Questions I asked this week...
Exploring the edges of our awareness to uncover the unevenly distributed future that most of us can barely imagine.
(1) What is the storage capacity of DNA?
DNA storage piqued my interest when I heard it discussed on a16z's Raising Health podcast with Vijay Pande. With Moore's Law driving exponential growth in data volume, DNA storage offers unprecedented opportunities to preserve the world's information. Pande's discussion captivated me, expanding my mind at the intersection of technology and biology.
(2) What are web novels in the Chinese culture?
An MIT article introduced me to China's lucrative TikTok-style soap operas, which feature 90+ 1-2 minute video series produced with significantly lower budgets. Reminiscent of Quibi's vision, this format's success is rooted in China's web novel culture. The article provided a glimpse into this innovative part of Chinese digital entertainment.
Lux Capital's "Securities" podcast, a go-to during my Evanston train rides, recently featured Brian Klaas, author of "Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters". Klaas discussed embracing randomness in our lives and his mention of narrative bias, a term new to me, sparked my curiosity about its role in my own decision-making.
(4) Can you breakdown the crisis in Central Africa Republic?
I recently came across an article discussing the dire humanitarian situations in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Central African Republic, a country I had not previously heard of. The piece was a reminder of the hardships faced by countless individuals worldwide. A reminder to be kind, we’re all going through something.
(5) What is the Great Wall of Sand?
My exploration of quantitative hedge funds led me to Richard Toad's newsletter, Equity Analyst, where he recently analyzed Ed Conway's book "Material Worlds". The piece revealed how many, including myself, underestimate the significance of basic materials in geopolitics, economics, societal progress, and negative externalities. I was intrigued to learn about China's assertive construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, dubbed the Great Wall of Sands.
