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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.
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...
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...
Citation Needed has a new home Citation Needed is no longer hosted on Substack. Welcome to my antifascist bar.
5th Jan 2024
101

Citation Needed has a new home

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

5th Jan 2024
Citation Needed is no longer hosted on Substack. Welcome to my antifascist bar.
Goodhart's Law Isn't as Useful as You Might Think Goodhart's Law is useless. It tells you about a phenomenon, but it doesn't tell you how to solve it....
11th Jan 2023
120

Goodhart's Law Isn't as Useful as You Might Think

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Jan 2023
Goodhart's Law is useless. It tells you about a phenomenon, but it doesn't tell you how to solve it. We look at how organisations actually prevent Goodhart's Law, and illustrate this with Amazon's Weekly Business Review as an example.
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...
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.
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.
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...
Dell's Capital Expertise We trace Michael Dell's skill at the art of capital in business, and use it to examine how skill at...
1st Jul 2023
128

Dell's Capital Expertise

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Jul 2023
We trace Michael Dell's skill at the art of capital in business, and use it to examine how skill at capital allows you to make moves that aren't available to a novice business operator.
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,...
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...
The Winner’s Edge A lot of otherwise talented people are too pessimistic to actually do anything. They are paralyzed...
19th Apr 2023
183

The Winner’s Edge

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

19th Apr 2023
A lot of otherwise talented people are too pessimistic to actually do anything. They are paralyzed by risks that don’t exist and greatly exaggerate them where they do, preventing them from being one of the best. Consider this lightly edited excerpt from a conversation between...
Stay the course I spend a couple of weeks every February keeping up with my investments, timing it to coincide with...
5th Mar 2024
154

Stay the course

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

5th Mar 2024
I spend a couple of weeks every February keeping up with my investments, timing it to coincide with the release of Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders. I found something interesting while performing this ritual this time. I came across Aswath Damodaran’s website, where he has...
The DECIDE Algorithm — A Simple Step-by-Step Method for Converting Idle Time into Productive Action DECIDE D - Determine the Bottleneck E - Engage with the subject matter C - Clear distractions I -...
16th Mar 2025
52

The DECIDE Algorithm — A Simple Step-by-Step Method for Converting Idle Time into Productive Action

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

16th Mar 2025
DECIDE D - Determine the Bottleneck E - Engage with the subject matter C - Clear distractions I - Implement mental models D - Decide how to proceed E - Execute next steps When you’re traveling or waiting for something to happen, instead of listening to a podcast or scrolling on...
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
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...
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.
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
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
9th Sep 2025
Apple’s latest keynote delivered a sweeping set of updates across AirPods, iPhones, and the Apple Watch lineup.
The Scaling and Profitability Trade off: Venture Capital's Weakest Link! It is undeniable technology companies have found their most hospitable setting in the United States...
2nd Sep 2026
1

The Scaling and Profitability Trade off: Venture Capital's Weakest Link!

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

2nd Sep 2026
It is undeniable technology companies have found their most hospitable setting in the United States and while there are many reasons for the US dominance of technology, easier access to capital for young businesses has been a key ingredient. Venture capital in the US, in its...
April ’24: Juggling cash as new UK tax year begins The temperature in the Middle East got even hotter in April, with Israel and Iran trading attacks on...
11th May 2024
184

April ’24: Juggling cash as new UK tax year begins

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

11th May 2024
The temperature in the Middle East got even hotter in April, with Israel and Iran trading attacks on each other’s sovereign buildings/territory. Somehow World War III has never really seemed in danger of breaking out but it is a reminder that only change is constant. Over in New...
Trump says he has “no idea” who he just pardoned President Trump reacts to condemnations of his recent pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao by...
3rd Nov 2025
9

Trump says he has “no idea” who he just pardoned

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

3rd Nov 2025
President Trump reacts to condemnations of his recent pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao by claiming he doesn’t know who he is.
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
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...
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...
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
Anatomy of a credit card rewards program Credit card rewards are mostly funded out of interchange, a fee paid by businesses to accept cards.
29th Mar 2024
113

Anatomy of a credit card rewards program

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

29th Mar 2024
Credit card rewards are mostly funded out of interchange, a fee paid by businesses to accept cards.
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...
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
The Network School Fellowship Anyone from anywhere can apply for $100k in funding at ns.com.
18th Apr 2025
67

The Network School Fellowship

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

18th Apr 2025
Anyone from anywhere can apply for $100k in funding at ns.com.
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.
How to Improve at Sensemaking AI? What we can learn from the disorienting changes hitting the software industry, and how we can use...
3rd May 2026
1

How to Improve at Sensemaking AI?

