Not Boring by Packy McCormick

Not Boring by Packy McCormick explores the intersection of technology, strategy, and innovation, with a focus on how intelligence, experimentation, and strategic thinking influence business and technological advancement. It delves into the implications of growing tech capabilities, the importance of attention economies, and offers optimistic insights on future developments and societal progress.

Technology Trends Business Strategy Innovation and Experimentation Artificial Intelligence Economic and Societal Optimism Tech Industry Analysis Strategic Execution Risk Management Climate and Energy Solutions

The hottest Substack posts of Not Boring by Packy McCormick

And their main takeaways

Ambition's Gravity

245 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Space Innovation Tools Inspiration
  1. There are three main approaches to thinking about AI: fear of job loss, fear of missing out on AI skills, and using AI as a tool to achieve personal goals.
  2. Decide to do big things, determine the most ambitious goal for your life, and leverage the incredible tools available to make it happen faster.
  3. Ambition is contagious, empowering, and crucial in shaping the reality you want; name your ambition, set big goals, and watch the world contribute to making them a reality.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #85

106 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Space Exploration Artificial Intelligence Renewable Energy Blockchain Biotechnology
  1. SpaceX successfully launched Starship into orbit, showcasing the power of moonshots to make people feel part of something bigger and optimistic about the future.
  2. Cognition AI, built by gold-medalist coders, can code based on requests, marking a significant advancement in AI technology.
  3. Extropic AI's thermodynamic chips could revolutionize computing by leveraging nature's randomness for energy efficiency, potentially accelerating the next era of computing.

Pace Yourself

495 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Philosophy Technology Science Literature History
  1. In a fast-paced world, embrace varying speeds and allow different layers to move at their own pace.
  2. Building a strong foundation of knowledge allows for better understanding of new ideas and innovations.
  3. Consider pace layering when analyzing businesses and technologies, focusing on long-term impacts and deeper context.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #84

97 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Energy Resources Artificial Intelligence Medical Innovation
  1. AWS made a significant move by acquiring a nuclear data center campus in Pennsylvania, signaling the company's first venture into nuclear energy to power its data centers.
  2. Advances in clean energy include Terraform Industries scaling technology to create cheap natural gas using solar energy, showcasing the potential for cleaner energy sources.
  3. The discovery of a massive helium deposit in Minnesota highlights how continuous resource findings like this play a crucial role in various industries like MRI machines, semiconductor manufacturing, and fusion reactors.

Venture Capital & Free Lunch

156 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Tech industry Finance Startups
  1. Venture capital is considered to be the best asset class due to its ability to fund innovation and high potential returns.
  2. Despite its risks and failures, venture capital has historically delivered strong returns and funded groundbreaking ideas.
  3. Venture capital's free lunch concept is the idea that through the failures and successes in investment, society benefits from innovation without direct costs.
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Weekly Dose of Optimism #83

95 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🔬 Science Nuclear Energy Robotics Gene-editing
  1. The House approved a bipartisan bill to boost nuclear energy, aiming for efficient licensing and embracing advanced nuclear technologies.
  2. Figure, a robotics firm, secured a $675 million Series B, valued at $2.6 billion, and is collaborating with OpenAI to develop humanoid robots.
  3. Astro Mechanica introduced the world's first electric-adaptive jet engine, promising efficient operations for payloads, revolutionizing space transportation.

Framing the Future of the Internet

168 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Blockchain Social Networks Decentralization Cryptocurrency Networks
  1. Farcaster is a blockchain network creating small interactive apps called Frames that can revolutionize social networking.
  2. Farcaster's Frames exemplify the concept of small applications growing protocols, encouraging experimentation and innovation.
  3. Blockchain networks like Farcaster win by offering decentralization, composability, and permissionlessness, enabling new functionalities and experiences for users and developers.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #76

