ScottjHoward 🍁/acc

The ethics of #AI need to leverage #web3 technology. I the users of #AI are denied or avoid ownership, governance, and transparency over the data, models, alignment, and objectives of the AI they leverage it is a path to Black Mirror realities buff.ly/3pOeFnW (video)

Jeeeesus McDavid that was gross 🤢

To any young kid reading this… I’ve doubted myself in every league I’ve ever played in. Ryman Prem. Conference South. League Two. League One. Championship… And even right before my first Premier League start last night. That’s not weakness. That’s being human. That’s being alive. When I was growing up, I thought Premier League players were superhuman. Like they never felt doubt. Like they never felt nerves. The truth is…. it’s often the opposite. Social media won’t tell you that sometimes you step out there with no confidence. That’s normal. That’s ok! You now have to then step out there with courage. Confidence feels good. Courage doesn’t. But you do it anyway. Show courage enough times…. You build confidence. Here’s the mindset that’s carried me for 31 years. When it goes well: I worked for it. I earned it. Well done. Watch it back. Get better. When it doesn’t: I know I prepared the best I could. It didn’t go exactly to plan. That’s football. But Well done. Watch it back. Get better. That simple recipe gave me a special moment last night. Leading the team out. Playing alongside a group that fights for every ball. Celebrates tackles. Gives everything for the city of Sunderland. And sharing it with supporters who never gave up, even after four tough seasons in League One. So if you’re a young player feeling doubt… Low confidence… Or like you don’t believe in yourself… You’re not alone. Every player feels it. Confidence isn’t something you’re given. It’s something you build. Bit by bit. Day by day. With courage. With work. With learning. Anything worth building takes time. But that’s what makes it so worthwhile! Thank you @SunderlandAFC ❤️🤍

🇨🇦 Sign the #StandWithCryptoCA petition for better stablecoin regulation: ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/P…

Matt Damon gave us some of the most emotional parenting advice we’ve ever got on this show

Might be the most explicit investment/bet on the founder play ever offered. Full credit to Pomp, his current shareholders & team. I've been tracking since '17 h/t. "I Just Made A Historic Decision at ProCap Financial (Ticker: BRR)", by @APompliano open.substack.com/pub/pomp/p/i-j…

@garyvee looks like I need to swap my Courteous Coyote for a Tenacious Terminte quiz.veefriends.com/?id=f8361542-d… @veefriends

If you're living through a great decline, how should you personally live and act in the midst of it? This is the question at the heart of The Lord of the Rings, and it's best answered by the scene that follows the death of Boromir. After Boromir gives his life to save the Hobbits from Saruman's Orcs, the Fellowship lies in tatters. With time against them, Merry and Pippin being swept away by the enemy, and Frodo passing out of their control, Aragorn and company make a decision that seems strange. They pause to mourn Boromir's passing with a proper ritual. To many readers, this feels entirely reckless. Their "best" course of action is surely to prioritize what is most urgent: that the fate of their quest hangs in the balance. We recognize that, in any "normal" context, it would be wrong to let Boromir's body lie out in the open, but the nature of their mission surely doesn’t allow for the luxury of a funeral — right? But the fact that abandoning Boromir's body is wrong in normal times is precisely why it is wrong even now. At the heart of LOTR is the idea that moral decisions lie beyond their immediate context — some things just are wrong and others right, and once context becomes an arbiter of that distinction, you've lost your grip on what it means to be good. Aragorn's next statement helps us understand this further: "I would have guided Frodo to Mordor and gone with him to the end; but if I seek him now in the wilderness, I must abandon the captives to torment and death. My heart speaks clearly at last: the fate of the Bearer is in my hands no longer." Aragorn makes yet another decision to halt progress on the greater mission in favor of that which speaks directly to his heart: he will pursue Merry and Pippin, rather than sacrifice them for the "more important" quest. Tolkien's heroes recognize that they are not in control of everything. They cannot force the Ring to be unmade through their own will to power, and they're aware that their universe (and the fate of the Ring) is guided by forces beyond their own and of their enemies. All they do is done in that humility, and they are bound by moral laws beyond themselves. Middle-earth is guided not just by the opposing wills of Good and Evil but by another, providential force beyond the material. Gandalf knows this when he warns against the pragmatic decision of slaying Gollum: "I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end." Remember, Tolkien's universe is marred by a long, drawn-out decline, the fall of civilizations, and a profound sense that the beauty of the past (and of Creation) is destined to decay. And yet, this is no cause for despair for the heroes living through it. The Lord of the Rings is a "eucatastrophic" story, to borrow Tolkien's phrase. The quest to destroy the Ring, the outnumbered Battle of the Black Gate, or the notion that a small hobbit could contend with Sauron's might are hopeless endeavors. But a great reversal, a turn in fortune when all seems lost, is always just around the corner. It is precisely because Tolkien's heroes believe in objective good that they can trust that "eucatastrophe" is coming. To believe in the objective good is to live in accordance with destiny, and to act on what is immediately and obviously right at all times — and to die for it if necessary. Throughout Tolkien's epic, again and again we see this kind of "Norse courage," a reckless bravery that stands firm to its principles in the face of all odds. To live in submission to divine providence is to recognize that the right actions also lie in the little things, and that you yourself play only a small part in the grand story. A good world is brought into being by small acts of courage and kindness, even when they seem superfluous in the wider context of your quest.

