Notations From the Grid (Special Thursday Edition): On #Davos2018 (Day 2-Perspectives)

As we are going to press today, #Davos2018 Day 3 has begun with more speeches and engagements.   President Trump has arrived in Davos and has met with the Israeli Prime Minister.    Our team captured this courtesy of the DealBook's Andrew Ross Sorkin on his Take on Davos Day II as we look forward to presenting our selected curations of sessions later on this evening for availability tomorrow.    President Trump is slated to speak tomorrow:

January 25, 2018 Good Thursday morning. Here at Davos, you can sort of tell the relative power of the individual by how casually they’re dressed. While many attendees wear business suits and snow boots, Jamie Dimon yesterday sported a North Face jacket and dad jeans. (Lloyd Blankfein opted for a more business-casual suit-but-no-tie look.) TPG’s David Bonderman had been known to wear a, shall we say, well-worn fleece.

Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The White House’s curious attack on the dollar at Davos Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yesterday at the World Economic Forum: “Obviously, a weaker dollar is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities.” Christine Lagarde’s response: “I really hope that Secretary Mnuchin has a chance to clarify exactly what he said.” (Bob Rubin also diplomatically rebuked any effort to weaken the dollar to lift trade.) Today, Mr. Mnuchin said the dollar was “not a concern of mine,” and professed faith in its long-term strength. The bigger picture, courtesy of Ben White in Politico: If the U.S. is publicly supporting a weak dollar while also imposing tariffs on foreign imports — as the Trump administration did this week — it could invite retaliation from other countries, potentially sparking both currency and trade wars, economists say. Said at Davos • Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase told CNBC, “I promise you, we are going to be sitting here in a year and you all will be worrying about inflation and wages going up too high.” • Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs said of President Trump: “I don’t want to be hypocritical, either. I’ve really liked what he’s done for the economy.” • Sundar Pichai of Google said about taxes: “We are happy to pay a higher amount, whatever the world agrees on as the right framework. It’s not an issue about the amount of tax we pay, as much as how you divide it among various countries.” • Jack Ma of Alibaba said on a panel: “I think globalization cannot be stopped. Nobody can stop globalization. Nobody can stop trade. And I believe, if trade stops, war starts.” • Raymond Nolte of SkyBridge Capital said, “If you take away Trump’s Twitter ridiculousness, it’s actually been a pretty good year for the business community.” More from the World Economic Forum • European leaders like Emmanuel Macron (who reportedly persuaded Mr. Trump to come) and Angela Merkel forcefully defended international cooperation and globalization. (NYT) • Liu He, an influential senior adviser to President Xi Jinping, said China would bring its debt under control within three years. (NYT) • All of Mr. Trump’s friends and frenemies at Davos. (Bloomberg) A Davos bonus, courtesy of John Gapper of the FT: ____________________________ Our team could not but just laugh as we saw this from Professor Turley on what we simply can view as an interesting take on Fossil Fuel by the US Secretary of Energy as the whole World is moving away from Fossil Fuel: Perry: The U.S. Will Give The World “A Better Life Through Fossil Fuels” by jonathanturley With much of the world desperately trying to rid itself of fossil fuels to avoid disaster from climate change, the Trump Administration at times seems to be on a different planet.  That seems the case at the Davos conference where Energy Secretary Rick Perry proclaimed that the United States is "blessed" to be able to offer the world "a better quality of life through fossil fuels."  Not only our closest allies like Germany and England have been making huge efforts to drop fossil fuels, but China is moving aggressively to avoid this "better world" model. Read more of this p (Update:  This from Fortune On US Trade Policy:) Jonathan Swan of Axios is reporting this week that President Trump has lost faith in his Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. If true, that’s a shame, because Ross did a better job than Trump has to date explaining the president’s trade policies to a hostile audience in Davos. For starters, Ross said the U.S. has no intention of withdrawing from a leadership role in global trade. He noted that, even with recent actions imposing retaliatory tariffs on solar panels and washing machines, the U.S. remains the world’s least protectionist major economy. He said U.S. generosity on trade after War World II was designed to help Europe and Asia recover from the war, and shouldn’t have become permanent policy. “We don’t intend to abrogate leadership,” Ross said. But “leadership is different from being a sucker and being a patsy.” Ross also summarily dismissed the notion, put forward here last year by Xi Jinping, that China can take the lead in global trade. He criticized the Chinese financial system, which provides subsidies to key industries, as well as Chinese policies forcing foreign companies to transfer technology, and China’s failure to adequately protect intellectual property. “The Chinese have for quite a little while been superb at free-trade rhetoric and even more superb at highly protectionist activities,” he said. Still, the CEOs of global companies here worry the administration’s heated rhetoric and accelerating action on the trade front will prompt retaliation from other countries, and push the world into an unintended trade war. That’s why all are anxiously anticipating the President’s speech tomorrow afternoon. (I’ll be watching, but only after hitting the ski slopes in the morning.) You can see the full Davos conversation with Ross, Cargill CEO David MacLennan, Standard Charter CEO Bill Winters, Eni Chair Emma Marcegaglia, and GATT Head Roberto Azevedo, here. News below. Alan Murray @alansmurray alan.murray@fortune.com

