1st Jan 2026
2

Pretense, Staging, Expediency: the "Solutions" That Implode the Whole Shebang

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Jan 2026
Slapdash quick fixes and policies share one characteristic: they eventually implode the whole shebang. We all know how this works: the business is failing and the divorce papers have been filed, but the optics are ugly, so the couple waltzes in, all smiles and lovey-dovey,...
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Revisiting the SpaceX Valuation: A Post-Prospectus Update! A few weeks ago, I assessed the value of SpaceX ahead of its initial public offering, with the...
4th Jun 2026
1

Revisiting the SpaceX Valuation: A Post-Prospectus Update!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Jun 2026
A few weeks ago, I assessed the value of SpaceX ahead of its initial public offering, with the admission that I was making my estimates with drabs of data, some of it coming from unofficial sources. I also promised to revisit my valuation, when the prospectus came out, and now...
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Sam Bankman-Fried: guilty on all charges Jurors spent less than five hours deliberating before returning the verdict.
3rd Nov 2023
59

Sam Bankman-Fried: guilty on all charges

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Nov 2023
Jurors spent less than five hours deliberating before returning the verdict.
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June ’24: Election fever June was busy. I travelled more than usual in June. Partly in the UK – visiting Glasgow, the west...
9th Jul 2024
148

June ’24: Election fever

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Jul 2024
June was busy. I travelled more than usual in June. Partly in the UK – visiting Glasgow, the west country, the south coast and the Isle of Wight; partly overseas – I visited Ibiza for a few days of R&R. Meanwhile, the election campaigns were in full swing. Nigel Farage did his...
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Google: Monopolized? Is Google too big? For years, the tech giant has dominated the search market, facing little...
1st Dec 2024
65

Google: Monopolized?

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Dec 2024
Is Google too big? For years, the tech giant has dominated the search market, facing little competition.
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Routers, Apps, AGI Plus! Diff Jobs; Peripheral Bets; Fragmentation and Industry Maturity; Deepfakes as Pull Quotes;...
20th Oct 2025
1

Routers, Apps, AGI

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

20th Oct 2025
Plus! Diff Jobs; Peripheral Bets; Fragmentation and Industry Maturity; Deepfakes as Pull Quotes; Benchmarks; Platforms
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July ’25: New high watermark There wasn’t a huge amount to report from July. Politically/economically I fear the most important...
16th Aug 2025
40

July ’25: New high watermark

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

16th Aug 2025
There wasn’t a huge amount to report from July. Politically/economically I fear the most important event in the UK was the Labour government’s failure to enact its intended welfare reforms. This leaves the government a) unable to control spending b) unable to nudge the economy...
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AI Data Centers Are Not the Railroads of Today The AI boom shares all the risk profiles of previous speculative manias but lacks society-wide...
1st Jun 2026
1

AI Data Centers Are Not the Railroads of Today

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Jun 2026
The AI boom shares all the risk profiles of previous speculative manias but lacks society-wide benefits while generating fast-metastasizing negative consequences and costs. The idea that the current bubble in AI data centers is an echo of the railroad-construction bubble of...
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Jon McNeill: How Elon Musk Makes Decisions Jon McNeill is the former President of Tesla and the co-founder and CEO of DVx Ventures. Elon Musk...
a week ago
1

Jon McNeill: How Elon Musk Makes Decisions

from Farnam Street [alt+shift+b] in finance

a week ago
Jon McNeill is the former President of Tesla and the co-founder and CEO of DVx Ventures. Elon Musk believes speed creates a competitive advantage, whether it’s speed of decision, speed of cash, or speed of response. But what does that look like day to day, and how do you build a...
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Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking A core component of making great decisions is understanding the rationale behind previous decisions....
5th Sep 2022
99

Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking

from Farnam Street [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Sep 2022
A core component of making great decisions is understanding the rationale behind previous decisions. If we don’t understand how we got “here,” we run the risk of making things much worse. *** When we seek to intervene in any system created by someone, it’s not enough to view...
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Working title (insurance) Title insurance is grossly overpriced relative to actual risks involved. Why is that?
30th Jun 2024
147