Two kids knocked on my door offering to rake my entire yard for $10 total—and what I did next changed how they'll see hard work forever. It was a Saturday afternoon when I heard the doorbell. Two boys, probably around 11 or 12, stood on my porch holding rakes that looked almost too big for them. The taller one cleared his throat nervously: "Excuse me, sir. Would you like us to rake your yard? We'll do the whole thing for ten dollars." I looked past them at my lawn. Leaves everywhere. It was going to be at least two hours of work, maybe three. "Ten dollars each?" I asked. They glanced at each other. The shorter one shook his head. "No sir. Ten dollars total. We'll split it." Five dollars each. For hours of hard labor. I could have said yes. I could have gotten my entire yard raked for pocket change and called it a teaching moment about negotiation. But something about the way they stood there—hopeful, polite, willing to work—reminded me of myself at that age. Hustling. Trying. Just wanting a chance. "Alright," I said. "You've got a deal. Get started." For the next two and a half hours, I watched those kids work. They didn't cut corners. They didn't complain. They raked every section, bagged the leaves, and even swept off my driveway without being asked. When they finally knocked to let me know they were done, they were sweating, exhausted, and smiling. I walked out with my wallet. "You boys did incredible work," I said, handing them four twenty-dollar bills. "Here's your payment." The taller one's eyes went wide. "Sir, we said ten—" "I know what you said. But I also know what two hours of quality work is worth. You earned every dollar of this." They stared at the money like they couldn't believe it was real. Then the shorter one looked up at me and said quietly, "Thank you. Really. Thank you." As they walked away, I heard them talking excitedly about what they'd spend it on. And I realized something: we talk a lot about teaching kids the value of hard work, but we don't always show them that hard work actually gets valued. Those boys didn't ask for a handout. They offered a service. They showed up. They delivered. And in a world that sometimes feels like it punishes effort and rewards shortcuts, I wanted them to walk away knowing that good work doesn't go unnoticed. If you work hard, if you show up with integrity, if you give your best even when nobody's watching—good people will see it. And they'll bless you for it. That's not just a lesson for kids. That's a lesson for all of us.

A Warning from History. A year after WW1 ended, A French Pilot, Jacques Trolley de Prévaux, flew an Airship from the Belgian coast to the devastated battlefields of France where millions died. Lost for decades this is part of what he saw remastered in color and HD.

