Three authors writing for Harvard Business Review take a skeptical view of the prospects for Amazon Go. They make the case that tech adoption in retail often falters, using comparisons like RFID and self-checkout. I think they are missing the […]
This doesn’t belong in the blockchain section, but for Kodak’s recent endeavor into crypto-land. The author is anonymous, which makes this an even more fun read for some reason. | learn more
49 weeks into this newsletter and I finally get to write about air conditioning! 99% Invisible tells a wonderful story here, complete with pictures, videos, and historical context. I read the article, though a podcast version is also available. | learn more
It seems there’s a proliferation of crypto-focused hedge funds these days. Dave Balter (first time I’ve encountered his writing) makes some predictions for these funds in 2018. | learn more
Angela Strange, another a16z partner, takes us by the hand through the financial services that cater to low-income U.S. populations and unbanked global citizens. She “shares what’s happening and why; how we might address the problem; and where this creates […]
Vijay Pande led a16z’s investment in health-tech company BioAge, and uses this post to explain the rationale. They have the ambitious goal of identifying biomarkers for aging in youthful blood. Vijay makes it easy for non-scientists to understand the meaning […]
Benedict Evans addresses a few questions here, but I consider the most interesting to be the scale problem of voice as a platform. How do you even know what you can and can’t ask Alexa? “The ideal number of skills […]
Again, we turn to the Tribune: “‘Going rate’ to buy a job in Dorothy Brown’s office? $10,000, employee tells feds” | learn more
The Tribune’s headline says it all: “Someone please explain ‘conflict of interest’ to Ald. Ed Burke” | learn more
“In the 1930s, many people living in isolated communities had very little access to jobs, let alone a good education for their children. In Kentucky, they had isolated mountain communities which could only get their books and reading material from […]