Sam Blumenthal

Miko embodies the rise of “VTubers” (Virtual YouTubers), a catchall term for online creators who digitally obscure their faces and bodies. But more broadly, Miko embodies a nascent, but fascinating space: synthetic media.

Stories act as the electromagnetic force that puts these collisions in motion. It convinces ideas of different charges to collide instead of repel. It coaxes the stern, unforgiving laws of physics with a sprinkle of alchemy that turns energy into serendipity, fission into magic.

“From the consumer side of things, the appetite for that live content increased right at the same time” as when retailers were attempting to find interactive methods to put products in front of consumers, said Matt Moorut, senior principal analyst at Gartner. “It sort of makes a perfect storm where, from both sides of the equation, there’s more of... See more

Some are skeptical about the ability of digital currencies to emerge as a viable store of value in just a few years since it took thousands of years for gold to do so, and only after gold had been used for its intrinsic value for centuries before that. I don’t agree; such logic is too rooted in the past and does not account for rapid behavioral... See more