Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Month: November 2022

Few things are nicer than being cool when it’s hot and warm when its cold.

by Unknown

A few weeks back, while we were discussing Ukraine, Joseph pointed out that, given its role in climate change and the energy economy, heating and cooling played a huge roll but got a fraction of the attention compared to personal transportation. (At this point, long time readers of the blog are expecting a lecture on ground source heat pumps, but we'll save that for another day.)

Hopefully, we can get Joseph to make a serious deep dive into the subject. In the meantime, I thought I'd have some fun with it. I've always believed that, when wrestling with a big topic, there's a lot to be said for wandering off the path occasionally to check out the dead ends, the cool but non-scalable, and the quirky.

Like a heating system based on candles.




There are lots of basic lessons to be learned from the previous video about the science of heating: start with as small a space as possible; insulate well while maintaining good ventilation; minimize waste heat.

The next video isn't nearly so practical but it is much cooler. It's from a highly recommended channel (if you're into this sort of thing) called the Outdoor Boys and it approaches the challenge of making it through a cold Alaska night not as a matter of woodcraft but as more of a physics problem.



My pickup truck is faster than your Ferrari

by Seth Godin
This post is by Seth Godin from Seth's Blog

Culture shifts. But it’s held in place by norms, and those are driven by status and affiliation.

No one actually needs a car that can accelerate one second faster than most other cars. But having one confers status in some circles. But what happens when a new generation of technology makes that previously fast car not the fastest anymore? Is it still a luxury good?

Mink coats used to confer some sort of prestige in some circles. What happens when a Patagonia jacket is warmer, more durable, cheaper, lighter, less cruel and easier to wear?

A big steak dinner was a way to express generosity and hospitality. What happens when you live in a community where steak isn’t seen as generous any longer?

Perhaps a master of the universe can point out that he can be at the meeting tomorrow simply by hopping on his private jet. Is there more status in being the one who can save time and overhead simply by dropping in via Zoom?

A big office may no longer be more prestigious than a resilient, productive workforce that works where it wants to. A loud factory crammed with workers might not be the sign of power and influence that it used to be. Smokestacks used to show that a city was on the move…

In many cases, luxury goods cease to have status when they make the owner look stupid.

Norms seem normal. Until they’re not.

Musk overload 

by Om Malik
This post is by Om Malik from On my Om

blue and white heart illustration

If you were a teenager (or slightly older) in the eighties, there is a good chance you tried out Calvin Klein cologne. It was quite the thing — it was everywhere, so much so that you couldn’t tell if the cologne smelled like the magazines or the magazines smelled like the cologne. The musky smell was a bit too much, and you started to despise the smell and its omnipresence after a little while. I have been reminded of that overwhelming experience where the scent became a stench over the last few days on Twitter. 

And the reason, of course, is again too much musk. 

I am mostly a live-and-let-live kind of person: I don’t really care about the psychodramas of other people. But it is too much to ignore when they start to inch into your reality and cause unnecessary anxiety. My timeline is full of Elon references — retweets of his tweets — and, generally, the continuing reality television show starring the megalomaniacal space cowboy. And this is despite me muting Elon and shutting out his entire coterie of sycophants. In other words, the timeline has become utterly useless. 

His strategy is understandable — dominate the conversation so much, stoke as much outrage, and elicit as much reaction to his controversial and outright nonsensical comments. He made some comments about Apple, and the ripple effects showed up on Reddit’s Apple threads and Apple-faced websites such as Daring Fireball. The New York Times decided to write a story about (Read more...)

Analyst/Associate – Zero Infinity Partners

by Jennifer Zemel

Zero Infinity Partners (“ZIP”) was founded in 2022 to provide capital and expertise to early-stage companies disrupting the global infrastructure space – through innovation, digitization, and decarbonization. Focus sectors include energy, power, mobility, supply chain, telecom, waste, water,  and carbon. ZIP is currently investing out of its Fund I with an early-stage venture strategy – backing seed through Series B stage founders and companies.

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for a NYC-based analyst/associate to come onboard our team to help with all research and investment activities – including thesis creation, due diligence, memo writing, deal execution, and on-going support for portfolio companies. Additionally, given the unique start-up nature of ZIP, we are looking for someone who would thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoy a small, tight-knit team culture.

Qualifications:

  • Authentic passion for infrastructure (through previous roles, school courses, summer jobs, etc.)
  • Strong interest in technology, entrepreneurship, and start-ups
  • Demonstrable track-record of teamwork, grit, and problem-solving skills
  • Relevant prior experience (consisting of 1-3 years of investment banking, management consulting, private/growth equity, and/or venture capital)

Takeaway:

We believe this is an incredibly unique opportunity for young infrastructure professionals to pivot to more early-stage style investing while leveraging their existing sector expertise (and passion) – all the while joining a young organization where your daily work can make a significant impact on the team and its members.