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd May 2026
What we can learn from the disorienting changes hitting the software industry, and how we can use that to improve at sensemaking this uncertain new technology.
The Greed & Fear Tango: The Markets in April 2025! I started the month on a trip to Latin America, just as the tariff story hit my newsfeed and the...
3rd May 2025
55

The Greed & Fear Tango: The Markets in April 2025!

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

3rd May 2025
I started the month on a trip to Latin America, just as the tariff story hit my newsfeed and the market reacted with a sell off that knocked more than $9 trillion in market cap for global equities in the next two days. The month was off to a bad start, and tariffs remained the...
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
15th Jul 2025
If you work in media or publishing, brace yourself — another platform update from Google is quietly shifting the ground beneath us.
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
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?
May 2025: market springtime I’ve had quite a busy May. It’s been a lovely month, featuring a wedding in the country, a trip to...
8th Jun 2025
74

May 2025: market springtime

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

8th Jun 2025
I’ve had quite a busy May. It’s been a lovely month, featuring a wedding in the country, a trip to the Isle of Wight, my first visit to a dairy farm in 40+ years, a lovely trip to the Cotswolds, and more. If you can identify any of the locations above feel free to shout… Continue...
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.
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...
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.
Danny Meyer’s Business Expertise Let's break down Danny Meyer's business expertise as an exercise in biography reading.
7th Aug 2024
120

Danny Meyer’s Business Expertise

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Aug 2024
Let's break down Danny Meyer's business expertise as an exercise in biography reading.
August ’24: From triumph to tragedy Looking back on the month, it was more eventful than Augusts are reputed to be. In the UK we are...
7th Sep 2024
127

August ’24: From triumph to tragedy

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

7th Sep 2024
Looking back on the month, it was more eventful than Augusts are reputed to be. In the UK we are getting used to our new government. And, in some cases, violently testing its boundaries with some summer rioting. We’ve seen some dreadful street behaviour, frequently of a racist /...
Why We're Helpless When Things Break Down Only then do we realize that by optimizing profit and efficiency, we've also optimized systemic...
1st May 2026
1

Why We're Helpless When Things Break Down

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

1st May 2026
Only then do we realize that by optimizing profit and efficiency, we've also optimized systemic failure. In my essay AI, Money, Human Nature and the Problem with Problems, I refer to boundary conditions but didn't offer a thorough explanation of the role this concept plays...
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...
Question #3 for 2025: What will the unemployment rate be in December 2025? Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2025. Some of...
1st Jan 2025
47

Question #3 for 2025: What will the unemployment rate be in December 2025?

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

1st Jan 2025
Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2025. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I posted thoughts on those in the newsletter (others like GDP and employment will...
The Power of Expectations: Nvidia's Earnings and the Market Reaction! Last Wednesday (August 28), the market waited with bated breath for Nvidia’s earning call, scheduled...
6th Sep 2024
30

The Power of Expectations: Nvidia's Earnings and the Market Reaction!

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

6th Sep 2024
Last Wednesday (August 28), the market waited with bated breath for Nvidia’s earning call, scheduled for after the market closed. That call, at first sight, contained exceptionally good news, with revenues and earnings coming in at stratospheric levels, and above expectations,...
The Hospitality Solution in Your Business A look at the main provocation of Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality: that you can solve...
11th Sep 2024
122

The Hospitality Solution in Your Business

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

11th Sep 2024
A look at the main provocation of Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality: that you can solve (certain) business problems with hospitality, and that it only takes a little thoughtfulness to do so.
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...
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.
One Regulation E, Two Very Different Regimes How consumer protection in payments works, why it was designed that way, and why it’s being...
7th Jan 2026
1

