
Deck Review with Kezar Life Sciences
SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you — email us at was founded in 2015 by , Jack Taunton, and Christopher Kirk to drug the...…SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you — email us at was founded in 2015 by , Jack Taunton, and Christopher Kirk to drug the...WW…
The Echo Chamber Era
SubscribeA day after Joe Biden's inauguration, the headline in Axios read: “” Felix Salmon wrote that “for the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media.” The Edelman survey showed overall faith in the press dropping to 46%.The traditional explanation for this phenomenon is that Republicans hate the press a lot, but Democrats just a little. The Axios story bore this out somewhat, as only 18% of Republicans reported trusting media, versus 57% of Democrats. Still, 57% of half your potential audience is nothing to brag about, when you’re in the trust...…SubscribeA day after Joe Biden's inauguration, the headline in Axios read: “” Felix Salmon wrote that “for the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media.” The Edelman survey showed overall faith in the press dropping to 46%.The traditional explanation for this phenomenon is that Republicans hate the press a lot, but Democrats just a little. The Axios story bore this out somewhat, as only 18% of Republicans reported trusting media, versus 57% of Democrats. Still, 57% of half your potential audience is nothing to brag about, when you’re in the trust...WW…
Axial - Observations #45
SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at A set of ideas and observations from a week’s worth of work analyzing...…SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at A set of ideas and observations from a week’s worth of work analyzing...WW…
Demanding Silicon Valley Suppress “Hyper-Partisan Sites” in Favor of “Mainstream News” (The NYT) is a Fraud
SubscribeThe most prolific activism demanding more Silicon Valley censorship is found in the nation’s largest news outlets: the media reporters of CNN, , and especially the tech reporters of The New York Times. That is where the most aggressive and sustained pro-internet-censorship campaigns are waged.Due in part to a self-interested desire to re-establish their monopoly on discourse by crushing any independent or dissenting voices, and in part by a censorious and arrogant mindset which convinces them that only those of their worldview and pedigree have a right to be heard, they largely...…SubscribeThe most prolific activism demanding more Silicon Valley censorship is found in the nation’s largest news outlets: the media reporters of CNN, , and especially the tech reporters of The New York Times. That is where the most aggressive and sustained pro-internet-censorship campaigns are waged.Due in part to a self-interested desire to re-establish their monopoly on discourse by crushing any independent or dissenting voices, and in part by a censorious and arrogant mindset which convinces them that only those of their worldview and pedigree have a right to be heard, they largely...WW…
The Top 5 Achievements of the Trump Presidency
SubscribeSome may think this listing of Donald Trump’s five biggest achievements as president is tongue-in-cheek, but it isn’t. The sole virtue of a failed presidency is that it brings with it certain silver linings a competent president would be paradoxically incapable of bestowing on the nation he or she leads. While the unexpected advances of Trump’s presidency are exponentially overshadowed by the destructiveness of his four-year reign, they can’t be erased. So while conventional wisdom holds—rightly so—that Donald Trump will be known for many generations to come as America’s worst-ever...…SubscribeSome may think this listing of Donald Trump’s five biggest achievements as president is tongue-in-cheek, but it isn’t. The sole virtue of a failed presidency is that it brings with it certain silver linings a competent president would be paradoxically incapable of bestowing on the nation he or she leads. While the unexpected advances of Trump’s presidency are exponentially overshadowed by the destructiveness of his four-year reign, they can’t be erased. So while conventional wisdom holds—rightly so—that Donald Trump will be known for many generations to come as America’s worst-ever...WW…
Demographic Destiny: Voting Trends in America’s Fastest Growing Cities are Determining our Political Future
SubscribeThe United States is driven by transformation, migration, and growth. A people predestined to move. Riding a tide of circumstance, Americans are pushed from one place to the next, into new neighborhoods, beyond state lines, or across the country. Some places grow while others shrink, altering and reinventing these area’s very composition along the way. Occurring during a time of political tumult these demographic shifts have played a significant role in determining the nation's present position and will continue to do so into the future. To better understand how these changes are...…SubscribeThe United States is driven by transformation, migration, and growth. A people predestined to move. Riding a tide of circumstance, Americans are pushed from one place to the next, into new neighborhoods, beyond state lines, or across the country. Some places grow while others shrink, altering and reinventing these area’s very composition along the way. Occurring during a time of political tumult these demographic shifts have played a significant role in determining the nation's present position and will continue to do so into the future. To better understand how these changes are...WW…
Forking out for Alcohol
SubscribeEdgar Huitema is a Scientist, Brewer & Scientific Consultant at . Subscribe to my free newsletter to get the latest advances in science. Better yet, become a paid subscriber to fully enjoy the benefits The Beerologist has on offer. In this weeks post, we will talk about the impact of ethanol exposure on the yeast genome. Interestingly and at first glance, the that I will describe here was not necessarily rooted in a question associated with beer brewing. Instead, the observed link between alcohol consumption and cancer occurrence prompted the authors to investigate the molecular...…SubscribeEdgar Huitema is a Scientist, Brewer & Scientific Consultant at . Subscribe to my free newsletter to get the latest advances in science. Better yet, become a paid subscriber to fully enjoy the benefits The Beerologist has on offer. In this weeks post, we will talk about the impact of ethanol exposure on the yeast genome. Interestingly and at first glance, the that I will describe here was not necessarily rooted in a question associated with beer brewing. Instead, the observed link between alcohol consumption and cancer occurrence prompted the authors to investigate the molecular...WW…
The New Domestic War on Terror is Coming
SubscribeThe last two weeks have ushered in a wave of new domestic police powers and rhetoric in the name of fighting “terrorism” that are carbon copies of many of the worst excesses of the first War on Terror that began nearly twenty years ago. This trend shows no sign of receding as we move farther from the January 6 Capitol riot. The opposite is true: it is intensifying.We have witnessed an orgy of censorship from Silicon Valley monopolies with calls for far more aggressive speech policing, a visibly militarized Washington, D.C. featuring a non-ironically vows from the incoming president...…SubscribeThe last two weeks have ushered in a wave of new domestic police powers and rhetoric in the name of fighting “terrorism” that are carbon copies of many of the worst excesses of the first War on Terror that began nearly twenty years ago. This trend shows no sign of receding as we move farther from the January 6 Capitol riot. The opposite is true: it is intensifying.We have witnessed an orgy of censorship from Silicon Valley monopolies with calls for far more aggressive speech policing, a visibly militarized Washington, D.C. featuring a non-ironically vows from the incoming president...WW…
The Fallen Federalists
SubscribeWelcome to the Self-Evident newsletter. As I mentioned in my recent podcast episode, I’m trying to chip away one by one at the different issues I feel need to be addressed in the wake of January 6th. In that episode, I discussed and how the traditions of Latter-day Saints have been twisted by a small but visible few during the Trump era. In this newsletter, I move on to discuss another important tradition not only getting twisted but gutted by those who claim to stand for it: federalism.Both Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have impressive contributor profiles on The Federalist Society...…SubscribeWelcome to the Self-Evident newsletter. As I mentioned in my recent podcast episode, I’m trying to chip away one by one at the different issues I feel need to be addressed in the wake of January 6th. In that episode, I discussed and how the traditions of Latter-day Saints have been twisted by a small but visible few during the Trump era. In this newsletter, I move on to discuss another important tradition not only getting twisted but gutted by those who claim to stand for it: federalism.Both Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have impressive contributor profiles on The Federalist Society...WW…
The Left-NIMBY canon
SubscribeWe’re all familiar by now with Right-NIMBYs — conservatives who block transit and housing development in order to keep poor people and minorities out of their quiet white-flight suburban neighborhoods. These are still the most common kind, given that Republicans while Democrats tend to value denser, more walkable places. But liberals can be NIMBYs as well, as any resident of a deep-blue state or city well knows. But as well (and remember, leftists and liberals are generally different people). In various cities, concerns over gentrification, environmental preservation, and profits...…SubscribeWe’re all familiar by now with Right-NIMBYs — conservatives who block transit and housing development in order to keep poor people and minorities out of their quiet white-flight suburban neighborhoods. These are still the most common kind, given that Republicans while Democrats tend to value denser, more walkable places. But liberals can be NIMBYs as well, as any resident of a deep-blue state or city well knows. But as well (and remember, leftists and liberals are generally different people). In various cities, concerns over gentrification, environmental preservation, and profits...WW…
Stop Calling it a “Coup”
SubscribeOn January 6th 2021, the world’s most obvious and predictable protest apparently shocked the world because the world isn’t paying attention. A quarter million Trump supporters held a rally, and after the rally dispersed, a few hundred of them made an on the Capitol Building, prompting a deadly police response. The public reaction to this thoroughly goofy and marginally deadly stunt has been as if they were watching 9-11 again in real time, and the response bugs me a lot more than the obvious and predictable protest did. Let’s move through some talking points, and then let’s have a...…SubscribeOn January 6th 2021, the world’s most obvious and predictable protest apparently shocked the world because the world isn’t paying attention. A quarter million Trump supporters held a rally, and after the rally dispersed, a few hundred of them made an on the Capitol Building, prompting a deadly police response. The public reaction to this thoroughly goofy and marginally deadly stunt has been as if they were watching 9-11 again in real time, and the response bugs me a lot more than the obvious and predictable protest did. Let’s move through some talking points, and then let’s have a...WW…
Petco and the cold, lifeless modern brand
Subscribe50,000 people used to live here. Now it’s a ghost town.If I were to write a review of this logo, I would give it high marks. It’s nice that the cat and dog are smiling. It’s nice that they’re friends. Not many other logos have animals in them, let alone blue cats and red dogs, let alone blue cats and red dogs whose ears happen to cleverly interlock. Maybe it reminds you a little bit of Clifford, or the decor in a pediatrician’s office, but for a pet store—a place people shop with very little personal investment—are those such bad things?But logos are the outward face of brands, and...…Subscribe50,000 people used to live here. Now it’s a ghost town.If I were to write a review of this logo, I would give it high marks. It’s nice that the cat and dog are smiling. It’s nice that they’re friends. Not many other logos have animals in them, let alone blue cats and red dogs, let alone blue cats and red dogs whose ears happen to cleverly interlock. Maybe it reminds you a little bit of Clifford, or the decor in a pediatrician’s office, but for a pet store—a place people shop with very little personal investment—are those such bad things?But logos are the outward face of brands, and...WW…
Weekly Macro Summary 01/17/2021
SubscribeTHIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Please speak with a registered investment advisor or other qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.If you would like to receive the Weekly Macro Summary directly to your mailbox every Sunday, please subscribe. It’s free.Goldman Sachs, “The Re-opening at a Glance”US headline retail sales for December weaker than expected, -0.7%m/m versus consensus at 0.US CPI for December came in line with expectations, core CPI +0.09% m/m and 1.6% y/y.US JOLTS Job Openings little changed from November and in line with consensus at...…SubscribeTHIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Please speak with a registered investment advisor or other qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.If you would like to receive the Weekly Macro Summary directly to your mailbox every Sunday, please subscribe. It’s free.Goldman Sachs, “The Re-opening at a Glance”US headline retail sales for December weaker than expected, -0.7%m/m versus consensus at 0.US CPI for December came in line with expectations, core CPI +0.09% m/m and 1.6% y/y.US JOLTS Job Openings little changed from November and in line with consensus at...WW…
What I Learned From Tracking My Anxiety
SubscribeAt work, we are pious worshipers in the church of data. We rely on it to track progress and to make decisions. What gets measured, gets managed, all that.But we rarely make good use of data to improve our lives. We often just kind of fumble around, like a drunk college freshman at a party, hoping to meet someone, or find friends, or impress the world with mean dance moves.Sure, some of us set income or travel goals, assuming that achieving them would make us feel a certain way. But I wanted to cut to the chase: track how I feel first, and work to improve that directly.The Story of...…SubscribeAt work, we are pious worshipers in the church of data. We rely on it to track progress and to make decisions. What gets measured, gets managed, all that.But we rarely make good use of data to improve our lives. We often just kind of fumble around, like a drunk college freshman at a party, hoping to meet someone, or find friends, or impress the world with mean dance moves.Sure, some of us set income or travel goals, assuming that achieving them would make us feel a certain way. But I wanted to cut to the chase: track how I feel first, and work to improve that directly.The Story of...WW…
Life Sciences Financings and Commentary #42
SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at Number of deals: 17 & Total capital invested: $1.4B- raised $226M with...…SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at Number of deals: 17 & Total capital invested: $1.4B- raised $226M with...WW…

