A New Perspective

Sometimes, things can change simply because we want things to change. People can feel differently and that can spark a cascade of cause and effect. For instance, sometimes a recession can start simply because people feel as if there is a recession. So, it becomes a downward spiral, and our actions start matching our thoughts and words, and suddenly we have caused recessionary activity. Then we enter a downward spiral that makes reality from our thoughts.

Some of the things that Pres. Biden has done right away were maneuvers to undo what seemed like harmful policies and actions. But also, it was intended to have us think differently. Right away, he did things to try to reconnect us with the rest of the world. For example, the United States is back in the Paris Accord, he is not going to build the wall, he is going to reconnect us with the WHO, and many other things. But right away, he is sending a message that the United States will become part of the world and that is likely to undo the fragmented and rudderless direction and create a cascade of positive actions that lead in the same direction – one toward openness and connectivity. I sense we are going to reconnect a little bit more with China, reconnect more generally with the world through global trade and cooperation on climate change, and many other important topics. It’s suddenly uplifting for people to focus their energy, and thoughts lead to words lead to actions.

A New and Different Credit Crisis

Supply Shocks and Demand Disappearance The World Needs A Bridge Loan The Fed Does Not Have the Arsenal The US economy is facing a transitory, but critical, credit emergency beyond the Fed’s normal scope. A new federal credit facility is needed to ensure that sound businesses and households have ready access to cash to get

Winning

Luck and timing play an outsized role determining any outcome – and these are extraneous circumstances one cannot influence. As in sports, sometimes the ball bounces your way and sometimes it doesn’t.mportantly, winning should never be the goal because you can never do your best if you compromise who you are – your values and character – while achieving your goals. Whatever the outcome, it’s just the outcome. But the values and standards that make you who you are inviolate and supersede any near-term goal.

Define the Problem or You Won’t Solve Anything

Most people have no idea what they are doing. The best intentions combined with intellectual prowess and plentiful capital rarely achieve anything worthwhile. They fail because they don’t know what they’re trying to solve. Nothing can be solved until the problem is defined accurately. Otherwise it is a waste of time and resources (which describes most public policy). All too often decision makers waste time, resources, and make matters worse because they simply do not understand the actual problem they’re trying to solve.

pandemic time

Instead of “internet time” we now have “pandemic time.” The need for advanced systems to keep society functioning, manufacturing moving, and give consumers some sense of safety is immediate. Driving innovations – whether those innovations are in health care, technology or other areas of production and manufacturing – is essential to not only offset the

An unprecedented (every 10 years or so) event

We Didn’t See This One Coming – Sort Of The coronavirus has created a disruption to our lives, relationships, business, and financial markets. But, as we look beyond the immediate crisis, market trends and investment opportunities can be analyzed and calibrated to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities. Since major disruptions and market discontinuities occur on

AI, Medicine and…Quantum Cryptography?

Special thanks to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for research and notes http://web.mit.edu/ Artificial Intelligence, Correlation, and Failure Artificial Intelligence identifies correlations far more frequently than causal relationships. Correlations show how certain phenomena go together, which can be quite useful in many circumstances – but not in medicine. Only causal links tell why the presence of

Productive or Pointless?

Maybe the reason we find it so hard to get anything done is that most of the things we do just fundamentally don’t need to be done. All the productivity lifehacks out there are ultimately missing the point: we’re avoiding our work because our work is pointless.

Disruption? Get a perspective

Disruptive technologies are apparently being developed faster than we can adapt to the full impact of their disruption. Really? Internet time may not be the fast-paced disruptive force we assume, and these “disruptions” may not come close to the scale society experienced over 100 years ago. Consider the following innovations, all occurring within a short