The Judgment Call Podcast

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Melissa Hui and I talk about:

• How 'depression culture' took over our cities.
• Does money make you happy? Why are poor countries seemingly so much happier?
• Why we think of technology as our new 'hyper-religion'?
• Where do we come from and are we in a simulation?
• Is 'free will' actually real? And why it seems that we imagine it (for our own good)?
• What will education in the near future look like? How can we overcome laziness?
• How the modern state (and religions) institute the 'self improvement lifecycle of humans'.
• Why the unequal distribution of motivation is leading to outsized gains with modern technology.
• Can we trace the current depression back to the extreme deflation of 'Likes' when Facebook started to change how they give out 'Likes'?
• How Melissa discovered a crisis was in the making before COVID was around.
• and much more!

You can also watch this episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #43 - Melissa Hui (The future of human interaction and learning).

Melissa Hui is an innovation and transformation strategist and she is the founder of context leap.

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Erika Armstrong and I talk about:

• Why becoming a pilot is hard and why it may still be a great endeavour despite COVID"
• Why operating a modern airliner is such a great example for the work that will see in many places in the future.
• What are exciting new developments past the COVID crisis?
• What are the secrets of planes landing in 'zero visibility'?
• Is the 'first landing attempt' always free? And what impact do passengers have on pilot decisions in business aviation?
• My personal 'scariest flying story' ever.
• Erika's personal 'conspiracy theory' about MH370.
• How common are drone strikes and laser strikes really?

You can watch this episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #42 - Erika Armstrong (The life of a pilot).

Erika Armstrong  is a commercial pilot and aviation professor at MSU Denver. She is also the author of "A chick in the cockpit".

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Simon Anholt and I talk about:

• How Simon has helped dozens of government entities over the years and how it shaped his 'view of the world'?
• How governments and citizens define their 'country mission'? What is a country for exactly?
• What should be the right balance between competition and collaboration between nation states?
• Are humans now being perceived as pieces on a chessboard?
• How manipulated are we currently? And a surprising results of Simon's index building.
• How travel shapes the image of countries (in other people's eyes and yours).
• How Simon got to start a 'virtual nation'.
• Why it is so strange that 'Community Service' is a punishment.
• Where does progress actually come from?
• and much more!

You may watch the episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #41 - Simon Anholt (What makes a good country).

Over the last twenty years, Simon Anholt has advised the Presidents, Prime Ministers, monarchs and governments of nearly sixty countries, cities and regions. Simons's TED talks have amassed millions of views on ted.com and on Youtube. Simon Anholt is the (co)-creator of the Nation Brands Index and the Good Country Index.

Simon has written six books about countries, their images and their role in the world. His latest book, The Good Country Equation: How We Can Repair the World in One Generation is now available on Amazon.

In this episode Marci Powell and I talk about:

• How the COVID crisis revealed how unprepared schools and universities were for online education?
• Why an 'offline copy' of learning won't work online.
• What 'free content' will do to the education industry - especially outside of the US.
• How a modern curriculum should look like? How much customization will it involve?
• Is homeschooling a way to improve schooling and lower cost?
• How we will motivate the children and young adults to learn?
• What role will standardized tests play?

You may watch this episode in 4K resolution on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #40 - Marci Powell (The future of online learning).

Marci Powell is a futurist and public speaker. She has been on the forefront of distance learning for more than 20 years and in 2019 she chaired the U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA).

You may reach Marci via LinkedIn.

Apologies for my audio quality during this episode. Thanks to Marci for saving the day!

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Aswath Damodaran and I talk about:

• Why he started putting his lectures online as early as 1997!
• Why Aswath considers academia, journalism and the financial industry ripe for disruption and how Aswath managed to stay 'independent' during his teaching career.
• What is the Equity Risk Premium and why Professor Damodaran is so focused on it?
• Professor Damodaran's view on inflation and interest rates?
• What is source of the low productivity growth in the US? What role did the Federal Reserve in it?
• Will Tesla stay a 'trend stock'?
• Does Uber actually have a 'business model'?
• What is behind the backlash against capitalism?
• What are Professor's Damodaran best investments right now and how do these 'short squeezes' actually work?
• and much more!

You may watch this episode in 4K resolution on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #39 - Aswath Damodaran (Making economic sense of a 'crazy world').

Aswath Damodaran teaches corporate finance and valuation at the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Aswath has won many accolades for his unique ‘no BS’ teaching style and has also earned the moniker 'Dean of Valuation'.

You may reach Professor Aswath via his website.

