074: Billy, Kobe, Davos, Networks and Smart Cities

First the Podcast, we lovedADAM BUXTON INTERVIEWS BILLY CONNOLLY Adam Buxton, the other half of UK comedy duo Adam and Joe; talks with legendary Scottish comedian, actor, musician and artist Sir Billy Connolly. This in-depth exploration of Billy’s life and memories is both life-affirming, humorous and moving, as Connolly recounts the heartbreaking final conversation he had in person with the late, great Robin Williams before the latter’s death in 2014. Find some time for this one. In light of the tragic accident and loss of basketball legend Kobe Bryant along with his daughter Gianna and the other seven victims, we recommend listening to Cal Fussman's interview with Kobe from 2018. It’s a wonderful insight into the mind of this exceptional athlete and leader and it reinforces what a loss  https://www.calfussman.com/podcasts/2020/1/28/kobe-bryant-rememberedWe found this online YUVAL HARARI’S BLISTERING WARNING AT DAVOS In case you missed author and historian Yuval Noah Harari delivering a stark and blistering warning to the great and (not so) good at last week’s World Economic Forum at Davos you need to read or listen to his talk. He set out the immediacy of the three biggest existential threats to humanity this century, Nuclear Warfare, and Ecological Collapse and why Technology risks dividing the world into wealthy elites and exploited "data colonies” where digital dictatorships develop the ability to hack humans. You won’t read or watch a more explicit and dystopian vision of what could lie ahead. Recommended to usYOUR LIFE AND NETWORK EFFECTSWhat city you live in. Who you date or marry. Which job you choose. What clothes you wear.We all think we make these choices ourselves. It certainly feels like we’re in full control. But it turns out that our choices — both in our startups and in our lives — are more constrained than we think. The unseen hand in them all is the networks that surround us and the powerful math they exert on us. You’ll need some quiet time and focus for