R World (Ron Davison muses aloud)
23 October 2026
Fifty Years of Making the World More Editable
Apple and Genentech were both founded in 1976, fifty years ago.
One helped transform the seemingly specialized technology of computing into something ordinary people could use. The other helped establish an industry built on a remarkable proposition: that genetic information could be manipulated, allowing us to engineer living organisms to produce things nature had never produced in quite that way.
Both companies helped change our understanding of what was normal—and what was possible.
And both emerged from a distinctive culture in California's Bay Area, a place unusually receptive to the idea that the world is more editable, more malleable, than previous generations imagined.
The deeper connection between computing and genetics is information.
Software code determines what computers do. Genetic information helps determine what living organisms become and how they function. In both cases, changing information can change the behavior of extraordinarily complex systems.
And that suggests something profound: the possibilities available to us depend not merely on the resources we possess, but on how those resources are organized.
Information is central to that organization. Change the information, and we can change what is possible.
Fifty years after Apple and Genentech were founded, AI is extending that insight into another domain: our ability to organize knowledge, work, and institutions.
Perhaps the most consequential discovery of the Information Economy was not simply that we could process information.
It was that more of the world than we had imagined could be rewritten.
One helped transform the seemingly specialized technology of computing into something ordinary people could use. The other helped establish an industry built on a remarkable proposition: that genetic information could be manipulated, allowing us to engineer living organisms to produce things nature had never produced in quite that way.
Both companies helped change our understanding of what was normal—and what was possible.
And both emerged from a distinctive culture in California's Bay Area, a place unusually receptive to the idea that the world is more editable, more malleable, than previous generations imagined.
The deeper connection between computing and genetics is information.
Software code determines what computers do. Genetic information helps determine what living organisms become and how they function. In both cases, changing information can change the behavior of extraordinarily complex systems.
And that suggests something profound: the possibilities available to us depend not merely on the resources we possess, but on how those resources are organized.
Information is central to that organization. Change the information, and we can change what is possible.
Fifty years after Apple and Genentech were founded, AI is extending that insight into another domain: our ability to organize knowledge, work, and institutions.
Perhaps the most consequential discovery of the Information Economy was not simply that we could process information.
It was that more of the world than we had imagined could be rewritten.
Institutions as Tools
A central message of my books The Fourth Economy and New Politics for the Next Economy is a transformation too rarely discussed: the shift from institutions using individuals as tools to individuals using institutions as tools.
Machinery shifted the limit on the value we could create through work from our physical abilities to our cognitive abilities. AI promises another shift—from the limits of our intelligence to the limits of our entrepreneurship.
Increasingly, our success will depend less on what we can do ourselves than on what we can imagine and bring into being: our ability to orchestrate capital, people, technology, and materials into initiatives that excite investors, attract customers, and create products, services, and experiences that enrich lives.
In this economy, realizing one's own potential becomes increasingly entangled with helping others to realize theirs.
And here is a curious paradox: as individuals become more entrepreneurial, they become more dependent on the quality of their relationships.
Entrepreneurial success requires creating value simultaneously for customers and investors, employees and suppliers. It requires imagining possibilities that others find worth pursuing or at least supporting, building institutions that people want to participate in, and coordinating contributions that no individual could make alone.
Far from celebrating the self-sufficient individual, entrepreneurship reveals just how interdependent we are. The paradox of the Entrepreneurial Economy is that the more capable we become as individuals, the more our success depends on what we can accomplish together.
Ultimately, it is this entanglement—the quality of our relationships and our capacity to create value together—that makes a neighborhood, community, society, or nation rich, vibrant, and successful.
Machinery shifted the limit on the value we could create through work from our physical abilities to our cognitive abilities. AI promises another shift—from the limits of our intelligence to the limits of our entrepreneurship.
Increasingly, our success will depend less on what we can do ourselves than on what we can imagine and bring into being: our ability to orchestrate capital, people, technology, and materials into initiatives that excite investors, attract customers, and create products, services, and experiences that enrich lives.
In this economy, realizing one's own potential becomes increasingly entangled with helping others to realize theirs.
