Tag Archives: Ben

27Jul/26

Why we hunt monsters and failed startups

July 27, 2026BusinessAlbert Einstein, Ben, Captain Ahab, Charles Shackleton, Christina Warren, Congo, D.W. Griffith, eBay, Elizabeth Holmes, Enron, Ernest Shackleton, Heard Island, Herman Melville, John Franklin, Jonathan Rosen, Lazarus Taxon, Lehman Brothers, Loch Ness, Lorraine Daston, Michael Coates, Moby-Dick, OxyContin, Pequod, Purdue Pharma, Quest, Roy Mackal, Theranos, Thomas Dixon, Walter Isaacson, Whaling in the United States, William Jennings Bryan, Zodiac Killer Projectadmin

The Anatomy of Monomania: Why We Soul-Settle and Suffer for Our “White Whales”

Mon, July 27 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — This analysis explores the intersection of biography, media criticism, and the material culture of corporate failure. One primary text provides an in-depth review of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Albert Einstein, focusing on the physicist’s unique creative process and the tragic history of his son’s mental illness. Another review critiques the unconventional documentary Zodiac Killer Project, which examines the formulaic nature of the true-crime genre through the lens of a failed film production. Complementing these are accounts of bird watching as a psychological pursuit and a discussion among collectors of “fucked company” swag. This latter community values authentic artifacts from collapsed or fraudulent entities like Theranos and Enron as tangible reminders of human hubris and historical mismanagement. Together, these sources highlight how society documents and remembers extraordinary lives, notorious crimes, and industrial catastrophes. Continue reading →

23Nov/24

Parents lie to children all the time – but they should think twice about it

November 23, 2024FamilyBen, Creative Commons, Deception, Immanuel Kant, Lie, Lying, Rebecca Brown, Sally, SHUTTERSTOCK, Truth-default theoryadmin

Rebecca Brown, University of Oxford

Parents frequently lie to their children. “No, you can’t have any chocolate – it’s all gone,” when there’s a jumbo bar of Dairy Milk in the cupboard. “No, you can’t have my phone to watch YouTube – the battery’s flat,” when it’s at a solid 65%.

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08Sep/22

Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom

September 8, 2022Human InterestAgnes Nyamwange, Alex Garland, Andrew Keen, Anthropology, Augusta, Australia, Balaji Srinivasan, Bangkok, Barbados, Barbara Jovanovic, Ben, Blue, Brazil, Chiang Mai, China, Coinbase, Creative Commons, Cultural anthropology, Culture, Dave Cook, Digital nomad, dropshipping, eBay, El Salvador, Estonia, Eventbrite, Fabian Dittrich, Feli Hargarten, Geoarbitrage, Hamburg, Humans, Internet culture, John Perry Barlow, Karoli Hindricks, Ko Pha Ngan, Larry, Lauren Razavi, Lena Leonhardt, Levels, London, Lyft, Manila, Marcus Meurer, Montenegro, Natalie Sissons, New York, Nomad, PAYPAL, Pete, Philippines, Pieter Levels, Portugal, Russia, Shopify, SHUTTERSTOCK, SNAPCHAT, Stasi, Sydney, Ted, Thailand, Theresa May, Thom, Tim Ferriss, Tony Simonovsky, Tsugio Makimoto, Uber, United Kingdom, United States, Yassin, Zenaadmin

Dave Cook, UCL

A ‘network state’ is ideologically aligned but geographically decentralised. The people are spread around the world in clusters of varying size, but their hearts are in one place.

In June 2022 Balaji Srinivasan, former chief technology officer of the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange, published an ebook entitled The Network State: How To Start a New Country. It is the latest in a flurry of utopian visions by self-styled digital visionaries, crypto believers and web 3.0 evangelists who are lining up to declare the death of the traditional concept of countries and nationhood.

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