Japan unveiled the world’s fastest supercomputer, 8.2 quadrillion calculations/second (8.2 Petaflops). Of course, with that much power, they’ll design reactors to withstand Tsunami’s instead of just building ’em on higher ground. Nikkei rallied 3.5%, hoping the new computer can solve the problems of 200% debt/GDP, deflation and swarms of ageing baby boomers soon to need diapers. The Reds suffer from Petaflop envy, th

We got nominated for an award. That stuff’s not really our thing. We’re superstitious – call it a trading injury. But I pulled the short straw amongst my partners and jetted to NY on the off chance we won. Caxton’s Bruce Kovner accepted the lifetime achievement award. He’s a legend. One losing year in 30, fantastic returns, made investors (and his boys) very wealthy. Bruce admitted there’s no secret to making m

Rarely does a brilliant inventor perfect his own idea. Greeks invented democracy, but of course we perfected it (just ask any American). Genghis Kahn invented Eurasian repression, Russians transformed into an industrial-sized work of art. Case in point, Khodorkovsky, once the richest oligarch, snuck a note from jail, warned Russia needs $200/barrel oil to make ends meet. Putin’s not the only corrupt dictator to need

Certain days you know you’ll always remember, so I sat dead center. Immersed in the vibe, the energy. Brilliant young scientists from all over the planet packed the room. Mike took the podium. He leads Stanford’s Materials Science & Engineering Department for Solar Energy – no better program in the world. His graduates will power our crowded, hungry planet. Room went silent, he spoke softly, “I’ll never have a st

Hope all goes well. Mom and Grandma been here all wk. Sharing family trees. Like most guys, I know so little about where I’m from, even less about where I’m headed. But enjoy exploring the former and considering the latter. I’m related to the Wright Brothers (lots of dopes too). Orville and Wilbur, brilliant inventors. Wilbur lived at Mom’s house till he died. But that was when Americans built more than they bought.

Oooops. Just slipped out. A squeaker. Naturally, that happens when you get a group of guys together in a room. Sure, most guys intend to – but when caught, they claim it was a mistake. Sometimes though, a fella just gets excited, loses control. This slip smelled distinctly like that latter variety. The Official blurted that Obama’s economic advisors visited the UK – a mission to understand Cameron’s auste

A peaceful transfer of power is Govt’s most noble moment. The higher a nation sets the bar for incumbents, the better. And frequent political revolutions are way better than infrequent ones. Of course, both kinds are going on now, each a cause for celebration. Coelho just ousted Socrates in Portugal. This followed recent revolutions in the UK, Ireland, Greece, and Belgium (still leaderless). Sarkozy seems sure to fal

Hope all goes well. Had lots of family visit this wk. Always fun to leverage up life’s mayhem. Someday it’ll all go dark and quiet. But my ears’ll be ringing like a tuning fork with the sounds of kids laughing, yelling, and crying. Heard some grown men crying this wk too. As they rushed for the safety of 2yr Notes at 0.40%. Overall: A peaceful transfer of power is Govt’s most noble moment. The higher a nation sets th

Who the hell drank the last Red Bull? Seriously. Just a few weeks ago the glass overfloweth, and in no time, the damn thing looks half full? Some growl it’s empty? But let’s be honest, that’s what makes this game so much fun. Moody’s put the US on watch for a downgrade, “Heightened polarization over the debt limit has increased the odds of a short-lived default.” Then they put Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Far

Teddy grabbed me, excited. He’s my 6yr old. Opened his special box. “Snakeskin,” he said, “it’s enormous.” I checked it out, 4ft strip of dusty old translucent industrial tape with a lattice pattern that closely resembled scales. Of course, I admired his newfound treasure, we imagined the viper’s size, fangs, strength, hiss, prey, den, poison-tipped tail barbs. Remember the cool stuff we discovered when we were kids?