Five KPIs to Understand the World

Five KPIs to Understand the World A great, simple article included in The World Ahead 2026 by The Economist, where for each country in the world it provides a snapshot with the following information: 1-GDP growth 2-GDP per person (also with PPP, US=100) 3-Inflation 4-Budget balance (as a % of GDP) 5-Population 6-For some countries, additional context is provided It is amazing how such simple KPIs can help you make an initial assessment of the world today. Although it was something I was already aware of, it was startling to see the population numbers and the relative levels of wealth in Asia-Pacific and MEA. With Europe, it was also a good reminder that GDP per person can be significantly diluted when taking into consideration the Purchasing Power Parity normalisation factors. An article and tool I will keep handy, as it provides significant value and allows us to put so much into perspective. A article/tool i will keep handy as it provides significant value and allow us to put so much into perspective. The world in numbers: Countries https://www.economist.com/interactive/twa-country-reports From The Economist

- Pedro

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Books to Understand the Men and Context That Created America's Institutions and Its Checks and Balances

Books to Understand the Men and Context That Created America's Institutions and Its Checks and Balances Recommended by The Economist, plus one of my own additions: 1-Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation — Joseph J. Ellis (Knopf) 2-The Radicalism of the American Revolution — Gordon S. Wood 3-The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams — Stacy Schiff (Little, Brown) 4-John Adams — David McCullough (Simon & Schuster) 5-A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign — Edward J. Larson 6-The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family — Annette Gordon-Reed (W. W. Norton) All six are on my wish list. And I would add one classic of my own: 7-Democracy in America — Alexis de Tocqueville Seven books to understand the Founding Fathers. https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/01/06/six-books-to-understand-the-founding-fathers From The Economist

- Pedro

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The Cost of Short-Term Thinking

The Cost of Short-Term Thinking Just read this quote on a Russ Roberts Substack article citing Bastiat (french economist from the XIX),that, as most of his work, I really liked — it made me think, and I could not agree more. "...In the economic sphere an act, a habit, an institution, a law produces not only one effect, but a series of effects. Of these effects, the first alone is immediate; it appears simultaneously with its cause; it is seen. The other effects emerge only subsequently; they are not seen; we are fortunate if we foresee them. There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.Yet this difference is tremendous; for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favorable, the later consequences are disastrous, and vice versa. Whence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good that will be followed by a great evil to come, while the good economist pursues a great good to come, at the risk of a small present evil. …" Frederic Bastiat — French economist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Bastiat

- Pedro

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A Stark Wake-Up Call for Europe’s Defense

A Stark Wake-Up Call for Europe’s Defense This podcast series (7 episodes), included in the list recommended by The Economist for 2025, is one you simply cannot miss, given its importance and relevance in the current geopolitical environment we are living through. It exposes the cruel and devastating reality of the UK’s armed forces — and you don’t need to be Einstein to extrapolate this to the rest of Europe. All of this is revealed through a well-crafted war game, played by former UK politicians who held high office in the British government — individuals experienced in handling similar situations and fully aware of the resources available. The exercise shows just how thin and perilous the situation is, and how significant underinvestment in this area has made it dangerously fragile. We cannot forget that this kind of scenario was all too real for the Ukrainian government back in 2022. It is a frightening wake-up call for Europe’s current position. As critical as one may be of the current US administration, after going through this series it becomes difficult to disagree with the argument that Europe cannot maintain the current defence status quo in terms of investment and armed forces readiness. Going back to Maslow’s pyramid, we can only build a European society with all its values if we are able to secure its sovereignty and territorial integrity — and, as we have seen, that can only be achieved through robust and capable armed forces. I could not recommend this podcast series more highly. (text revised by a llm) https://open.spotify.com/show/4lHtW6x1D6R0E1QmGLkBK1?si=Zv2w4jAaQKS3ce0KI07m1g

- Pedro

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In Pursuit of Decisive (or Was It Incapable?)

