Tag Archives: eBay

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 →

09Apr/26

Rewind and Record: The Cultural Legacy of VHS, from Solid Soul to the 2026 Resurgence

April 9, 2026UncategorizedDigital media, DV, eBay, Greg Molloy, High-definition television, Home video, Jammer Lammy, Jonathan Ross, Magnetic tape, Neil Miles, Netflix, Panasonic, Ronja, Sony, TDK, VHS, Video, Video rental shop, Videocassette recorder, Videotapeadmin

This analysis broadly explores the cultural legacy, archival importance, and modern resurgence of VHS tapes.

The VHS Era as a “Labour of Love” Before frictionless, on-demand streaming, recording television onto blank cassettes—such as the iconic TDK E-180, known for its dolphin cover art—was a highly involved creative process. Home viewers painstakingly curated their own physical media libraries, which required intense focus to manually pause recordings during commercial breaks and handwritten labels for the spines. This effort transformed VHS tapes into a “physical CV” of a person’s tastes, creating a cherished, tactile media experience that modern streaming platforms struggle to replicate.

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23Jun/23

Glastonbury weekend guide survival kit

June 23, 2023MusicAfrican music, African popular music, Afrobeats, Amazon, eBay, Glastonbury, Glastonbury Festival, London, Music, Music genres, Nigeria, United Kingdomadmin

23 June 2023 /Opinion/ – As a black African Londoner, I am incredibly excited to see Afrobeats headlining Glastonbury this year. It is a genre that has its roots in my community, and it is amazing to see it reach such a mainstream audience.

Afrobeats is a genre of music that originated in Nigeria in the early 1990s. It is a fusion of West African sounds, such as highlife and fuji, with American genres, such as hip hop and R&B. Afrobeats has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it is now one of the most popular genres of music in Africa. Continue reading →

24Sep/22

eBay Awards $500,000 to 2022 Class of Up & Running Grant Recipients

September 24, 2022FinanceComputer architecture, eBay, eBay Inc., Operating systems, Software, United Statesadmin

eBay Inc. today announced the recipients of its third annual Up & Running Grant program, which was created in partnership with Hello Alice to support U.S. small businesses with the capital and resources they need to scale, grow and thrive online. Continue reading

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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