Planning the Perfect Adversarial Attack
SubscribeFinancial statements are lately being written for machines. Executives of heavily traded companies realise that they are no longer writing disclosures for the general investing public. Consequentially, adversarial techniques can be used to alter financial statements to influence machines’ predictions. In this article, we explored the evidence for this behaviour. Paradoxically, the reason that these adversarial techniques work is because the so-called intelligent machines are yet unable to contextualise as well as humans. Within time adversarial feedback loops will improve the...…SubscribeFinancial statements are lately being written for machines. Executives of heavily traded companies realise that they are no longer writing disclosures for the general investing public. Consequentially, adversarial techniques can be used to alter financial statements to influence machines’ predictions. In this article, we explored the evidence for this behaviour. Paradoxically, the reason that these adversarial techniques work is because the so-called intelligent machines are yet unable to contextualise as well as humans. Within time adversarial feedback loops will improve the...WW…
From Dayton, Ohio to Donald Trump
SubscribeI grew up in Kettering, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Dayton, a typical rust belt city in that part of the country. My memories of the town were formed and deepened for the most part over a 10-15 year period that spanned the mid-to-late ‘80’s and up through the end of the century--a timespan in which I went from being a child to a high school graduate and then college student at the nearby “cow college” of Miami University (of Ohio). I look back on this span now as a time when the world made sense to me. Which is only to say I was young and had formed a feeling about the world...…SubscribeI grew up in Kettering, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Dayton, a typical rust belt city in that part of the country. My memories of the town were formed and deepened for the most part over a 10-15 year period that spanned the mid-to-late ‘80’s and up through the end of the century--a timespan in which I went from being a child to a high school graduate and then college student at the nearby “cow college” of Miami University (of Ohio). I look back on this span now as a time when the world made sense to me. Which is only to say I was young and had formed a feeling about the world...WW…

