Category Archives: IT and Internet

Why Blockchain has no economic future.

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Paul Frijters

[expanded from the post on JohnMenadue] When Bitcoin went public in 2009 it introduced to the world of finance and economics the technology of blockchain. Even the many who thought Bitcoin would never make it as a major currency were … Continue reading →

Posted in bubble, Business, Climate Change, History, Information, Innovation, IT and Internet, Political theory, Politics - national, Science, Social Policy | 12 Comments

The #MeToo moment: another disaster for the Democrats?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Paul Frijters

The #MeToo flood of stories of women who feel abused by men – ranging from lurid stares to straightforward rape – seems like a disaster to me for the Democrats. Not because of the stories themselves, but because of how … Continue reading →

Posted in bubble, Bullshit, Cultural Critique, Gender, Health, Humour, Information, IT and Internet, Law, Libertarian Musings, Life, Media, Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Religion, Social | 19 Comments

Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence.

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Paul Frijters

[Note to self. Geeks only] Over the fold I muse on the nature of human intelligence, social intelligence, and the options for artificial intelligence to become ‘smarter than humans’ in the areas of social power and law-making. It is taken … Continue reading →

Posted in bubble, Bullshit, Business, Ethics, Geeky Musings, Innovation, IT and Internet, Science | 26 Comments

Some Game of Thrones Season 8 speculation

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Paul Frijters

Let me indulge, purely for entertainment value, in some fan-speculation on what we will see on-screen after the Long Night is over and the final 6 episodes Of Game of Thrones are run in 2019. Let me first talk about … Continue reading →

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Computer game bludgers: SHOCK

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

Leisure Luxuries and the Labor Supply of Young Men by Mark Aguiar, Mark Bils, Kerwin Kofi Charles, Erik Hurst Abstract: Younger men, ages 21 to 30, exhibited a larger decline in work hours over the last fifteen years than older … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Geeky Musings, Innovation, IT and Internet | 9 Comments

Hoisted from comments: Copyright, the Google Settlement and torching the second library of Alexandria

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

One of the privileges of access to what we cool kids call the “back end” of Troppo is that when I write a long, long comment, in an old thread that has taken a new direction, I can make it … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Geeky Musings, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet, Political theory | 54 Comments

The free rider problem – and opportunity: you heard it first at Troppo

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Nicholas Gruen

Well I’ve been going on and on about it, but here’s an academic paper contrasting the free rider problem and opportunity. Knowledge Properties and Economic Policy: A New Look By Antonelli, Cristiano (University of Turin) This paper explores the full range of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Information, Intellectual Monopoly Privileges, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet | 1 Comment