The Distraction Economy #video - "The development of technology has, over centuries, freed up more and more of our time making possible non-survival-related pursuits like art and science. Now it's gotten to a point where there is so much 'free time' that demand for distraction supports 24 hour news sites and YouTube channels. I'm proposing that following our impulses into constant distraction may not be the best way to spend our time. It may prey on weak points of our psychology that evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago and it may make us think less effectively. Now consider I'm making this argument in a YouTube video you may be using to waste your time. I know, how meta." How the Fed Steers Interest Rates to Guide the Entire Economy | WSJ #video - "The Federal Reserve's main tool for managing the economy is to change the federal funds rate, which can affect not only borrowing costs for consumers but also shape broader decisions by companies like how many people to hire. WSJ explains how the Fed manipulates this one rate to guide the entire economy." How The Stock Exchange Works (For Dummies) #video - "Everyday in the news we hear about the stock exchange, stocks and money moving around the globe. Still, a lot of people don't have an idea why we have stock markets at all, because the topic is usually very dry. We made a short video about the basics of the stock exchanges. With robots. Robots are kewl!" Million Dollar Shack: Trapped in Silicon Valley's Housing Bubble #video - "Our family has been priced out! Has the Bay Area gone crazy? Real estate prices have doubled in the last few years, a tent in the backyard can rent for $900/month, foreign investors are driving up prices, evictions and rent hikes are everywhere, people are commuting longer than ever, the middle class is disappearing, empty investment homes are everywhere, and locals are leaving in record numbers. The worst part? Some people are calling it "progress"." Where Dollars Die and Are Reborn #video - "Turns out, your old cash has a very green afterlife. When money gets too old and worn out for circulation, it gets sent back to the Federal Reserve to be shred and turned into … compost? Yep. Million-dollar compost. Money may not grow on trees, but trees can grow from money." Why Chicken Sandwiches Don't Cost $1500 #video - "Chances are if you make a chicken sandwich yourself it will cost less than $5, but Andy George's chicken sandwich cost $1,500 because he made everything from scratch. What causes this huge difference in cost between chicken sandwiches made from scratch and bought at the grocery store?" Worldometer - "Worldometer is run by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world. Worldometer is owned by Dadax, an independent company. We have no political, governmental, or corporate affiliation." Partnership, Purpose and Productivity | Sir Charlie Mayfield | RSA Replay #video - "The nature of work and employment is changing rapidly. In the face of an uncertain economic future, what steps do we need to take, and what new models do we need to build in order to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to engage in work that has meaning and value? ❡ Join us to explore the relationship between employee share ownership, business ethics and effectiveness with three leading figures: Stephen Bampfylde, founding chair, Saxton Bampfylde; Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman, John Lewis Partnership; and Sacha Romanovitch, CEO, Grant Thornton." What would happen if we upload our brains to computers? | Robin Hanson #video - "Meet the "ems" -- machines that emulate human brains and can think, feel and work just like the brains they're copied from. Economist and social scientist Robin Hanson describes a possible future when ems take over the global economy, running on superfast computers and copying themselves to multitask, leaving humans with only one choice: to retire, forever. Glimpse a strange future as Hanson describes what could happen if robots ruled the earth." The Power of Incentives - How Games Help Us Examine Our World - Extra Credits #video - "Games are uniquely suited as a medium to teach us about how our world works. By emulating incentive systems and allowing the player to explore and make their own mistakes, games can change people's minds - in some cases, better than a sermon or lecture on the subject could. As a medium, games can both comment on our society and help us recognize faulty systems all around us." Prize-linked savings account #article - Wikipedia. "Prize-linked savings is the concept of using the chance to win a prize to incentivize personal savings. A prize-linked savings account or PLSA (also called a lottery-linked deposit account) is a savings account where some of the interest payment on bank deposits or marketing dollars are distributed as prizes based on chance. They are attractive to consumers as they function both as a sweepstakes or game of chance (as there is a chance of a large prize) and as savings (the deposit is never lost, unlike normal lotteries) vehicle. PLSAs are similar to lottery bonds except they are offered by banks, credit unions, prepaid card companies, and FinTechs, and can be held for a period of time determined by the consumer. Sometimes the returns are in-kind prizes rather than cash." The Blockchain and Us (2017) #video - "In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto invented bitcoin and the blockchain. For the first time in history, his invention made it possible to send money around the globe without banks, governments or any other intermediaries. The concept of the blockchain isn’t very intuitive. But still, many people believe it is a game changer." How the blockchain is changing money and business | Don Tapscott #video - "What is the blockchain? If you don't know, you should; if you do, chances are you still need some clarification on how it actually works. Don Tapscott is here to help, demystifying this world-changing, trust-building technology which, he says, represents nothing less than the second generation of the internet and holds the potential to transform money, business, government and society." Can A City Run On 100% Renewable Energy? #video - "In 2014 Burlington, Vermont became the first city in the United States to run on 100% Renewable Energy. But how do they actually do it? What’s their secret?" Documentary : The renewable energy breakthrough! (finally). #video - "Finally after decades of research and development of renewable energy technologies, the price of electricity per Kw. (in 80% of the world) has become competitive with fossil fuel generated electricity. With no end in sight to the falling prices and wind power just slightly behind in production price, countries around the world are making the push to convert their energy production to renewables. Nowhere is this more evident than in China's aggressive push to modernize their entire energy production industry!" Oil and gas companies are facing major technological disruption #video - "Pressure to reduce carbon emissions is putting the future of fossil fuel giants in jeopardy. Their survival plans involve carbon storage and floating wind farms. Meanwhile, one small German village is showing how large companies aren't always essential." Can A City Run On 100% Renewable Energy? #video - "In 2014 Burlington, Vermont became the first city in the United States to run on 100% Renewable Energy. But how do they actually do it? What’s their secret?" Documentary : The renewable energy breakthrough! (finally). #video - "Finally after decades of research and development of renewable energy technologies, the price of electricity per Kw. (in 80% of the world) has become competitive with fossil fuel generated electricity. With no end in sight to the falling prices and wind power just slightly behind in production price, countries around the world are making the push to convert their energy production to renewables. Nowhere is this more evident than in China's aggressive push to modernize their entire energy production industry!" Oil and gas companies are facing major technological disruption #video - "Pressure to reduce carbon emissions is putting the future of fossil fuel giants in jeopardy. Their survival plans involve carbon storage and floating wind farms. Meanwhile, one small German village is showing how large companies aren't always essential." The future of the car industry | The Economist #video - "Ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Ola and Lyft are not only challenging taxi drivers around the world, they are also disrupting the car industry as a whole as people prefer to hail a ride than buy their own set of wheels." How we'll earn money in a future without jobs | Martin Ford #video - "Machines that can think, learn and adapt are coming -- and that could mean that we humans will end up with significant unemployment. What should we do about it? In a straightforward talk about a controversial idea, futurist Martin Ford makes the case for separating income from traditional work and instituting a universal basic income."