Working title (insurance)

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

30th Jun 2024
Title insurance is grossly overpriced relative to actual risks involved. Why is that?
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Credit cards as a legacy system Credit cards have been in use for almost 75 years. Some long-ago decisions still cause consequences...
2nd Dec 2022
38

Credit cards as a legacy system

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Dec 2022
Credit cards have been in use for almost 75 years. Some long-ago decisions still cause consequences in the present day. But change is possible.
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Meta's Fake AI Profiles, the TikTok Ban, Telegram Updates, and Microsoft's $80 Billion AI Investment... Meta's AI Experiment: What Went Wrong?
4th Jan 2025
77

Meta's Fake AI Profiles, the TikTok Ban, Telegram Updates, and Microsoft's $80 Billion AI Investment This Year...

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Jan 2025
Meta's AI Experiment: What Went Wrong?
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Chinese Labor Isn't Just Cheaper; It’s Better. We Need to Fix That. A famous newspaper asked me to write an opinion article. But every time I submitted a draft, they'd...
25th Dec 2025
1

Chinese Labor Isn't Just Cheaper; It’s Better. We Need to Fix That.

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

25th Dec 2025
A famous newspaper asked me to write an opinion article. But every time I submitted a draft, they'd edit it, changing the message of the piece, even though the article was meant to be my opinion. Most people would have consented to the edits to have the honor of being in the...
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If We Set Aside Ideology, Is There Anything We Can Agree On? Just the experiment of setting aside ideological certainties for a moment would be instructive. ...
3rd Mar 2025
47

If We Set Aside Ideology, Is There Anything We Can Agree On?

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Mar 2025
Just the experiment of setting aside ideological certainties for a moment would be instructive. Humans are hard-wired to prefer simplicity over complexity, and this is the foundation of ideology, which like mythology takes a complex world and radically simplifies it to an...
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Anatomy of a Market Crisis: Tariffs, Markets and the Economy! I was boarding a plane for a trip to Latin America late in the evening last Wednesday (April 2), and...
7th Apr 2025
54

Anatomy of a Market Crisis: Tariffs, Markets and the Economy!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Apr 2025
I was boarding a plane for a trip to Latin America late in the evening last Wednesday (April 2), and as is my practice, I was checking the score on the Yankee game, when I read the tariff news announcement. Coming after a few days where the market seemed to have found its...
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Nov ’24: 3x London life I’ve been keeping busy as winter in London sets in. The Christmas lights are all out and...
7th Dec 2024
110

Nov ’24: 3x

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Dec 2024
London life I’ve been keeping busy as winter in London sets in. The Christmas lights are all out and looking resplendent, and both the West End and the City are feeling pretty buzzy. For all the general ‘UK stuck in the weeds’ economic commentary, we feel a long way from any talk...
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Country Risk: Drivers, Measures and Investment Implications - The 2026 Edition! I am a creature of habit in my personal and professional life, and in the context of the content...
15th Jul 2026
1

Country Risk: Drivers, Measures and Investment Implications - The 2026 Edition!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

15th Jul 2026
I am a creature of habit in my personal and professional life, and in the context of the content that I post online, there is a ritual that I follow with my data updates. I start the year with my general data update online, and follow up with a series of posts where I examine the...
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⚖️ Copyright Law and Generative AI Generative AI is revolutionizing the way we create, but it's also raising complex legal questions...
1st Dec 2023
101

⚖️ Copyright Law and Generative AI

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Dec 2023
Generative AI is revolutionizing the way we create, but it's also raising complex legal questions about copyright law. 🤯 What's the Issue? 🤔 Copyright law protects original works created by humans. But what about AI-generated content? Is it protected by copyright? 🤔
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Lee Walker and the Dell Growth Plateau How Lee Walker overcame Dell's biggest growth plateau in 1986. A story about capital, imagination,...
16th Aug 2023
81

Lee Walker and the Dell Growth Plateau

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

16th Aug 2023
How Lee Walker overcame Dell's biggest growth plateau in 1986. A story about capital, imagination, and creative deal-making.
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The War That I don't have an analysis or insight to offer doesn't mean I don't care. It simply means there...
1st Mar 2026
6