In Pursuit of Decisive (or Was It Incapable?) It has been a while since I read an article that made me laugh several times… people nearby thought I was crazy. Another great one by Andrew Palmer, this time about the relentless journey one has to undertake to identify, lock in on the target, and win the contest for the right to use a meeting room in this “wonder world” called “the office”. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Below you can find a teaser: “…When rooms are in demand, the top of every hour ushers in the same scene. First, lots of people rise from their desks and start to walk around with water bottles. The risk of dehydration is not high if you are sitting in a conference room for an hour. But you never know. Someone asks a colleague which meeting room has been booked, a reminder that rooms should not be given names. “Are we in Decisive?” “What?” “Are we in Decisive?” “Oh. No. We’re in Incapable.” “What?” And so on, until someone reverts to normal speech: “It’s the big one by the lift.” …” (text revised by a llm) The excruciating quest for a meeting room https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/12/the-excruciating-quest-for-a-meeting-room From The Economist

- Pedro

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¿Leemos más de lo que pensamos?

¿Leemos más de lo que pensamos? Una encuesta muy interesante de El País sobre el lector en España que recomiendo leer :-) Algunos datos son agradablemente sorprendentes: 1- El 25 % de la gente lee un libro todos los días y el 30 % al menos todas las semanas (?); 2- La lectura es más popular que los videojuegos o los pódcasts (??) 3- Las mujeres leen más que los hombres 4- Los jóvenes son más eclécticos en términos de género literario 5- La lectura está pasando del papel al formato digital 6- A todos les gustaría tener más tiempo para leer (¿aspiración o excusa?) Teniendo en consideración el 1 y el 2, que van en contra de mis expectativas —pues pensaba que serían resultados significativamente menos alentadores—, no puedo dejar de pensar que en esta encuesta puede haber un sample bias que sesgue los resultados de una forma positiva (solo la gente que lee contesta y la que contesta, por presión social, amplifica sus hábitos de lectura…). En los últimos años he leído más de 20 libros al año y, dentro del entorno en el que me muevo (familia y amigos), solo mi hermana mediana y mi padre leen más que yo; todos los demás, con mucha diferencia, no lo hacen. Pero, sea como sea, celebremos los resultados positivos y hagámoslo realidad todos los días. El camino se hace caminando. (texto revisado por un llm) https://elpais.com/babelia/2024-11-23/la-gran-encuesta-al-lector-espanol-del-siglo-xxi-que-leemos-quien-lee-que-distingue-a-los-z.html?sma=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2024.11.23&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2024.11.23

- Pedro

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Adding Context: The Hidden Value in Every Chart

Adding Context: The Hidden Value in Every Chart A simple—and because of that, great—example of how to build a graph and how providing clear visualization, along with the right context, can guide users toward useful insights and better decisions. I really like this site because it consistently presents strong examples and ideas on how to communicate key messages through graphs. By going step by step, you can clearly see the added value that context and information bring to each version. (text revised by a llm) https://slowrevealgraphs.com/2026/01/09/highest-paid-athletes-in-the-world-comparing-salary-winnings-with-endorsements/

- Pedro

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Making Space for ‘I’m Sorry’ and owning up to your mistakes

Making Space for ‘I’m Sorry’ A must-see: a balanced, sensible, and well-structured statement on this subject — the best I’ve heard so far. “If he said something as bad as what he said, I would still hope there’s room for someone to apologize and say, ‘I’m sorry — I made a huge mistake.’” (text revised llm) https://youtu.be/fuVMzJBzLhI?si=bCJBKOWc_8cEygX_

- Pedro

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The Art of Noticing Everyday Life

The Art of Noticing Everyday Life The Map of Tiny Perfect Things A good movie to watch with your pre-teen kids. An easy, entertaining storyline — but when you finish it and reflect on it, you realize how many good messages it conveys. The allegory of living the same day is nothing more than an extreme replica of how we live our lives every day — the routine, the inability to see what’s around us, and even to notice the tiny, perfect things we should enjoy and cherish each and every day. We become so inward-looking that we are completely blind to them. Finally, it also touches on the pain and the path you need to go through when you lose someone dear and close to you. A good combo, I would say, to watch with your kids — or with the kid inside you 🙂 (text revised by a llm) https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0OJWTXRLI9TEU0I224FZAIHQBS/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

- Pedro

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"It’s hard to compete against someone who’s just there to have fun"

"It’s hard to compete against someone who’s just there to have fun" A great podcast with Peter Steinberger, the creator and mastermind of OpenClaw, that I strongly advise everyone to listen to (>3 hours at normal speed). It really nudged me to take a step forward and embrace agentic AI without looking back. I will invest a significant part of my leisure time (at least for now) in this topic and also try to have fun building tools/models/stuff leveraging my domain expertise and improving them, AND enjoying the journey. https://youtu.be/YFjfBk8HI5o?si=kqSMob780alfWEUW

- Pedro

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13/20… Would You Do Better?

