What is a powerful strategy?

What is a powerful strategy? 

To be willing to escalate above and beyond any acceptable level of risk. 

What do you need to know when nothing seems to make sense?

What do you need to know when nothing seems to make sense?

Knowing who you are. 

Why is difficult to learn from history?

Why is difficult to learn from history?

Because the narrative is usually wrong

When do you know that you can do it?

When do you know that you can do it?

When you have done it before.

When the usual tools are no guide?

When the usual tools are no guide?

When there is no way of valuing

Why society cannot harness technology?

Why society cannot harness technology?

Because technology monopolies attention.

How to disagree with the true?

How to disagree with the true?

Reinforcing biases.

How to be free?

How to be free?

Choosing the life you want by getting things you don't want.

How to start a financial crisis?

How to start a financial crisis?

Borrowing money to buy the most vulnerable assets.

How to be perfectly efficient?

How to be perfectly efficient?

Having everything.

How to grow?

How to grow?

Using the unknown.

How to test ideas for real?

How to test ideas for real?

With unavailable technology.

How to succeed?

How to succeed?

Focusing on strategy and meticulous research.

How to create a confused society?

How to create a confused society?

Introducing demons who are dead and alive.

Why housing will not be more affordable for everyone?

Why housing will not be more affordable for everyone?

Because regulators and wealthy people do care about preserving things the way they are.

What is the best expectation?

What is the best expectation?

The unexpected expectation.

What happens when there is no American "us" any more?

What happens when there is no American "us" any more?

Everybody wants to be reinforced in their beliefs.

How to solve a problem?

How to solve a problem?

With sustained thinking.

How to fix things?

How to fix things? 

Going a bit slower.

How to change attitudes and behaviors?

How to change attitudes and behaviors? 

With economic tools. 

How to put value on things?

How to put value on things?

Devoting your own labour to them.

Why there is so much more debt than usual?

Why there is so much more debt than usual?

Because instant gratification has alienated society.

How to get motivation?

How to get motivation?

Building persistent needs.

When you don’t have to expect a different solution?

When you don’t have to expect a different solution?

When you are doing what you have always done.

When you don't have to make a deal?

When you don't have to make a deal?

When you are happy.

How to collide with reality?

How to collide with reality?

Trying to get everything you want.

How to understand the trade offs in life?

How to understand the trade offs in life?

Being lost without a map.

Why there is no supply and demand?

Why there is no supply and demand?

Because yields on long-term debt do not exist.

When uncertainty shows up?

When uncertainty shows up?

When there is no confidence in the probabilities used to make decisions.

How to learn systematically?

How to learn systematically?

Planning and building on ground that may open beneath you.

What reduces inequality?

What reduces inequality?

Catastrophic events.

Why is the GDP flat and the stock market hits record high?

Why is the GDP flat and the stock market hits record high?

Because technology and the system have destroyed supply and demand.

Why is no longer an important issue dealing with deficits?

Why is no longer an important issue dealing with deficits?

Because everybody in the financial industry needs to own government bonds for regulatory reasons.

How to develop you own identity and culture?

How to develop you own identity and culture?

Solving social problems beyond the scope of the state.

Who wants to be open to the world?

Who wants to be open to the world?

The one who gets the change signals first.

What percentage of the electricity generated in America is used to power air-conditioning systems that cool homes and offices?

What percentage of the electricity generated in America is used to power air-conditioning systems that cool homes and offices?

6%

What is making the rich richer?

What is making the rich richer?

Technology

What people want most?

What people want most?

What everyone else wants.

Why it is harder than ever for brains to break through?

Why it is harder than ever for brains to break through?

Because technology has entrenched an oligarchy.

Why the cost of living varies so much from city to city in the U.S.?

Why the cost of living varies so much from city to city in the U.S.?

The cost of living varies so much from city to city in the U.S. to control mobility.

Why the housing supply is regulated in the U.S.?

Why the housing supply is regulated in the U.S.?

The housing supply is regulated in the U.S.  to avoid houses to become a consumer good like a car or an electronic gadget.

How to be absolutely necessary?

How to be absolutely necessary?

Being always part of the solutions instead of being part of the problems.

Who owns half of the cash Americans firms hold abroad?

Who owns half of the cash Americans firms hold abroad?

Microsoft and Google.

How to get something?

How to get something?

Working towards it for decades.

How to be more judicious than anyone?

How  to be more judicious than anyone?

Having skin in the game more than anyone.

What is the first priority?

What is the first priority?

The first priority is to figure out what would be required to do what we want to do , followed by whether we can carry out the mission.

How to run a succesfull experiment?

How to run a succesfull experiment?

First, take two or three risky strategies.

Next expose them to a series of shocks.

Then wait several years to see which strategy survives.

Why does the banker get the bailout and the merchant goes bankrupt?

Why does the banker get the bailout and the merchant goes bankrupt?

Because systemic risk is not a justice-based possiblitity and the amount of debt determines on who the sky will fall (the bigger the debt the less chance to fall).

Why we are in an unknown environment?

Why we are in an unknown environment?

Because the whole society has turned into a "perfect" system

in hands of an alien power that has nothing to do with you.

What is the best way of wasting your time?

What is the best way of  wasting your time?

Doing things everybody does.