Growth is a funny thing. Without growth, that is without change, we are, by definition, dead. As such, for most of human history, growth has been considered to be a good thing – growth and flourishing were synonymous. Politicians promised it, citizens demanded it, economies and investment bankers grew fat on it, and living standards … Continue reading What is growth?
Category: observations
In defence of Imperfect information
All the world’s a stage, yet what happens when there is no more ‘backstage’? On the surveillance state and having nowhere to hide (from creditors, taxmen, states and corporations), and conversely, on the benefits of transparency. Do we really want to live in for-profit private city-states? Does your government really need to know who you … Continue reading In defence of Imperfect information
Monkey Bars
I’m very interested at the moment in what is happening with the various social contracts that hold our civilisation together; those explicit and implicit agreements that govern what society is and how it functions. This topic of “social contracts” covers everything from the agreement states have with their citizens to provide services and protection for … Continue reading Monkey Bars
Citizens or code? – who do you trust?
From the calls to “defund the police” that rang across the USA in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, to the community groups that mobilised across South Africa to defend their homes and businesses in the midst of the July 2021 riots that ripped through South Africa from Durban to Johannesburg; citizens are … Continue reading Citizens or code? – who do you trust?
Built not to last
“the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same … Continue reading Built not to last
The great divide -and the Disappearing Co-Dependant Class
This essay was first published in the book, Aftershocks and Opportunites. It was written in 2020. I think it aged fairly well. Is COVID-19 a great equalizer or a great divider? COVID-19 is by no means an equalizing crisis. Indeed, one of the most significant lasting socio-economic effects of the crisis will be the opening … Continue reading The great divide -and the Disappearing Co-Dependant Class
Protection Rackets
"But there was more to it than that. As the Amazing Maurice said, it was just a story about people and rats. And the difficult part of it was deciding who the people were, and who were the rats." ~ The Amazing Maurice I can't help noticing the protection rackets all around us at the … Continue reading Protection Rackets
Don’t Sleep With The Fire
The rise of the machines (aka AI everything) is like fire. In that it's awesome and dangerous. Particularly dangerous in that it (like fire) is seductive - indeed, more literally seductive than fire. AI generated girls and boys paired with AI generated conversational (manipulation) skills can give you everything you want, all of the time, … Continue reading Don’t Sleep With The Fire
grève du zèle
"Evil is when you treat people as things" ~ Granny Weatherwax A modern tragedy: Trust no one, do not be trusted. Treat people as things, get treated as a thing. We are all part of the problem. Or... we could focus on adding value and valuing each other as ends and not as means. Break … Continue reading grève du zèle
Control the Narrative, Control the World
Jim Morrison once said, “whoever controls the media, controls the mind”. Today the media that moves our minds and markets is increasingly digital, and contagious. Viral memes, in particular, are emerging as a new source of both wealth and power. The rapid rise of both NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and their values, have cemented the financial … Continue reading Control the Narrative, Control the World