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

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.

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.
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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 #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.