big ideas
How would you run a 10,000-year endowment?
Byrne Hobart ponders this interesting question. “Trends like the Internet and the Industrial Revolution occur in “the short-term.”“ | learn more
Category: big ideas
big ideas
Batteries and the new lithium gold rush.
This is a theme I’ve been following since last year. Most batteries, especially vehicle batteries, rely on Lithium. In the near-term, there isn’t enough supply. For reference, the spot price is up 5x YoY, and about 30% in the past […]
big ideas
Emergence: A unifying theme for 21st century science.
“When electrons or atoms or individuals or societies interact with one another or their environment, the collective behavior of the whole is different from that of its parts. We call this resulting behavior emergent. Emergence thus refers to collective phenomena […]
big ideas
What is actually a heretical view?
It’s interesting to consider that most heretical views are only partially so. Tyler Cowen offers these categories: 1. Used to be heretical, or on the verge of switching. 2. It’s heretical to say but the actual idea is not heretical. […]
big ideas
12 exciting engineering milestones to look for in 2022.
Read this for inspiration. People all over the world are still building. “An electric aircraft race, a new dark-matter detector, and a permanent Chinese space station await.” | learn more
big ideas
US Air Force looks to make jet fuel from atmospheric carbon dioxide.
“The US Air Force is studying the feasibility of a process developed by tech company Twelve that could allow the manufacture of a carbon-neutral aviation fuel called E-Jet anywhere on Earth using only carbon dioxide from the air, water, and […]
big ideas
The rise and decline of thinking over feeling.
“In texts, … thinking words relating to technology and social organization (experiment, gravity, weigh, cost, contract) become more common between 1850 and approximately 1977 (beginning of the great stagnation) but since then thinking words have declined markedly and feeling words […]
big ideas
Ten million deaths a year from air pollution.
This article shines a spotlight on the problem. A ray of hope is that unlike decarbonization, “for one thing, it’s actually under the control of local and national governments. It’s also a significant burden on public health, which if alleviated […]
big ideas
The coming world ruling class.
“This ruling class might sometimes offer their larger community some options to choose between. But mostly this is when the ruling elite can’t decide, or wants to make others feel more involved. Such as who exactly to put at the […]
big ideas
Five mysteries the Standard Model can’t explain.
“It is the most rigorous theory of particle physics, incredibly precise and accurate in its predictions. … Despite its great predictive power, however, the Standard Model fails to answer five crucial questions, which is why particle physicists know their work […]