Contrarian thinking is a powerful weapon, if combined with genuine curiosity and a deep respect for facts and data
The success of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics is an excellent example of how accidental biases affect scientific progress
Structural shifts in energy production and usage (especially shale oil and EVs) have fundamentally affected the global power balance
Metaphysical theories are constraint by the scientific knowledge, but plenty degrees of freedom remain for those in search (or need) of meaning
From its earliest origins math has been seen both as an formalization of divine perfection and as an effective, practical tool for solving real-world problems
Africa and Africans have never been taken seriously by the Western world, simplifying the story of the continent to ‘famine and safaris’
The lack quality control on generic drugs opened the door to fraud and deceit, endangering health and lives of the world’s poor
When managing your enterprise data, you should aim for a flexible, loosely coupled architecture that can handle large-scale batch and streaming data as well as APIs
To succeed in business: conform to reality, be cunning, but stick with whatever moral compass you have
Since the invention of the micro processor, chip production has become of imminent strategic importance for both the USA and other geopolitical power blocks
Silicon valley types and tech icons all recommend using OKRs for business steering, but each means something slightly different
The issues and conflicts plaguing modern Spain are rooted in a troubled history that until shockingly recently was a dictatorship
The subtle nuances that can be achieved by varying ingredients, shaping, and timing of your bread are under-appreciated
If you want to learn how to build good products or start yur own company, Tony Fadell recommends listening to Tony Fadell
Aging populations and the breakdown of global trade make that very bad things are going to happen all over the world, but less so in the USA
To learn how to make an open source software project a commercial success, study business models in the media industry
To benefit the most from network effects: build local scale, fiercely fight for each new value pocket, and remember that every hockey stick will become an S-curve
The initial strength of the Hanseatic League was the fluidity of the institution, but that also limited the degree to which it could scale its power
The strive for ever greater precision has been a driving force behind all landmark engineering achievements
The careful study of ancient wrecks reveals much about how – through the ages and across civilizations – engineers have solved for the same challenges in different ways
When structuring your tech-heavy organization it helps to think in archetypes of team roles and interaction modes
Earth is an unremarkable planet in an average solar system in a plain-vanilla galaxy in just one-of-many bubble universes
A subversive branch of the French royal family has been responsible for the emergence of the low countries as a geopolitical entity
Venture Capital has been of major importance in the making of the tech industry in general, and Silicon Valley in particular.
Indigenous societies show that, next to capitalism, there are many alternative blends of violence, knowledge and charisma on which a viable social power structure can be built
Thinking of decisions under uncertainty as bets leads to better, more rational, choices by challenging our innate biases
Determining the value function is a difficult problem that is nonetheless key to safely and effectively using reinforcement learning
PayPal has been successful first and foremost because of ruthless competitiveness and a maniacal work ethic
The early 20th century provided a thriving pan-European intellectual and scientific environment, for those men who had the brains and could afford to participate
Old-fashioned advertising creativity is very, very important in marketing effectiveness; unlike ‘thinking logically’
From Anime to the Karaoke machine and the Gameboy, Japanese design has had an outsized influence on pop culture
Governments of developing countries should: 1. stimulate household farming 2. push through land reform, and 3. protect their budding manufacturing industry – in that order
Bayesian nets help prevent flawed statistical arguments and enable the leap from correlation to causation
A pragmatic programmer has to be an inquisitive, realistic critical thinker and fast adapter that is open to new perspectives and technologies
Traders trying to make a killing in an ever more sophisticated market economy are driven to ever smarter deals and lower moral standards
Flawed data collection and interpretation hurt the position and prospects of women in many different ways