13/20… Would You Do Better? AI videos… can you spot the difference? Are you sure? The latest models really make it hard — almost impossible — to identify what’s real and what isn’t. Have a read and take the test. I did, and I was only able to spot 13/20 (which seems to be better than average). That said, even the ones I got right were, in most cases, 50/50 or just slightly better — but not by much. Next time you see a video, activate your critical thinking. Validate the sources and double-check — what you think you saw might not be real. Imagine what can be done, for good and for bad, with this technology. https://runwayml.com/research/theturingreel

- Pedro

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“…AI didn’t kill analytics. It killed analytics middlemen. …”

“…AI didn’t kill analytics. It killed analytics middlemen. …” When the business user can seamlessly — or with very low friction — navigate data through an LLM, ask relevant questions in natural language, and quickly receive highly accurate answers (instead of waiting days or weeks for feedback from the Analytics team), several things will/are happening: Up to 80% of the analytical work as we know it becomes vulnerable. The traditional task of translating business questions into SQL (or other query languages) and present a BI tool to retrieve and provide answers will increasingly be absorbed by AI. Only the top 20% of analysts will truly thrive. These are the ones who deeply understand the business, grasp the causality behind key variables, and know how to ask the right questions — not just the technically correct ones. Decision-making speed will increase significantly. With fewer intermediaries validating data and generating insights, organizations will reduce the cost of making decisions (which is different from the value of the decision itself). The number of analysts will likely decrease substantially. Translator tasks will be automated by AI. However, the analysts who remain will generate multiple times more value than before. Why? Because they will focus less on querying and more on: Framing the right problems Making recommendations Validating assumptions Running scenarios Assigning probabilities to outcomes Connecting insights to business impact In short, they will move from reporting to providing Intelligence. For a deeper perspective on this shift, I strongly recommend reading the well-designed article by Tree Data Point Thursday.

- Pedro

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Football: Physical, Cognitive, Psychological

Football: Physical, Cognitive, Psychological Who doesn’t like a good confirmation bias coming their way—especially when it’s backed by a scientific study? For several years now, I’ve been convinced that to be a great football player, athleticism and coordination are just as important as cognitive abilities and personality traits. The paper in the link, “Decoding the elite soccer player’s psychological profile,” presents an extensive study using a robust set of validated psychological tests across several domains, combined with advanced statistical techniques. It shows that elite football players tend to have: 1-Heightened planning and memory capacities. 2-Enhanced executive functions—especially cognitive flexibility—as well as higher levels of conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience. 3-Lower levels of neuroticism and agreeableness. Football is played across three equally important domains: physical, cognitive, and psychological. Of course, I haven’t looked for studies that might prove me wrong 😊—so for now, I’ll fully enjoy my confirmation bias. P.S. I plan to look more closely at how they applied neural network features to the psychological variables to obtain and interpret their results. The approach seems both interesting and potentially applicable to other fields of study. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2415126122?sma=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2026.02.13&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2026.02.13

- Pedro

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Structured Thinking

Structured Thinking I came across The Classical Mind Substack article by chance, and it was such a pleasure to read. I’ve always been interested in this topic, as I’ve long felt that my note-taking skills were, at best, subpar — especially when it came to truly benefiting from my notes later on. I constantly faced the dilemma of making them either too extensive or too concise. Most of the time, I couldn’t properly use my notes and had to return to the original source just to make sense of them. Reading this article felt like seeing all the struggles I’ve experienced over time clearly identified and thoughtfully explained through the different methods presented. The “Classical Notes” sheet, in particular, made perfect sense to me. I strongly relate to the method and its approach, and it convinced me that this is something I should genuinely try. I’ve now subscribed to the Substack, and I’m confident you’ll find something valuable in it as well.

