Viral Dance Moves | Death of Science Innovation | OMG Origins

If you read only one thing... read my opinion on where UK life sciences has gone. It covers why I think there will be no more large UK life science companies and the agglomeration and competition reasons behind the view. I argue a UK ARPA and innovation in institutions could help revive UK science.

We are steadily moving on the Climate UnConference idea. Save the date, May 1. I have a Slack Group forming on this. Reply if you want in. (Also Reply, if you don’t know what Slack is.) I’m having a mini-meet up on Tuesday, 25 Feb. Again, reply if interested.

I have a guest blog by Nina Klose on what Open Space / UnConference experience was like when convening Climate + Theatre. Check it out for a flavor of what Climate UnConference could be.

Slowly covering research on my death/life performance-lecture. I’m still looking for what music you’d like played at your funeral? And what readings, if any ? But also, what food would you serve at your funeral, if any ? Food for me would be quite an important part. Ofc, I won’t be eating it but what would I want to be remembered by?

I have now openly questioned a number of company CEOs/CFOs on carbon net zero commitments (OK, let’s not get bogged down on what is Zero?) and in general companies have been quite open and many are very committed.

I’ve finally made a digital copy of my radio play, Places In Between. It’s based on the travel book by London mayor hopeful / former Conservative PM hopeful, Rory Stewart. Rory walked across Afghanistan just after the fall of the Taliban. Reply, if you’d like a personal copy.

Forthcoming: Thinking Bigly, Next London performance - 26 March, followed by open Mingle. It will sell out, do book. Also, Boston March 4.

Latest grant winner:Sponsorship for Sierra Leone AutismAwareness.
I've had 100+ submissions and have backlog of 50+. Sorry if you are waiting for a response, I'm caught up to approx mid Jan.

Recent reflections on:
➳Book Thinking Bigly, 26 March 7pm + Mingle 8pm
➳First time OMG was used – in 1917 to Winston Churchill.
➳Learning about Viral Dance Moves
➳UK Science: Where did it go? Can ARPA save it?
➳Nina’s OpenSpace UnConference on Theatre + Climate (DND)
➳Lastest ThenDoBetter Grant winner: Sponsorship for Sierra Leone AutismAwareness
➳Mark Carney (Bank of England Governor) vs Greta on low-carbon growth
➳A profile of Coinbase Billionaire: Crypto Guardian (Forbes)
➳Study: Private Market Impact investers earn lower financial returns
➳Me on ESG investing / YouTube CFA UK
➳Micro-grants. £10K for positive impact people.

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Turns out OMG was first used in 1917 in a letter to Winston Churchill. OMG!

Rather fascinating character who was the First Sea Lord of Britain and was one of the last of the elite in British Navy to have basic training entriely at sea in the early 1800s. Short blog on first use of OMG and the naval character who used it.

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My take on viral dance moves

I observe that having no copyright on dances made it hard for the creator to initially claim credit, but it allowed the dance to spread fast - and now she has claimed quite a lot of value for her dance. I don’t understand TikTok, but many millions and millions do. This is how cultural bits have evolved. I think Jaliah (14 years old) has been super savvy and all strength to her. https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2020/2/20/viral-dances-weakly-inefficient-markets-in-everything

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Where did all the science go? Can ARPA bring it back.
-I suggest there will be no more big UK life science companies
-Network agglomeration effects are important
-An UK ARPA and its location should be placed carefully
-I suggest we need more innovation in institutions

Take $8.5 billion? No. Take $10 billion? No. Gilead, in 2017, bidding against itself, paid $11.9 billion to acquire Kite Pharmaceuticals. I am sad because Kite may have developed into a $40bn, maybe $100bn, market capitalisation company over time, and now we will never know.... I posit the reasons are threefold: the UK has under-invested and continues to under-invest in science and innovation; the network and agglomeration effect where scientists creatively clash to form new ideas is diminished in the UK as a whole, and, as I described earlier, large, cash-rich global biopharma companies are now in the habit of acquiring their smaller peers before they grow large....This has negative long-term implications for UK science and private wealth creation. Private company inventions often rely on publicly-funded research ideas as the initial spark. Development is costly, risky and seemingly not well suited to publicly funded enterprise... I self-recommend this blog: A long read op-ed style piece on UK innovation (4 min blog)

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What does an OpenSpace UnConference look like to a first time goer? Guest Blog: A report on using Open Space to talk about Climate by Nina Klose.

