LET’S BE FWENDS ISSUE #90:

THE END IS NEAR. WAIT, WHAT? THE END IS NEAR?

“Civilization will reach maturity only when it learns to value diversity of character and of ideas.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke

Hi there! Today, we check in on a doomsday report, dive into the circular economy, finally find out how progress bars actually work, take a stab at crypto currencies, and get visited by an ancient deity.

The Apocalypse Was Predicted 1972 - and We’re Right on Track

There’s one thing I never really understood, and that is eternal economic growth, which basically is the foundation of our current economic system. I find it difficult to believe on principle, so it’s actually moot to try to argue the finer points of capitalism with me. My scepticism is two-fold: One argument would be that it seems to be impossible to create infinite value that is rooted in the physical world, while the physical world (that is accessible to us) is finite (call that metaphysics if you like to). The other is out of observation: How much suffering and unrepairable damage this thinking has created in the world.

Looks like I’m not alone with my wonder, how we can move on along a path that doesn’t seem to lead us anywhere. In 1972, some scientists at the MIT created a report that tried to predict what would happen if we follow our path of unrestricted economic growth and exploitation. It lead to the collapse of modern-day society in this century. That report was long forgotten, but Gaya Herrington picked it up and re-evaluated the models used to predict the outcomes. And while she did that, she found that we’re right on track to our path to collapse.

An Introduction to the Circular Economy (With Details)

If the current economic model of ever increasing growth will bring ecosystems and human society to the brink of collapse (or over it), what changes are needed and how might they look like? The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has compiled a detailed introduction to the Circular Economy that is well worth checking out.

So, This Is How Loading Bars Actually Work

Jen Gentleman solved the mystery that is as old as user interfaces: Why do loading bars appear to change the speed they are filling so dramatically? Now we know.

Why I Don’t Like Crypto Currencies (And You Shouldn’t Either)

Jackson Palmer, co-creator of Dogecoin (which by itself was a project aiming to poke fun at the crypto-investment scene), sums up my feelings about crypto currencies in general. They are - depending on how you want to look at them - all of this at the same time: They are a giant pyramid scheme, a simple way for rich people to get even richer, a scam, an effort to reduce oversight through democratic processes and institutions into the economy, a bad replacement for money, an environmental catastrophe, a fundamentally reactionary technology, and probably a bunch of other bad things as well. As you can see, I don’t like cryptocurrencies.

Neptune Rising

In another great instalment of pareidolia, Neptune says hi.

That’s it from this edition of Let’s be Fwends. Turns out, I’m not very predictable at all. 🤡