First Derivative [37]
Western liberalism—Pennywise the algorithm—Chinese First Contact—Saudi tumult—campus revolt—experts and authority—Bitcoin and Ethereum—terrorism—Weinstein's spies—Chinese economy
The Implosion of Western Liberalism
“Western liberalism is under siege,” writes Edward Luce in his short new book, The Retreat of Western Liberalism. Whether it is under siege, retreating or imploding, there is no longer any doubt that it is embattled. To anyone over…
'Public trust and economic growth are good... but it does not follow that either of them is its essence. That essence is a constellation of values that foster, though hardly guarantee, trust and growth... that ultimately unite us. And what are they?'
Something is wrong on the internet
I'm James Bridle. I'm a writer and artist concerned with technology and culture. I usually write on my own blog, but frankly I don't want what I'm talking about here anywhere near my own site. Please be advised: this essay describes disturbing…
It's really hard to summarize what it is Bridle is describing but I think the problem is a lot more disturbing and bizarre than the glimpse you get from his piece. Really recommend you read in full—TK
China's Race to Find Aliens First
last January, the Chinese Academy of Sciences invited Liu Cixin, China's preeminent science-fiction writer, to visit its new state-of-the-art radio dish in the country's southwest. Almost twice as wide as the dish at America's Arecibo Observatory…
great read. anything from Ross Andersen recommended—TK
The Surprising Revolt at the Most Liberal College in the Country
At Reed College, a small liberal-arts school in Portland, Oregon, a 39-year-old Saturday Night Live skit recently caused an uproar over cultural appropriation. In the classic Steve Martin skit, he performs a goofy song, “King Tut,”…
In a shocking development, Saudi press Al Mayadeen reported late on Saturday that prominent billionaire, member of the royal Saudi family, and one of the biggest shareholders of Citi, News Corp. and Twitter - not to mention frequent CNBC guest -…
Reminiscent of Xi Jinping—TK
Why rule by the people is better than rule by the experts
In early 2017, Scientific American published a symposium on the threat that ‘big nudging' poses to democracy. Big Data is the phenomena whereby governments and corporations collect and analyse information provided by measuring sensors and…
'The brilliance of US democracy, for Tocqueville, is that it resides in civil society as well as formal governmental structures... To learn what Tocqueville called ‘the art of being free’, people must have a hand in the governance of common affairs.'
The T-word: When is an attack terrorism?
When a gunman opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, the atrocity called to mind the 2015 shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Despite apparent similarities, these…
Some Thoughts on the State of Bitcoin and Ethereum
Some Thoughts on the State of Bitcoin and Ethereum Upfront disclosure: I am long both Bitcoin and Ethereum (personally and also indirectly via USV). In preparation for the annual meeting at USV, we have been putting together some slides on the…
Harvey Weinstein's Army of Spies
In the fall of 2016, Harvey Weinstein set out to suppress allegations that he had sexually harassed or assaulted numerous women. He began to hire private security agencies to collect information on the women and the journalists trying to expose the…
'The film executive hired private investigators, including ex-Mossad agents, to track actresses and journalists.'
China's Zhou Warns on Mounting Financial Risk in Rare Commentary
China's financial system is getting significantly more vulnerable due to high leverage, according to central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, who also flagged the need for deeper reforms in the world's second-biggest economy. Latent risks are…
'The latest in a string of pro-deleveraging rhetoric from the PBOC'