One Regulation E, Two Very Different Regimes

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

7th Jan 2026
How consumer protection in payments works, why it was designed that way, and why it’s being contested today.
We Still Have No Idea Whether Passive Investing is a Meaningful Risk Plus! Complements and Strategy; Privacy, Competition, and Scale; Platforms and Ownership; KYC;...
26th Nov 2024
44
26th Nov 2024
Plus! Complements and Strategy; Privacy, Competition, and Scale; Platforms and Ownership; KYC; Tariff Man
Decentralizing Education with Synthesis I'm co-leading a round in Synthesis, a startup scaling the custom school built for Elon Musk’s kids.
21st Apr 2022
37

Decentralizing Education with Synthesis

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

21st Apr 2022
I'm co-leading a round in Synthesis, a startup scaling the custom school built for Elon Musk’s kids.
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...
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
Meet Trump’s memecoin dinner guests Trump's crypto-for-access dinner triggers broad ethics alarms, and 73% non-US attendance raises...
7th May 2025
51

Meet Trump’s memecoin dinner guests

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

7th May 2025
Trump's crypto-for-access dinner triggers broad ethics alarms, and 73% non-US attendance raises fresh concerns over foreign influence
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...
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
Is China Taking Over US Retail? Yes. Let me explain. Amazon made it easy for Chinese companies to sell their products directly to...
17th Aug 2021
24

Is China Taking Over US Retail?

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

17th Aug 2021
Yes. Let me explain. Amazon made it easy for Chinese companies to sell their products directly to American consumers. In response, the Chinese, after having hollowed out American manufacturing, have moved up the value chain to do the same thing to American wholesale and retail....
Make Every Day Count It was a 2012 evening, and I was driving home from the office. I was worried about finishing a big...
1st Nov 2023
169

Make Every Day Count

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

1st Nov 2023
It was a 2012 evening, and I was driving home from the office. I was worried about finishing a big project at work on time. I’d made the journey from the office to my home so many times, my car almost seemed to know the way by itself. My hands were on the wheel, but…
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.
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.
When Labor is Scarce, Equity is the Mezzanine Tranche Plus! What Goes Up; Refinancing; Investor Relations; Scaling; Infrastructure
2nd Apr 2026
1

When Labor is Scarce, Equity is the Mezzanine Tranche

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

2nd Apr 2026
Plus! What Goes Up; Refinancing; Investor Relations; Scaling; Infrastructure
How to Run Smart Experiments When You Just Don’t Know How all good entrepreneurs run experiments at the earliest stages of a business, and how you can use...
20th Aug 2025
44

How to Run Smart Experiments When You Just Don’t Know

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

20th Aug 2025
How all good entrepreneurs run experiments at the earliest stages of a business, and how you can use this approach for your own career.
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
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...
For the fun of it: An Open House for my Spring 2025 Classes I am a teacher at heart, and every year, for more than two decades, I have invited people to join me...
11th Dec 2024
24

For the fun of it: An Open House for my Spring 2025 Classes

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

11th Dec 2024
I am a teacher at heart, and every year, for more than two decades, I have invited people to join me in the classes that I teach at the Stern School of Business at New York University. Since I teach these classes only in the spring, and the first sessions for each of the classes...
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:
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...
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....
Issue 87 – SO ORDERED Trump’s crypto empire attracts more foreign millions, the FHFA pushes crypto on mortgage lenders,...
1st Jul 2025
47

Issue 87 – SO ORDERED

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

1st Jul 2025
Trump’s crypto empire attracts more foreign millions, the FHFA pushes crypto on mortgage lenders, and Mamdani’s mayoral primary win makes billionaires sweat
Economic Tailwinds and Headwinds After the election in November 2016, I pointed out that the economy was solid, that there were...
1st Apr 2025
61

Economic Tailwinds and Headwinds

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

1st Apr 2025
After the election in November 2016, I pointed out that the economy was solid, that there were significant economic tailwinds and that it was unlikely that Mr. Trump would do everything he said during the campaign. See: The Future is still Bright! and The Cupboard is Full.  I...
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...
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.
What Kills Cartels? Plus! Diff Jobs; Strategic Investments; Media Form Factors; Fees; Critical Minerals; Brand Names
2nd Feb 2026
0

What Kills Cartels?

