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Economics

My WTF. Edition Two. (Aug 5, 2024 - Aug 9, 2024)

My Weekly Timeline Feed (My WTF), where I dive into the stories and events that grabbed my attention. Think of it like a quirky twist on "you are what you eat" – but instead, it's "you are what you read," and those juicy tidbits of the present shape our future.

In each edition, I'll focus on how the future is unfolding and what today’s events mean for tomorrow. Sure, my day job is all about allocating resources to seize opportunities, but my true passion lies in deciphering current events to find solutions for future challenges. So buckle up and join me on this journey – who knows what WTF moments we’ll uncover together!

Building a Home Supercomputer for LLaMA 3.1: Because Who Needs a House Anyway?

Mark Zuckerberg, is gracing the podcast circuit to extol the virtues of open-source LLMs and Facebook's noble quest to democratize AI. Color me impressed – they've actually released this highly valuable intellectual property into the wild. My initial reaction? A rush of excitement, a mad dash to spin up a machine and explore this cutting-edge model firsthand.

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and a Potential Future of Value

"Revolution is something that actually starts in individual hearts.”

- Bill Viola

The current zeitgeist is rife with a sense of impending change, a longing for a better future. While this yearning for transformation is a powerful force, it often leads to disappointment. The hope for a singular leader or solution to solve our problems can be misplaced, as change rarely benefits everyone equally. The current system, driven by centralized power and profit-driven capitalism, often leads to unequal distribution of wealth and a lack of control for the majority. This begs the question: what's missing?

The Future of Work and Reward: From Material Possessions to Intellectual and Experiential Riches

The world is on the cusp of a technological revolution. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), cheap energy, and robotic automation are poised to reshape our economic landscape and redefine the very meaning of luxury. As Chamath Palihapitiya astutely observes, the traditional markers of luxury, such as expensive cars, watches, and handbags, are losing their exclusivity in a world where technology democratizes access to high-quality goods. In this new era, luxury is evolving, transitioning from material possessions to intellectual and experiential riches, driven by a pursuit of knowledge, ideas, and meaningful connections.

Energy and Data Centres in the Cayman Islands: A Paradigm of Growth and Innovation

"There were 5 exabytes of information created between the dawn of civilization through 2003, but that much information is now created every two days."

-- Eric Schmidt, previously CEO, at Google.

As the world becomes increasingly digitised, the demand for reliable and efficient data centres continues to soar. This trend is mirrored in the Cayman Islands, where the convergence of energy needs and technological infrastructure presents unique opportunities and challenges. This blog post explores the intricacies of energy consumption by data centres, the specific scenario in the Cayman Islands, and the future outlook driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy sources.

Coordinating a supply chain is a massive operational challenge that requires meticulous attention to the movements of a web of related and unrelated parties. Trust within a supply chain is fragile but incentives keep the process moving forward. There are some current supply chain fractures that are manifesting in long delivery delays and price inflation, all of which have detrimental ramifications at the consumer level.