The big tech is changing everything. It’s changing our democracy, our relationships, our society, and everything in the marketplace. What concerns me is that we have not fully started understanding, let alone clearly analyzing, what’s happening. We just see it as a slow tsunami that is changing us, without being able to really fend for ourselves or give direction to our society.
P.J.Joseph's Weblog On Colored Stones, Diamonds, Gem Identification, Synthetics, Treatments, Imitations, Pearls, Organic Gems, Gem And Jewelry Enterprises, Gem Markets, Watches, Gem History, Books, Comics, Cryptocurrency, Designs, Films, Flowers, Wine, Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Graphic Novels, New Business Models, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, Education, Environment, Music, Art, Commodities, Travel, Photography, Antiques, Random Thoughts, and Things He Like.
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Saturday, April 06, 2019
A Paradise For The Age Of The Techno-Autocrat
Useful link:
https://www.axios.com/us-china-artificial-intelligence-surveillance-addd458b-2e0e-4309-91d8-187aabc83814.html
The Best Wine In The World
Vivino, the popular wine app with 35 million subscribers worldwide, says the best wine in the world is the Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, from Napa Valley in California. That’s based on Vivino’s data mining of the 40 million reviews and 120 million ratings its members posted online last year. Take note.
Free Online Diamond Learning Program
The Diamond Producers Association’s e-learning program, ‘Behind the Brilliance of Diamonds,’ offers a clear and concise, open platform for the industry. Whether you have been working with diamonds for one day or 20 years, the program relates compelling stories about the history of natural diamonds, easy-to-digest and well-researched facts, and memorable details about the important benefits that the natural diamond industry makes to the world. To access the diamond e-learning platform, visit DiamondProducers.com. For more information or assistance, watch the DPA’s brief video hosted online.
Friday, April 05, 2019
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2019
For the complete list of winners visit sfspiritscomp.com.
Baselworld: Weibo And WeChat’s Digital Boost Offers Hope To Ailing Luxury Event
Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/3004072/baselworld-weibo-and-wechats-digital-boost-offers
Gates Joins Bezos As The Only Two Members Of The $100 Billion Club
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/gates-joins-bezos-in-12-digit-club-as-the-only-centibillionaires
A Jewelry Designer’s Opals, Illustrated
Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/t-magazine/victoire-de-castellane-opals.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FJewels%20and%20Jewelry&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
Thursday, April 04, 2019
Sicker, Fatter, Poorer
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, the chief of the division of environmental pediatrics at N.Y.U. School of Medicine, is the author of “Sicker, Fatter, Poorer: the Urgent Threat of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals to Our Health and Future … and What We Can Do About It.” A must read.
Cheese In Surround Sound: A Culinary Art Experiment
Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/swiss-cheese-aged-music-flavor-2844409
First Cobalt Refinery Report
Toronto-based First Cobalt Corp.'s (CVE: FCC) stock soared over 38% Wednesday, after the company announced it has successfully produced a battery grade cobalt sulphate at its refinery near the town of Cobalt, Ontario. Take note.
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
The Reducetarian Cookbook
Brian Kateman is cofounder and president of the Reducetarian Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy to create a healthy, sustainable, and compassionate world. Brian is the editor of The Reducetarian Cookbook (Hachette Book Group: September 18, 2018) and The Reducetarian Solution (Penguin Random House: April 18, 2017).
Muzeum Susch Aims To Elevate The Visibility Of Women Artists
Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/muse/discoveries/muzeum-susch-opens-st-moritz-2844488
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Corbella Milano
Corbella Milano, a book edited by Ms. Corbella and Bianca Cappello will be released in April in the United States by the Milan-based publisher Silvana Editoriale. It includes photographs of some of the stage jewels and armaments that have survived, images of opera stars in costume, design sketches and other archival references. A must read.
