Lots of contrarian crypto posts coming out lately. Glad I’m not the only one skeptical/confused.
- Crypto: the good, the bad, the ugly: A good rundown (that’s very accessible if you’re not a crypto nerd) of the state of crypto. Like the author, I feel there’s something there, but it’s not clear any of the current ideas are anything but excitement and froth.
- Today on Sick Sad World: How The Cryptobros Have Fallen (warning: strong language): The other big disconnect for me has been the lofty language of crypto (“Freedom! Liberty!”) and the reality of what they’ve created so far. JWZ nails this in his typical, brutally cynical way.
- “Corrosive Communities”: How A Facebook Fight Over Wind Power Predicts the Future of Local Politics in America: A really well reported story on how social media enabled an intense local fight with all the toxicity emblematic of modern political debate. I could’ve linked to this article about a three percenter winning a school board seat in Washington State. Similar dynamics, scarier underlying context.
- How Shein beat Amazon at its own game – and reinvented fast fashion: Really interesting story about Shein, a fast fashion marketplace that you’ll hear about if you haven’t already. There’s a broader trend that’s now obvious about internet-first ideas coming out of China (and India a bit) and moving west.
- Railway lines once connected the Middle East: Interesting bit of history that I didn’t know. Going from Istanbul to Jerusalem with stops in Aleppo or Homs, places now better known as war zones instead of thriving stops along a major trade route.
- Tech I’m Watching in 2022: Thoughtful people-centric list from Anil Dash. (Crypto doesn’t make the list, if you were wondering).