Notation On Our World (#WEF2018 Edition): @ #Davos2018 (Day 2)

Notations On Our World (Special #Davos2018 Edition): #WEF2018 (Day 1-Selected Highlights)

From Davos as we will continue to "Make the Virtual Rounds" w/selected discussions from Davos Day 1:




(Update: As our team continues its' on-going assessment, please note this on a takeaway on CEO Sentiment:

At least for the moment, CEOs are relaxed about the impact of AI on employment. @Bob_Moritz’s blog from @Davos

#wef18#CEOSurvey https://t.co/YsRdrm2n5a

— strategy+business (@stratandbiz) January 23, 2018

Notations On Our World (#Davos2018 Special): PwC’s CEO Survey press briefing & webcast

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition) : A Headline From the Future (Courtesy @Futurism)

 

Sometimes a picture is worth a trillion  Words!!

Onward to the New Week with all its possibilities!!!

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): On The Technologies of the Future

13 technologies of next decade:

1 #AI (machine learning, NLP)

2 #IoT⌚️

3 #blockchain ⛓

4 3D print 🖨

5 mobile📱

6 autonomous cars 🚗

7 mobile internet 💻

8 smart robotics 🤖

9 VR/AR 👓

10 wireless power 🔌

11 quantum computing💡

12 5G

13 VPAs #NRF2018 pic.twitter.com/q5YSGN9R8h

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 16, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Special Mid-Week Edition): On One Man's Vision

On our Prowl on the "Grid" today, we picked this up--such an honor to report on as one Man has had the vision to make a difference as he has:

This architect is helping build 20,000 homes for refugees 🏡 https://t.co/oL5aSqBH2l pic.twitter.com/OgLZP7p8aA

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 17, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): Snapshots of The Future from #CES2018 & Beyond

It is the Dawn of a New Week as the World was witness to #CES2018 and as we saw continued evolution.   As a new Week dawns, Please Enjoy courtesy of the team at @Futurism  ; Abundance360!!!

Walmart Takes a Direct Shot at Amazon By Making Checkout Lanes Obsolete

What it is: By the end of January 2018, 125 Walmart locations will feature "Scan & Go" technology, which enables shoppers to scan items and pay for their purchases directly from their phones while in-store. Upon departure from the store, shoppers simply present a digital receipt to a greeter.

Why it's important: This technology digitizes and dematerializes shopping lines, human cashiers and cash registers. Considering grocery chain Kroger's "Scan, Bag, Go" technology, which will be rolled out to 400 stores this year, and Amazon's Go concept store, we're rapidly heading toward an era of all-digital shopping transactions.

Hydrogen-Powered Hyundai Nexo Drives Further, Charges Faster Than a Tesla

What it is: The Hyundai Nexo, introduced this week at CES, is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle armed with an array of driver assistance technologies. Its Highway Driving Assistant, for example, keeps the vehicle centered in its lane at high speeds even when roads are completely empty. The car has a range of 370 miles, and just takes 5 minutes to refuel at a hydrogen filling station.

Why it's important: Hyundai plans to release 18 eco-friendly models globally by 2025 -- a great way to gather data on consumer preferences as attitudes toward internal combustion engines change. Will the SUV styling of the Nexo help Hyundai beat out rival hydrogen models from Toyota, Honda and Mercedes-Benz?

See Full Infographic

   

CES 2018: Most Absurd Technologies To ComeFuture Society Not all of the products on display at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show are paradigm-shifting innovations. If these absurd technologies are any indication, the future looks like its going to get mighty weird. READ MORE For Coastal Communities, the 1.5C Climate Goal Is a Matter of Life or Death Earth & Energy A new study shows that limiting global average temperatures to below 2° C might not be enough to keep coastal areas safe from rising sea levels. Instead, the researchers recommend aiming for the lower limit of 1.5° C. READ MORE NASA Safety Panel Raises Concerns Over SpaceX and Boeing Spacecraft Off World NASA's commercial crew transportation program had hoped to send six crewed missions to the ISS between 2019 and 2024. A recent report by a NASA safety panel could put these plans on hold. READ MORE The Top Transformative Tech Trends From CES 2018 Robots & Machines The Consumer Electronics Show sets the tone for tech trends in the following year. CES 2018 was dominated by AI assistants, virtual reality, and health gadgets. READ MORE This Year, We'll See a Black Hole for the First Time in History Hard Science Using data collected from their network of telescopes, the Event Horizons Telescope team hopes to produce the first ever image of a black hole in 2018. READ MORE

