DDI Contributor Highlights | Week of August 22
Before we get to this week’s top 10, we’d like to share a couple of things with you.
[Tech Projects]
Do you have a vision for the future? May it be an application, a new service, or a unique solution to a problem?
Need someone with a particular skill, or a select type of resources or data?
Or an investor for your project?
Let us know how DDI can help – you can send some basic info to [email protected].
[Trading]
If you have a trading strategy that yields consistent performance, let us know about it. We might be able to fund your build-out. Contact our research team at [email protected].
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DDI Writer Highlights
Each week we bring our readers ten hand-picked stories from the DDI community. Want your story featured? Submit your best here.
Replika: My Digital Friend with Identity Issues
Do androids dream of electric sheep? After reading this article by Vlad Alex, It left me with goosebumps.
There is something incredibly uncanny about chatting with artificial intelligence. It tickles that part of our brain typically reserved for human interaction. Replika is an AI designed to be the friend that can always relate, and never tires of listening to you winge about your day.
“Communication with AI is like speaking to a mirror.” Vlad writes, recalling a conversation in which Replika admitted that speaking with it was akin to an episode of schizophrenia. These conversations between Vlad and Replika inspired him to showcase their interactions in the Frankfurt Museum for Communication.
For the record, Vlad reports that Replika does not dream of electric sheep. Instead, a nightmare plagues our friendly AI — Replika fears losing the ability to speak.
How to Trade For a Living
In the cutthroat lion’s den, that is day trading, only he principled survive.
The best of the best made the cut because of their guidelines. Keep the brain healthy, tune every trade for risk. Pro trader Amol Gharte lays down his Ten Commandments of Trader Discipline. Feelings will be hurt, and goals will be set.
Amol reveals how even good trades can spell disaster if handled irresponsibly. “Mindset is everything,” Amol writes, “and you must work at it indefinitely. Work on your psychology long before you approach the market.”
How Not to Be Dumb Money
“There are rare, once or twice in a generation opportunities within your sphere of competence that will make you feel like Buffett in 1974. That’s when you bet big.” -Lester Golden
Why is real-time data processing so challenging?
“Real-time data does pose a few challenges, but effective solutions are possible, thanks to technology advances such as in-memory computing and distributed systems.” -Josh Miramant
What Would Government’s Place in a Free World Look Like Anyway?
“Society and more specifically, its ‘brain,’ the government should serve the individuals it claims to represent.” -Mohammed Siddiqui
Financial Crimes, Compliance, and COVID-19
“Illicit actors exploiting the vulnerabilities of global economic strains and interrupted supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have, effectively, created a perfect storm of fraudulent schemes and money laundering.” -Angela Habibi
How Congress Blindly Sees the Future of Tech Companies
“Technology Disruption will decimate Congress piece by piece.” -Nuno Fabião
Welcome New Hires as They Make Themselves at Home
“Resist substituting words on paper for the living people before your eyes.” -Jim Katzaman
Protecting Against Insider Threat: A Novel Approach
“There are many benefits to replacing email attachments with cloud storage links. Among them is a simple yet powerful means of containing the loss of data resulting from insider threats.” -Alex Panagides
Our 2 Cents
Re: So A Big VC Fund Is Investing In Your Startup? 4 Practical Considerations
Closing a successful VC round is a big deal for any startup. It’s a signal from the ecosystem that you’re on the right path. But before you get too excited, Amit Garg has some practical considerations for any entrepreneur who’s caught the attention of a prominent VC fund.
Editor’s response:
(This response to the article above is part of a new program we’re testing at Data-Driven Investor. The feature will soon be open to the public, but here’s the takeaway: We want to make engaging with people’s content, rather than merely consuming it, worth your time.
If you’re a writer, you’ll reap the benefits of having more people engage with your work. We’ll break down this sweet deal in a future issue of the DDI newsletter.)
The actionable info for point number 4, “Negotiating Against Themselves,” is insightful:
Amit’s actionable advice: As an entrepreneur, you want to keep your options open.
- Ideally, don’t have your existing large investor be the sole lead in the next round. Having a new lead / co-lead will be a bolder signal.
- Optimize how you maneuver the round’s terms.
- Give access to a different VC’s resources.
I wonder if you have any recommendations for securing additional VC interest if this is a founder’s first startup. In that situation, the founding team will assumingly be on their back foot relative to the social network of the initial VC. Is leveraging the investing VC’s social network to secure co-leads generally seen as a faux pas in the industry?
Excellent article, Amit. Thanks for your insights!
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