Has anybody read this? Is it any good?
http://theweek.com/article/index/268240 ... ve-success
Makes me want to read some Rene Girard, too.
Zero to One
Re: Zero to One
Great tip! There is a lot to think about here.Dragline wrote: Makes me want to read some Rene Girard, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNkSBy5wWDk
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
It's a quick read. I wouldn't bother buying it. Just get it from the library.
It was ok. I think my personal distaste for Silicon Valley's insular culture and belief that technology, specifically new technology, will solve all problems colored my opinion a bit.
It was ok. I think my personal distaste for Silicon Valley's insular culture and belief that technology, specifically new technology, will solve all problems colored my opinion a bit.
Re: Zero to One
Thanks -- I'll put it on a maybe someday list. That video Ego posted was really interesting, though.
Here's another one with Thiel talking about Girard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esk7W9Jowtc
Probably better than reading the book.
Here's another one with Thiel talking about Girard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esk7W9Jowtc
Probably better than reading the book.
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workathome
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
If you like Thiel’s interview with Altucher, then you’d probably like the book.
I couldn’t sleep last night, so I decided to reread the book. I guess it’s good once you get past his defense of tech giants and SV culture. Part of that defense is a justification for monopolies. It’s self-serving, but Thiel does raise some interesting points. Thiel sees competition in business as a negative. His explanation sounds like he considers the ingrained notion that competition is positive for business/capitalism to be more like socialist capitalism, or entrepreneurial-based welfare (spreading around the profits of the initial discovery).
The middle part of the book touches more on typical ERE subject matter. He endorses cultivating a tribe mentality in start-ups which I found interesting given some of our recent discussions. He also feels that Aspies are better at avoiding mimetic desires. He doesn’t go into much detail about mimetic desire and I don’t remember him mentioning Girard. Thiel discusses Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto and seems to give it some credence. (OT--I think that many in the peak oil/slow doom crowd sound like they also suffer from the same Kaczynski malaise these days.)
If anyone reads the book, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts about his take on specialization vs. generalization. He prefers specialization, but also says that people should make fewer plans and be more fluid in their career goals. It sounded a bit contradictory and ERE-ish all at the same time. I wish he’d written a book just on that topic.
Anyway, you might like it more than I first thought Dragline (he even includes an Emerson quote). The end veers off a bit for my taste when he dons his futurist hat (including an odd section discussing rock stars that sounds like a forced attempt to make the book sound less academic).
I picked up Girard’s book today, so that’s on the docket for tonight’s insomnia.
I couldn’t sleep last night, so I decided to reread the book. I guess it’s good once you get past his defense of tech giants and SV culture. Part of that defense is a justification for monopolies. It’s self-serving, but Thiel does raise some interesting points. Thiel sees competition in business as a negative. His explanation sounds like he considers the ingrained notion that competition is positive for business/capitalism to be more like socialist capitalism, or entrepreneurial-based welfare (spreading around the profits of the initial discovery).
The middle part of the book touches more on typical ERE subject matter. He endorses cultivating a tribe mentality in start-ups which I found interesting given some of our recent discussions. He also feels that Aspies are better at avoiding mimetic desires. He doesn’t go into much detail about mimetic desire and I don’t remember him mentioning Girard. Thiel discusses Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto and seems to give it some credence. (OT--I think that many in the peak oil/slow doom crowd sound like they also suffer from the same Kaczynski malaise these days.)
If anyone reads the book, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts about his take on specialization vs. generalization. He prefers specialization, but also says that people should make fewer plans and be more fluid in their career goals. It sounded a bit contradictory and ERE-ish all at the same time. I wish he’d written a book just on that topic.
Anyway, you might like it more than I first thought Dragline (he even includes an Emerson quote). The end veers off a bit for my taste when he dons his futurist hat (including an odd section discussing rock stars that sounds like a forced attempt to make the book sound less academic).
I picked up Girard’s book today, so that’s on the docket for tonight’s insomnia.
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
A Thiel clip from '09, sort of on the Singularity. Short talk, then Q & A. Interesting questions including one @22:00 about technology going wrong. Thiel takes the opposite view of Taleb. Investing questions near the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKLDevYyE9I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKLDevYyE9I
Re: Zero to One
I listened to the Altucher interview of Thiel -- it was pretty good, although Altucher has to be one of the worst interviewers ever -- he has so much trouble listening and not letting his own pre-conceived notions get in the way. I agree that competition in business in harmful -- for the businessman! It's very good for the consumer. It's the same concept of Buffett/Munger of looking for businesses with a "moat" to invest in -- i.e., natural or artificial monopolies.