-Open Space really works!
-Participatory format unlocks and empowers
-Final session led to actionable next steps

"At the suggestion of my friend Ben Yeoh, I recently attended Improbable Theatre Company’s 15th annual weekend workshop on the future of theatre. “Devoted and Disgruntled” had nothing to do with Climate Change. But the experience of being part of D&D15 allowed me to try out first-hand what it’s like to use Open Space facilitation.

...All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised. All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them. In a time as short as one or two days, all of the most important ideas, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions, questions for further study, and plans for immediate action will be documented and in the hands of participants when they leave.”

Really, you have to try it yourself to understand how it can possibly work--but I’ll try to convey what it was like going to “Devoted and Disgruntled.”

“Prepare to be surprised,” warned a sign hanging overhead as I entered the Grand Hall of Battersea’s former town hall, graced with vaulted ceilings, exposed brick walls, and an air of ruined grandeur. Three hundred-and-some chairs stood in three concentric circles, leaving a large empty space in the middle. People were filing in, sitting in the circle, or catching up with friends in small groups around the hall. By roughly 11 am--the scheduled start time--most of the chairs had been taken...." a 4 min guest blog on the experience.

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I’ve awarded a grant to Mary for costs needed to go an Autism Conference. Mary writes: ‘Then Do Better’ grant will ensure that I can attend the Pan-African Congress on Autism conference 2020, share experiences that will help break the ‘stigma’ barrier, make vital networks, and learn new approaches that will add value to the work of SLAS and to the global autism community. The Sierra Leone Autistic Society (SLAS) is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Sierra Leone (SL). It is currently the main organization (and one of only two organizations) providing support for people with autism in SL. Mini-blog on the grant.

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Mark Carney (Bank of England Governor) vs Greta on low-carbon growth

A short video of Mark Carney suggesting the low-carbon growth is possible, where Greta posed the question and via the public, a Treasury Select MP put it to Carney,

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-Paper suggests social/environmental impact VC/PE private market returns are lower than mainstream
-Results are different to public equity market ESG strategies.

There’s an ongoing debate in “impact investment” between those who argue impact or deep impact where you are gaining measured social and environmental return will typically not give market rate risk-adjusted financial returns... This academic paper suggests impact funds may have lower financial returns. Short blog with link to paper.

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If you want to hear what I sound like when preseting on this ESG investing stuff - the CFA UK recorded me last year!

I'm also on a podcast last year, if you wanted to listen in.

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There’ a new WRI blog on energy flows and GHG emissions. Based on more recent CAIT data it’s different from the older IPCC data. Not radically but enough that climate thinkers should take note. Short blog here.

People are mostly surprised about how small aviation is (about 2-3%) but how a small number of people globally are responsible for all the flying impact.

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From the archive: One of my favourite travel blogs:

The time I went to go visit a remote tribe in the Sulawesi jungle.

Once upon a time I went to visit one of the most remote people on this planet. These people were called the Wana tribe.

Today, they are a semi nomadic hunter gatherer tribe who are transitioning to some forms of agriculture.

The tribe I visited lived deep in primary rainforest jungle in the middle of an island called Sulawesi, part of what we call Indonesia.

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Hope to see you on March 26th if not before.

Some Ben Yeoh life advice

I’ve been asked for “Life advice” a few times recently, which has given pause for thought. I think much of this type of advice needs to be tailored to an individual experience so I’m a little reluctant but I have some ideas - most based on personal experience (so take it with the usual caveats on all anecdotal ideas). I’d go so far as to say ignore what I say and go read stuff (which is one of my top pieces of advice on this list). The summary goes:

-Read. Read. Read.
-Be (or learn) curious. About everything.
-Be (or learn) empathy.
-Immerse yourself deeply in at least two domains
-Build and nurture connections (choose friends \ life partner well)
-Prioritise experience over objects/consumerism
-Communication and Conversation: Learn how to communicate effectively
-Learn how to cook food you and others will love
-Learn to think for yourself
-Run your own Race
-Travel

It’s a 5 min anecdotal blog about how those ideas have served me well, plus some evidence to go along with the anecdotes. It's perhaps mostly geared to younger people but I can still take lessons from it myself!