The War

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Mar 2026
That I don't have an analysis or insight to offer doesn't mean I don't care. It simply means there are limits on what we know, and what we do know suggests circumspection. War seems to demand some response--opinion, analysis, insight--lest it seem that we're uncaring or...
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What I’ve Been Reading Thoughts on the books I read in Q1 2025
3rd Apr 2025
1

What I’ve Been Reading

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Apr 2025
Thoughts on the books I read in Q1 2025
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August ’26: Summer calm August was another fabulous summer month in the UK. The lack of rain became a nasty drought, with...
21st Sep 2026
1

August ’26: Summer calm

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

21st Sep 2026
August was another fabulous summer month in the UK. The lack of rain became a nasty drought, with hosepipe bans across much of the country – including my Coastal Folly’s Wessex Water supplier (for the first time in over 50 years). But lawns aside it made for an enjoyable month. I...
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Power and Impunity Those acting with impunity are confident that their powers or god-like because they appear so in the...
2nd Feb 2026
1

Power and Impunity

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Feb 2026
Those acting with impunity are confident that their powers or god-like because they appear so in the human realm. But there are limits to everything in the human realm. One of the first things we learned about the Internet is that anything sent via email could readily become...
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The Ultimate Small Business Hiring Guide How to Find the Right Fit for Your Team
9th Oct 2024
105

The Ultimate Small Business Hiring Guide

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Oct 2024
How to Find the Right Fit for Your Team
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The 2023 Commoncog Recap Everything that we covered in 2023, and what to expect now that Commoncog has a new direction.
4th Jan 2024
129

The 2023 Commoncog Recap

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Jan 2024
Everything that we covered in 2023, and what to expect now that Commoncog has a new direction.
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Oil, War and the Global Economy: The Market's Narrative in March 2026 Markets play an expectations game, and in March 2026, we saw the process play out, with all of its...
1st Apr 2026
1

Oil, War and the Global Economy: The Market's Narrative in March 2026

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Apr 2026
Markets play an expectations game, and in March 2026, we saw the process play out, with all of its upsides and downsides. The month started with a war in the Middle East, which quickly percolated into soaring oil prices and dropping stock prices, but the overwhelming factor was...
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The 2024 Commoncog Recap Everything that we covered in 2024, and what to expect in the coming year.
8th Jan 2025
86

The 2024 Commoncog Recap

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Jan 2025
Everything that we covered in 2024, and what to expect in the coming year.
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Warren Buffett’s Thanksgiving Letter Warren Buffett's Thanksgiving Letter sheds more light on why he decided to retire.
11th Nov 2025
1

Warren Buffett’s Thanksgiving Letter

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Nov 2025
Warren Buffett's Thanksgiving Letter sheds more light on why he decided to retire.
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Mental Strength in Judo; Mental Strength in Life Results of a four month accelerated expertise experiment in Judo. Or: "I expected to learn about...
3rd May 2023
178

Mental Strength in Judo; Mental Strength in Life

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd May 2023
Results of a four month accelerated expertise experiment in Judo. Or: "I expected to learn about deliberate practice but instead learnt a ton about my mental shortcomings."
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Dec ’23 – 2023 in review It’s the start of a calendar year. Let’s take a look at what 2023 did to me financially. I’m...
2nd Jan 2024
128

Dec ’23 – 2023 in review

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jan 2024
It’s the start of a calendar year. Let’s take a look at what 2023 did to me financially. I’m following the same structure I’ve used for the last few years (2022, 2021, and 2020). Overall, 2023 was a good year on almost all measures – thanks in particular to Q4 which saw the US...
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Minimal Impact to Insurers from Icelandic Volcano Eruption At least for now, most air travel restrictions caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull...
11th Aug 2026
1

Minimal Impact to Insurers from Icelandic Volcano Eruption

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Aug 2026
At least for now, most air travel restrictions caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano have been lifted throughout Europe.
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In the Future, Every AI Lab is a Neocloud for Fifteen Minutes Plus! FDE Crunch; Fable!; Egg Futures?; Becoming IBM; Surtaxes
2nd Jul 2026
1