229 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Blockchain Environment Health Cryptocurrency
  1. Figure demonstrated a robot learning to make coffee based on observing humans, showcasing a general purpose AI approach.
  2. Rabbit introduced an AI model that translates human directives into actions without traditional app interfaces, paired with affordable hardware.
  3. US saw a decline in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 despite economic growth, emphasizing the need for continued emissions reduction efforts.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #82

74 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Gene-editing Space Automation
  1. Google introduced Gemma, a family of open models inspired by its Gemini technology, now available to developers, signaling openness in AI safety.
  2. MEGA is a new CRISPR tool that targets RNA instead of DNA for more precise and reversible cell therapy design, potentially leading to safer gene editing.
  3. Significant events in space this week included Varda's capsule return, Intuitive Machine's lunar landing, Blue Origin's New Glenn rollout, and a former Disney star becoming a space data company CEO.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #81

84 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Space Biotech AI Tech Culture Futurism
  1. SpaceX launched a private lander, Odysseus, aiming for the moon on a pioneering mission, marking a significant step in private space exploration and NASA's Artemis program
  2. Researchers in South Korea developed a method to grow beef on rice grains, creating a rice-beef hybrid that can enhance the nutritional value of rice-based diets in many parts of Asia
  3. A breakthrough in quantum technology allows for room-temperature quantum optomechanics, opening doors for practical applications of quantum control and observation

Weekly Dose of Optimism #78

117 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gene Therapy AI Chips
  1. Chris Dixon writes a book about blockchain's future impact on the internet.
  2. Gene therapy successfully restores hearing for an 11-year-old using innovative treatments.
  3. Researchers develop CAR T cells targeting senescent cells and Bridge RNAs for genetic modifications.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #79

94 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🔬 Science Nuclear Decarbonization Neuralink Drug Development Artificial Intelligence
  1. Biden administration to offer a $1.5 billion loan to restart a Michigan nuclear power plant, signaling support for the nuclear industry.
  2. Nat Bullard's Decarbonization presentation highlights climate change challenges, renewable energy growth, and investment opportunities in clean tech.
  3. Elon Musk's Neuralink achieves a milestone by implanting a brain interface, potentially advancing cognitive abilities and treating neurological disorders.

OpenAI & Grand Strategy

299 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Startups Tech industry Leadership Innovation
  1. Grand strategy in tech involves aligning aspirations with capabilities.
  2. Building capabilities over time is essential for achieving ambitious goals.
  3. Maintaining flexibility, forming alliances, and understanding the bigger picture are key aspects of becoming a successful grand strategist.

Tech is Going to Get Much Bigger

232 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Robotics Startups Automation Innovation
  1. Tech is going to expand significantly as energy, intelligence, and labor become cheaper and more abundant.
  2. Tech companies will grow larger due to their ability to provide scalable intelligence and dexterity services to various industries.
  3. Every market will start to resemble a software market with lower costs, higher margins, and increased R&D investments.

Riskophilia

262 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Society Innovation Policy Philosophy
  1. The shift from risk loving to risk averse behavior over the past decades has impacted individuals, companies, and nations.
  2. The precautionary principle, aimed at minimizing risks, can lead to unintended consequences and hinder progress.
  3. Embracing risk is essential for building resilience, adaptability, and progress in various aspects of life.

When to Dig a Moat

232 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23
💼 Business Strategy Startups Competition Innovation Success
  1. Companies with the best products and fastest growth need moats for protection.
  2. Startups should start building moats as soon as they achieve success to fend off competition.
  3. Deciding when to focus on building moats depends on the level of uncertainty in the business.

Intelligence Superabundance

360 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Automation Workforce Demand Intelligence
  1. The increased supply of intelligence will create more demand for tasks that require intelligence
  2. With intelligence superabundance, humans may work the same amount of time but achieve much more
  3. As the supply of intelligence grows, humans may need to do more, better, rather than losing jobs

Attention is All You Need

337 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Business Models Search APIs
  1. Attention is crucial for success in the online world.
  2. OpenAI's ChatGPT plugins have the potential to revolutionize business models.
  3. Capturing user attention and turning it into transactions could make OpenAI a dominant player.