Sixian

It is no wonder that under the influence of these pulls, tensions, and clashes (in addition to the supposed responsibility for cultural “transformation”) we become unable – and dis-abled – to cope, let alone act.Imagination requires energy and the mental capacity (space and time) to dream. With unrelenting pressure to get by, perhaps to make it, to... See more

The Future of Virality and Network Effects With viral effects there are seasons to it, depending on the channels and technologies you have available. Going viral today is more difficult than it was during the 2000-2012 Golden Age because most platforms have become saturated with the same viral strategies that worked early on...Virality has... See more

all the signal loss is in the collapse, not in the expansion

The hero’s journey is more than male dickishness writ large. To read or write within that pattern is to experience real growth. Equally, carrier-bag storytelling are more than an antithetical feminine aesthetic of novel writing. To read and write within that form is to uncover truths about the human condition. As far as I am concerned though, both... See more

Forgetting is a feature, not a bug. It makes us feel like we’re moving forward through time, rather than standing still or running in circles. My grandmother and her ancestors knew this all too well. Artful forgetting, editing, and curation allowed them to craft narratives that helped their children understand the past and orient towards the... See more

Plastic does what steel cannot: take on any shape and then disappear from sight when you’re done with it.

In societies, unlike in goose or vehicle formations, there’s no natural or designed rotation in the higher-energy-cost leader position. Instead, you have dissipative generational wealth-transfer mechanisms, and slow social churn and vertical mobility “rotating” the formation.