I never thought I’d have a favorite brand of tomato, but I do! Kim and I have been buying these greenhouse-grown local tomatoes for a while, and their consistency is great. Glad to see this company growing. | learn more
Jumping genes spur disease, drive evolution.
Here’s an interesting concept that I didn’t know anything about before: “Almost half of our DNA sequences are made up of jumping genes — also known as transposons. They jump around the genome in developing sperm and egg cells and are important to evolution.” | learn more
40,000-year old worms revived from Siberian permafrost.
“Two worms frozen in the Siberian permafrost for around 40,000 years have now been thawed and revived, making them the oldest living creatures on the planet and the first multicellular organisms to have survived such long-term cryobiosis.” | learn more
How e-commerce is transforming rural China.
This article has greatly expanded my perspective on China! “Jiayang Fan on how JD.com is expanding its consumer base with drone delivery and local recruits who can exploit villages’ tight-knit social networks.” | learn more
Venezuela to tie new physical currency to the Petro (their new cryptocurrency).
I guess we’re all spectators of this train wreck in slow motion. Their currency is expected to see a million percent inflation this year. 🤦♂️ | learn more
The game theory behind FOMO3D.
Last week I shared a link about this ponzi-like crypto game. This Hacker Noon article discusses the interesting game theory behind it, with a specific example from a Harvard class that went crazy. | learn more
China and the race for AI dominance.
Here’s an interesting perspective from Wired UK that’s heavy on quotes from Kai-Fu Lee, one of the most famous technologists in China (he’s been an exec at Apple, Microsoft and Google). The author thinks China will win the global race. I think the jury’s still out. | learn more
Graffiti removal team takes down 10 year old mural.
We’ve had graffiti on our garage a few times, and the city service that removes it is very helpful. This time, it looks like their authority was abused because a supervisor simply “didn’t like” a mural by Hebru Brantley in Wicker Park. The artist is quite zen about the whole thing, though: “That is the nature of street art”. | learn more
Fake designer wins Paris Fashion week.
Do you remember the guy who made his shed the top-rated London restaurant on TripAdvisor? He also became a fake fashion designer and went to Paris Fashion week. | learn more
How to build a cow out of butter.
In case you need another reason to love the Midwest… “Sculpting a cow from butter is a beloved state fair tradition. This is how it’s done.” | learn more
Russians sitting on suitcases.
There’s an old Russian tradition to sit for a bit before leaving on a trip. I still practice this for no good reason. | learn more
Blue Apron’s steady decline continues.
Not much content other than the graph below but sharing link anyway. | learn more
11 new restaurant concepts reimagining fast food & casual dining.
This is an interesting roundup of cool new concepts by CB Insights. Sad that none of them are in Chicago yet. | learn more
Tumor-killing cells with on-demand self-destruct.
Scientists engineered tumor cells to secrete a molecule that causes death of the main tumor they came from, but not the engineered cells. Then, they triggered self-destruct of the engineered cells with a targeted drug. “The authors then tested the efficacy and safety of this method in mouse models of primary, recurrent, and metastatic tumors.” The link is to the raw publication in Science Translational Medicine. | learn more
Double loop learning.
Farnam Street once again teaches us how to learn. I don’t like the name of this, but I do like the concept. “Double loop learning is about data-backed experimentation, not aimless tinkering. If a new idea doesn’t work, it’s time to try something else.” | learn more
Club Monaco is stealing tricks from scrappy startups.
To round out the retail trifecta this week, here’s the Fast Company story of how Club Monaco continues to rewrite the rules of being a legacy retailer. | learn more
The unlikely etymology of the word orange.
The geeky level of detail in this article is excellent. It’s rare for colorblind Pavel to share an article about colors, so savor this moment! | learn more
Best Buy should be dead, but it’s thriving.
Similar to the above story about discount softlines retailers, Bloomberg explains why Best Buy hasn’t been killed off by Amazon. | learn more
Ross and TJMaxx are still thriving.
CNN breaks down the key to their resilience in the face of internet retail competition. | learn more
Bear thesis for ETH.
I’m not thoroughly convinced by this analysis by Tetras Capital, but I welcome the contrarian opinion. | learn more
FOMO3D: A ponzi-like Ethereum game that might never end.
I had two reactions upon reading this. 1) Wow, this is both clever and interesting. 2) OMG, I want to play. I had to suppress my gambling instincts (#2) and hope you’re able to do so also :). | learn more
Jason Calacanis warns founders to fasten seat belts.
This is reminiscent of the famed Sequoia RIP good times deck from 2008. Jason sent this email to 250+ founders he’s invested in basically warning them to get ready for “an event” in the markets. He’s not alone: KKR predicted a recession is imminent within 24 months back in early 2018. | learn more
The state of AI 2018.
These 156 slides by VC Nathan Benaich and Songkick founder Ian Hogarth will get you up to speed on state of the art in artificial intelligence. “Consider this report as a compilation of the most interesting things we’ve seen that seeks to trigger informed conversation about the state of AI and its implication for the future.” | learn more
Chicago could allow short duration licenses for pop-ups.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel gets credit for this one! “At Wednesday’s Council meeting, Emanuel will introduce an ordinance that will allow restaurants and retailers now required to purchase a two-year license to, instead, choose a license as short as five days.” | learn more
How America uses its land.
Bloomberg put together a series of graphics that shine a light on how the US uses its land – from timberland to pasture and urban housing. This is quick to scroll through and quite interesting. | learn more