tech, startups, internet
Fad or trend.
“Reflecting on 2 years worth of hype while building a startup.” ~ learn more
oh, Austin
2 years into Austin’s Project Connect, is the light rail still on track?
I finally read up on this project. It’s big and expensive and seems a long way away from reality, despite voter approval a couple years ago. “By April 2022, project leaders announced cost estimates for the light rail portion had […]
fun facts
Are aircraft carriers obsolete?
“In a recent post, I made the assertion that aircraft carriers were still the queens of the ocean and that long-range anti-ship missiles would become less relevant due to inexpensive countermeasures. Many disagreed, specifically citing some posts by Steve Hsu. […]
fun facts
How Citadel harnessed the weather to claim hedge fund crown.
“In 2018 Ken Griffin’s Citadel hired a group of scientists and analysts whose weather forecasts were more accurate than those of most meteorological offices. … The bold bet on raw materials has paid off, helping Citadel make a record $16bn […]
fun facts
The USDA’s treasure trove of agricultural data.
Here’s one example, the Broiler Market News Report. It is a 4 page summary of the market for “broiler” chickens. ~ learn more
fun facts
Sweepstakes parlor.
I just learned about these backdoor gambling operations (the industry might not agree with this characterization). “They began to appear in the Southern United States some time around 2005, and quickly proliferated.[1] Purchased entries are redeemed using computers at the […]
on the blockchain
Jump Crypto hacks back $225 million of its stolen money.
After the “Wormhole Exploit” last year, most of the stolen money was sitting in an Oasis wallet. An order from the High Court of England and Wales, together with a vulnerability in the code, allowed a lucrative (court-mandated) snatch & […]
big ideas
Very long-term backup.
This is the story of The Rosetta Disk, an archive of over 1,500 human languages assembled in the year 2008. “This business side of the disk is pure nickel. Picking it up you would not be aware there were 13,500 […]
big ideas
Why Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Genecis.
“[Luna] Yu, who founded Genecis at the age of 21, is the first woman CEO to receive investment support through the Female Founder Initiative. Genecis is also the fund’s first investment in a company directly addressing the use of fossil […]
under the microscope
The evolutionary quirk that made vitamin B12 part of our diet.
“Our bodies have their share of traits that don’t necessarily align with the principles of good design. Vitamin B12 though, may be one of the worst offenders.” ~ learn more