Learn To Code
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/billionaire-has-new-goal-for-his-17-000-workers-learn-to-code?srnd=premium-asia
Gem Diamonds Finds A 134 Carat Yellow Diamond
Gem Diamonds has found a 134-carat yellow, the second significant colored diamond it has found this year. It discovered the high-quality, type I stone on March 31 at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the company said Sunday. The last yellow-diamond of that magnitude the miner reported on was a 151.52-carat stone, which it retrieved in June 2017. In March, Gem Diamonds sold a pink stone weighing 13.33 carats to Graff for $8.8 million. The company, which is renowned for the discovery of large diamonds from Letšeng, recovered a white, type IIa diamond from the deposit last week. In 2018, it found a record 15 stones weighing more than 100 carats. Thanks to Rapaport.
The Sexy Hexy Project
At Gem Breakfast. Called the #sexyhexyproject, it’s an online pop-up and social media campaign that corrals seven one-of-a-kind rings, all featuring hexagonal center diamonds in designs by independent, under-the-radar artisans. Take a look.
Monday, April 01, 2019
Boris Katz
Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612826/virtual-assistants-thinks-theyre-doomed-without-a-new-ai-approach
De Beers, Botswana To Expand World's Richest Diamond Mine
Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/de-beers-botswana-expand-worlds-richest-diamond-mine
Diamond Fields Resources Report
Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63484&ArticleTitle=Diamond%2bFields%2bPink%2bSells%2bfor%2b%252417K%252fct.
Silver Promotion Service
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/sales-of-silver-jewelry-grew-2018
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Random Thoughts
In the beginning, there was nothing. And in the end, there was — nothing, once again. And, since the subject here is the accumulation of money, let’s say the way of all cash, too.
New Guidelines Advise Against Aspirin To Prevent Heart Disease
Useful link:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-guidelines-advise-against-aspirin-to-prevent-heart-disease-11552859677
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Rare Earth Pricing Outlook To 2030
Adamas Intelligence has announced the publication of a new report, titled ‘Rare Earth Pricing Outlook to 2030‘. In this report, AI forecasts global rare earth supply and demand to 2030 and how oxide prices will evolve in the years ahead.
What Do We Mean When We Say Ethical Sourcing?
Useful link:
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7546-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-ethical-sourcing
The Pearson Twins
Useful link:
https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/585814/pearson-twins
What’s Inside The Audemars Piguet VIP Concept Lounge At Art Basel Hong Kong?
Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3003824/whats-inside-audemars-piguet-vip-concept-lounge-art
The Worst Disease Ever Recorded
Useful link:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/03/bd-frogs-apocalypse-disease/585862
Mystery Owner To Sell $26 Million Of Wine At Hong Kong Auction
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-29/mystery-owner-to-sell-26-million-of-wine-at-hong-kong-auction?srnd=premium-asia
Friday, March 29, 2019
Petra Diamonds Finds 425.1 Carat Diamond
Petra Diamonds has announced it had dug up a 425.1 carat, D-colour, Type II gem quality diamond at its iconic Cullinan mine in South Africa. Simply lucky!
Tomfoolery London
Running from 23rd March - 4 May 2019 in Tomfoolery’s wedding atelier, the aim of the event is to showcase the sheer variety of rings on show, from writhing gemstone clusters to beautifully individual wedding bands, illustrated by an extraordinary selection of ring stacks that couldn't be more alt bridal. Delicate and bold, diamonds and spinels, even a skull – the only thing that unites them is their uniqueness. The message is clear: your engagement, your rules. A must visit.
Coders: The Making Of A New Tribe And The Remaking Of The World
In his new book Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World, Clive Thompson lays out the history of programming, highlighting the pioneering role women played. A must read.
Time For Trees
Time for Trees, as the initiative is called, will be comprised of multiple projects across the globe, ranging from reforestation efforts, like those that will take root in California, to urban and suburban community tree-planting efforts. Around 65% of the projects will unfold in rural areas, and the rest in more populated communities. The aim is to combat the 18 million acres of forests that are lost globally each year. While 100 million trees is only a fraction of the overall forest debt we must recover, the Arbor Day Foundation is confident it will make an impact: That many trees can remove 578,000 tons of pollution from the air. Just do it.