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

2nd Feb 2026
Plus! Diff Jobs; Strategic Investments; Media Form Factors; Fees; Critical Minerals; Brand Names
10 year review Wahoop! I have made it through ten years. In fact, I’ve had a trackable portfolio for over 20 years....
20th Jan 2023
83

10 year review

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

20th Jan 2023
Wahoop! I have made it through ten years. In fact, I’ve had a trackable portfolio for over 20 years. But 10 years ago I started tracking my portfolio in a consistent, monthly way – unitising its performance so I could measure its return. It wasn’t until 2015 that I started this...
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...
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.
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
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
Stock Prices, Earnings and Cashflows: The AI Effect plays through! In a post at the end of August 2026, I talked about interest rates in 2026 and marveled at the...
8th Oct 2026
2

Stock Prices, Earnings and Cashflows: The AI Effect plays through!

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

8th Oct 2026
In a post at the end of August 2026, I talked about interest rates in 2026 and marveled at the capacity of equities to keep rising in the face of rising rates. I argued that the resilience of stocks during the year could be traced to higher-than-expected earnings being reported...
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...
Feb ’26: Before Iran So, for the avoidance of doubt, the end of the month is the last trading day of the month. Which for...
16th Mar 2026
1

Feb ’26: Before Iran

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

16th Mar 2026
So, for the avoidance of doubt, the end of the month is the last trading day of the month. Which for February, meant Friday February 27th. The fact that the Israelis and the Americans invaded Iran on February 28th is going to impact March, not February. Which is just as well...
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...
Focus Is Saying No To Good Ideas Several stories about one of the hardest maxims to put to practice in business.
18th Oct 2022
111

Focus Is Saying No To Good Ideas

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

18th Oct 2022
Several stories about one of the hardest maxims to put to practice in business.
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.
Hello LLMs! When you are having trouble getting your thinking straight, consider an extreme or simple case. This...
4th Oct 2023
101

Hello LLMs!

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

4th Oct 2023
When you are having trouble getting your thinking straight, consider an extreme or simple case. This will often give you the insight needed to move forward. I nodded in agreement when I read the above lines from the book Maxims for Thinking Analytically. ChatGPT took the world by...
In Credit Underwriting, Better is Worse Plus! IRR; Structure; Financial Epiphytes; Shale; Weakening the Cartel
2nd Jan 2025
61

In Credit Underwriting, Better is Worse

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

2nd Jan 2025
Plus! IRR; Structure; Financial Epiphytes; Shale; Weakening the Cartel
Buffett Completes Succession Plan Warren Buffett has completed Berkshire's succession plan as he steps down as Chairman.
18th Sep 2026
-3

Buffett Completes Succession Plan

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

18th Sep 2026
Warren Buffett has completed Berkshire's succession plan as he steps down as Chairman.
July ’26: An IPO, and France It feels as if the World Cup was ages ago, already. Yet only a few weeks ago, I was gripped. And for...
9th Aug 2026
2

July ’26: An IPO, and France

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

9th Aug 2026
It feels as if the World Cup was ages ago, already. Yet only a few weeks ago, I was gripped. And for once I thought England had a world-class side…. but hey ho, football hasn’t come home for another four years. I had a road trip through France in July, which was lovely. I am…...
The Wisdom and Madness of Crowds: Market Prices as Political Predictors! In this, the first full week in November 2024, the big news stories of this week are political, as...
7th Nov 2024
31

The Wisdom and Madness of Crowds: Market Prices as Political Predictors!

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

7th Nov 2024
In this, the first full week in November 2024, the big news stories of this week are political, as the US presidential election reached its climactic moment on Tuesday, but I don't write about politics, not because I do not have political views, but because I reserve those views...
Sep ’24: Ominous politics, juicy economics September was fairly action-packed. I enjoyed getting out on a friend’s boat around Poole and the...
13th Oct 2024
98

Sep ’24: Ominous politics, juicy economics

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

13th Oct 2024
September was fairly action-packed. I enjoyed getting out on a friend’s boat around Poole and the Solent. I made it to the Labour party conference in Liverpool, which was fascinating albeit wet. I am apparently firmly in the tax-raising sights of the Government, but I wasn’t the...
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.
How to Use Power How do you gain power, use power, and identify those who have power, so that you may protect...
2nd Dec 2024
98

How to Use Power

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Dec 2024
How do you gain power, use power, and identify those who have power, so that you may protect yourself against them? Part two of three in a series on power in business.
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.
The Amazon Weekly Business Review Everything you need to know about the Amazon Weekly Business Review: how it works, why it works, and...
2nd Jul 2024
176

