The Growth of Big Data is Unfathomable – Daily Reckoning
“The Tale of Two Americas” continues to unfold side by side — the better relying on one, investable trend that you can act on today (more on that in a moment).
One America is defined by out-of-control debt, wealth consumption, and increasing government control. It’s a doom-and-gloom scenario you’ve likely tried to put out of sight and out of mind, and yet couldn’t wholly shake because you’ve got good instincts.
We covered that side of the coin back in 2006 with our I.O.U.S.A. documentary. As you may already know, we warned the public of America’s grave fiscal condition that would ultimately come to a head in 2007-08. Granted, that tale had its own perks. Our readers made 461% with put options on Lehman Bros., to name only one of our recommended plays.
But it’s the other America we turn to now that we’re much more excited about…
The other America is a brighter one. Its plot is full of characters with can-do attitudes that put themselves to the test. They focus on innovation, hard work and wealth creation. They’re the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers, and the heroes of our economy — if you will.
It’s this second, more hopeful tale that, historically, tends to show up just in time. It’s a trend that occurs rapidly after times of great financial reckoning. In fact, innovation must follow disaster for societies to bounce back… or go extinct.
That’s why in 2009, we set out to cover this second tale, again documentary style.
As our guide, we chose venture capitalist Juan Enriquez. And who better?
Juan is a great many things; among them:
Managing director of Excel Medical Ventures, a VC firm
Chair and CEO of Biotechonomy, a research and investment firm that provides seed capital for new genomic ventures
Founder of Harvard’s Life Sciences department, and author of many works that study the intersection of science, business and society.
Besides Juan, we consulted with Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma (one of Steve Jobs’ favorites), among other works; Dr. Michael West, CEO and founder of BioTime; Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of Wired magazine; Craig Venter, the most cited scientist on the entire planet; and many others.
The Engine of Growth Over the Last 30 Years
According to Juan, the engine of growth over the last 30 years started with our ability to use digital code.
Not only has it created computers and all the technology that we take for granted, but it has completely changed how we communicate… going from speaking in a language of ABCs to a language of ones and zeroes.
Examining data… making connections and correlations… order out of chaos… is nothing new… In fact, the first data miner can be traced back to 1662.
Needless to say, a lot has changed in 350 years. In a world where your iPhone becomes obsolete every six months, the recent acceleration of new technologies is unprecedented.
We are more “connected” now than at any other time in history. The devices that we carry with us at all times — our smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. — are making that connectedness possible.
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The Growth of Big Data is Unfathomable – Daily Reckoning
