Trailblazing #5 (08/01/2023)

What I recently found interesting:

An interesting take on building one’s life

It recently re-emerged on my radar and made me deeply reflect on how the most effective solution to the Computer Science’s “hill climbing” problem might make us feel quite uncomfortable, when applied to our lives.

• It emphasizes meandering around (i.e. exploring) a variety of interests early on in our lives and consequently taking frequent downward steps (i.e. new beginnings) rather than constantly going upwards. I believe that everyone has their own definition of what “early on in life” means, but the whole narrative makes me think that logic can only take one so far in their journey to find the life’s “highest hill” and that?there must be something less clearly defined (heart, intuition, instinct?) that uniquely & unnoticeably guides us …

Throughout the years I have chased many of the “common” life’s milestones (i.e. accomplish a childhood dream of winning Wimbledon, do well in school, find a job, attend to immigration stuff, create a successful company, buy an apartment, build a family, and so on). They added structure and, consequently, comfort to my life. Additionally, achieving some and failing at others has equipped me with knowledge, confidence and high & low experiences / moments.?That said, it was only in the last 6 months, when I purposely decided to take one day at a time and allowed myself to reflect, that the most critical ingredient to drive my life forward has arrived.

• Since the end of January I had felt lost. But as June came along,?I suddenly started feeling free…?I realized that even though I moved out of my family’s apartment at the age of 19, only recently I understood what it actually means to become the Captain of my life. Across the years, thanks to generous guidance & mentorship from a variety of people, I have been able to drop myself (oftentimes reluctantly) in many different parts of the terrain, with each of those climbs preparing me for the present moment. Reframing the “hill climbing” narrative to fit my perception of the world, I used to have many clearly visible islands to sail towards.?That said, all I can see now is my departing that safety / comfort of the next island to navigate toward.?It is freeing, because despite all the good that those “islands” provided me with, they also put some constraints on how to live. Needless to say, for the first time in my life I feel ready to take full command of the direction that “my ship” will pursue, enjoy both the Ocean’s Tailwinds & Storms, and find my own Islands ??

AI at the center of geopolitics

• During the world history we have interchangeably had periods of a) nations / countries getting closer to one another as well as b) nations / countries drifting farther away from each other. I am a fan of a) but unfortunately we have been experiencing more of b) lately and technology is surely becoming the centerpiece of it.
• Additionally, when we think of wars & conflicts around the world, most of them (if not all) have revolved around the natural resources that our Planet has to offer. While this article is focused on a potentially replicable fab production process (albeit extremely hard due to significant economies of scale that describe this industry), the dynamics are very similar because the most advanced AI chips are almost exclusively produced in one location, Taiwan, which has very skillfully used this monopoly to ensure its safety. That said, given Taiwan’s geography, the escalated political tensions with China and the post-Covid de-globalization sentiment, it does not come as a surprise that the US is actively looking for ways to diversify away from Taiwan’s supply of AI chips.
• Lastly, it is a long article but I recommend reading it in its entirety as it shows how complex the world is and how fragile the difference between War & Peace is (apart from the human toll which, even though is not a focus of this analysis, should always be the most critical consideration), and may hopefully make us strive toward the latter as much as possible.

Creative way to fight housing shortage

Homeownership availability / affordability has been an issue troubling the US for quite a while now; some worthy data behind the worsening conditions are:

• the median age of a homeowner has?increased from 31 to 46? between 2001-2019,
• despite feared recession house prices have stayed high (albeit decelerated their appreciation,?see p. 5 of FHFA report ),
• supply of housing available for sale has?steadily declined since GFC .

Now, it is important to discuss this because homeownership is one of the?most straightforward (and surest) ways to build generational wealth , having historically contributed to income inequality between different ethnicities in the US.

All in all, I believe that housing shortage is?one of the most urgent issues ?(really recommend this long but detailed view of why it is important to act now!) to solve for the US (and likely other countries too), as it carries many negative spillover effects on other areas of our lives.

• To be clear, I am not endorsing the leading article’s idea (i.e. even though I like its creativity and see its value as a band aid solution, I am not an expert in writing policy), but it did inspire me to get acquainted with the issue and added another lens to assess politicians thru.

Miscellaneous

Personal

• I spent half of July in Poland (enjoying family time and celebrating the last friend getting married this summer) and half in New York (reconnecting with friends, coaching tennis & solidifying my next steps).

Song Recommendation

• “Snuff” by Corey Taylor -> I think that music is a great way to express one’s feelings (which is why I love karaoke!), as it prompts us to bypass our thick skins, enter our hearts and scream out whatever it is that we hide deep inside of ourselves; personally, and perhaps a bit counterintuitively, when I heard this song, I felt peaceful and hopeful about what the future will bring ??