Salary Range: $100,000 – $150,000 salary range is calculated based on location, experience and skills. Additionally, the compensation package will include a (Read more...)

Analyst/Associate – Zero Infinity Partners

by Jennifer Zemel

Zero Infinity Partners (“ZIP”) was founded in 2022 to provide capital and expertise to early-stage companies disrupting the global infrastructure space – through innovation, digitization, and decarbonization. Focus sectors include energy, power, mobility, supply chain, telecom, waste, water,  and carbon. ZIP is currently investing out of its Fund I with an early-stage venture strategy – backing seed through Series B stage founders and companies.

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for a NYC-based analyst/associate to come onboard our team to help with all research and investment activities – including thesis creation, due diligence, memo writing, deal execution, and on-going support for portfolio companies. Additionally, given the unique start-up nature of ZIP, we are looking for someone who would thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoy a small, tight-knit team culture.

Qualifications:

  • Authentic passion for infrastructure (through previous roles, school courses, summer jobs, etc.)
  • Strong interest in technology, entrepreneurship, and start-ups
  • Demonstrable track-record of teamwork, grit, and problem-solving skills
  • Relevant prior experience (consisting of 1-3 years of investment banking, management consulting, private/growth equity, and/or venture capital)

Takeaway:

We believe this is an incredibly unique opportunity for young infrastructure professionals to pivot to more early-stage style investing while leveraging their existing sector expertise (and passion) – all the while joining a young organization where your daily work can make a significant impact on the team and its members.

Salary Range: $100,000 – $150,000 salary range is calculated based on location, experience and skills. Additionally, the compensation package will include a (Read more...)

What I am reading today

by Om Malik
This post is by Om Malik from On my Om

woman in red shirt reading book

John Scalzi, a veteran blogger, reminded us that even as we deal with the demise of the social media web, we should make a special effort to link to other bloggers and their work. So, today’s reading list constitutes all the good stuff I have read on other blogs.

The Buy and Hold Mindset — Fred Wilson, a very successful venture capital investor, has a great post about investing. He compares real estate investing and investing in big(ger) technology stocks. It is a worthy read — I read it twice to understand what Fred was saying: you must constantly think about the long term, regardless of what you invest in. 

Machines of loving understanding — Pete Warden, one of my favorite engineers/thinkers and an expert on connected devices, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, notes that “the recent advances in machine learning is that they’re starting to give computers the ability to understand us in a much deeper and more natural way.” And that means we need to think about how it all fits into a human fabric. 

Changing times: Silicon Valley veteran, entrepreneur, and now an investor, Elad Gill, is quite bearish about the prospects of private tech in 2023. This is a very sobering read. “If 2022 is the hangover after the party where you are still a little drunk but have a headache, 2023 may end up more akin to accidentally driving your car into a tree,” he writes. 

Fred Jacobs, who has spent his life (Read more...)

Mapped: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Around the World

by Carmen Ang
This post is by Carmen Ang from Visual Capitalist

Click to view this graphic in a higher-resolution.

mapping out global carbon emissions

Mapped: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Around the World

According to Our World in Data, the global population emits about 34 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) each year.

Where does all this CO₂ come from? This graphic by Adam Symington maps out carbon emissions around the world, using 2018 data from the European Commission that tracks tonnes of CO₂ per 0.1 degree grid (roughly 11 square kilometers).

This type of visualization allows us to clearly see not just population centers, but flight paths, shipping lanes, and high production areas. Let’s take a closer look at some of these concentrated (and brightly lit) regions on the map.

China, India, and the Indian Ocean

As the two most populated countries and economic forces, China and India are both significant emitters of CO₂. China in particular accounts for about 27% of global CO₂ emissions.

And looking at the oceans, we see how much shipping adds to emissions, with many shipping lanes east of China clearly outlined as well as the major Indian Ocean lane between the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.

The United States and Central America

The United States is one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters. While other countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia technically have higher emissions per capita, their overall emissions are relatively low due to smaller populations.

Across the U.S., the most brightly lit areas are major population centers like the Boston-Washington corridor, the Bay Area, and (Read more...)

Reid Hoffman | Crisis Management

by Greylock Partners
This post is by Greylock Partners from Greymatter

A re-broadcast of our episode featuring Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman in conversation with his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh. In this episode (originally recorded in May 2022), Hoffman and Yeh discuss strategies for entrepreneurs to navigate crises - whatever that may mean at the given time. Entrepreneurship assumes an innate degree of optimism and perseverance. But even the most determined founders can feel subdued when faced with yet another crisis. That’s why adaptability is a startup’s strongest asset. As recent global events push us into a new era of market volatility and economic uncertainty, companies must be prepared to recalibrate their business to the new reality. Whether that means pausing their hiring plans, tempering their expansion efforts, redirecting resources, or any other number of operational activities, today’s startup leaders should have a set of defensive and offensive tactics they can quickly deploy during times of crisis. You can read a transcript of this episode here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/crisis-management/