The Amazon Weekly Business Review

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Jul 2024
Everything you need to know about the Amazon Weekly Business Review: how it works, why it works, and how it helps Amazon win.
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%.
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.
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
Buffett Completes Succession Plan Warren Buffett has completed Berkshire's succession plan as he steps down as Chairman.
18th Sep 2026
1

Buffett Completes Succession Plan

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

18th Sep 2026
Warren Buffett has completed Berkshire's succession plan as he steps down as Chairman.
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.
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.
The Two Types of Data Analysis Broadly speaking, there are two approaches to data analysis in business. The two approaches have...
3rd Nov 2023
112

The Two Types of Data Analysis

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Nov 2023
Broadly speaking, there are two approaches to data analysis in business. The two approaches have different worldviews, and express different tradeoffs. Here's why that matters.
Nov ’25: Coastal Folly loan repaid Trump dominated the headlines again. This time partly due to some very biased editing by the BBC of...
14th Dec 2025
2

Nov ’25: Coastal Folly loan repaid

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

14th Dec 2025
Trump dominated the headlines again. This time partly due to some very biased editing by the BBC of a Panorama show about Trump before the US election. There was also the omnipresent UK Budget. Which has had more than enough coverage. I did a ‘damage assessment‘ at the time and...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
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"...
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.
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.
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.
OpenAI Launches GPT-5 On August 7, 2025, OpenAI officially released GPT-5, its latest flagship model, to the world.
7th Aug 2025
49

OpenAI Launches GPT-5

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

7th Aug 2025
On August 7, 2025, OpenAI officially released GPT-5, its latest flagship model, to the world.
THE SLOW, EXCRUCIATING, DISASTEROUS DUMBING DOWN OF AMERICA Austin is a more pleasant place to live than Dallas because people are smarter on average. This does...
24th Sep 2023
26

THE SLOW, EXCRUCIATING, DISASTEROUS DUMBING DOWN OF AMERICA

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

24th Sep 2023
Austin is a more pleasant place to live than Dallas because people are smarter on average. This does not mean there are not smart people in Dallas. There are. What it does mean is the typical Austinite is just a little sharper. This makes for more pleasant conversations. It’s...
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...
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.
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.
You Aren't Learning If You Don't Close the Loops Every experimentation and iteration loop looks the same, but the vast majority of folk in business...
2nd Nov 2022
112

You Aren't Learning If You Don't Close the Loops

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

2nd Nov 2022
Every experimentation and iteration loop looks the same, but the vast majority of folk in business don't seem to have the discipline to execute till the end. Why this is, and why it's hard.
Just do it! Brand Name Lessons from Nike'sTroubles! I have spent the last week reading "Shoe Dog", Phil Knight's memoir of how  a runner on the Oregon...
1st Oct 2024
26

Just do it! Brand Name Lessons from Nike'sTroubles!

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

1st Oct 2024
I have spent the last week reading "Shoe Dog", Phil Knight's memoir of how  a runner on the Oregon University track team built one of the great shoe companies in the world, in Nike. In addition to its entertainment value, and it is a fun book to read, I read it for two...
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
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...
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...
The Digest #226 Warren Buffett donates $1.15 billion to his family foundations
26th Nov 2024
1

The Digest #226

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

26th Nov 2024
Warren Buffett donates $1.15 billion to his family foundations
Your finances are being snooped on. Here's how We all have a pretty good idea that our finances are being snooped on, but most of us aren't quite...
12th Jul 2024
28

Your finances are being snooped on. Here's how

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th Jul 2024
We all have a pretty good idea that our finances are being snooped on, but most of us aren't quite able to articulate how. We know that we're being snooped on by two groups, corporations and the government. This post will focus on how the government surveils our transactions,...
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
All It Takes Is All You Got Your assets are the government's collateral.
29th Mar 2024
145

All It Takes Is All You Got

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

29th Mar 2024
Your assets are the government's collateral.
Look Out Below As I often note, making Plans B and C is free. The stock market is always looking past "bad...
7th Oct 2025
1

Look Out Below

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

7th Oct 2025
As I often note, making Plans B and C is free. The stock market is always looking past "bad news" to front-run "good news." Once it became clear that the Titanic was indeed going to sink, the stock market would rally on the prospect of sharp growth in lifeboat shares. In...
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.
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
When People Outperform Data People who succeed via analysis of numbers and facts need to learn that understanding of people can...
23rd Nov 2024
38