Huge Pools Of Dirty Money Are Europe’s Worst-Kept Banking Secret
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-03-14/huge-pools-of-dirty-money-are-europe-s-worst-kept-banking-secret?srnd=businessweek-v2
Raw Materials: Holy Grail Of 21st Century Industrial Policy
Raw Materials: ‘holy grail’ of 21st century industrial policy. Maros Sefcovic, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of the Energy Union believes Europe has world-leading technologies as well as high environmental and social standards, and that the EU aims to ensure that mining is no longer the polluting industry of the past. MS was spot on.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
More Than A Third Of Gold Mines In Congo Exposed To Ebola
Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/third-gold-mines-congo-exposed-ebola-report
How To Prove Yourself As CEO On Day 1
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-27/the-ceo-guide-to-proving-yourself-on-day-one
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Alana Jones-Mann
Take a look at the eye-catching designs of Alana Jones-Mann, a designer and baker based in Los Angeles.
Get Your Shit Together
Get to know CR, founder of the online resource, Get Your Shit Together, and her new book, “What Matters Most.”
Language And Luxury
Language & Luxury offers hand-tailored language-learning experiences coupled with upscale accommodations. Stay from one to three months, receiving two hours per day of one-on-one instruction in your chosen language—French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish—in sublime foreign destinations including Paris, Rome, Porto, and San Sebastian. When you’re not studying, your personal concierge can suggest activities designed to encourage conversation as you explore your host city. Take note.
The Fluenz Immersion Program
The Fluenz Immersion program in Mexico City, is a brilliant—and luxurious—way to learn.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
No Regrets
No regrets. That’s the name of the new Stephen Webster pop-up lounge and boutique that opened earlier this month at Bergdorf Goodman and will be up and running through April 28. A must visit.
Gemology Inside
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/tucson-visit-spurs-geology-professor-publisher-head-back-school
Rose In Demantoid From Madagascar
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-microworld-rose-in-demantopid-from-madagascar
Random Thoughts
Can God create a world in which evil does not exist? This does appear to be logically possible. Presumably God could have created such a world without contradiction. It evidently would be a world very different from the one we currently inhabit, but a possible world all the same. Indeed, if God is morally perfect, it is difficult to see why he wouldn’t have created such a world. So why didn’t He?
Lawrence Graff's Diamond Collection
Luxury jeweler Graff is preparing to cut and polish the exceptional 13.33-carat Lesotho Pink that sold for $8.8 million in February.
The company revealed this week that it bought the stone from Gem Diamonds at a tender in Antwerp. At $656,933 per carat, the sale was the highest average price for any rough diamond recovered at the Letšeng mine in Lesotho, Gem Diamonds said last week without saying who the buyer was.
The purchase comes amid a depletion of the world’s pink-diamond resources, as the mines that produce them become extinct, Graff explained.
“This is the most vivid pink rough diamond I have ever seen, and it is an exceptionally rare treasure,” said Graff founder Laurence Graff. “I am sure the polished diamond that comes from this rough will be an auspicious addition to our roll call of famous gems.” Many thanks to Rapaport.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Random Thoughts
I’ve developed a natural suspicion of many new technologies. I’ve not adopted smartwatches or fitness monitors or at-home voice-activated assistants because I think they have major security and privacy implications that I’m not yet comfortable with.
An Upscale Bourbon
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-08/jim-beam-gets-japanese-touch-with-suntory-bet-on-upscale-bourbon?srnd=premium-asia
How Imagination Will Save Our Cities
Useful link:
http://nautil.us/issue/70/variables/how-imagination-will-save-our-cities
$1.3M Perfume Enters Race For World's Most Expensive Fragrance
Useful link:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/1-3-million-perfume-dubai/index.html
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Random Thoughts
Human contact is becoming a luxury good. As more screens appear in the lives of the poor, screens are disappearing from the lives of the rich. The richer you are, the more you spend to be offscreen.
The Out-there AI Ideas Designed To Keep The US Ahead Of China
Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613089/the-out-there-ai-ideas-designed-to-keep-the-us-ahead-of-china