Video: There is No Great Stagnation

Click here for a VentureBeat article summarising Musk's many big ideas.

Google + Kurzweil: "What an amazing, slightly terrifying combination"

I disagree with Jon Mitchell's take on the fantastic news that Ray Kurzweil has joined Google in a full-time role in Mountain View as Director of Engineering.

Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil joins Google

Pairing the iconoclastic futurist/inventor with arguably the most innovative technology company in the world is not scary but very exciting (although I catch Jon's drift).

Much as it did when it hired Vint Cerf, one of the internet's father figures, Google has once again boosted its nerd/geek street cred with the addition of Kurzweil to its roster of science and tech luminaries.

This is definitely a coup for Larry Page & Co. Not quite on the same level as when Princeton's fledgling Institute for Advanced Study landed Einstein. But after the Pope of Science made his way to New Jersey many of the leading physicists, mathematicians and scientists of the day followed. No doubt Kurzweil's arrival in Mountain View should have a similar effect in drawing today's pioneers in the areas where Ray has made significant contributions, such as speech recognition and artificial intelligence.

Ray begins his new gig on December 17. Congrats to Ray and Google, and we anxiously await the results of your collaboration!

The Body Clock: Why You're So Tired All The Time

Full disclosure: as a night owl I am actively waging a campaign to 'debunk the social stigma around late risers'.

For more on this topic here's a good read.

h/t Counterparites

The Hyperloop - San Francisco to L.A. in 30 Minutes

Good article here on entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The article briefly touches on his lastest, still relatively secret paradigm shifting idea, the Hyperloop.

Video: Niall Ferguson Interviews Peter Thiel

Video: The Great Stagnation vs. The Singularity

For anyone who missed Tyler Cowen's presentation at the Singularity Conference from earlier this year.

Video: Niall Ferguson on Charlie Rose

Video of Niall discussing his new book, Civilization, as well as his current views on the European debt crisis, Turkey's resurgence, and Iran's future here.

Video: Niall Ferguson on China's 'Achilles Heel'

Video: Niall Ferguson's TED Talk on the Great Divergence

Book Review: The Bed Of Procrustes By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

'Most people write so they can remember things, I write to forget' - The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

Nassim Taleb's latest book is a collection of miscellaneous memorable thoughts (aphorisms), many of which relate to Taleb's disagreement and frustration with the academic economics practiced and publicly promoted by many Nobel prize winning economists.

There are two aspects of the title which warrant further discussion.

First, the term 'aphorism' comes from the classical Greek writings of Hippocrates. Given the various ills in economics which Taleb would like to see fixed, the appeal of referencing the father of medicine is quite clear.

The second aspect of the title, the 'Procrustean Bed', is also borrowed from classical Greece. The mythological figure of Procrustes would cut or stretch people to make them fit into his iron bed. Taleb's view is that many leading economists basically do the economic equivalent by framing the world in a way so that it fits into their quantitative models, rather than the other way around.

Continue reading the full review at SeekingAlpha here.

The Great Hope - An Update on the Holy Grail of Clean, Limitless Energy

Good story from the Guardian on the state of fusion research here.

While economically viable fusion may be decades off at the current low relative level of investment, it's good to see the world's great geopolitical powers working together:

Last year, bulldozers began clearing land 60km north-east of Marseille in southern France. By 2019, it is hoped that the world's largest and most advanced experimental tokamak will be switched on. The €15bn International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is being funded by an unprecedented international coalition, including the EU, the US, China, India, South Korea and Russia.

h/t Tyler Cowen

Software Is Eating The World

The tech world was roiled this week by Google's acquisition of Motorolla and HP's corporate makeover. Here's a good read from Marc Andressen (HP board member, VC and Netscape co-founder) on the current state of tech and where things are headed.

A Reason for the Americas to Be Optimistic

In the words of the author, "adios, OPEC".

The Americas, Not the Middle East, Will Be the World Capital of Energy

Video: Stuxnet - Anatomy of a Computer Virus

Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus from Patrick Clair on Vimeo.

Video: Ray Kurzweil on Bill Mahrer

Real Time With Bill Maher: Overtime - Episode... by HBO

Video: Ray Kurzweil on Jimmy Kimmel

Video: Moneyball Movie Trailer

Video: Niall Ferguson - The West and the Rest (Chatham House Talk/Q&A)

Video: Cowen's Great Stagnation vs. Kurzweil's Singularity

Ray Kurzweil vs. Tyler Cowen. The inventor vs. the economist. Which one is right about the speed of technological change and progress? It would be interesting to see these two on stage together ala Keynes vs. Hayek.



Upon closer inspection of the specifics of their respective arguments, the initially perceived differences may prove somewhat of a false dichotomy. But in terms of which narrative, or meta idea, is better supported, at this point I'd say Kurzweil's case is more compelling.

Video: 60 Minutes on High Frequency Computerized Trading