First Derivative [18]
Cold War 2.0—isms—saudi intrigue—conservatism—Chinese tech—cyberwar—basic income—insurance—mind reading—blockchain
Happy 4th of July weekend!
Obama's secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin's election assault
Early last August, an envelope with extraordinary handling restrictions arrived at the White House. Sent by courier from the CIA, it carried “eyes only” instructions that its contents be shown to just four people: President Barack…
The Dispute Between Radical Feminism and Transgenderism
On May 24th, a few dozen people gathered in a conference room at the Central Library, a century-old Georgian Revival building in downtown Portland, Oregon, for an event called Radfems Respond. The conference had been convened by a group that wanted…
A Saudi prince needs three sources of power to become king. In order of importance, they are the United States, the royal family, and the Saudi people, although the latter come a distant third in any calculation. This has been the case for every…
postscript: MBS has replaced bin Nayef as Crown Prince as of 6/21/17—TK
The G.O.P. Rejects Conservatism
There is a structural flaw in modern capitalism. Tremendous income gains are going to those in the top 20 percent, but prospects are diminishing for those in the middle and working classes. This gigantic trend widens…
Tencent Rules China. The Problem Is the Rest of the World
The leadership committee of Tencent, the Chinese internet colossus, usually holds its annual off-site at a comfortable Japanese resort or Silicon Valley hotel. Last fall it went for something more epic: a two-day hike through the harsh wastes of…
How An Entire Nation Became Russia's Test Lab for Cyberwar
The clocks read zero when the lights went out. It was a Saturday night last December, and Oleksii Yasinsky was sitting on the couch with his wife and teenage son in the living room of their Kiev apartment. The 40-year-old Ukrainian cybersecurity…
Universal Basic Income: Why Free Money Could Be the Future of Work
Imagine for a moment having $1,500 extra in your bank account at the end of the month—$1,500 more than you’ve actually earned. It’s not a bank error; the money is yours, no strings attached. You can travel, pay down bills, or offer it to a relative who needs a little help. You can leave it right where it is for some later day…
Two years ago, I printed up Chubb's 10k and started reading. I'd become interested in the insurance industry through a number of conversations with my father-in-law, who is a commercial broker. While I'd thought a bit about health insurance before…
'Mind Reading' Technology to Decode Complex Thoughts
This latest research led by CMU's Marcel Just builds on the pioneering use of machine learning algorithms with brain imaging technology to “mind read.” The findings indicate that the mind's building blocks for constructing complex…
Easiest Path to Riches on the Web? An Initial Coin Offering
A new crop of technology entrepreneurs is forgoing the usual routes to raising money. The entrepreneurs are not pitching venture capitalists, selling stock in an initial public offering or using crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter. Instead, before…