- Pedro

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The Birth Equation

The Birth Equation A good friend recently drew my attention to a website that offers a simple exercise — yet one with many layers: If you were born again, how would your life change on average? Every minute, 251 people are born around the world. Spin the globe and see where you might be born — and you’ll begin to understand what your life could look like in terms of: 1-Life expectancy 2-Child mortality 3-Median income 4-Expected years of schooling 5-Passport power 6-Democracy index Then compare those figures with what you can expect by living in your own country. Sounds like a simple exercise? Now start peeling it like an onion. Reflect on each of these dimensions and the dynamics behind them. It will make you pause and think about many things we often take for granted. I hope you enjoy this simple yet powerful exercise as much as I did. https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/birth-lottery

- Pedro

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Europe’s AI Opportunity: From Regulation to Execution

You don’t have to be America or China to win in AI, says Rishi Sunak https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2025/07/16/you-dont-have-to-be-america-or-china-to-win-in-ai-says-rishi-sunak From The Economist “As work by Jeffrey Ding of George Washington University shows, the countries that benefit most from these technologies are not necessarily the ones that develop them first, but the ones that adopt them most widely.” I couldn’t agree more with Rishi Sunak’s vision. In this new AI-driven world, the winners will not simply be the inventors — they will be those who adapt fastest and integrate the technology most effectively. It is, in many ways, a 21st-century version of Darwinism. Not survival of the strongest, but again the survival of the most adaptable. Those who integrate this new paradigm into their day-to-day lives — individuals, companies, and nations — will be the ones who succeed. And in this context, Europe has a real opportunity to position itself far more strongly in the emerging global order than many assume. I am often reminded of a quote from a McKinsey presentation on AI implementation in the corporate world: “For every dollar you spend on technology, you should spend five on change management.” Technology alone is not transformation. Adoption is. Culture is. Leadership is. There are rare moments in history that fundamentally reshape the next 50 years. We are living through one of them. Building on the path outlined by Sunak, Europe should focus above all on implementation. Regulation matters — but it must remain a support function, not the driving force. If the legal and regulatory mindset becomes the primary lens through which we approach AI in Europe, we risk missing a historic opportunity. This is not just about competitiveness. It is about rebalancing global power, strengthening Europe’s voice, and increasing the wellbeing of all Europeans. Being proud that our regulation sets the benchmark is not enough if, at the same time, we inadvertently limit our own capacity to innovate and scale. The time to think strategically is now. Let’s not waste it. (text revised by a llm)

- Pedro

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Resilience at Europe’s Edge

An interesting article by Euronews on the economic growth of the Iberian countries — Portugal and Spain. While their performance is not extraordinary, they can still be considered relative outliers within the European context. It’s encouraging to see this development in Iberia. At the same time, it serves as a cautionary reminder of how subdued and fragile growth remains across much of the rest of Europe. If you’re interested in the topic, follow the link below. (text revised by a llm) https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/01/30/why-are-spain-and-portugal-growing-twice-as-fast-as-the-eurozone

- Pedro

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The Path That Is Most Right

“…I have always taken the path that feels most right. The result is never in question for me — only the path you choose to get there. And there is always one that is most right….” The 2014 film A Most Violent Year was a pleasant surprise. It’s a finely crafted movie built around a compelling storyline and richly developed characters. The film immerses you in the business entanglements of a newcomer trying to establish himself in a highly consolidated industry, crowded with players tied to New York City’s criminal underworld. If you’re looking for a strong story, excellent performances, and sharp dialogue, look no further — this is a film well worth your time. (text revise by a llm) https://www.primevideo.com/region/eu/detail/0RE7FX2RDNWT1KHVKZB26OO03M/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

- Pedro

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When Reality Outdoes Dystopia

Reality sometimes surpasses the most extreme far-fetched dystopian novel.... "If he does the job that he's capable, we can grow at 15%. I think more than that." https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2021195305354428607?s=20

- Pedro

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AI False Positives: Signal vs. Noise

AI is everywhere. In a business context, it feels like every 50 words you read or write, “AI” shows up. But is everything really AI—or are we stretching the term beyond usefulness? This is where the book AI Snake Oil seems valuable. It helps distinguish between what is genuinely pushing the frontier—truly transformative, domain-shifting work—and the vast majority (probably 80%+) of so-called “AI,” which is often just existing tools repackaged under a shinier label: econometrics, statistics, optimization, rules-based systems, and the like. I’ve added the book to my wishlist. Before you decide for yourself, you can also listen to this podcast with the author, which offers a solid preview of the argument. https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/thinkers-ideas/id1450867110?i=1000679081055

- Pedro

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