A newsletter about Pop Culture, Software Studies, Business Strategy, Media Platforms, Algorithmic Management, Game Design, and everything in between.

Category: Essays

  • Exchange value

    The new and emergent global financial system will be overwhelming in scale and complexity. It will exert an unprecedented influence over the daily lives of everyone on the planet. more ›

  • Gilded splinters

    To live in interesting times used to be a young person’s joyful expectation, or an ancient and veiled curse, wished ironically upon one’s enemies more ›

  • Old names

    It is said that water is one with ice, and that the fish forget the sea. What we call our generation – the span of our lives on this planet – has already… more ›

  • Deep trends

    The emergence of science as a robust and legitimate method of truth-seeking was not visible in real time to those directly responsible, nor to the people whose power would later… more ›

  • Superjurisdiction

    You live on a farm now, working from home or out in the field. It may look like a city, but the space you occupy and do not own is… more ›

  • Future fatigue

    Winter is coming: a cold, northern, long and suspenseful season. Six months from now the world will be more pessimistic, tired of the overwhelming sentiment of defeat against the unreasonable forces… more ›

  • Time wars

    Every human generation fights for survival, demanding from the earth all the means and resources it needs to thrive and evolve. This is not a conscious or coordinated effort, and it… more ›

  • Synthetic media

    Your digital shadow will evolve into a talking and texting avatar. It will conduct business on your behalf and look out for your best interests more ›

  • Kleptocracy

    The difference between the extremely wealthy and the rest of humanity lies often in their power to remain invisible. Their political strategies are hidden from public scrutiny, their business practices disguised… more ›

  • Fake real

    “If you don’t like it – it’s fake. If you do like it, it’s faux.” The subtle and hilarious distinction was made by the author Joseph Pine in a famous TED Talk… more ›