In the Future, Every AI Lab is a Neocloud for Fifteen Minutes

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jul 2026
Plus! FDE Crunch; Fable!; Egg Futures?; Becoming IBM; Surtaxes
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Banking in very uncertain times We may be in the early stages of a banking crisis: why, what we're doing to avoid it, and what we...
14th Mar 2023
40

Banking in very uncertain times

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Mar 2023
We may be in the early stages of a banking crisis: why, what we're doing to avoid it, and what we may not get about it.
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Controlling the Narrative Is Not the Same As Controlling the World This is Essay #9 in the series Truth Be Told. The core dynamic of this era is the notion that...
a week ago
1

Controlling the Narrative Is Not the Same As Controlling the World

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

a week ago
This is Essay #9 in the series Truth Be Told. The core dynamic of this era is the notion that controlling the narrative controls the world, as persuading the populace to believe something is true controls their convictions which then control their behaviors. Centralized...
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The Network State Book A new book on starting new countries. Available on Kindle and for free at thenetworkstate.com.
19th Mar 2022
34

The Network State Book

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

19th Mar 2022
A new book on starting new countries. Available on Kindle and for free at thenetworkstate.com.
Direct Link [→] Remove from reading list Add to reading list [alt+a]
Too Fake to Tell US government stats aren't reliable. More importantly, neither are US government bonds.
5th Jun 2023
41

Too Fake to Tell

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Jun 2023
US government stats aren't reliable. More importantly, neither are US government bonds.
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The Trial: How I lost $1 million dollars and 7 years in a lawsuit over Brain Flakes I thought I was good. Until I met Sol. Solomon Rosengarten is a lawyer from Brooklyn. He has an AOL...
25th Nov 2025
2

The Trial: How I lost $1 million dollars and 7 years in a lawsuit over Brain Flakes

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

25th Nov 2025
I thought I was good. Until I met Sol. Solomon Rosengarten is a lawyer from Brooklyn. He has an AOL email address. He is not great with the mute button on his phone. He sometimes comes across as incompetent. But, he is the best damned lawyer I have ever known. Sol is a killer....
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Two Americas, one bank branch, and $50,000 cash Ever wondered what happens if you try to take $50,000 in cash out of a bank? Answer: a year of...
5th Mar 2025
83

Two Americas, one bank branch, and $50,000 cash

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Mar 2025
Ever wondered what happens if you try to take $50,000 in cash out of a bank? Answer: a year of investigative journalism.
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Feb ’23: taking profits February was cold, but mercifully dry. The days are becoming a welcome bit longer. London is filling...
14th Mar 2023
70

Feb ’23: taking profits

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Mar 2023
February was cold, but mercifully dry. The days are becoming a welcome bit longer. London is filling up again, post covid, though Mondays and Fridays remain subdued to put it mildly. Market movements in February In the markets, February started strongly, but then something...
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What do LLMs Want? Plus! Governance; Implementation Risk; Jailbreaking; In-Kind Deals; Revalued Inputs
1st Dec 2025
1

What do LLMs Want?

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Dec 2025
Plus! Governance; Implementation Risk; Jailbreaking; In-Kind Deals; Revalued Inputs
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2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in November Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in...
11th Dec 2024
43

2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in November

from Calculated Risk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Dec 2024
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: 2nd Look at Local Housing Markets in November A brief excerpt: NOTE: The tables for active listings, new listings and closed sales all include a comparison to November 2019 for each local market (some 2019 data is not...
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The Seven Samurai: How Big Tech Rescued the Market in 2023! I was planning to finish my last two data updates for 2024, but decided to take a break and look at...
9th Feb 2024
29

The Seven Samurai: How Big Tech Rescued the Market in 2023!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Feb 2024
I was planning to finish my last two data updates for 2024, but decided to take a break and look at the seven stocks (Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla) which carried the market in 2023. While I will use the "Magnificent Seven" moniker attached by these...
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Mar ’26: Iran clobbers markets In March the rain stopped. We started March with North London already having seen 2x its usual...
12th Apr 2026
1

