20: Blockchain as a Big Tech Breaker, The Spreadsheets Revolution, Edo Fires, Sleep is Overrated
"Le Temps nous égare, le Temps nous étreint, le Temps nous est gare, le Temps nous est train" - Jacques Prévert
Investing & Business
Blockchain as a Big Tech Breaker?
Reading time: ~10 minutes
Great article by Jon Stokes on why Blockchain could act as a credible (and probably more effective) alternative to new antitrust regulations in the effort of breaking up the influence of Big Tech:
Imagine a world where every startup begins life with as many users as the largest incumbent. There's no on-boarding or sign-up friction — at least friction isn’t mandatory as it is now (you could reintroduce it). If you're built on the big identity blockchain, then every blockchain wallet is already a (inactive) user of your service who has a seamless way to transact with you for money and digital goods.
If you want to build a set of network effects that benefit your company specifically, it won't be enough to simply cultivate a large users table or email list — no, you'll have to offer something on-chain that others are also incentivized to use, so that the thing you're uniquely offering spreads and becomes a kind of currency.
Also, don't miss out the interesting addendum at the bottom of the post explaining the different political stances when it comes to evaluating antitrust regulations!
Thought-provoking stuff…
A Spreadsheet Way of Knowledge
Reading time: ~10 minutes
An archive from 1984 about the emergence of the spreadsheet in the business world. Helped me put some colour on those stories of ancient times I heard many times as an intern!
The article also does a great job at pointing at an issue that is now evident more than 35 years after the first wave: the human factor.
A virtual cult of the spreadsheet has formed, complete with gurus and initiates, detailed lore, arcane rituals – and an unshakable belief that the way the world works can be embodied in rows and columns of numbers and formulas. […]
There is no doubt that the electronic spreadsheet saves time and provides insight; there is no doubt that even greater benefits will one day be derived from these grids. Yet all these benefits will be meaningless if the spreadsheet metaphor is taken too much to heart. After all, it is only a metaphor. Fortunately, few would argue that all relations between people can be quantified and manipulated by formulas. Of human behavior, no faultless assumptions – and so no perfect model — can be made.
Also, this article taught me that actually Excel did not start it all :)
Arts & History
Edo Fires
Watching time: 50 minutes
Great series by NHK, the Japanese national public broadcaster, on the history of Japan and its major cities. Thanks Matthieu for pointing this out to me!
More than 150 years ago, Edo, the forerunner of Tokyo, had the highest population of any city in the world. But it was ravaged by large-scale fires more frequently than any other major urban center. Yet after each conflagration, Edo rose from the ashes like a phoenix. We'll take a look at how the city managed to overcome such huge disasters and continue to grow.
Unfortunately, content is removed from on-demand access regularly, and these ones are leaving the website very soon, so hurry up :-)
Treat for the Ears
"I had my first car accident to this song. Needless to say the car was a total loss lol"
Other Interesting Links
Until next week!
Antoine