November 10: Sunday Funday #26
Articles, streams and books that caught our attention this week
Articles 📰
CHATGPT IS BREAKING INTO THE PHYSICAL WORLD
Two researchers at UC Berkeley and ETH Zurich have harnessed the power of OpenAI's GPT-4o large language model to teach cheap robot arms to clean up spills.
Meet the ‘super users’ who tap AI to get ahead at work
“A growing number of workers are becoming “super users” of AI. They turn to the tech daily to learn skills, analyze large sets of data, review job candidates and even program other bots to help them with repetitive tasks, such as building online courses. Workers say AI tools — such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and other chatbots powered by large language models — help them boost efficiency and confidence at work and reclaim hours of time. But those familiar with the technology say they also worry about privacy, inaccuracies, the loss of skills and even the potential of job replacement in the future.”
The Vagus Nerve’s Crucial Role in Creating the Human Sense of Mind
Like a highway system, the vagus nerve branches profusely from your brain through your organs to marshal bodily functions, including aspects of mind such as mood, pleasure, and fear.
The dos and don’ts of the email introduction
“So why are so many email introductions so dismal in comparison and why are some still utterly woeful? One answer is obvious. Far too many break the basic rule that an introducer should almost always check to make sure both parties are happy to be introduced.”
“A lack of standardization is not the problem here. The industry has designed, named, and rolled out a parade of standards that pertain to USB and all its cousins. Some of those standards live inside other standards. For example, USB 3.2 Gen 1 is also known as USB 3.0, even though it's numbered 3.2. (What? Yes.)”
Guilt can be a guide or a trap. Here’s how to work through the emotion.
Both normal and maladaptive guilt can make us feel miserable, but we can take active steps to work through this emotion.
How podcasts came to rule America’s campaign conversation
“The trend reflects two developments. One is Americans’ faltering faith in traditional media. Today almost 70% of Americans have little or no trust in them, according to Gallup, a pollster. The other is the status of podcasts as a hugely popular and valued source of news. Almost 100m Americans listen to a podcast each week.”
And that seems like a nice segue to our next set of shareables…
What We’re Streaming 📺📲
The Reading List 📖📚
The Ambitious Kitchen - Monique Volz
“Millions of readers know Monique Volz’s website, Ambitious Kitchen, as a go-to resource for inventive, flavorful recipes that are full of nutrition, comfort, and personality. Now, in her debut cookbook, Monique wants others to find their own Ambitious Kitchen and discover their own version of health, bold flavors, and above all, the unique happiness that food can bring to your life. Whether you’re looking for a show-stopping dish to bring to a gathering, a new home-cooked tradition, or a nourishing meal everyone will love, The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook has the answers.”
Don’t be a stranger
Thanks for reading and if you have a suggestion for an article or book we should read, or a stream we should catch, email us at info@tematicaresearch.com. The same email works if you want to know more about our thematic and targeted exposure models listed below.
The Strategies Behind Our Thematic Models
Aging of the Population - Capturing the demographic wave of the aging population and the changing demands it brings with it.
Artificial Intelligence – Software, chips, and related companies that facilitate the collection and analysis of large data sets and autonomous generation of solutions given non-machine language prompts.
Cash Strapped Consumer - Companies poised to benefit as consumers stretch the disposable spending dollars they do have.
CHIPs Act – Capturing the reshoring of the US semiconductor industry and the $52.7 billion poised to be spent on semiconductor manufacturing.
Cloud Computing – Companies that provide hardware and services that enhance the cloud computing experience for users, such as co-location, security, and edge computing.
Core Holdings – Companies that reflect economic activity and are large enough to not get pushed around by day-to-day market trends. Low-beta, large-cap names able to better withstand economic turmoil.
Cybersecurity - Companies that focus on protecting against the penetration of digital networks and the theft, ransom, corruption or destruction of data.
Data Privacy & Digital Identity - Companies providing the tools and services that verify authorized users and safeguard personal data privacy.
Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity -The buildout and upgrading of our Networks, Data Storage Facilities, and Equipment.
Digital Lifestyle - The companies behind our increasingly connected lives.
Digital Payments - This model focuses on companies benefitting from the accelerating structural adoption of digital payments and financial technology (FinTech).
EPS Diplomats - Profitable large capitalization companies proven to produce above-average EPS growth and provide investors with the benefit of multiple expansion.
EV Transition - Capturing the transition to EVs and related infrastructure from combustion engine vehicles.
Guilty Pleasure – Companies that produce/provide food and drink products that consumers tend to enjoy regardless of the economic environment and potential long-term health hazards associated with excessive consumption.
Homebuilding & Materials – Ranging from homebuilders to key building product companies that serve the housing market, this model looks to capture the rising demand for housing, one that should benefit as the Fed returns monetary policy to more normalized levels.
Luxury Buying Boom - Tapping into aspirational buying and affluent buyers amid rising global wealth.
Market Hedge Model – This basket of daily reset swap-based broad market inverse ETFs protects in the face of market pullbacks, overbought market technicals, and other drivers of market volatility.
Nuclear Energy & Uranium – Companies that either build and maintain nuclear power plants or are involved in the production of uranium.
Rebuilding America - Turning the focused spending on rebuilding US infrastructure into revenue and profits.
Safety & Security – Targeted exposure to companies that provide goods and services primarily to the Defense and security sectors of the economy.
Space Economy – Companies that focus on the launch and operation of satellite networks.
The Strategies Behind Our Dividend Income Models
Monthly Dividend Model – Pretty much what the name says – this model invests in companies that pay monthly dividends to shareholders.
ETF Dividend Model – High-yielding ETFs that provide a range of exposures from domestic equities, international equities, emerging market equities, MLPS, and REITs.
ETF Enhanced Dividend Model – A group of high-yielding ETFs that utilize options to enhance yield through collecting option income.
Don’t be a stranger
Thanks for reading and if you have a suggestion for an article or book we should read, or a stream we should catch, email us at info@tematicaresearch.com. The same email works if you want to know more about our thematic and targeted exposure models listed below.