Mar ’26: Iran clobbers markets

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Apr 2026
In March the rain stopped. We started March with North London already having seen 2x its usual rainfall for this point in the year. And thankfully in the middle of March, it stopped. As I write this I have actually needed to start watering the garden, something that felt a very...
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Data Update 4 for 2024: Danger and Opportunity - Bringing Risk into the Equation! In my last data updates for this year, I looked first at how equity markets rebounded in 2023,...
28th Jan 2024
27

Data Update 4 for 2024: Danger and Opportunity - Bringing Risk into the Equation!

from Musings on Markets [alt+shift+b] in finance

28th Jan 2024
In my last data updates for this year, I looked first at how equity markets rebounded in 2023, driven by a stronger-than-expected economy and inflation coming down, and then at how interest rates mirrored this rebound. In this post, I look at risk, a central theme in finance and...
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The Network State Conference Come to Singapore on September 22, 2024 to build technodemocracy.
15th Oct 2023
4

The Network State Conference

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

15th Oct 2023
Come to Singapore on September 22, 2024 to build technodemocracy.
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It’s a treasure trove of health insights! Use Insulin wisely Life on Earth started simple. For nearly 2 billion years, tiny single-celled...
21st Oct 2024
132

It’s a treasure trove of health insights!

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

21st Oct 2024
Use Insulin wisely Life on Earth started simple. For nearly 2 billion years, tiny single-celled organisms dominated. Then, a lucky accident changed everything. One cell swallowed another, and the swallowed cell became mitochondria, the powerhouse of complex cells. This chance...
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Aug ’23: … A belated write-up of the month of August. Thinking back a month, two stories pop out for me. One...
18th Sep 2023
86

Aug ’23: …

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

18th Sep 2023
A belated write-up of the month of August. Thinking back a month, two stories pop out for me. One was the death of Russian mutineer Yevgeny Prigozhin – a larger-than-life modern day warlord, responsible for the ‘little green men’ at the start of the Russian/Ukraine war in 2014,...
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Longreads + Open Thread Funds, Slop, Schools, Lookism, Automation, Bots, Efficiency, Magnitogorsk
1st Aug 2026
2

Longreads + Open Thread

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Aug 2026
Funds, Slop, Schools, Lookism, Automation, Bots, Efficiency, Magnitogorsk
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The Inevitable Drift Down from "Can't Lose" Owning Stocks to "Can't Win" Even if an AI program advises selling everything and walking away from the market for five years,...
3rd Nov 2025
1

The Inevitable Drift Down from "Can't Lose" Owning Stocks to "Can't Win"

from oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Nov 2025
Even if an AI program advises selling everything and walking away from the market for five years, how many of us would take this advice? Only those who experienced the heady euphoria of the late 1990s dot-com bubble in tech stocks know what the shift from "can't lose"...
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What I’ve Been Reading Thoughts on the books I read in the second quarter of 2025
11th Jul 2025
1

What I’ve Been Reading

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jul 2025
Thoughts on the books I read in the second quarter of 2025
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The Fiacracy; A Mental Model for Modern Government This article will explain the following: 1. What is a Fiacracy 2. How do Fiacracies NOT work 3. How...
10th Aug 2024
50

The Fiacracy; A Mental Model for Modern Government

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Aug 2024
This article will explain the following: 1. What is a Fiacracy 2. How do Fiacracies NOT work 3. How Fiacracies work 4. Are Fiacracies sustainable 5. Why Fiacracies matter 1. What is a fiacracy? It’s government by fiat (money). The driving mechanism by which it works is not...
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The business of check cashing Check cashing, as a business, is a poorly understood "alternative" financial service.
30th Jan 2024
146

The business of check cashing

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

30th Jan 2024
Check cashing, as a business, is a poorly understood "alternative" financial service.
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May 2nd COVID Update: COVID Deaths Continue to Decline Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. For deaths, I'm...
2nd May 2025
18

