Friends of Dave #20: The Mother of All Issues
Word to your moms, this issue came to drop bombs.
I'm just going to put this out there from the onset Friends of Dave: Issue #20 may be the best edition of the newsletter ever. And it is coming your way just in time for Mother's Day no less.
Why am I so genuinely pumped about this issue? It's because this week I found a ton of stories talking about a topic that has become very near and dear to me in recent years. No, not bacon. Trust me, it's way better than bacon: it's data.
No matter what business you are in or what expertise you have, you cannot ignore the growing impact that data is having on our daily personal and professional lives. It's easy for an average person to chalk up game changing advances simply to "technology," but really, the well-informed understand that we are in the middle of a data renaissance -- where just about every interesting technological development is being fueled by a increasing abundance of data.
Think about it. With internet connected, GPS enabled mobile devices in virtually every pocket at all times, we all have essentially become 24/7 data creating machines. And data consuming machines. So naturally, those people and companies that can harness and analyze this flood of information in ways that improve our abilities to decide better, sell better, market better, invest better, drive better, treat sick people better, manufacture better, deliver better and live better will have the most impact. Without data, there will be no artificial intelligence, there are no self driving cars or smart homes, and there definitely cannot be any wifi enabled juicers.
I know some of you reading this newsletter may already be deep in the weeds about data (and, for the love of all that is good, I hope you will agree we should stop calling it "big data" once and for all). But I also know there are a lot of you that don't care so much about it right now. And to those I guess I am saying: it is time to wander into the weeds a bit to get educated on the topic of data. Data is not a fad -- it is a resource we all need to manage just like other resources before it. And pretty soon, you may find yourself fighting for ownership rights to your own personal data -- that includes your own medical data as well.
By the way I am pretty sure each of your mothers don't know much about data either. So, for your Mom's sake, check out the articles in this issue before you give her the Fitbit. Understanding the bigger picture about data will make your gift to her THAT much more meaningful.
And if you dropped the ball big time and didn't get the favorite mother in your life a gift, fear not. Remember you can always forward her this honest meditation. Thank me later.
Enjoy Issue #20. Have a great weekend and best to all of the moms this Sunday!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
Who's Tracking Your Faceprint? Advertising companies, tech giants, data collectors, and the federal government, it turns out.
The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions — www.farnamstreetblog.com
The smartest people in the world use "mental models" to solve difficult problems, avoid stupidity, increase productivity, and free up time.
For Your Day Job...
Do Self-driving Cars Hold the Key to a Widespread IoT? Call it necessity facilitating innovation. As the need and demand for safe self-driving cars rises, the need for a widespread IoT will rise as well.
Crooks Are After the Grease From Your French Fries — www.bloomberg.com
“It’s like crack money,” said Sumit Majumdar, president of Buffalo Biodiesel Inc., a Tonawanda, New York-based collector. “There’s an actual market for stolen oil. It’s almost like a pawn shop or scrap-metal business.”
Read this fascinating, thought provoking article and substitute the word "data" in for "grease" and "your core business" for "French Fries." I will continue to tell anyone who will listen: every business is a data business.
Fuel of the future: Data (long read) — www.economist.com
More goodness for your "every business is a data business" file....long read, but a good AND important one.
Financial technology is proving less of a battleground than feared — www.economist.com
For those who have been trumpeting the arrival of a "FinTech Revolution," I have news for you: it ain't happening. What we are witnessing has always been an EVOLUTION of the space, not revolution.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Doughnuts Are on a Global Rampage, and They Must Be Stopped — www.bloomberg.com
I don't know....I'll believe this is a problem when I start seeing Doughnut-Cons and special events for Dough-nies (what could be the doughnut equivalent of Bronies).
Americans’ Bizarre Relationship With the Color of Their Food — www.theatlantic.com
This "bizarre relationship" is exactly why people from underdeveloped countries hate us.....
And The Last Word....
Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals
A special Mother's Day message from Mark Wahlberg. Say hello to your mother for me.
Got feedback? Questions? Suggestions? Email me: dave@slingstonegroup.com