PinnedData for Social Good: Using Credit Card Transaction Data to Mitigate or Prevent Catastrophic Events like Mass ShootingsIntroduction Omar Marteen, the shooter at Pulse Nightclub and who massacred twenty-five individuals, was able to take out six lines of credit [across a roughly four-month period], including with a Mastercard, American Express card and three Visa cards to purchase the five firearms he used to carry out such a…Banking14 min readBanking14 min read
Nov 42023: A Year in BooksHow do you measure a year? Sunsets? Midnights? Cups of coffee? … Books? 2023 was an excellent year in books. Given the state of the world (two concurrent wars, political extremism, countless mass shootings, etc. etc.) it’s no wonder most of my favorite reads were works of fiction. Below are…Books10 min readBooks10 min read
Dec 28, 2021The 10 Best Books I Read in 2021Another year, the same pandemic. Luckily, through the magic of books, I’ve never felt too alone or stricken with wanderlust. I hope the same for you. Below are the 10 best books I read in 2021 (in no particular order, I love them all for various reasons but will try…Books4 min readBooks4 min read
Dec 28, 2021The Static System of COVID-Shame in the United StatesYou would think that nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic that we would have moved away from the shock and subsequent shame that accompanies a positive diagnosis. A recent Pew Research study shows that 7 in 10 Americans know someone who has either been hospitalized or died from the…Pandemic5 min readPandemic5 min read
May 22, 2021Proptech. What is it?Proptech. What is it? How are complementary technologies like 5G and AI fueling proptech’s rise in China? How is proptech shaping China’s smart city landscape? And is such technology the next step in the Fourth Industrial Revolution? …China4 min readChina4 min read
Apr 25, 2021Book Reviews: “Beyond Good” & “Cashless”First up: “Beyond Good: How Technology is Leading a Purpose-driven Business Revolution” by Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer. This book gets a lot right. At its heart, “Beyond Good” nails that financial inclusion for all must be the bedrock from which we rebuild during & post-pandemic. Trust was mentioned a…Book Review5 min readBook Review5 min read
Dec 11, 20202020: A Year In BooksEarly on in the pandemic, I challenged myself to read 60 books in 2020. 60 seemed like a stretch-goal in late spring (calculated then to be roughly 2 books per week). …Reading8 min readReading8 min read
Nov 9, 2020The 10 Things I Learned From Being a Poll WorkerI was a poll worker in this recent 2020 Presidential Election cycle. Below are some of the take-aways I had from my experience (all are apolitical). …Elections4 min readElections4 min read
Sep 22, 2020Target: Tufts University- A Cyber Risk Threat ModelIn developing a cyber threat model for Tufts University, I chose to adopt the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” (Version 1.1) as outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Framework focuses on using “business drivers” (i.e. reduction of cost(s)) to guide cybersecurity activities and “considering…Cybersecurity6 min readCybersecurity6 min read
Sep 14, 2020Welcome to… Neo-Banks 2.0Welcome to the age of Neo-Banks 2.0! I hope you can imagine such a welcoming in the voice of Jurassic Park CEO, John Hammond. So, what makes this “age” of neo-banks different than the first? I argue that this new age is marked by 3 distinguishing characteristics: 1. A clear…Fintech3 min readFintech3 min read