May 2nd COVID Update: COVID Deaths Continue to Decline

from Calculated Risk [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd May 2025
Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. For deaths, I'm currently using 4 weeks ago for "now", since the most recent three weeks will be revised significantly. Note: "Effective May 1, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report...
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May ’23: Magic megatech May has been election month. In the UK, some (but not all – and not London) local councils had...
4th Jun 2023
91

May ’23: Magic megatech

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

4th Jun 2023
May has been election month. In the UK, some (but not all – and not London) local councils had elections. The Tories took a drubbing, as expected. And overseas the notable election seemed to be Turkey, where autocratic Erdogan won (however fairly) another five year term – taking...
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What happens if the US loses reserve currency status? A reserve currency is the currency that people all over the world prefer to store their savings...
29th Apr 2024
23

What happens if the US loses reserve currency status?

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

29th Apr 2024
A reserve currency is the currency that people all over the world prefer to store their savings in. Today that currency is the US dollar. From the Middle East, to Asia, to South America — Whether it's a family that needs to keep some money around just in case or a country, most...
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Why the CrowdStrike bug hit banks hard Regulation-induced monocultures meet unfortunate but explicable engineering decisions.
31st Jul 2024
135

Why the CrowdStrike bug hit banks hard

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

31st Jul 2024
Regulation-induced monocultures meet unfortunate but explicable engineering decisions.
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May ’24: UK election called The month of May seems a little while ago, so I’d better get on and write it up. This will be quick....
14th Jun 2024
141

May ’24: UK election called

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Jun 2024
The month of May seems a little while ago, so I’d better get on and write it up. This will be quick. The big news in the UK was Rishi Sunak, the outgoing PM, calling a general election for 4 July. Independence-from-the-Tories Day. May was also the month that u-turner/blowharder...
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Fiction and Finance Recommendations of works of fiction of interest to financial practitioners or enthusiasts.
7th Oct 2024
122

Fiction and Finance

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Oct 2024
Recommendations of works of fiction of interest to financial practitioners or enthusiasts.
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A window into modern loan origination A four party consortium can underwrite, fund, and execute a consumer loan in 15 minutes. Here's how.
10th Oct 2025
46

A window into modern loan origination

from Bits about Money [alt+shift+b] in finance

10th Oct 2025
A four party consortium can underwrite, fund, and execute a consumer loan in 15 minutes. Here's how.
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Twitter vs. Instagram Threads: The Battle for the Short-Form Social Media Crown Twitter and Instagram are two of the most popular social media platforms in the world. They both...
8th Jul 2023
42

Twitter vs. Instagram Threads: The Battle for the Short-Form Social Media Crown

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Jul 2023
Twitter and Instagram are two of the most popular social media platforms in the world. They both offer users a way to share short-form content, but they have different approaches to how that content is displayed and consumed. Twitter is a more public platform, where anyone can...
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Heureka A “heureka” is a surprisingly powerful yet simple solution to a complex optimization problem, which...
20th Sep 2025
1

Heureka

from Molson Hart's Blog - Molson Hart [alt+shift+b] in finance

20th Sep 2025
A “heureka” is a surprisingly powerful yet simple solution to a complex optimization problem, which is theoretically inferior to more complicated solutions, but is, in practice, optimal. Example: “I’m a 22 year old Phi Beta Kappa alumnus of University of Iowa and I have this idea...
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Warren Buffett’s Final Brushstrokes Warren Buffett is retiring as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway but he may still make a few final...
5th May 2025
1

Warren Buffett’s Final Brushstrokes

from The Rational Walk [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th May 2025
Warren Buffett is retiring as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway but he may still make a few final brushstrokes on his canvas as Chairman.
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What are the Key Properties of Bitcoin? There are plenty of unwritten rules when it comes to proposing protocol changes in Bitcoin. Some are...
11th Jan 2025
22

What are the Key Properties of Bitcoin?

from balajis.com [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jan 2025
There are plenty of unwritten rules when it comes to proposing protocol changes in Bitcoin. Some are philosophical, some are technical, and some are a blend.
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Trump to launch branded crypto trading application New crypto trading and wallet application, created in partnership with Magic Eden, invites fans of...
3rd Jun 2025
36