When People Outperform Data

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

23rd Nov 2024
People who succeed via analysis of numbers and facts need to learn that understanding of people can make that analysis unnecessary and can even outperform it. Examples: 1. Amazon did not make money between its 1994 founding through 2002. There was no financial or business...
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...
The Digest #227 Final Issue: Bitcoin at $100K, Buffett and Munger Unscripted, Blue Chip Stamps, Flawed CPI...
5th Dec 2024
1

The Digest #227

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

5th Dec 2024
Final Issue: Bitcoin at $100K, Buffett and Munger Unscripted, Blue Chip Stamps, Flawed CPI Statistics, Ergodicity, The End of Shame, Notre Dame, Online Censorship, Healthcare Costs, and more ...
The One-Big-Side-Bet Model of Wealth Creation Plus! Diff Jobs; Building Japan's Financial Ecosystem; The New Balance of Trade; Where Return on...
2nd Dec 2024
51

The One-Big-Side-Bet Model of Wealth Creation

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

2nd Dec 2024
Plus! Diff Jobs; Building Japan's Financial Ecosystem; The New Balance of Trade; Where Return on Investment Goes; Broken ETFs; Swipe Fees and Accounting
More Creators Can Now Make Money on YouTube YouTube Lowers Monetization Requirements for Creators. New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino Sets Out...
13th Jun 2023
42

More Creators Can Now Make Money on YouTube

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

13th Jun 2023
YouTube Lowers Monetization Requirements for Creators. New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino Sets Out Vision for the Platform. YouTube Makes It Easier for Small Creators to Earn Money YouTube is lowering the eligibility requirements for creators to make money from their channels....
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...
How to Become an Asian Tycoon Every Asian tycoon becomes a tycoon in the exact same way. Learning to see this core pattern is half...
1st Apr 2025
56

How to Become an Asian Tycoon

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

1st Apr 2025
Every Asian tycoon becomes a tycoon in the exact same way. Learning to see this core pattern is half the battle.
Sep ’25: Gains continue, and I trim September was a busy month. In the middle of it we saw a disruptive tube strike. I don’t use the...
11th Oct 2025
35

Sep ’25: Gains continue, and I trim

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

11th Oct 2025
September was a busy month. In the middle of it we saw a disruptive tube strike. I don’t use the tube that much so didn’t expect it to affect me much but two important meetings were postponed, one of which still hasn’t happened, so that event has stayed in my memory. Thank...
Greg Abel’s Unique Challenge Greg Abel takes over as Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway on January 1, 2026, a job that...
31st Dec 2025
1

Greg Abel’s Unique Challenge

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

31st Dec 2025
Greg Abel takes over as Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway on January 1, 2026, a job that will involve at least three major challenges.
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...
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
A review of Number Go Up, on crypto shenanigans A review of Zeke Faux's Number Go Up, with some bonus commentary on financial journalism and Tether...
29th Sep 2023
54

A review of Number Go Up, on crypto shenanigans

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

29th Sep 2023
A review of Zeke Faux's Number Go Up, with some bonus commentary on financial journalism and Tether specifically.
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.
Debanking (and Debunking?) Crypto advocates kicked off a recent, somewhat politicized, discussion of debanking. Strap in for...
9th Dec 2024
117

Debanking (and Debunking?)

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

9th Dec 2024
Crypto advocates kicked off a recent, somewhat politicized, discussion of debanking. Strap in for scintillating banking compliance trivia.
How should money laundering laws apply to DeFi? Everyone agrees that money laundering laws apply to DeFi. The question is: how to apply them? DeFi,...
14th Sep 2024
25

How should money laundering laws apply to DeFi?

from Moneyness [alt+shift+b] in finance

14th Sep 2024
Everyone agrees that money laundering laws apply to DeFi. The question is: how to apply them? DeFi, or decentralized finance, is an emerging segment of the broader financial industry that delivers traditional financial services, say like trading or lending, using a novel type of...
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...
Begging Bowl '25: I'm Looking for Two Readers Willing to Help Me Buy a New Thrift-Store Shirt The goal is to move incrementally toward a kind of happiness that actually makes us happy. That's...
2nd Feb 2025
32

