11/13/2020 - Another Friday the 13th, if you happen to be superstitious then maybe you should stay indoors today, not like you had a real alternative, A’marite?
I don’t have much to say this week except that the numbers show the newsletter is growing steadily. Honestly, I'm quite surprised by how the newsletter has been shared, and honestly that’s all thanks to you all.
If you have any recommendations or want more out of the newsletter please let me know. I love getting feedback and learning what people like or what they didn’t like. I always try to pick links that would be great for starting conversations and aren’t just topics that only interest me.
Anyway, hope you have a spooky Friday, or at the very least a “decent” weekend if you managed to snag a PS5. 🙄
-C.N
“Memetic-Current: Blockchain and Memes”, A cybernetic analysis of Pop-culture in techonomic time.
If you’ve been keeping up with my blog on Medium or with some of my posts on Twitter you might have noticed a recurring theme. Accelerationism is one of the current theoretical frameworks I find myself completely entrenched in. Part of the reason I find it so compelling is because of its utility when analyzing time-intensity under capitalism. What this exactly means is best understood if quoted directly from the go-to “Accelerationist” text.
“[[ ]] The story goes like this: Earth is captured by a technocapital singularity as renaissance rationalization and oceanic navigation lock into commoditization take-off. Logistically accelerating techno-economic interactivity crumbles social order in auto-sophisticating machine runaway. As markets learn to manufacture intelligence, politics modernizes, upgrades paranoia, and tries to get a grip. -Nick Land, Meltdown (1994)
Virgin: Recently had their first two people ride inside their Hyperloop. The only reason I added this link is because of the hyper futurist-fetishism a lot of people seem to be having towards this event. All I really have to say about this is that as cool as a hyperloop sounds as a mode of transportation, it is not revolutionary in the slightest. This Twitter thread highlights exactly why I think this whole thing is quite banal.
Another great video showing why I’m so fascinated by notions of hyperreality. “The Shed at Dulwich was the number one rated restaurant in London, with foodies, celebrities and bloggers trying to get a table. The main obstacle for them, however, was that it didn't exist.” Honestly, if you have the time to watch this, it’s definitely worth your time.
Nile Red is easily one of my favorite chemistry YouTubers. Their content can easily be deemed a bit “nerdy” but honestly, I was telling my girlfriend that it’s oddly ASMR-esque watching chemical reactions take place.
A vaccine for Covid-19 has been found to be 90% effective. Questions regarding its safety are still to be fully answered as well as its long term effectiveness, but as cases in the US keep breaking records daily, it’s something to look forward to with slight optimism.
Song of the Week: I found this song while working on the Newsletter late at night. I found the 80s styled, jangly guitars to fit quite nicely with the Neo-Tokyo skyline.