Nvidia - Barbarians at the Moat
Nvidia is one of the largest companies in the world, frequently taking the top spot. It’s revenue is growing at an astonishing rate, with margins better than a lot of pure software businesses - something usually unheard of for hardware companies. All of this is on the back of a massive AI hype cycle. During a gold rush, you should sell picks and shovels. Nvidia is selling bulldozers. In this post, I will dive into the components of Nvidia’s competitive moat, its strengths and weaknesses, and the competitors trying to cross it....
Book Review - Moonwalking With Einstein
Joshua Foer’s “Moonwalking with Einstein” is one of the rare books that I found worth rereading. In it, Foer, a young journalist, enters the bizarre world of memory competitions after being assigned to cover the world championship. He describes in vivid detail the unusual characters he encounters, mnemonic techniques he learns, and books he reads to help prepare him for the U.S. Memory Championship. The “memory athletes” he interviews are able to memorize a deck of cards in thirty-two seconds, recall over eighty thousand digits of pi, and recite the entire works of Shakespeare....
Willpower and the Brain
Regardless of your views on David Goggins, it’s undeniable that he possesses an extraordinary level of persistence and willpower. Not only did he complete the grueling BUDS training for the Navy Seals three times, but he also finished US Army Ranger School and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training. He set a world record by completing 4,030 pull-ups in just 17 hours. Beyond that, he has finished over 60 ultra-marathons, triathlons, and ultra-triathlons....
GPT Can't Think for You
We’ve lived with like ChatGPT for over a year now. Last year seemed to be the height of the hype cycle, at least for me. It felt like everyone, from friends to Uber drivers, was excitedly discussing the potential of this groundbreaking technology. However, as often happens with new technological advancements, the initial excitement has dimmed somewhat when faced with the reality of day-to-day use. The trough of disillusionment is real....
Book Review - The Coming Wave
“The Coming Wave” explores the advantages and risks associated with a surge of emerging technologies. Authored by Mustafa Suleyman, a British artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of DeepMind and Inflection AI, the book extends beyond just AI. It delves into the merits and drawbacks of other developing technologies, such as quantum computing and synthetic biology. In the initial sections of the book, the author paints a picture of the potential benefits of these emerging technologies, reading like utopian science fiction....