But I think some of what Thiel says is colored by survival bias. Because he has been successful in being specialized, Aspy, etc., he extrapolates his experience to everyone when it may not be applicable, because we haven't juxtaposed his success against the unsuccessful would-be Thiels that we never heard of and never will.
I made read the book later, but I already feel like I know what it says.
Speaking of Taleb, Altucher did a more recent interview of him, here: http://askaltucher.com/blog/
Excellent discussions about intermittent fasting, financial independence (not being an employee) and a host of other things. Much better than the Thiel interview in fact.
But I think some of what Thiel says is colored by survival bias. Because he has been successful in being specialized, Aspy, etc., he extrapolates his experience to everyone when it may not be applicable, because we haven't juxtaposed his success against the unsuccessful would-be Thiels that we never heard of and never will.
I made read the book later, but I already feel like I know what it says.
Speaking of Taleb, Altucher did a more recent interview of him, here: http://askaltucher.com/blog/
Excellent discussions about intermittent fasting, financial independence (not being an employee) and a host of other things. Much better than the Thiel interview in fact.
Re: Zero to One
Thanks. What was that application like?
I think Thiel is very interesting and unusual, which is why I'm generally interested in what he has to say even if I might disagree with it.
I think Thiel is very interesting and unusual, which is why I'm generally interested in what he has to say even if I might disagree with it.
Re: Zero to One
My thoughts exactly. I like some of his ideas (i.e. too little advancement in physical sciences/applications) and dislike other ideas (i.e. monopoly proponent), but his thought process is worth reading about.Dragline wrote:Thanks. What was that application like?
I think Thiel is very interesting and unusual, which is why I'm generally interested in what he has to say even if I might disagree with it.
Re: Zero to One
After reading the post below, I'm not sure I'm going to read this book.
http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/09 ... ro-to-one/
Those are the big takeaways? It doesn't seem worth the time.
http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/09 ... ro-to-one/
Those are the big takeaways? It doesn't seem worth the time.
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
Glenn Beck interviewed Thiel on The Blaze this week. The Blaze is PPV but there are several clips on youtube.
I like this clip. It's not about the book and heavy on religion for those who'd rather skip that stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuX5dHd4KOQ
About halfway through Beck talks about the "God Principle" as a center for people. That was kind of what I was trying to spit out in the Meditations thread. Stoic's "logos" seems to function in the same way.
I like this clip. It's not about the book and heavy on religion for those who'd rather skip that stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuX5dHd4KOQ
About halfway through Beck talks about the "God Principle" as a center for people. That was kind of what I was trying to spit out in the Meditations thread. Stoic's "logos" seems to function in the same way.
Re: Zero to One
That just makes me want to stay away more.jennypenny wrote:Glenn Beck
Re: Zero to One
There is also a reddit Ask Me Anything he did for the book promo when it released.
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
Did you see Thiel was the one backing Hulk Hogan in his suit against Gawker?!
Good for him. He waited a long time to get his revenge for that outing witch hunt.
Good for him. He waited a long time to get his revenge for that outing witch hunt.
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jennypenny
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Re: Zero to One
Here is a copy of Thiel's speech from last night. I'm guessing a career in politics is next for him.
Good evening. I’m Peter Thiel.
I build companies and I support people who are building new things, from social networks to rocket ships. I’m not a politician. But neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it’s time to rebuild America.
Where I work in Silicon Valley, it’s hard to see where America has gone wrong. My industry has made a lot of progress in computers and in software, and, of course, it’s made a lot of money. But Silicon Valley is a small place. Drive out to Sacramento, or even just across the bridge to Oakland, and you won’t see the same prosperity. That’s just how small it is.
Across the country, wages are flat. Americans get paid less today than ten years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees. Our economy is broken. If you’re watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington. And you know this isn’t the dream we looked forward to.
Back when my parents came to America looking for that dream, they found it—right here in Cleveland. They brought me here as a one-year-old, and this is where I became an American. Opportunity was everywhere. My Dad studied engineering at Case Western Reserve University, just down the road from where we are now. Because in 1968, the world’s high tech capital wasn’t just one city: all of America was high tech.
It’s hard to remember this, but our government was once high tech, too. When I moved to Cleveland, defense research was laying the foundations for the Internet. The Apollo program was just about to put a man on the moon—and it was Neil Armstrong, from right here in Ohio.