And here is a curious paradox: as individuals become more entrepreneurial, they become more dependent on the quality of their relationships.
Entrepreneurial success requires creating value simultaneously for customers and investors, employees and suppliers. It requires imagining possibilities that others find worth pursuing or at least supporting, building institutions that people want to participate in, and coordinating contributions that no individual could make alone.
Far from celebrating the self-sufficient individual, entrepreneurship reveals just how interdependent we are. The paradox of the Entrepreneurial Economy is that the more capable we become as individuals, the more our success depends on what we can accomplish together.
Ultimately, it is this entanglement—the quality of our relationships and our capacity to create value together—that makes a neighborhood, community, society, or nation rich, vibrant, and successful.
22 October 2026
Sam Spade in Trouble
"I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble," Sam Spade said in the Maltese Falcon.
Which seems, on the face of it, fairly reasonable.
Trump Ocean - the man is drowning in hubris
This month, Donald Trump proposed renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to either "Trump Ocean" or the "Ocean of the Americas" (and also mentioned the "American Ocean"), and he stated that he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to update Google Maps with the new name.
And a third of the country still thinks he's great.
And a third of the country still thinks he's great.
Rapid Growth of AI
Anthropic went from roughly $1 billion to $65 billion in run rate in about 18 months. ChatGPT was the fastest-adopted consumer product on record, reaching an estimated 100 million users in about two months.
21 October 2026
Nvidia's DSX POD - Radical Acceleration In the Rate of Data Center Creation
Nvidia's Jensen Huang. I don't know any CEO who more consistently identifies and then breaks constraints. It is no coincidence that he's created the world's most valuable company.
This from Yahoo Finance
On October 21, 2026, at its GTC Berlin conference, NVIDIA unveiled DSX POD, a revolutionary modular reference design that packs a complete Vera Rubin AI factory into a structure the size of a standard shipping container. By shifting the complex assembly process to manufacturing facilities, this containerized solution slashes AI data center deployment times at a prepared site from six months to just 14 days.
Zelensky's Grandfather Fought Hitler
Four Jewish brothers went to war against Hitler. Three were killed. The fourth survived, and his grandson, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is the president of Ukraine, now fighting a war against Putin.
20 October 2026
The Divergent Paths of Two Donalds
Americans. We're a slow-witted people but not a no-witted people.
Putin's buddy continues to lose support. The good Donald (Duck)'s approval ratings continue to run at about 80%. The bad Donald (Schmuck)'s, less than half that, at 31%.
Putin's buddy continues to lose support. The good Donald (Duck)'s approval ratings continue to run at about 80%. The bad Donald (Schmuck)'s, less than half that, at 31%.
Yippie A-I
He pronounced it weirdly. Took a beat to realize what he was saying when he drawled, "Yippie A-I," his sarcastic commentary on how the West was won.
Alberta to Remain Canadian - and the perpetual clash of culture and politics
It looks like Alberta will remain part of Canada. The New York Times reports that, "With just over a third of votes counted, 76 percent of voters chose to remain part of Canada with 23 percent seeking another vote."
With family in British Columbia and business travel all over the US, I have come to believe that BC, Washington, Oregon and California likely have more in common than BC and Alberta or California and Texas. Cultural and political maps don't always align, though, and it is one of the biggest reasons politics can be so contentious.
19 October 2026
The AI Population is Already as Large as the Human Population - and rapidly growing
The population of AIs was effectively zero as recently as 2020. The number of AI have already grown to about the same population as humans but will rapidly increase from here.
16 October 2026
Two Signs that Voting Is Not for You
Trump: "We have 5 states where your child goes off to school as Tim and comes back as Tammy 3 or 4 days later. It's true. And teachers make a decision. 'Goodbye Timmy I love you so much, I'll see you later.' And you say, 'Where's my son? My son is in the hospital.' Can you imagine?"
If you are simple minded enough to believe this, maybe you should just let other Americans vote for you.
In the US, about 4,400 teens and children are killed by gunfire each year. About 35 are killed at school. Just yesterday, in Bend, Oregon, 3 more children were killed at school.