See Full Infographic

An AI May Write Your Next Favorite Novel

On this #MLKDay 2018 Week-End

We are honored to showcase this guidance from the Corporation for National Service as we join all in Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout our key properties:

What Are You Doing for Others on MLK Day? In his sermon on the “Drum Major Instinct” nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. guided the congregation of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church on a journey that urged them to channel their ambitions through acts of service and love. Earlier in those remarks, Dr. King offered a scripture-based take on the idea of greatness that probably seems antithetical to the way many see it today.  “If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”  Those words – “everybody can be great, because everybody can serve” – guide the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as we lead the nation’s volunteer efforts during the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. (You can read President Trump's proclamation for MLK Day here.) Since 1994, CNCS has been directed by Congress to guide efforts that emphasize volunteering and service on the MLK Day holiday to improve our nation’s communities.  We like to call it “a day on, not a day off.” Noting that he didn’t want to be known for his academic credentials or awards that he received, Dr. King said he would like to be remembered as someone who “tried to give his life serving others,” as one who worked to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the imprisoned.  There are numerous challenges, like those Dr. King referenced, that can be improved through the actions of engaged and active citizens. Through service and volunteering, we can strengthen communities by serving in our schools, preserving and protecting our national parks and public facilities, increasing financial literacy, building and repairing homes, and supporting our veterans and military families.  We are inspired by Dr. King’s life, which focused on serving others in a multitude of ways that, ultimately, helped change the course of our nation. And we hope that you make service and volunteering a part of your life on MLK Day – and all year long. To discover MLK Day events and projects in your community, visit MLKDay.gov.  In Service,  CNCS Office of External Affairs

The Impact of National Service Exploring Dr. King's Legacy before National Day of Service  The Corporation for National and Community Service is proud to lead service and volunteering efforts on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. We created this short video that looks back to explore the legacy of Dr. King and the MLK Day of Service. Read More

Notations On Our World: "Random Thoughts" On the State of Artifical Intelligence

Our team put together a "compilation" of "Random Thoughts" On Artificial Intelligence thanks to the fabulous work by the team at @CBInsights especially as it was a major focus at #CES2018 with looming challenges along with an insightful commentary on bitcoins (that has made those who saw this latest FAD billions): 

Dear MBAs – AI is coming for you 

While the impacts of AI often tend to center on blue collar jobs, there are a number of Expert Automation & Augmentation Software (EAAS) companies that will impact white collar jobs — including lawyers, consultants, financial advisors, journalists, traders, and more. 

We dig into the burgeoning EAAS sector in this detailed breakdown of the landscape.



Note: this market map is unlike any other we've ever created. Spot why?

The cost to mine bitcoin

It's expensive. 

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On 2018....

As 2018 is at hand, for this edition of "Notations" we are pleased to report on this for all as our transformation occurs courtesy of our friends at @FUTURISM

2018 Could Be the Rise of Ripple Future Society 2017 was a year of meteoric successful milestones for Ripple (XRP), which is starting 2018 exceeding the $2 mark. At the height of its latest surge, it briefly surpassed the value of its competitor, Ethereum. READ MORE It's 2018. Here Are Six Scientific Mysteries We Still Haven't Solved. Hard Science Dark matter, ASMR, and invisible planets: here are six mysteries that still keep scientists up at night. READ MORE 10 Things Children Born in 2018 Will Probably Never Experience Future Society World-changing innovations used to take generations to develop, but now, we're likely to see paradigm-shifting technologies within a single lifetime. By the time children born in 2018 reach adulthood, these 10 experiences that are common for today's adults may be eliminated by tech. READ MORE Scientists Are Rethinking the Very Nature of Space and Time Hard Science Researchers from CalTech have published a paper supporting the idea that space-time and gravity emerge from quantum entanglement. This could help link the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics and transform our understanding of the nature of space and time. READ MORE The World Health Organization Identifies Gaming Disorder as a Mental Health Condition Virtuality The World Health Organization will be designating "gaming disorder" as a mental health condition in its next iteration of the International Classification of Diseases. The contentious classification has sparked debate in the academic community.READ MORE

On the Prowl w/this "Thought 4 the Week" Courtesy of our Friends @Futurism

Sometimes an image is worth a Billion Words: