Preston Pysh

Aerospace engineer & Investor. Globally ranked podcast host & former attack pilot. West Point & Hopkins Grad. Family first!

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Book Recommendations:

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@Shawn_OMalley_ Great book! (from X)

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 20 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;design your environment to make success easier;get back on track when you fall off course;...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@JoeConsorti 100%. Here's a great book people can read if they want to burn that idea into their DNA. https://t.co/JbPpPmtY3H (from X)

Before he passed away in December 2009, Jim Rohn had influenced more than 5 million people in all corners of the world. He was counted as a mentor by thousands including the likes of Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Harvey Mackay, Mark Victor Hansen and others. Jim was one of the most powerful and memorable listening experiences ever because he could take timeless, ageless principles and present them in such a simple way. Tony Robbins, who first met Jim Rohn when he was 19-years old, said Jim, "had a positive impact on me at a time in my life when I was first forming the philosophies that guide me today." That positive impact continues today with this special edition of Jim's My Philosophy for Successful Living. It's Jim at his best and includes teaching like: * The American Economic Ladder and Girl Scout Cookies * The Philosophy of Performance and Productivity * Measuring Success in Your Financial House * Six Steps for Leading an Extraordinary Life * And lots more! “I truly believe Jim Rohn is an extraordinary human being whose philosophy can enhance the quality of life for anyone.” —Anthony Robbins “Few men are endowed with Jim Rohn’s ability to motivate and effect changes in other human beings.” —Tom Hopkins “Jim Rohn . . . is one of the most profound thinkers and mind expanding individuals I’ve ever had a chance to listen to.” —Les Brown “Jim Rohn is a master motivator—he has style, substance, charisma, relevance, charm, and what he says makes a difference . . . The world would be a better place if everyone heard my friend Jim Rohn.” —Mark Victor Hansen ---->> Includes a special offer for a FREE Jim Rohn audio. <

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Recommended by Preston Pysh

@jeremycady @gladstein Great book! (from X)

Alex Gladstein has a lot to say about Bitcoin, human rights, financial privilege, and personal freedom. In Check Your Financial Privilege, he says it, starting with the fact that anyone born into a reserve currency like the euro, yen, or pound has financial privilege over the 89% of the world population born into weaker systems. In Nigeria, human rights activists depend on Bitcoin for donations after crackdowns by authoritarian regimes. In Cuba, after a dual-currency system devalued the peso, those who saved in Bitcoin managed to stay afloat. In El Salvador, where remittance fees and exchange rates can eat away a simple money transfer to family members in need, Bitcoin offers hope with lower fees and faster transactions (and now it's legal tender). As CSO of the Human Rights Foundation, Gladstein is uniquely positioned to detail the rise of Bitcoin from cypherpunk dream to the real-life Bitcoin stories happening to real people across the globe. For people around the world, outside of Wall Street, Bitcoin offers a means of freedom from inflation, political strife, and an outdated monetary system. For these people, the majority of the world’s population, it might even save their lives. Proceeds from the sale of this book support the Human Rights Foundation. "In Zimbabwe our biggest note became an astonishing but useless one hundred trillion dollar note. We lost everything because a brutal and corrupt government took it all. Alex Gladstein reveals what Bitcoin can and is doing for people who are at the mercy of political looting gangs in designer suits backed by the military. He shows how Bitcoin is a genuine chance at freedom for billions of people trapped in financial oppression."— --Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean Pastor and Pro-Democracy Advocate “Alex has done a fantastic job reporting on the use of Bitcoin by people throughout the developing world as a tool against both authoritarianism and high inflation. This aspect of Bitcoin remains poorly understood in general, which is what makes his detailed work on the topic so useful.” --Lyn Alden, Founder, Lyn Alden Investment Strategy “’Cash Rules Everything Around Me.’ This incredible Wu-Tang hook references everything Alex explores in these chapters on the control exerted by governments and corporations through monetary policy, and how the Bitcoin protocol will help free us all. --Jack Dorsey, Co-founder and former CEO, Twitter; Founder and CEO, Block, Inc. “Alex is one of the few experts who truly understands what Bitcoin can mean for the billions living under dictatorship -- but also, how the current system creates & sustains inequality, authoritarianism, and imperialism. This collection of essays is a must-read for those invested in anti-authoritarian, progressive, and democratic causes." --Iyad el-Baghdadi, Arab Spring activist and President, Kawaakibi Foundation "This book is the first of its kind thanks to a holistic approach, guiding the reader through multiple layers of finance, economics, politics, and history in a beautiful way with clarity and fluidity. Gladstein shows how this novel money is defying traditional wealth-building methods by working with humanity rather than against it." --Farida Nabourema, Togolese writer, human rights defender, and Pan-Africanist Proceeds from the sale of this book support the Human Rights Foundation. Alex Gladstein is a regular contributor to Bitcoin Magazine. Read more of his insights and analysis at www.bitcoinmagazine.com.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

Currently reading the book, Life Force. It’s crazy to hear about some of the stuff that’s currently happening with stem cells, etc. Congrats on a great curation of leading experts in the field @PeterDiamandis &amp; @TonyRobbins - I’m really enjoying it! (from X)

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force—the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help maximize your energy and strength, prevent disease, and extend your health span—from Tony Robbins, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Money: Master the Game. What if there were scientific solutions that could wipe out your deepest fears of falling ill, receiving a life-threatening diagnosis, or feeling the effects of aging? What if you had access to the same cutting-edge tools and technology used by peak performers and the world’s greatest athletes? In a world full of fear and uncertainty about our health, it can be difficult to know where to turn for actionable advice you can trust. Today, leading scientists and doctors in the field of regenerative medicine are developing diagnostic tools and safe and effective therapies that can free you from fear. In this book, Tony Robbins, the world’s #1 life and business strategist who has coached more than fifty million people, brings you more than 100 of the world’s top medical minds and the latest research, inspiring comeback stories, and amazing advancements in precision medicine that you can apply today to help extend the length and quality of your life. This book is the result of Robbins going on his own life-changing journey. After being told that his health challenges were irreversible, he experienced firsthand how new regenerative technology not only helped him heal but made him stronger than ever before. Life Force will show you how you can wake up every day with increased energy, a more bulletproof immune system, and the know-how to help turn back your biological clock. This is a book for everyone, from peak performance athletes, to the average person who wants to increase their energy and strength, to those looking for healing. Life Force provides answers that can transform and even save your life, or that of someone you love.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@natbrunell Big Debt Crisis This Time Is Different The Death of Money Any book on equity IRRs Any book on valuing bonds The Changing World Order Richard Koo books are interesting but incomplete in his analysis (IMHO) I suspect you're good on the BTC books :-) (from X)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD “A provocative read...There are few tomes that coherently map such broad economic histories as well as Mr. Dalio’s. Perhaps more unusually, Mr. Dalio has managed to identify metrics from that history that can be applied to understand today.” —Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times From legendary investor Ray Dalio, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Principles, who has spent half a century studying global economies and markets, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order examines history’s most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we’ve experienced in our lifetimes—and to offer practical advice on how to navigate them well. A few years ago, Ray Dalio noticed a confluence of political and economic conditions he hadn’t encountered before. They included huge debts and zero or near-zero interest rates that led to massive printing of money in the world’s three major reserve currencies; big political and social conflicts within countries, especially the US, due to the largest wealth, political, and values disparities in more than 100 years; and the rising of a world power (China) to challenge the existing world power (US) and the existing world order. The last time that this confluence occurred was between 1930 and 1945. This realization sent Dalio on a search for the repeating patterns and cause/effect relationships underlying all major changes in wealth and power over the last 500 years. In this remarkable and timely addition to his Principles series, Dalio brings readers along for his study of the major empires—including the Dutch, the British, and the American—putting into perspective the “Big Cycle” that has driven the successes and failures of all the world’s major countries throughout history. He reveals the timeless and universal forces behind these shifts and uses them to look into the future, offering practical principles for positioning oneself for what’s ahead.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@PrinceySOV @parman_the_2 @saylor 🤣! I love how @navarrotells used the word "Virile" in the book. One of my favorite reads, BTW. (from X)

Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. You will discover: The ancient survival instincts that drive body languageWhy the face is the least likely place to gauge a person's true feelingsWhat thumbs, feet, and eyelids reveal about moods and motivesThe most powerful behaviors that reveal our confidence and true sentiments Simple nonverbals that instantly establish trustSimple nonverbals that instantly communicate authority Filled with examples from Navarro's professional experience, this definitive book offers a powerful new way to navigate your world... He says that's his best offer. Is it? She says she agrees. Does she? The interview went great—or did it? He said he'd never do it again. But he did.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

A #Bitcoin full node and intending on opening channels - if that doesn’t apply to you, then this book probably isn’t going to be useful for you. #5: Characteristics of Games - This is an outstanding textbook on game design and game theory in general. Enjoy and happy reading! (from X)

Characteristics of Games book cover

by George Skaff Elias, Richard Garfield, K. Robert Gutschera, Peter Whitley, Eric Zimmerman·You?

Understanding games—whether computer games, card games, board games, or sports—by analyzing certain common traits.Characteristics of Games offers a new way to understand games: by focusing on certain traits—including number of players, rules, degrees of luck and skill needed, and reward/effort ratio—and using these characteristics as basic points of comparison and analysis. These issues are often discussed by game players and designers but seldom written about in any formal way. This book fills that gap. By emphasizing these player-centric basic concepts, the book provides a framework for game analysis from the viewpoint of a game designer. The book shows what all genres of games—board games, card games, computer games, and sports—have to teach each other. Today's game designers may find solutions to design problems when they look at classic games that have evolved over years of playing. Characteristics of Games—written by three of the most prominent game designers working today—will serve as an essential reference for game designers and game players curious about the inner workings of games. It includes exercises (which can also serve as the basis for discussions) and examples chosen from a wide variety of games. There are occasional mathematical digressions, but these can be skipped with no loss of continuity. Appendixes offer supplementary material, including a brief survey of the two main branches of mathematical game theory and a descriptive listing of each game referred to in the text.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

Works and where it’s going next. #2: The Fiat Standard by Saifedean Ammous - This book does an amazing job illustrating the existing financial system in Bitcoin terms - which for me was a really interesting and informative way to present ideas… #3: …. (from X)

In The Fiat Standard, world-renowned economist Saifedean Ammous applies his unique analytical lens to the fiat monetary system, explaining it as a feat of engineering and technology just as he did for bitcoin in his global bestseller The Bitcoin Standard. This time, Ammous delves into the world's earlier shift from the gold standard to today's system of government-backed fiat money—outlining the fiat standard's purposes and failures; deriving the wider economic, political, and social implications of its use; and examining how bitcoin will affect it over time. With penetrating insight, Ammous analyzes global political currencies by analogy to bitcoin: how they're "mined" whenever government-guaranteed entities create loans, their lack of inherent restraints on inflation, and the rampant government intervention that has resulted in heavy, devastating, and persistent distortions to global markets for food, fuel, science, and education. Through these comparisons, Ammous demonstrates that bitcoin could be our next step forward—providing high salability across space, just like the fiat system, but without the unchecked fiat-denominated debt. Rather than a messy hyperinflationary collapse, the rise of bitcoin could look like a debt jubilee and an orderly upgrade to the world's monetary operating system, revolutionizing global capital and energy markets.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@RolandDPT @Breedlove22 Yes, I’ve read it. Very fascinating book. (from X)

An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed—people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these marvelous stories to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and education, Dr. Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@DrJackKruse Thanks for sharing your comment. I'm not sure if you're a Shannon fan, but I read a really good book called, A Mind At Plan. The author, @jimmyasoni, did a great job with it. (from X)

Winner of the Neumann Prize for the History of Mathematics **Named a best book of the year by Bloomberg and Nature** **'Best of 2017' by The Morning Sun** "We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman’s book takes a big first step in paying that debt." —San Francisco Review of Books "Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole." —Financial Times "Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself." —The Wall Street Journal "Soni and Goodman have done their research...A Mind at Play reveals the remarkable human behind some of the most important theoretical and practical contributions to the information age." —Nature "A Mind at Play shows us that you don't need to be a genius to learn from a genius. Claude Shannon's inventive, vibrant life demonstrates how vital the act of play can be to making the most of work." —Inc. “A charming account of one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished scientists…Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci.” —Fortune In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon—one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called “the Magna Carta of the Information Age.” In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon’s full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon’s family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

This is an incredible book (a must read). Now it's available in audible. You know what to do. https://t.co/AIfzJI0k6r (from X)

In this fascinating deep dive into the evolution of monetary systems around the globe, Nik Bhatia takes us into the origins of how money has evolved to function in a "layered" manner. Using gold as an example of this term, he traces the layers of this ancient currency from raw mined material, to gold coins, and finally to bank-issued gold certificates. In a groundbreaking manner, Bhatia offers a similar paradigm for the evolution of digital currencies. Bhatia's analysis begins in Renaissance Florence with the gold Florin coin and a burgeoning banking culture, continues with the evolution of central banking, and concludes with a vision for the future of our international monetary system. As central banks around the world prepare to launch their own crypto-competitors, Bhatia illustrates how the invention of Bitcoin created a seismic shift in money and merged the monetary and cryptography sciences. His unique analysis of "layered money" illuminates money markets for the general reader and shows how Bitcoin is becoming a trusted global currency. Readers will come away with an understanding of the mechanics of our financial system, why the dollar is deeply entrenched despite its state of disrepair, and how Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and cryptocurrencies will interact in our new monetary future.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@Dela472 Checkout "The Book of Satoshi". That's one that many people don't talk about and I think it's a great curation. (from X)

Have you, like the rest of the world, speculated as to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, anonymous creator of Bitcoin? The world's first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin went online in 2009 and has since revolutionized our concepts of currency and money. Not supported by any government or central bank, completely electronic, Bitcoin is a virtual currency based on advanced cryptographic systems. Like the currency he created, the identity of Bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto is virtual, existing only online. The Nakamoto persona, which may represent an individual or a group, exists only in the online publications that introduced and explained Bitcoin during its earliest days. Here, collected and professionally published for the first time are the essential writings that detail Bitcoin's creation. Included are - Satoshi Nakamoto Emails and Posts on Computer Forums Presented in Chronological Order - Bitcoin Fundamentals Presented in Layman's Terms - Bitcoin's Potential and Profound Economic Implications - The Seminal Paper Which Started It All The Book of Satoshi provides a convenient way to parse through what Bitcoin's creator wrote over the span of the two years that constituted his "public life" before he disappeared from the Internet . . . at least under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Beginning on November 1st 2009 with the publication of the seminal paper describing Bitcoin, this public life ends at about the time PC World speculated as to a possible link between Bitcoin and WikiLeaks, the infamous website that publishes leaked classified materials. Was there a connection? You be the judge. Nakamoto's true identity may never be known. Therefore the writings reproduced here are probably all the world will ever hear from him concerning Bitcoin's creation, workings, and theoretical basis. Want to learn more about Bitcoin? Go directly to the source-the writings of the creator himself, Satoshi Nakamoto!

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@shiva_yb @JeffBooth @RaoulGMI @real_vijay @Breedlove22 @LynAldenContact @saifedean @100trillionUSD Great book! And thank you. (from X)

The Gospel of Wealth book cover

by Andrew Carnegie·You?

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a Scottish immigrant to the United States. He arrived as a poor child, but--as the epitome of the "rags to riches" story, built himself into one of the richest men in the world. As a young man, who worked as a telegraph operator, and used his wits and business acumen to parlay his job into greater investments during and after the Civil War. Those investments in railroads, bridges, oil derricks, and more made him very wealthy by the 1880s. Then he brought t

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Recommended by Preston Pysh

@1e9petrichor @profgalloway I’d love to have Scott. I’ve read his book. (from X)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are the four most influential companies on the planet. Just about everyone thinks they know how they got there. Just about everyone is wrong. For all that’s been written about the Four over the last two decades, no one has captured their power and staggering success as insightfully as Scott Galloway. Instead of buying the myths these compa­nies broadcast, Galloway asks fundamental questions. How did the Four infiltrate our lives so completely that they’re almost impossible to avoid (or boycott)? Why does the stock market forgive them for sins that would destroy other firms? And as they race to become the world’s first trillion-dollar company, can anyone chal­lenge them? In the same irreverent style that has made him one of the world’s most celebrated business professors, Galloway deconstructs the strategies of the Four that lurk beneath their shiny veneers. He shows how they manipulate the fundamental emotional needs that have driven us since our ancestors lived in caves, at a speed and scope others can’t match. And he reveals how you can apply the lessons of their ascent to your own business or career. Whether you want to compete with them, do business with them, or simply live in the world they dominate, you need to understand the Four.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@saifedean @ThomasSowell His book, Basic Economics, is a must-read. https://t.co/JPQrjm4JP8 (from X)

Basic Economics book cover

by Thomas Sowell·You?

The bestselling citizen's guide to economics Basic Economics is a citizen's guide to economics, written for those who want to understand how the economy works but have no interest in jargon or equations. Bestselling economist Thomas Sowell explains the general principles underlying different economic systems: capitalist, socialist, feudal, and so on. In readable language, he shows how to critique economic policies in terms of the incentives they create, rather than the goals they proclaim. With clear explanations of the entire field, from rent control and the rise and fall of businesses to the international balance of payments, this is the first book for anyone who wishes to understand how the economy functions. This fifth edition includes a new chapter explaining the reasons for large differences of wealth and income between nations. Drawing on lively examples from around the world and from centuries of history, Sowell explains basic economic principles for the general public in plain English.

PP

Recommended by Preston Pysh

@AaronFeigelman Enjoy, it’s a fantastic book. (from X)

"Your world view will transform instantly" - Salim Ismail, Best Selling Author of 'Exponential Organizations' We live in an extraordinary time. Technological advances are happening at a rate faster than our ability to understand them, and in a world that moves faster than we can imagine, we cannot afford to stand still. These advances bring efficiency and abundance—and they are profoundly deflationary. Our economic systems were built for a pre-technology era when labour and capital were inextricably linked, an era that counted on growth and inflation, an era where we made money from inefficiency. That era is over, but we keep on pretending that those economic systems still work. The only thing driving growth in the world today is easy credit, which is being created at a pace that is hard to comprehend—and with it, debt that we will never be able to pay back. As we try to artificially drive an economic system built for the past, we are creating more than just economic trouble. On our current path, our world will become profoundly more polarized and unsafe. We need to build a new framework for our local and global economies, and soon; we need to accept deflation and embrace the abundance it can bring. Otherwise, the same technology that has the power to bring abundance to us and our world will instead destroy it. In this extraordinary contrarian book, Jeff Booth, a leading mind and CEO in e-commerce and technology for 20 years, details the technological and economic realities shaping our present and our future, and the choices we face as we go forward—a potentially alarming, but deeply hopeful situation.

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Recommended by Preston Pysh

This is really worth reading. Luke and Jim are two very smart guys in finance. In fact, Luke has a whole book (Mr. X Interviews) which describes what he’s talking about in this short exchange - his book is a must read in my opinion. https://t.co/Cdz3hRS5du (from X)

How is the US’ relationship with the world changing after the 2008 financial crisis? Why is that relationship changing? What will those changes potentially mean for the US and global economies?We rarely hear such topics discussed in the mainstream media, and the little we do hear tends to be brief and topical. That’s why, in Mr. X, Luke Gromen presents us with a conversation between himself and a fictional US sovereign creditor to give us an outsider’s look into how the changing role of the US dollar in the global economy could drive meaningful shifts in financial and geopolitical policies in coming years.Luke Gromen is the founder of FFTT, LLC (“Forest for the Trees”), a research firm that aggregates a wide variety of macroeconomic, thematic, and sector trends to identify investable, developing economic bottlenecks for its customers. He wrote Mr. X to give voice to a number of seemingly disparate trends all pointing to major changes developing in the global economy.This book gives a brief and incisive look at why the world needs the US dollar less and less. In Gromen’s conversations with Mr. X, readers will learn:•Why the global currency system is undergoing the biggest change in 50-70 years•Who is driving this change•Who the winners and losers of this change could be•What signposts to watch for that will signal what is happening with this change•How to position one’s own assets to benefit over time from this change in the global currency systemLuke Gromen believes that arguably the most undervalued assets on Wall Street are history books. In Mr. X, he provocatively explains how we are repeating history, and what that might mean for a variety of asset classes and for readers’ financial well-being.