Trump to launch branded crypto trading application

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Jun 2025
New crypto trading and wallet application, created in partnership with Magic Eden, invites fans of President Trump to buy his memecoin
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June 2025: Show times I really want to stop mentioning Trump. Even when he sends troops into LA, one of my favourite...
11th Jul 2025
57

June 2025: Show times

from FIRE v London [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jul 2025
I really want to stop mentioning Trump. Even when he sends troops into LA, one of my favourite cities. But when he launches 30kt bombs on Iran, it is very hard to avoid talking about him. In the context of what Trump’s been up to, the welfare reform screw-ups by the Labour...
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Stablecoins – a digital version of Swiss bearer savings books Before anti-money laundering laws arrived in Switzerland, anyone could walk into a Swiss bank and...
9th Aug 2024
27

Stablecoins – a digital version of Swiss bearer savings books

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Aug 2024
Before anti-money laundering laws arrived in Switzerland, anyone could walk into a Swiss bank and open an account without showing any ID. The bank would then issue you something called a bearer savings book, otherwise known as inhabersparheften or livrets d'épargne au porteur....
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The Market for Contrarian Talent Doesn't Clear Plus! Bootstrapping a Consumer-Facing Negawatt Market; Real Estate; Aggregators; Training Data;...
1st May 2026
1

The Market for Contrarian Talent Doesn't Clear

from The Diff [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st May 2026
Plus! Bootstrapping a Consumer-Facing Negawatt Market; Real Estate; Aggregators; Training Data; Supply Chains
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Focus on the process, not the outcome Woorkeri Raman, a former Indian cricketer and former coach of the India women’s national cricket...
12th Aug 2024
149

Focus on the process, not the outcome

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Aug 2024
Woorkeri Raman, a former Indian cricketer and former coach of the India women’s national cricket team, has two non-negotiables. As an offspinner, you must never get cut, and you must never get driven through the covers. Even when Ravichandran Ashwin takes five wickets, Raman will...
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Trump Jr.-advised prediction markets invite bets on president’s demise President Trump’s deregulatory agenda emboldened prediction markets to push boundaries around...
2nd Sep 2025
60

Trump Jr.-advised prediction markets invite bets on president’s demise

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Sep 2025
President Trump’s deregulatory agenda emboldened prediction markets to push boundaries around permitted event contracts. Now sites advised by his son are allowing bets on his death.
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Case for indexing Warren Buffet made a compelling case in favor of indexing in the 2021 Berkshire Hathaway’s AGM. In...
5th Feb 2023
49

Case for indexing

from Seeking Wisdom [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Feb 2023
Warren Buffet made a compelling case in favor of indexing in the 2021 Berkshire Hathaway’s AGM. In 1989, 65% of the top 20 global companies were domiciled in Japan. After three decades, 65% of the top 20 global companies are from the US. No companies from Japan made into the top...
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OpenAI is not becoming a for-profit company after all. In a significant reversal, OpenAI announced on May 5, 2025, that it will remain under the control of...
5th May 2025
45

OpenAI is not becoming a for-profit company after all.

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th May 2025
In a significant reversal, OpenAI announced on May 5, 2025, that it will remain under the control of its nonprofit entity, abandoning earlier plans to restructure as a for-profit company.
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Issue 71 – (Crypto) banks are not your friends Celsius’ Alex Mashinsky pleads guilty to fraud, some Tornado Cash sanctions are overturned, and tech...
5th Dec 2024
83

Issue 71 – (Crypto) banks are not your friends

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

5th Dec 2024
Celsius’ Alex Mashinsky pleads guilty to fraud, some Tornado Cash sanctions are overturned, and tech billionaires complain about “debanking”.
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We can have a different web Many yearn for the “good old days” of the web. We could have those good old days back — or something...
1st May 2024
135

We can have a different web

from Citation Needed [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st May 2024
Many yearn for the “good old days” of the web. We could have those good old days back — or something even better — and if anything, it would be easier now than it ever was.
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