What We’re Reading
A few good articles the Collab team came across this week …
Balance
Healthcare spending is still growing faster than the overall economy, but the gap is closing:
Epidemic
Last year, more than 63,600 people died of drug overdoses. In comparison, more than 58,000 US soldiers died in the entire Vietnam War, nearly 55,000 American died of car crashes at the peak of such deaths in 1972,more than 43,000 died due to HIV/AIDS during that epidemic’s peak in 1995, and nearly 40,000 died of guns during the peak of firearm deaths in 1993.
Connections
I can’t agree with this enough:
The best way to become a better writer is to read more and not just about a single subject matter. Why? Reading is the best way to generate new ideas. Every person has a different perspective on life. This comes from different experiences, cultural ideas, values, etc. You know things I don’t know. You can make connections I can’t make. By reading, you are allowing these unique connections to flourish, which can make you a better writer.
I have seen my own writing improve immensely due to my increased reading habit this past year. Remember, if you start to run out of ideas to write about, read some more and add fuel to your writing fire. Your brain is made for making connections, finding patterns, and discovering new insights, so feed it regularly by reading.
Why science matters
This 1961 memo to JFK on the space race is as true today as it was then:
Where we’re going
This is a great long read on crypto:
Crypto-securities aren’t really a thing yet, but they will be massive, and they will actually have measurable fundamental value due to their cash flows or the residual claims they give their holders. Most surviving utility tokens will at least try to convert to crypto-securities.
Progress
Bleak, debatable, but interesting:
New York University professor Scott Galloway explained that technology and progress have stopped traveling together since the days of the Apollo Project, even as scientists and engineers developed the most sophisticated tools known to mankind.
“What has the greatest collection of humanity and IQ and financial capital been brought together to accomplish?” Galloway asked the crowd. “To save world hunger? To create greater comity of man? I don’t think so. … Their singular mission, simply put, it’s to sell another Nissan.”
Have a nice weekend.