I like Chris Evans as an actor and it’s been fun watching him transform from the noble characters he normally plays in past movies, especially the high profile Captain America in the Marvel universe. I have enjoyed watching him play the bad guy in “Gray man”. As Lloyd Hansen, the…

“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” — Michele Ruiz This is a great geopolitical discussion with lessons from history and the Cold War. Very insightful. 2. “As of Q3 2022, $223.6B was invested in venture funds¹, but…

Recently started a book called the “King’s Shadow” by Edmund Richardson, described as the “extraordinary untold and wild journey of Charles Masson — think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid meets Indiana Jones — and his search for the Lost City of Alexandria in the “Wild East” during the age…

One of the hardest things as a startup founder is that the highs are very high and the lows are incredibly low. And sometimes they all happen on the same day. You win a big customer account but then your best engineer quits. You have plenty of customers and revenue…

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” — Mary Kay Ash Valuable discussion with Keith Rabois on the startup world in the beginning of 2023: lots…

Listening to the excellent “All in Podcast”, Chamath makes a great comment about Masayoshi Son over at Softbank. “People don’t seem to understand that if you are going to attempt to be great there are going to be moments when you look the exact opposite of great. You know The…

I have long been very open about my deep interest and love for all things Japanese. History, art, architecture. And the Food! The culture of craftsmanship, honor, discipline and self sacrifice. All exemplified by the samurai. Samurai which means warrior or knight whose sole purpose is to serve. “They were…

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney Very bullish on Japan. Some of these predictions do seem very feasible. Japan Surprises 2023 Surprises are the spice of life that make us perk up and challenge our baseline assumptions. And what better time to…japanoptimist.substack.com 2. “Remember when Carmack complained about Meta? He said the company was working at “half the effectiveness” and had “a ridiculous…

I suspect that many of us in the first week of 2023 are still feeling groggy from too much food and sleep over the Christmas and new years break, just like a bear coming out from hibernation after the winter. I used to feel really guilty for taking a break…