Metabolism may be effective in recurrent major depression
SubscribeResearchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dutch scientists, have found that certain metabolites -- small molecules produced by the process of metabolism -- may be predictive indicators for persons at risk for recurrent major depressive disorder.For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.Click the link we sent to , or to log in.© 2021 Science and Psychology. See , andThis site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please or unblock scripts…SubscribeResearchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dutch scientists, have found that certain metabolites -- small molecules produced by the process of metabolism -- may be predictive indicators for persons at risk for recurrent major depressive disorder.For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.Click the link we sent to , or to log in.© 2021 Science and Psychology. See , andThis site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please or unblock scriptsWW…
The SPAC Revolution
SubscribeTHIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Please speak with a registered investment advisor or other qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.In the United States, democrats now have control of the Senate (via a tie-break by the new Vice President). The completion of the, “Dem Sweep” reduces the likelihood of legislative gridlock and clears the path for significant fiscal expansion. On Friday, President-elect, Joe Biden, repeated his call to boost stimulus payments for Americans to $2,000 from the $600 that was passed in the stimulus bill from...…SubscribeTHIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Please speak with a registered investment advisor or other qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.In the United States, democrats now have control of the Senate (via a tie-break by the new Vice President). The completion of the, “Dem Sweep” reduces the likelihood of legislative gridlock and clears the path for significant fiscal expansion. On Friday, President-elect, Joe Biden, repeated his call to boost stimulus payments for Americans to $2,000 from the $600 that was passed in the stimulus bill from...WW…
Debunked: There's no evidence of a planned 'huge uprising' of pro-Trump ‘armed protests’ in all 50 states
SubscribeIn the wake of the Capitol Hill melee last week, the news media has been breathlessly reporting on the possibility — citing an intelligence bulletin from the FBI — that there will be widespread armed protests in all 50 states on and leading up to Inauguration Day. If the FBI is to be believed, there is a serious, deliverable plot in motion that involves armed insurrectionists simultaneously storming each and every state capitol.The hysteria has reached new heights this week, with prominent pundits, politicians, reporters, and other personalities claiming that a wave of pro-Trump...…SubscribeIn the wake of the Capitol Hill melee last week, the news media has been breathlessly reporting on the possibility — citing an intelligence bulletin from the FBI — that there will be widespread armed protests in all 50 states on and leading up to Inauguration Day. If the FBI is to be believed, there is a serious, deliverable plot in motion that involves armed insurrectionists simultaneously storming each and every state capitol.The hysteria has reached new heights this week, with prominent pundits, politicians, reporters, and other personalities claiming that a wave of pro-Trump...WW…