The future felt limitless.
But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets can’t even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the government’s software works poorly, because much of the time it doesn’t even work at all. That is a staggering decline for the country that completed the Manhattan Project. We don’t accept such incompetence in Silicon Valley, and we must not accept it from our government.
Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East. We don’t need to see Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails: her incompetence is in plain sight. She pushed for a war in Libya, and today it’s a training ground for ISIS. On this most important issue, Donald Trump is right. It’s time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country.
When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?
Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American. I don’t pretend to agree with every plank in our party’s platform. But fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline. And nobody in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump.
While it is fitting to talk about who we are, today it’s even more important to remember where we came from. For me that is Cleveland, and the bright future it promised. When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, he’s not suggesting a return to the past. He’s running to lead us back to that bright future.
Tonight I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.
Good evening. I’m Peter Thiel.
I build companies and I support people who are building new things, from social networks to rocket ships. I’m not a politician. But neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it’s time to rebuild America.
Where I work in Silicon Valley, it’s hard to see where America has gone wrong. My industry has made a lot of progress in computers and in software, and, of course, it’s made a lot of money. But Silicon Valley is a small place. Drive out to Sacramento, or even just across the bridge to Oakland, and you won’t see the same prosperity. That’s just how small it is.
Across the country, wages are flat. Americans get paid less today than ten years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees. Our economy is broken. If you’re watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington. And you know this isn’t the dream we looked forward to.
Back when my parents came to America looking for that dream, they found it—right here in Cleveland. They brought me here as a one-year-old, and this is where I became an American. Opportunity was everywhere. My Dad studied engineering at Case Western Reserve University, just down the road from where we are now. Because in 1968, the world’s high tech capital wasn’t just one city: all of America was high tech.
It’s hard to remember this, but our government was once high tech, too. When I moved to Cleveland, defense research was laying the foundations for the Internet. The Apollo program was just about to put a man on the moon—and it was Neil Armstrong, from right here in Ohio.
The future felt limitless.
But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets can’t even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the government’s software works poorly, because much of the time it doesn’t even work at all. That is a staggering decline for the country that completed the Manhattan Project. We don’t accept such incompetence in Silicon Valley, and we must not accept it from our government.
Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East. We don’t need to see Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails: her incompetence is in plain sight. She pushed for a war in Libya, and today it’s a training ground for ISIS. On this most important issue, Donald Trump is right. It’s time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country.
When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?
Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American. I don’t pretend to agree with every plank in our party’s platform. But fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline. And nobody in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump.
While it is fitting to talk about who we are, today it’s even more important to remember where we came from. For me that is Cleveland, and the bright future it promised. When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, he’s not suggesting a return to the past. He’s running to lead us back to that bright future.
Tonight I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.
Re: Zero to One
Thiel backing Trump is very strange. Unless it's to show that Democracy doesn't work, which he has stated in the past.
http://www.inc.com/jeff-bercovici/peter ... crazy.html
This election just gets weirder and weirder. I half expect aliens to show up and go, "Ok, you guys are just fucking this up too much. We have to step in."
http://www.inc.com/jeff-bercovici/peter ... crazy.html
This election just gets weirder and weirder. I half expect aliens to show up and go, "Ok, you guys are just fucking this up too much. We have to step in."
Last edited by Chad on Fri Jul 22, 2016 7:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Zero to One
Nothing like a good 4th turning crisis/realignment, eh?
Thiel's speech was most interesting because it harkens back to an era of more active government, and particularly a heavy hand in science and technology. Now all we need is that "Sputnik" moment to set off the new IGY. But that's probably still a decade away.
"Lead us back to that bright future" indeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k1m9TevgJM
Thiel's speech was most interesting because it harkens back to an era of more active government, and particularly a heavy hand in science and technology. Now all we need is that "Sputnik" moment to set off the new IGY. But that's probably still a decade away.
"Lead us back to that bright future" indeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k1m9TevgJM
Re: Zero to One
This thing is very much a Strauss and Howe moment. The interesting part is a lot of this "crisis" seems manufactured by the populace. For instance, I know when I go back to visit my father/relatives they will be saying how dangerous the world is right now. This will be a comment on their belief they are rather likely to be the victim of a crime or killed by ISIS. But, both are highly improbable. Violent crime is near it's 1960's lows, which is the lowest point for the last century. While, the number of police officers killed in the line of duty (which will be a big topic) is at or below most years in the 1960's when we had half our current population.