If you are cold hearted enough to think that this is acceptable, maybe you should leave the voting to other Americans.
In the US, about 4,400 teens and children are killed by gunfire each year. About 35 are killed at school. Just yesterday, in Bend, Oregon, 3 more children were killed at school.
If you are cold hearted enough to think that this is acceptable, maybe you should leave the voting to other Americans.
Data here:
https://everytownresearch.org/maps/gunfire-on-school-grounds/
https://everytownresearch.org/maps/gunfire-on-school-grounds/
A Wealth Tax Proposal
A possible wealth tax: for every one million dollars you spend in political contributions, your wealth tax rises another 1%. If you don't spend any money on political contributions, your wealth tax is 0. If you spend, say, $50 million, your wealth tax is 50%.
AI Could Determine Which Party Dominates for the Next Generation
Betting markets give Democrats nearly 2-to-1 odds of winning the presidency in 2028, and then serving from 2029 to 2033.
Between 2029 and 2033, AI is likely to transform the economy.
If AI brings widespread, unprecedented prosperity (some forecasters project GDP growth of 18% a year, nearly 10 times normal), it’s easy to imagine which ever party wins in 2028 dominating politics for a generation.
If AI brings mass job loss (some project unemployment in the teens), even greater extremes of wealth and poverty, and so much disruption that people feel they’re living on an alien planet, it’s easy to imagine voters punishing that party for a generation.
So whoever wins in 2028 is flipping a second coin: whether victory turns out to be a blessing or a curse. It’s a coin flip unlike any in our lifetimes.
Between 2029 and 2033, AI is likely to transform the economy.
If AI brings widespread, unprecedented prosperity (some forecasters project GDP growth of 18% a year, nearly 10 times normal), it’s easy to imagine which ever party wins in 2028 dominating politics for a generation.
If AI brings mass job loss (some project unemployment in the teens), even greater extremes of wealth and poverty, and so much disruption that people feel they’re living on an alien planet, it’s easy to imagine voters punishing that party for a generation.
So whoever wins in 2028 is flipping a second coin: whether victory turns out to be a blessing or a curse. It’s a coin flip unlike any in our lifetimes.
15 October 2026
Odd Pasta
A simple pronunciation error.
Trying to order pasta al dente, he had instead ordered pasta al Dante.
The lasagna had layers he wished he'd never descended into.
Trying to order pasta al dente, he had instead ordered pasta al Dante.
The lasagna had layers he wished he'd never descended into.
Putin's Puppet
October 19, 2016, in the third and final debate for the 2016 presidential election.
Donald Trump: "...[Putin] has no respect for her. He has no respect for our president. And I'll tell you what: We're in very serious trouble..."
Hillary Clinton: "Well, that's because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States."
Donald Trump: "No puppet. No puppet."
Hillary Clinton: "And it's pretty clear..."
Donald Trump: "You're the puppet!"
Hillary Clinton: "Well, that's because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States."
Donald Trump: "No puppet. No puppet."
Hillary Clinton: "And it's pretty clear..."
Donald Trump: "You're the puppet!"
14 October 2026
A Down Day for the World's Wealthiest
Today the 9 richest Americans all saw a dip in net worth, losing a total of $90 billion.
13 October 2026
The Evolution of the Trojan Horse
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” has given way to “Beware of geeks bearing GIFs”: shiny little offerings that lure us into the infinite scroll.
A Curious AI
It was a curious AI. Better able to get your attention than do anything constructive with it.
Directed to learn from reality, it had instead accidentally developed its worldview from reality TV.
It never really offered any useful insights, but it always made you feel as though it was just about to.
Right after these commercials.
Directed to learn from reality, it had instead accidentally developed its worldview from reality TV.
It never really offered any useful insights, but it always made you feel as though it was just about to.
Right after these commercials.
12 October 2026
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving (and the story of an economic paradigm shift that was catalyst for a move to California)
Mostly, I'm thankful for the Canadian who left her beautiful country to live with me. Thank you Sandi. Sandi is a classic Canadian. Her four grandparents came from four different European countries to meet and marry in Canada.
