profiles of people
Tactics and lessons learned from Elon Musk’s investments.
Ready for a deep dive into Musk’s investments and how he goes about them? This is great stuff. | learn more
under the microscope
Algorithm helps robot adapt like animals.
The more complex robots get, the more ways they can be unpredictably damaged. Animals have a built-in adaption system (i.e. if you can’t walk on one leg, you might figure out how to hop on the other or use crutches). […]
under the microscope
Stretchable biofuel cells extract energy from sweat.
Engineers from the University of California San Diego have manufactured a flexible biofuel cell that can conform to the human body’s shapes. This is an interesting tech breakthrough that may end up powering wearable devices someday.| learn more
better doing
Learning from the Feynman technique.
Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize winning physicist. One of his claims to fame was his ability to teach very difficult subject matter. “The Feynman technique for teaching and communication is a mental model (a breakdown of his personal thought […]
retail therapy
Lowe’s was robbed online, sort of.
A couple in New Jersey is facing criminal charges for attempting to obtain almost $275k worth of goods via Lowe’s website without paying. They managed to get $13k, and tried to sell it on Facebook. The interesting question is: did […]
tech, startups, internet
The limiting factor of consumers adopting voice interfaces.
Voice interfaces have sucked for the past 20 years. I remember how crappy the experience was in the first car I had with the voice feature. Venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz thinks that legacy of bad experiences is the biggest challenge […]
tech, startups, internet
John Deere has been working on autonomous tractors since the 90s.
They thought it would be easy to create a tractor that goes straight then turns around. Well, that was partly true. But, it didn’t replace the driver. The lesson here is that this tech is hard! | learn more
fun facts
The proper Jewish blessing over marijuana.
As Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan once said, the times they are a-changin’. Now that marijuana has gone mainstream, what’s the appropriate Jewish blessing over it? | learn more
fun facts
The secrets of 1,000 fortune cookies revealed.
Did you ever wonder if fortune cookie lucky numbers might actually be lucky? Someone has a lot of time on their hands, and used it to add to the collective knowledge of humanity. | learn more
better doing
The difference between amateurs and professionals.
One of the most popular posts on Farnam Street. “Amateurs believe that the world should work the way they want it to. Professionals realize that they have to work with the world as they find it. Amateurs are scared — […]