Tag Archives: Future Shock

Smart Meters, Smart Grid, Smart New Money…

Posted on 27/11/2011 by

55% of households in the US are expected to have Smart Meter installations by 2015. Europe is ahead of the US. This post speculates that in an energy (as opposed to capital) constrained economy of the future, Smart Grids and … Continue reading →

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Demographic Destiny and NIRP: Monetarist Economics Edition

Posted on 09/11/2011 by

Wonk Alert! “There is nothing theoretically impossible about a negative natural rate of interest. Even a very negative natural rate of interest.” That is the kind of thing I would typically write, but this time the words are not mine.

Posted in Society | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Labour, Capital and Land … meet Data

Posted on 27/07/2011 by

“Last year people stored enough data to fill 60,000 Libraries of Congress. The world’s 4 billion mobile-phone users (12% of whom own smartphones) have turned themselves into data-streams. YouTube claims to receive 24 hours of video every minute. Manufacturers have … Continue reading →

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My God, It’s Full of Stars

Posted on 19/12/2010 by

A Space Odyssey The quote that forms the title of this post comes from Stanley Kubrick’s film based on Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is uttered by Dave Bowman, an astronaut, as he investigates a mysterious … Continue reading →

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A Fire Upon The Deep

Posted on 17/12/2010 by

A Cultural Odyssey Human culture and civilisation is embarked upon a technology driven transformation. The Monolith of our story is our technology (and in the Odyssey films, the monolith is a symbol of technology), most specifically our communications technology. New … Continue reading →

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Back to the Future, Episode I

Posted on 28/11/2010 by

So much criticism is levelled daily at contemporary culture from all directions and ideological standpoints that we have come to convince ourselves that we are doomed to civilisational failure if not today then perhaps by the end of next week, … Continue reading →

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Liminality

Posted on 10/11/2010 by

‘liminality, the transitional time or condition in which one, or a group, or a territory, or the season, is not what it was and not what it will become, but something in between, something marginal, vague, and flexible: – Arnold … Continue reading →

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