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Heidi Roizen and I talk about:

• Which role Stanford University played in Heid's life personally and how much of a role it has in spawning entrepreneurship.
• Why entrepreneurship is such an important tool to change the world (to the better).
• What are the motivations for entrepreneurship? What skills and values pay off for entrepreneurs?
• Are the public market in a state of irrational exuberance?
• Is the big stagnation is real in entrepreneurship? Have we let go of our own high expectations to improve?
• How the 'baby boomers' have corned the real estate market and why the millennials have trouble following the 'boomer model'?
• Where does Heidi stand in the Miami vs San Francisco debate?
• Do we live in a simulation? Will we be able to upload ourselves into a silicon based lifeform?
• Will we be able to 'rebuild' our ancestors from their DNA?
• Are first time entrepreneurs or 'wise' serial entrepreneurs the better choice?
• How is religion linked to entrepreneurship?
• How would 'free energy' change our life?

Watch this episode in 4K resolution on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #38 - Heidi Roizen (What makes a 'great' entrepreneur?).

Heidi Roizen is a venture capitalist at Threshold Ventures, former entrepreneur and Silicon Valley evangelist. She also actively mentors new entrepreneurs.

You may reach Heidi via LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Amit Mehta and I talk about:

• How the automotive industry is structured (i.e. tiered) and how innovation works in that industry
• Why Electric Vehicles (EVs) are so expensive in the US?
• Will Apple 'corner' the market for Electric Vehicles soon?
• Are autonomous vehicle 'just around the corner'?
• What is the discussion about LIDAR sensors and radar all about?
• What role will AI play in the automotive industry?
• And much more!

You may watch this episode in 4K resolution on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #37 - Amit Mehta (The future of the automotive industry).

Amid Mehta is the Head of Innovation at North American Lighting and host of the Mobility Now Podcast.

You may reach Amit via LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Peter Oncken and I talk about:

• How Peter got to start an airline during COVID
• How Peter got started with his amazing track record of restructuring five airlines in Europe
• Why it is so hard to make money in the airline industry?
• Why low-cost & long haul flying is so hard?
• The amazing success of Wizz Air in Europe?
• Why Peters's newest airline Aero K is starting up in South Korea.
• How Qatar Airways has stealthily become the 'World's Best Airline'?
• Who makes the most money in the aviation industry?
• Will electric aircraft take over soon? What are synthetic fuels?

You can watch this episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #36 - Peter Oncken (How to buy/run and sell an airline anywhere).

Peter Oncken is Managing Partner of INTRO Aviation GmbH. Peter has been buying, restructuring, running and selling airlines for two decades including dba, LTU, Cityjet and Corsair.

You may reach Peter via LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Nick Romeo and I talk about:

• Nick's journey of becoming a journalist and philosopher and what journalism means today in the times of social media?
• Is the criticism of the millenials similar to the 'elders of Athens' criticism of Socrates?
• How much of an education should we expect from an 'average citizen'?
• Is the 'modern state' and religion a good way to improve citizens behavior subtly?
• What Plato's journey to Sicily tell us about the success of Greek asceticism.
• How intense was the exchange between the Israelites and the ancient Greeks? Why were their views on 'laws' so different?
• How are the current and ancient Greece connected?
• an much more!

You may watch this episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #35 - Nick Romeo (The connection between ancient Greece and today).

Nick Romeo is a journalist who writes about science, culture, and ideas for a wide range of publications, including the New Yorker, the Washington Post, National Geographic, Slate, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, The Atlantic, New Republic, The Daily Beast, The MIT Technology Review, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, and many others.

You may reach Nick via LinkedIn.

• Why travel is such an important tool for 'World Peace' - really!
• How travel will look like post COVID? How to make it sustainable without creating more 'tourist ghettos'?
• How will airline and hotel loyalty programs emerge from COVID?
• Why Qatar Airways seems to be such an extraordinary airline?
• and much more!

You may watch this episode on Youtube - The Judgment Call Podcast Episode #34 - Henry Harteveldt -Analysis of the airline and hotel industry.

Henry Harteveldt is often called “the voice of the travel industry”. Henry regularly appears on broadcast media, including Bloomberg, CNN, and CNBC. Top-tier print media, such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Associated Press, The New York Times, USA Today, Travel Weekly and Tnooz.

Henry has been an travel industry analyst for more than 14 years, focusing extensively on the airline, lodging/hospitality and cruise sectors. He has published more than 125 research reports during his work at Atmosphere Research.

You may reach Henry via LinkedIn.