Mike Clarke

I think that tools achieve a lot, but they can't manufacture something out of nothing. At best, they probably reflect and amplify what's already there. It’s like crypto – in one version of the story – is unlocking a decentralized, collectively-owned universe. I think zero events of the past X years have in any way said that's true.

What has crypto ... See more

If the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, let the angry, ranting boomers and billionaires fret in futility about it, and let failing 40+ types do the pointless manifesto-derping.

Say you subscribe to a YouTube channel with very niche videos about the inner workings of ball bearings (or something equally niche). You, the viewer, have a high chance of not seeing any new videos from this channel - even though you subscribe to it - because the content just isn't suited to the YouTube algorithm. Equally, the creator of videos ab... See more

If the goal of streamers once seemed to be prioritizing and supporting great series from a diverse group of interesting creators, that goal seems to have shifted from making better shows to just ... making more of them. As viewers, we’re being flattened by a fire hose of programming — and the experience of watching TV feels like a ritual of submiss... See more

In communism you waited an hour to get into a store, in monopoly capitalism you wait an hour to get out of the store

“Money is taking the field as an organized power. Which shall rule—wealth or man; which shall lead—money or intellect; who shall fill public stations—educated and patriotic free men, or the feudal serfs of corporate capital?”

People are increasingly fleeing to siloed, private group chats to talk to each other, leaving large absences in the digital public sphere.

But a healthy public sphere is essential to functioning democratic societies. It is a way for individuals and groups to interact with a variety of peoples, lived experiences, and ideas outside of our respective b... See more