Medium Energy Info Diet #1

Tech, being human, and striking the right balance between the two

Okay, we’re following through on our commitments here… procrastination be damned.

In which case…. Welcome to the first ‘Medium Energy Info Diet’: a bi-weekly (‘ish) list of things I consumed that grabbed/moved me most, e.g. articles, podcasts, videos, or books.

This ‘info diet’ will be broken down into three buckets:

(1) Exponential Technology- news, trends, vectors around all things cutting edge tech, with a focus on AI, spatial computing, and blockchain (the trifecta that I think is going to be the most fundamental and transformative). Will of course include a smattering of quantum computing, biotech, and longevity stuff.

(2) Being Human- all things that promote well-being and self-improvement, e.g. psychology, mental health, neuroscience, fitness

(3) Tech + Being Human- examples of all the goodness that sits at the center of bucket one and two, aka: the upside of finding the right balance, or healthy tension, between tech and being human (aka Medium Energy, which I’ve lately defined as ‘a state of harmony between exponential tech and the human experience’.

Let’s see how long I can keep this up… Enjoy!

(Oh, and if you come across information/content that you think falls into these buckets, especially bucket #3, please send it my way or leave it in the comments!)

Exponential Tech

• Video: Bill Gurley on the threat/risks of regulatory capture (from All In Summit 2023)

• Podcast: The Bitcoin Debate with Jeff Booth & George (best thing I’ve consumed on BTC this year, analyzing it from all angles. Timely as we head towards the 2024 ‘halving’… pay attention here… a perfect storm is brewing for BTC: ETF approvals, haling, debt crisis, global tensions, likelihood of future money printing)

• Article: Generative AI’s Act Two (a MUST read on the state of GenAI and where we’re heading next)

Being Human

• Article: Alan Watts on how to own your weakness (from my favorite newsletter, The Marginalian by Maria Popova)

• Podcast: Rick Rubin and Rory Sutherland (this is a long one… but incredibly rich with awesome ideas for creativity and navigating a world filled with paradox & contradictions. Worth biting off in chunks)

Tech + Being Human

• Article: Elvis is back in the building, thanks to AI and U2 (about an Elvis Tribute in the Vegas Sphere, created by gen AI. This is a great example ‘the metaverse’ isn’t just virtual worlds that take you away from reality and eachother. It’s something that can fuse with the real world and yield shared, in-person, community-based experiences)

• Video: A powerful new neurotech tool for augmenting your mind (This is a must watch in my humble opinion… it’s a moving and enlightening TED talk by a close friend and former colleague at OG Meta, Conor Russomano. Conor is the CEO of OpenBCI, a company that combines brain-computer interface hardware & software with the power of virtual/augmented reality, allowing us to gain entirely new insights about the mind, and in turn, unlock use cases that properly merge humans and machines)