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@GZuckerman @stig_brodersen @SimonsFdn Gregory, thanks so much for coming on the show. Your book was really awesome! (from X)

Everyone knew it was crazy to try to extract oil and natural gas buried in shale rock deep below the ground. Everyone, that is, except a few reckless wildcatters - who risked their careers to prove the world wrong. Things looked grim for American energy in 2006. Oil production was in steep decline and natural gas was hard to find. The Iraq War threatened the nation’s already tenuous relations with the Middle East. China was rapidly industrializing and competing for resources. Major oil companies had just about given up on new discoveries on U.S. soil, and a new energy crisis seemed likely. But a handful of men believed everything was about to change. Far from the limelight, Aubrey McClendon, Harold Hamm, Mark Papa, and other wildcatters were determined to tap massive deposits of oil and gas that Exxon, Chevron, and other giants had dismissed as a waste of time. By experimenting with hydraulic fracturing through extremely dense shale—a process now known as fracking—the wildcatters started a revolution. In just a few years, they solved America’s dependence on imported energy, triggered a global environmental controversy—and made and lost astonishing fortunes. No one understands these men—their ambitions, personalities, methods, and foibles—better than the award-winning Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman. His exclusive access enabled him to get close to the frackers and chronicle the untold story of how they transformed the nation and the world. The result is a dramatic narrative tracking a brutal competition among headstrong drillers. It stretches from the barren fields of North Dakota and the rolling hills of northeastern Pennsylvania to cluttered pickup trucks in Texas and tense Wall Street boardrooms. Activists argue that the same methods that are creating so much new energy are also harming our water supply and threatening environmental chaos. The Frackers tells the story of the angry opposition unleashed by this revolution and explores just how dangerous fracking really is. The frackers have already transformed the economic, environmental, and geopolitical course of history. Now, like the Rockefellers and the Gettys before them, they’re using their wealth and power to influence politics, education, entertainment, sports, and many other fields. Their story is one of the most important of our time. MEET THE FRACKERS GEORGE MITCHELL, the son of a Greek goatherd, who tried to tap rock that experts deemed worthless but faced an unexpected obstacle in his quest to change history. AUBREY McCLENDON, the charismatic scion of an Oklahoma energy family, who scored billions leading a historic land grab. He wasn’t prepared for the shocking fallout of his discoveries. TOM WARD, who overcame a troubled childhood to become one of the nation’s wealthiest men. He could handle natural-gas fields but had more trouble with a Wall Street power broker. HAROLD HAMM, the son of poor sharecroppers, who believed America had more oil than anyone imagined. Hamm was determined to find the crude before others caught on. CHARIF SOUKI, the dashing Lebanese immigrant who saw his career crumble and his fortune disintegrate, leaving one last, unlikely chance for success. MARK PAPA, the Enron castoff who panicked when he realized a resurgence of American natural gas was at hand, one that his company wasn’t prepared for.

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Recommended by Preston Pysh

@rorysutherland I would love to interview you on our podcast. Your book was incredible! (from X)

Alchemy book cover

by Rory Sutherland·You?

HOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN?The Ogilvy advertising legend--"one of the leading minds in the world of branding" (NPR)--explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas. Sutherland, the legendary Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, uses his decades of experience to dissect human spending behavior in an insanely entertaining way. Alchemy combines scientific research with hilarious stories and case studies of campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft and the like. This is a must-read. --Entrepreneur (Best Books of the Year) Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone--everyone!--hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can't be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy. Based on thirty years of field work inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived--the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism--Alchemy, the revolutionary book byOgilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others. Heralded as "one of the leading minds in the world of branding" by NPR and the don of modern advertising by The Times, Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in these pages) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision-making can be found in surprising places: What can honey bees teach us about creating a sustainable business? How could budget airlines show us how to market a healthcare system? Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong? What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk-aversion? Better "branding," Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products, but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech. Equally startling and profound, Sutherland's journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.