144: Jim Killer Epic Interview, Defense Mergers 1980-2001, MSCI 42% CAGR, TSMC, Cloudflare's Clever Black Hat Strategy, (De/In)flation, Russia & Cyberattacks, and Art Talent
144: Jim Killer Epic Interview, Defense Mergers 1980-2001, MSCI 42% CAGR, TSMC, Cloudflare's Clever Black Hat Strategy, (De/In)flation, Russia & Cyberattacks, and Art Talent
I vote for a special thread/segment where you expand upon that science-fiction story over time. Sounds really cool. Perhaps you can crowd-source ideas and/or get editorial feedback from readers.
Maybe one twist is that the comms breaks off partway through. So one individual is stuck 50 years in the future and the rest are 200 years or something. But maybe the person 50 years out knows s/he got disconnected and knows the team is in +200 so they try to send them a message. Remember that movie Paycheck with Ben Affleck?
Definitely. Another random thought, not for the story but related: I've thought about the power of books to deliver messages across time, such as the relevance of Plato to today. The only problem is how do you ensure people will receive the wisdom? Coming to mind here is Keynes's thinking that we'd all have so much leisure time in the future and use it to study basically. Instead we consume entertainment. What if you had a message you desperately wanted the future to hear? Could you somehow encode it in a new religion, where the primary purpose was to deliver a message to future civilization encoded in some general self-replicating story/message. Anyway, that's enough peering into the corners of my brain today lol.
I tend to think that we're quick to blame people for being low brow, but I think we need to keep base rates in mind.
The default state of things is not people educating themselves and reading Shakespeare in their free time, it's the opposite. I think we have more people than ever today (as a %, not just absolute numbers) who are reading a lot of things every day and being exposed to all kinds of ideas and being able to find answers to their questions that aren't just filtered by gate keepers, so that's great. Just gotta improve it even more.
We've got a sample bias when looking at the past because figures who are memorable are geniuses like Ben Franklin and Goethe or whatever, but the average human back then was just as low brow as the average human now, but they probably couldn't read and had access to no information other than what people in their immediate circle had.
That's certainly what reading sci-fi as a kid has thought me! ha!
I think we all have a duty to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, we just have different circles of influence.
So for some, taking care of their family and raising their kids well is them living up to their full potential and they should be held in super-high esteem.
Others can build companies that reshape the world, or go into politics and have a positive influence on some laws that will change people's lives, others can write great pieces of art that will touch millions, etc.
Being in shape these days is a hard thing to do. I think the pandemic hit our routine drastically. I hope to change that as well focus day-to-day to achieving my ideal form! "I think I'm in good shape, but you know everyone wants to change or improve something in their own body, haha.
You’re so right. Just the mental aspects of the pandemic with two young kids def impacted my willpower to exercise AND led to a lot of emotional over-eating..
Sign me for the pull-up bar challenge. I built one a couple months from plumbing pipe and put in the garage in front of the beer fridge. I am stuck at 2 (up from 0) and would love to get to at least 5. I'm beginning to think the pull-up game was invented by short, muscular people seeking revenge on their tall brethren, but maybe a public commitment (or shaming) would do the trick.
I vote for a special thread/segment where you expand upon that science-fiction story over time. Sounds really cool. Perhaps you can crowd-source ideas and/or get editorial feedback from readers.
Maybe one twist is that the comms breaks off partway through. So one individual is stuck 50 years in the future and the rest are 200 years or something. But maybe the person 50 years out knows s/he got disconnected and knows the team is in +200 so they try to send them a message. Remember that movie Paycheck with Ben Affleck?
In that movie, he gives up a ton of money for a package of clues to himself in the future. Similar idea.
Oh yeah, messages across time, that's interesting... 🤔
Not sure yet if I'll do anything with it, but it was fun to share -- gotta try new things, variety is the spice of life!
Definitely. Another random thought, not for the story but related: I've thought about the power of books to deliver messages across time, such as the relevance of Plato to today. The only problem is how do you ensure people will receive the wisdom? Coming to mind here is Keynes's thinking that we'd all have so much leisure time in the future and use it to study basically. Instead we consume entertainment. What if you had a message you desperately wanted the future to hear? Could you somehow encode it in a new religion, where the primary purpose was to deliver a message to future civilization encoded in some general self-replicating story/message. Anyway, that's enough peering into the corners of my brain today lol.
That's an interesting problem.
I tend to think that we're quick to blame people for being low brow, but I think we need to keep base rates in mind.
The default state of things is not people educating themselves and reading Shakespeare in their free time, it's the opposite. I think we have more people than ever today (as a %, not just absolute numbers) who are reading a lot of things every day and being exposed to all kinds of ideas and being able to find answers to their questions that aren't just filtered by gate keepers, so that's great. Just gotta improve it even more.
We've got a sample bias when looking at the past because figures who are memorable are geniuses like Ben Franklin and Goethe or whatever, but the average human back then was just as low brow as the average human now, but they probably couldn't read and had access to no information other than what people in their immediate circle had.
Anyway, that's another tangent!
Great points. The corollary to that, in my mind, is that those predisposed to educate themselves have a duty to help the rest of the civilization.
That's certainly what reading sci-fi as a kid has thought me! ha!
I think we all have a duty to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, we just have different circles of influence.
So for some, taking care of their family and raising their kids well is them living up to their full potential and they should be held in super-high esteem.
Others can build companies that reshape the world, or go into politics and have a positive influence on some laws that will change people's lives, others can write great pieces of art that will touch millions, etc.
All just gotta try to live up to your potential.
Great article! I love the Arts & History segment.
Being in shape these days is a hard thing to do. I think the pandemic hit our routine drastically. I hope to change that as well focus day-to-day to achieving my ideal form! "I think I'm in good shape, but you know everyone wants to change or improve something in their own body, haha.
You’re so right. Just the mental aspects of the pandemic with two young kids def impacted my willpower to exercise AND led to a lot of emotional over-eating..
Sign me for the pull-up bar challenge. I built one a couple months from plumbing pipe and put in the garage in front of the beer fridge. I am stuck at 2 (up from 0) and would love to get to at least 5. I'm beginning to think the pull-up game was invented by short, muscular people seeking revenge on their tall brethren, but maybe a public commitment (or shaming) would do the trick.
Awesome! Let's kick some ass, Doug!
I'm 6'1" and 185-190lbs, so I hear you!