Your In-laws’ History of Drinking Problems Could Lead to Alcohol Issues of Your Own
SubscribeA new study finds marriage to a spouse who grew up exposed to parental alcohol misuse increases a person’s likelihood of developing a drinking problem.For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.Click the link we sent to , or to log in.© 2021 Science and Psychology. See , andThis site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please or unblock scripts…SubscribeA new study finds marriage to a spouse who grew up exposed to parental alcohol misuse increases a person’s likelihood of developing a drinking problem.For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.Click the link we sent to , or to log in.© 2021 Science and Psychology. See , andThis site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please or unblock scriptsWW…
How Silicon Valley, in a Show of Monopolistic Force, Destroyed Parler
SubscribeCritics of Silicon Valley censorship for years heard the same refrain: tech platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter are private corporations and can host or ban whoever they want. If you don’t like what they are doing, the solution is not to complain or to regulate them. Instead, go create your own social media platform that operates the way you think it should.The founders of Parler heard that suggestion and tried. In August, 2018, they created a social media platform similar to Twitter but which promised far greater privacy protections, including a refusal to aggregate user...…SubscribeCritics of Silicon Valley censorship for years heard the same refrain: tech platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter are private corporations and can host or ban whoever they want. If you don’t like what they are doing, the solution is not to complain or to regulate them. Instead, go create your own social media platform that operates the way you think it should.The founders of Parler heard that suggestion and tried. In August, 2018, they created a social media platform similar to Twitter but which promised far greater privacy protections, including a refusal to aggregate user...WW…