In the mid-1700s, my ancestors moved from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, which had just become a British colony. By the late 1800s, Hantsport, Nova Scotia had 32 sea captains with the last name of Davison and John Fox Davison was the Master Shipbuilder in Hantsport. In the last half of the 1800s, a "business trip" lasted a month or even years, depending on whether a ship was simply heading down the coast, across the Atlantic or around the world.
It was a monumental shift in technology that was catalyst for a Davison ancestor leaving Canada for California.
In September 1886, the maritime town of Hantsport, Nova Scotia, ground to a halt. Flags lined the Avon River, brass bands played, and crowds gathered at the foot of Prince Street to witness a historic triumph. Slipping into the waters of the Bay of Fundy was the barque Hamburg, designed and constructed under the management of its Master Shipbuilder, John Fox Davison. Registering at nearly 1,700 tons, the Hamburg was a leviathan—the largest three-masted wooden merchant vessel ever constructed in Canada.
The launch of the Hamburg represented the end of a four-hundred-year-old economic paradigm, though. John Fox had brought the ancient art of wooden shipbuilding to its mathematical and physical limits. Beyond a hull length of roughly 300 feet, organic timber naturally flexes and warps under its own weight; biology had hit a ceiling.
As the Hamburg slipped into the ocean, across the Atlantic, European yards were churning out massive vessels forged from industrial Bessemer steel and powered by coal-fired steam engines. These new steel-hulled ships did not care about wind patterns, could hold twice the cargo, and operated on strict, unyielding calendar schedules. The crossing of the "Sail-Steam Divide" was swift and merciless. A paradigm shift. Within a decade, the macroeconomic reality of steel made a lifetime of elite wooden craftsmanship obsolete. The great shipyard went quiet, and the fortunes anchored to them dissolved. John Fox Davison had built the ultimate monument to a world that history left behind.
John Fox's son Arthur was my great grandpa who left Nova Scotia for California, sailing around the tip of South America in 1881. After 25 years in Nova Scotia, he spent his next 72 in the California redwoods.
In the mid-1700s, my ancestors moved from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, which had just become a British colony. By the late 1800s, Hantsport, Nova Scotia had 32 sea captains with the last name of Davison and John Fox Davison was the Master Shipbuilder in Hantsport. In the last half of the 1800s, a "business trip" lasted a month or even years, depending on whether a ship was simply heading down the coast, across the Atlantic or around the world.
It was a monumental shift in technology that was catalyst for a Davison ancestor leaving Canada for California.
In September 1886, the maritime town of Hantsport, Nova Scotia, ground to a halt. Flags lined the Avon River, brass bands played, and crowds gathered at the foot of Prince Street to witness a historic triumph. Slipping into the waters of the Bay of Fundy was the barque Hamburg, designed and constructed under the management of its Master Shipbuilder, John Fox Davison. Registering at nearly 1,700 tons, the Hamburg was a leviathan—the largest three-masted wooden merchant vessel ever constructed in Canada.
The launch of the Hamburg represented the end of a four-hundred-year-old economic paradigm, though. John Fox had brought the ancient art of wooden shipbuilding to its mathematical and physical limits. Beyond a hull length of roughly 300 feet, organic timber naturally flexes and warps under its own weight; biology had hit a ceiling.
As the Hamburg slipped into the ocean, across the Atlantic, European yards were churning out massive vessels forged from industrial Bessemer steel and powered by coal-fired steam engines. These new steel-hulled ships did not care about wind patterns, could hold twice the cargo, and operated on strict, unyielding calendar schedules. The crossing of the "Sail-Steam Divide" was swift and merciless. A paradigm shift. Within a decade, the macroeconomic reality of steel made a lifetime of elite wooden craftsmanship obsolete. The great shipyard went quiet, and the fortunes anchored to them dissolved. John Fox Davison had built the ultimate monument to a world that history left behind.
John Fox's son Arthur was my great grandpa who left Nova Scotia for California, sailing around the tip of South America in 1881. After 25 years in Nova Scotia, he spent his next 72 in the California redwoods.
Drive
What was admirable: he had a lot of drive.
What was not admirable: he didn't really care who he ran over.
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