Alessandra’s Reflections, Easter 2020

1) Podcasts

💥 Self-terminating Civilization (A New and Ancient Story)

I’ve known Daniel Schmachtenberger for a couple of years, he’s been a very welcome influence in the way I think about systems and networks. In this episode, he talks about the classic AI “paperclip maximizer” problem from a whole new perspective… and highly relevant to these times.

🔬 The Biotech Boom, Crypto Inflection, and why Impact Investing is Here to Stay (OPTO Trading Intelligence)

In this interview for CMC Markets’ new podcast series, I talk about investing in biotech, medtech, crypto, gold and obviously impact investing. We’re entering a new phase of inflation & of consumption adjustments that will reshape society. Let’s be aware that there is no “business as usual” to expect from the markets.

2) Mindfulness tricks

Smash the patriarchy. Disrupt capitalism. Take care of the sick. Protect the forests. Teach the children. The list goes on...

Ask yourself: which one of these zones am I acting from today? More than ever, the world needs you to operate out of the "action zone".

I've turned this into a simple daily meditation. Whenever needed, take a quiet 5-minute break between your tasks. Start by calming your breath for about half a minute. Then, ask yourself:

"What zone am I currently operating from? If I'm not operating from the action zone, what is on the way and how can I find a solution to that?"

Thanks to our TTIer Christopher for sharing this kickass graphic.

3) Sustainability, Evolution and C-19

🌱 Addressing Climate Change in a Post Pandemic World (McKinsey & Company)

This quarterly report looks into the lessons from C-19 that can help us address climate change. In the recovery that's ahead, we need to make greater economic and environmental resiliency core to our planning.

🗽 Coronavirus Spells the End of the Neoliberal Era. What’s Next? (Patterns of Meaning)

This article addresses the "utopia vs dystopia" dilemma that I brought up in our last newsletter. It takes a historic view to help us discern where we're at. Currently, our civilization runs at 40% above its sustainable capacity. A revolution in values is our biggest leverage.

👑 The Coronation (Charles Eisenstein)

"After so many have lost their jobs, we might ask whether all of them are the jobs the world most needs, and whether our labor and creativity would be better applied elsewhere."

🏭 New Research Links Air Pollution to Higher Coronavirus Death Rates (The New York Times)

We had a good discussion on the TTI WhatsApp group about this. Here is the Harvard study which found that an increase of only 1 μg/m3 in PM2.5 is associated with a 15% increase in the COVID-19 death rate (already adjusted for population density and age, among other factors).

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