We Need a New Media System
The moment a group of people stormed the Capitol building last Wednesday, news companies began the process of sorting and commoditizing information that long ago became standard in American media. Media firms work backward. They first ask, “How does our target demographic want to understand what’s just unfolded?” Then they pick both the words and the facts they want to emphasize. It’s why Fox News uses the term, “Pro-Trump protesters,” while New York and The Atlantic use “Insurrectionists.” It’s why conservative media today is stressing how Apple, Google, and Amazon shut down the “Free...…The moment a group of people stormed the Capitol building last Wednesday, news companies began the process of sorting and commoditizing information that long ago became standard in American media. Media firms work backward. They first ask, “How does our target demographic want to understand what’s just unfolded?” Then they pick both the words and the facts they want to emphasize. It’s why Fox News uses the term, “Pro-Trump protesters,” while New York and The Atlantic use “Insurrectionists.” It’s why conservative media today is stressing how Apple, Google, and Amazon shut down the “Free...WW…
Axial - Inventors #16
SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at A set of ideas and observations on inventions and discoveries in life...…SubscribeMore well thought out work can be found at — Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at A set of ideas and observations on inventions and discoveries in life...WW…
How to get better at Probabilistic thinking?
SubscribeThere are three important aspects of probabilities that one needs to understand to get better at probabilistic thinking:Bayesian thinkingFat-tailed curvesAsymmetriesThe core concept is this: given that we are constantly getting new information about our world, we should probably take into account what we already know when we learn something new. Consider the headline “Violent Stabbings on the Rise.” Without Bayesian thinking, you might become genuinely afraid because your chances of being a victim of assault or murder is higher than it was a few months ago. Let’s say your chance of...…SubscribeThere are three important aspects of probabilities that one needs to understand to get better at probabilistic thinking:Bayesian thinkingFat-tailed curvesAsymmetriesThe core concept is this: given that we are constantly getting new information about our world, we should probably take into account what we already know when we learn something new. Consider the headline “Violent Stabbings on the Rise.” Without Bayesian thinking, you might become genuinely afraid because your chances of being a victim of assault or murder is higher than it was a few months ago. Let’s say your chance of...WW…

Yashar Ali

Glenn Greenwald

Jeff Stein

Matt Taibbi

David Sirota

Alex Kantrowitz

Noah Smith
