Sunday Reads and Listens - Crypto Is Alive, Student Loans Are Back, The Amazing Starlink and Some AI Of Course

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Before I get started, there is a July 4th DSTNC sale right now and here is my checkout cart I filled with sale items in case you like my taste:

All sale items here: https://shop.dstnc.com/collections/sale 

Men's new arrivals here: https://shop.dstnc.com/collections/just-landed

Women's new arrivals here: https://shop.dstnc.com/collections/just-landed-women 

Onward…

I had a run on the beach with Ellen and ride with my pal Mike Dean who came down from Los Angeles yesterday.

Today I plan on doing the run and bike again.

Tomorrow, Ellen and I are off to Toronto and Muskoka for ten days. My nephew Brandon is getting married next weekend and we are looking forward to seeing all the family including Rachel and Max flying up from New York.

I read a lot of good things last week so let’s get to it…

The Bitcoin ETF’s are coming. Fidelity, Blackrock and Van Eck will keep filing at this point until the SEC approves.

Fred wrote a piece explaining ‘Software That You Can’t Shut Down’ and the gist:

Fully decentralized blockchains offer something powerful. Software that can’t be turned off. Data that is open to everyone. AIs that can’t be shut down.

We are in a moment with enormous possibilities brought on by the computer science revolutions in machine learning, decentralized systems, and new user interfaces. It will be tempting for powerful entrenched interests to seek to put the genie back in the bottle on some of this stuff. But if the genie is deployed on a fully decentralized blockchain, there is no going back in the bottle.

With Elon shutting down Twitter the last few days, Fred’s explanation becomes a lot more important/clear.

This essay by my friend Gregor titled ‘Portfolio Nuclear’ is an excellent read and I learned a lot.

‘Starlink Is A Very Big Deal’ combined with Starship some pretty cool technology and services.

One AI tool I am starting to use is MacWhisperer for text transcription. Om explains why he loves it.

‘Becoming The Tuna King’ by Trung was great.

Repayment of Student Loans has been kicked down the road for nearly THREE years, but by September 1, people will be scrambling to deal with their monthly payments. At least 65 percent of borrowers have changed servicers since 2020. Our portfolio company Payitoff created a site to help students find their loans and cut costs immediately. Please pass this along.

Two podcasts worth listening to…

Reid Hoffman on all things AI.

Kevin Kelly - ‘Be Generous and Unique’ …loved it.

Have a great Sunday.