Begging Bowl '25: I'm Looking for Two Readers Willing to Help Me Buy a New Thrift-Store Shirt

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

2nd Feb 2025
The goal is to move incrementally toward a kind of happiness that actually makes us happy. That's the goal of my work. I admire unvarnished honesty, which is scarce. And like everything else that's increasingly scarce, it behooves us to hoard our stash. In the unvarnished...
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...
Evaluating Information: Find the Signal in the Noise We are drowning in information. Most of that information is irrelevant. If only we could sort what...
3rd Aug 2022
78

Evaluating Information: Find the Signal in the Noise

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

3rd Aug 2022
We are drowning in information. Most of that information is irrelevant. If only we could sort what matters from what doesn’t. The good news is that you can train your brain to evaluate the quality of information. Not only can you quickly determine if someone knows what they are...
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.
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.
The Heart of Innovation: Why Most Startups Fail A theory of demand (and product market fit) that explains it all, and does NOT require ‘pain’ to do...
12th May 2025
70

The Heart of Innovation: Why Most Startups Fail

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

12th May 2025
A theory of demand (and product market fit) that explains it all, and does NOT require ‘pain’ to do it.
Lessons on Leadership: Michael Abrashoff on Turning the Worst Ship in the Navy into the Best Michael Abrashoff was in his mid-thirties when he took command of the USS Benfold, a guided missile...
23rd Oct 2022
118
23rd Oct 2022
Michael Abrashoff was in his mid-thirties when he took command of the USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer and one of the worst-performing ships in the navy. Despite her potency, the “dysfunctional ship had a sullen crew that resented being there and could not wait to get out...
[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....
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
AI Scenarios: From Doomsday Destruction to Do-Nothing Bots! When Chat GPT made its debut on November 30, 2022, it unleashed the hype of AI, and in the three...
4th Mar 2026
1

AI Scenarios: From Doomsday Destruction to Do-Nothing Bots!

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

4th Mar 2026
When Chat GPT made its debut on November 30, 2022, it unleashed the hype of AI, and in the three years since, AI has taken on an outsized role not just in markets, but also in our lives. For much of the time, the AI story has been told by its advocates and its salespeople, and...
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...
Issue 65 – World Liberty Fiasco Even the most pro-Trump crypto faithful think Trump’s new crypto scheme is a terrible idea.
6th Sep 2024
111

Issue 65 – World Liberty Fiasco

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

6th Sep 2024
Even the most pro-Trump crypto faithful think Trump’s new crypto scheme is a terrible idea.
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.
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.
Markets are calmer. The bigger questions aren't. A quick run through the stories that actually matter today — rates, trade, cancer research, robots,...
20th Aug 2026
2

Markets are calmer. The bigger questions aren't.

from Mazdak [alt+shift+b] in finance

20th Aug 2026
A quick run through the stories that actually matter today — rates, trade, cancer research, robots, and a few things that could affect how business gets done.
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.
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...
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...
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.
Elon Musk and the right’s war on Wikipedia The world's richest man has joined a growing chorus of right-wing voices attacking Wikipedia as part...
2nd Jan 2025
73

Elon Musk and the right’s war on Wikipedia

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

2nd Jan 2025
The world's richest man has joined a growing chorus of right-wing voices attacking Wikipedia as part of an intensifying campaign against free and open access information.
July ’23: Markets up, Coutts down It’s been a dismally wet July here in London. About 50% more rainfall than normal (which, before ye...
2nd Aug 2023
86

July ’23: Markets up, Coutts down

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

2nd Aug 2023
It’s been a dismally wet July here in London. About 50% more rainfall than normal (which, before ye scoff, isn’t that much – London is a fairly dry city – drier than Rome and much drier than Sydney). It has been long trousers weather, for the first time in several years. But at...
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”.
Dealing with Recessions A look at how Four Seasons founder Isadore Sharp learnt to handle recessions in one of the most...
6th Oct 2026
2

Dealing with Recessions

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

6th Oct 2026
A look at how Four Seasons founder Isadore Sharp learnt to handle recessions in one of the most cyclical industries known to man.
Using the Quartz Crisis to Make Sense of Technological Disruption Also: the quartz crisis isn’t really about quartz at all. A sensemaking exercise for those who want...
3rd Jul 2026
1

