Union Square Ventures partner Albert Wegner shares reasons for being an optimist in the face of a lot of global troubles in this 23-minute video from a conference. | learn more
The new American divide: driving to work alone vs. anything else.
CityLab does really thorough and interesting research around commuting. The findings are interesting and a little scary. “We are cleaving into two nations—one where daily life revolves around the car, and the other where the car is receding in favor of walking, biking, and transit.” | learn more
Why decades of aid has failed to dig poor nations out of poverty.
“In ‘The Prosperity Paradox,’ Harvard professor Clay Christensen and two co-authors seek to unravel why, despite decades of aid amounting to a cumulative $4.3 trillion, many poor nations remain impoverished. In terms of income per capita, at least 20 of these countries are worse off after the assistance.” | learn more
Deaths for children under 5 have dropped 50% over 2 decades.
In part, we have Bill & Melinda Gates to thank for this. “There is a clear delineation in improved results after 2000, when ‘the world started investing more in global health, and in particular global health institutions,’ Melinda said.” | learn more
This year SpaceX made us all believe in reusable rockets.
I just took a moment to sit back and consider the potential long-term impact of lowering the cost of delivering payloads to orbit by 10x (or more) with reusable infrastructure. SpaceX was founded with this idea back in 2002. It’s taken 17 years to mature. This is super exciting! | learn more
Bill Gates: What I learned at work this year.
Basically, the only things he works on are big ideas, so this fits nicely here. “Bill Gates looks back on 2018, and shares a few thoughts on what’s going well and what isn’t with innovation in some specific areas that he works on.” | learn more
Palm oil was supposed to help the planet, but instead it unleashed a catastrophe.
“A decade ago, the U.S. mandated the use of vegetable oil in biofuels, leading to industrial-scale deforestation — and a huge spike in carbon emissions.” | learn more
Can genetically engineered pigs solve the organ donor shortage?
The latest research in the field of xenotransplantation is showing promising results. “The first pig-to-human skin graft using live cells is set to take place this month in Boston. At the same time, Tector is readying a clinical trial in which he will install his triple-knockout pigs’ kidneys in dialysis patients who are unlikely to be considered for human-donor organs.” |learn more
Bill Gates unveils a new toilet.
Much of the world lacks toilets. Because of that, disease runs rampant. No water and sewer infrastructure means traditional toilets aren’t going to be an option. So, Bill Gates has been investing in this space. He recently unveiled a toilet that doesn’t need water or sewers and uses chemicals to turn human waste into fertilizer. |learn more
Nigeria’s great success with a business plan competition.
“From 2012 to 2015, the Nigerian government gave away $100 million to over 3,000 entrepreneurs, all of them under age 40.” World Bank surveys show it has worked exceptionally to spur new businesses with >10 employees! The new Nigerian President didn’t like that it wasn’t his idea, so he killed the program. But, good news: Kenya and other African countries are trying their own versions. | learn more