Focus and Opportunity Transforming $1B software companies is now a bigger opportunity than ever. AI gives them more to sell: Agentic solutions and better customer engagement. That’s the new tailwind.

I wrote about Edm's goaltending situation because I've been told there's been a shift. A recommended read if any of my work was one.

@OilersNow @frank_seravalli Feels fair all round, Connor, Oilers, PA, league to pitch $80m over 4 years with $40m as deferred bonus. Full market value of the player, Connor essentially buys $6m per year of teammate(s), good use of loophole for league (best player more chance to win).

"If Connor McDavid wants to sign a deal that... gives the Oilers a chance to win by lessening his AAV and also puts max dollars in his pocket, this is the way to do it." @frank_seravalli on the pressure of getting a contract extension done for McDavid by the start of regular season. 📺: youtu.be/JVXPmtMI5I4 Powered by @LegacyHCYeg ⬇️

@JackCarrUSA Ground Branch, say more…

What did you think of DARK WOLF? Do you want a second season?

Awesome example of great product, leadership, and execution creating a great business. 🫡🖖 Founders…👇and 👂 🤓

Not enough Canadians are talking about this. The Canadian women are on an incredible run. They’ve outscored opponents 227-50 in the tournament. They just defeated the defending world champions. And they’ll play in the final next Saturday.

@seanjagermann @ycombinator @speedrun If it takes more than three meetings to write a pre-seed check you’re definitely doing it wrong. Canadians will take three meetings just to figure out who is selling what. Hint; founder sell equity, VC sell money. If terms of money complex, hello America. Founder no sell ✌🏻.

I work in VC in Canada. Canadian VCs are going to get beat at their own game, on their own turf (!!!!), if something does not change here. Serious wakeup call. Canadian "braindrain" will 100x as founders now realize that @ycombinator & @speedrun, amongst other US VCs, are spending more time in Canada and want to invest in Canadian founders. It will become the de facto Pre-Seed route if there’s no change. 4-6 month processes with institutionals? At Pre-Seed!?!? Forget it. It's insane. Somehow it’s the norm. No wonder the industry is in limbo. I adore what YC/Speedrun are doing. Canadian VCs may get crushed though. - If you are a Canadian founder, reach out. I will try and help. However I can. (these are my thoughts, and my thoughts only)

The Stablecoin Storm: Why Canada Can’t Afford to Snooze The GENIUS Act attempts to make U.S. dollar–backed stablecoins dominate the global financial system. For Canada, the implications could be profound. We’ve delayed too long. If we snooze, we lose.

how much would canadian productivity increase if Canadians valued a culture of “say the thing”? i think most aren’t aware how our indirectness and focus on offending no-one aggregates over time into slower moving companies, healthcare & government . i wasn’t really aware myself until i interviewed a number of swedish, german, dutch, american and other founders about their experiences working with canadians. they said “canadians are too nice. we leave meetings and don’t know where people stand. it takes multiple attempts to get clarity. when we have a 30 minute meeting why do we waste half on pleasantries?!” this doesn’t mean be a jerk. it means be direct, but not personal. say what you actually think the issue is. actually give feedback. clarity IS kindness. it makes everything move so much faster.

@MacroMate8 Prime reason why stablecoins much less defi haven’t crossed the chasm. Lack of Talent, lack of projects actually investing in real BD, and having BD objectives that generate tangible value. Developing vibes/hype is not developing a business, part of it, but not the thing.

spoke to a friend hiring a BD for a top defi project the pool of eligible candidates was only 120 people only 15 made it to round 2 ended up hiring no one for a trillion dollar industry there is a HUGE gap for high quality BD people. you can get paid literally millions

@PolymathNetwork Most interesting vector would be SMB to mid market banking. Smbs are ‘stuck’ with traditional banking for the most part and the banks get away with underserving them. Combo of stablecoin custody+rails and tokenized securties changes cash cycle and underwriting constraints.

If secondary markets for tokenized securities were fully liquid tomorrow, what industries would change first?