Viral, Macro Framework, Robert Greene, Digital Asset Primer, DeFi and NFTs
November 28 2021
Good morning. How are you?
I am sharing this weekly email with you because I count you in the group of people I learn from and enjoy being around.
Thank you for reading.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
- Dr. Seuss
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”
- Joseph Campbell
“Always do what you are afraid to do”
- Ralph waldo Emerson
“All appears to change, when we change”
- Henri-Frederic Amiel
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”
- George Orwell
A. A Few Things Worth Checking Out:
1. While the world is busy dealing with the next COVID variant, the always smart Matt Ridley and Alina Chan were on the Hidden Forces podcast discussing their book on the search for the origins of the virus.
Why has this discussion disappeared?
In this uniquely insightful book, Matt and Alina try to get to the bottom of how a virus whose closest relations live in bats in subtropical southern China somehow managed to begin spreading among people more than 1,500 kilometres away in the city of Wuhan.
They grapple with the baffling fact that the virus left none of the expected traces that such outbreaks usually create: no infected market animals or wildlife, no chains of early cases in travellers to the city, no smouldering epidemic in a rural area, no rapid adaptation of the virus to its new host—human beings.
To try to solve this pressing mystery, Viral delves deep into the events of 2019 leading up to 2021, the details of what went on in animal markets and virology laboratories, the records and data hidden from sight within archived Chinese theses and websites, and the clues that can be coaxed from the very text of the virus’s own genetic code.
2. You can also see them discussing their findings at The Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
3. I’m a big fan of the “What is Money” podcast with Robert Breedlove. He had a great series with Michael Saylor earlier in the year. His episode with Raoul Pal is deep and is titled: The Ultimate Macro Framework. It’s heavy at +2 hours, but I found it useful and listened to some parts twice.
Raoul isn’t always correct, but he does provide a solid framework.
How are you thinking about markets here?
4. This tweet storm summarises the historical context of Raoul’s macro thesis.
5. The Lunches with Legends series had Dan Loeb discussing his journey to finding value. I’m a fan.
6. I’m a big fan of Robert Greene’s work (and have read all his books) and his new book: The Daily Laws looks good.
He was on the Lewis Howes School of Greatness discussing: Finding You Inner Power, Embracing Your Weirdness and the Skills You Need To Master.
7. Love being inside libraries and these pictures are beautiful.
8. This is a chart many clients are thinking about, but few are doing something about and maybe that is the right decision……
B. The Tech and Crypto Section
1. Decentralized Finance (DeFi): A Primer for Professional Investors by Bitwise.
2. Great Digital Assets Primer by Bank of America.
3. A few days ago, I spoke to Yat Siu (on behalf of Pi Capital), the Chairman of Animoca Brands on digital data rights, NFTs and metaverses.
Yat believes the big tech platforms (Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Tencent, Alibaba) will no longer own all of a customer’s or player’s data and control the monetisation of that data."The end of digital colonialism where we give these platforms our data and get very little in return is coming to an end".
His vision for both Web 3.0 is based on an internet of value, where individuals control their digital data assets, how they are created, used, built upon and the value they ultimately create. This inversion of data rights, control, power and economics is made possible by utilising blockchain ownership ledgers to create and manage digital assets via NFTs in metaverses.
The term "metaverse" broadly refers to a shared virtual platform that people can access through multiple different devices, where they can participate, share and move through infinite digital environments and virtual experiences.
You can listen to it.
Thank you Brian R for the introduction.
4. Great guide to twitter NFT terminology. Key to being cool in the metaverse.
5. HBR had a great article on how NFTs create value. Thank you Dror for flagging.
6. Bitcoin’s Taproot upgrade is a big deal, and fundamentally changes its functionality. You should read this. Thank you Yaser for flagging.
7. Stablecoins are a big deal, and while Tether gets all the press, the real action is elsewhere. You should learn about the Terra/Luna ecosystem. Super piece by Mario @ The Generalist.
Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.
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