Using the Quartz Crisis to Make Sense of Technological Disruption

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

3rd Jul 2026
Also: the quartz crisis isn’t really about quartz at all. A sensemaking exercise for those who want to get better at making sense of possible AI disruption.
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
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
Letter to a Young Person Worrying About AI It is a common misperception that you must be able to predict the future to do well. But it’s...
20th Oct 2025
42

Letter to a Young Person Worrying About AI

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

20th Oct 2025
It is a common misperception that you must be able to predict the future to do well. But it’s possible to act without prediction, even in the face of AI. This is how.
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...
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
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...
Putting Amazon’s PR/FAQ to Practice What it's like putting Amazon's famed Working Backwards process to practice in a small company...
8th Sep 2022
118

Putting Amazon’s PR/FAQ to Practice

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Sep 2022
What it's like putting Amazon's famed Working Backwards process to practice in a small company context, and what was surprising and difficult about it.
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.
⚖️ 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? 🤔
Modeling Life: Foundations Herman Wouk was researching for a novel he planned to write about World War II. He interviewed...
7th Apr 2024
140

Modeling Life: Foundations

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

7th Apr 2024
Herman Wouk was researching for a novel he planned to write about World War II. He interviewed several physicists at Caltech who had worked on the bomb, including Richard Feynman. After the interview, Feynman asked Wouk if he knew Calculus. “No,” said Wouk. To which Feynman...
Data Update 5 for 2025: It's a small world, after all! If the title of this post sounds familiar, it is because is one of Disney’s most iconic rides, one...
6th Feb 2025
37

Data Update 5 for 2025: It's a small world, after all!

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

6th Feb 2025
If the title of this post sounds familiar, it is because is one of Disney’s most iconic rides, one that I have taken hundreds of times, first with my own children and more recently, with my grandchildren. It is a mainstay of every Disney theme park, from the original Disneyland...
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: A Summary and Key Takeaways Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the most popular and influential...
13th Oct 2023
117
13th Oct 2023
Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the most popular and influential self-help books ever written. First published in 1936, it has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into over 30 languages. The book is a practical guide to improving...
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
Real Estate Newsletter Articles this Week: New Home Sales Decrease to 657,000 Annual Rate in January At the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter this week: Click on graph for larger image. New Home...
1st Mar 2025
37
1st Mar 2025
At the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter this week: Click on graph for larger image. New Home Sales Decrease to 657,000 Annual Rate in January Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.9% year-over-year in December Inflation Adjusted House Prices 1.0% Below 2022...
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...
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.
Why Write Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an...
9th Mar 2023
121

Why Write

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

9th Mar 2023
Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an email when AI can auto-respond for you with all the typical pleasantries and talking-points? While AI doing these things for you is likely to happen, it’s not necessarily a good thing....
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...
The Creation of a Skilled Tycoon What it looks like when an Asian tycoon gets good at the game of business.
8th Dec 2025
1

The Creation of a Skilled Tycoon

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

8th Dec 2025
What it looks like when an Asian tycoon gets good at the game of business.
Issue 63 – RobConf 2024 Coinbase responds to campaign finance violation allegations, Trump panders to bitcoiners, and I chat...
7th Aug 2024
118

Issue 63 – RobConf 2024

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

7th Aug 2024
Coinbase responds to campaign finance violation allegations, Trump panders to bitcoiners, and I chat with Lyn Alden about sexism in bitcoin.
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...
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...
Oct ’24: Budgets & broad shoulders I haven’t seen much of London in October. I’ve been away every weekend in October, partly in the UK...
2nd Nov 2024
106

Oct ’24: Budgets & broad shoulders

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

2nd Nov 2024
I haven’t seen much of London in October. I’ve been away every weekend in October, partly in the UK and partly visiting friends overseas. And now we’re in November, the clocks have gone back, but temperatures haven’t plummeted yet. London feels busy – pubs still have crowds...
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.
Putting the Jobs to be Done Interview to Practice Things we wished someone told us, before we put the JTBD interview to practice.
9th Jul 2025
55

Putting the Jobs to be Done Interview to Practice

from Commoncog [alt+shift+b] in finance

9th Jul 2025
Things we wished someone told us, before we put the JTBD interview to practice.
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