It's a well-known image, the Korean Peninsula from space.The lights from cities like Seoul, Busan, and Incheon sparkle like so many stars of freedom, while to the north of the 48th parallel only darkness prevails. That image teaches us that illumination is not only powered by electricity but by freedom. Protecting fundamental human rights is as essential to keeping darkness in check as technology.­­ South Korea has long prioritized privacy and digital security. The Personal I

Silver Thursday (A Lesson from History for Michael Saylor) In 1974, two Texas billionaires stepped onto the sunbaked tarmac of Jeddah, carrying a leather briefcase filled with silver contracts. Nelson Bunker Hunt and his brother William weren’t there for oil. They came to convince Saudi royals that silver, not dollars or even gold, should anchor a new global monetary system. They were greeted, listened to, and politely declined. It didn’t matter. The Hunts were already convin

First Movers Lose, Early Entries win. It's Friday night, and the girl you've waited all semester to ask out has finally said yes. Dinner at the Sizzler went great, but now she wants to know what's next. Wandering the aisles of the Blockbuster video, you find yourself fighting for the last copy of Batman and Robin. Blockbuster is nearly as ubiquitous as McDonald's; it's the reigning king. As you are bumped into the candy rack, it's impossible to imagine that any of this could

The only thing worse than a Ponzi is a cult. Thirty-nine tech-savvy followers lay dead, their faces covered in purple shrouds, their feet clad in matching black tennis shoes. Their source of income had been using their programming skills to make websites. They were, like so many of us, highly educated and computer-literate individuals, deeply suspicious of commonly held narratives. How could they fall prey to such a Ponzi of death? Lately, tones of cult-like religiosity have

In the heat of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Premier Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy stood at a crossroads reminiscent of the Prisoner's Dilemma. The daunting choice between cooperation and escalation loomed, and despite their ideological differences, both parties chose cooperation. Deliberately weighing the risks and consequences, they recognized that the potential gains from betrayal weren't worth the peril of nuclear war. The prisoner's dilemma, rooted in the

In King Lear, Edmund contrives to force his half-brother Edgar into exile. Trying to ruin his brother's reputation, Edmund draws him into a fake battle, intentionally wounding himself to draw sympathy. Allowing the infliction of an easily survivable wound, Edmund tries to make Edgar look like the villain, not unlike what bitcoin maximalists have attempted to do to their brother Litecoin. Do you know how to tell if someone is being conniving or dishonest? They select the targe

It's a well-known image, the Korean Peninsula from space. The lights from cities like Seoul, Busan, and Incheon sparkle like so many stars of freedom, while to the north of the 48th parallel only darkness prevails. What that image teaches us is that illumination is not only powered by electricity but by freedom. Protecting fundamental human rights is as essential to keeping darkness in check as technology and, in truth, more so. On September 30, 2011, South Korea passed the P

If only your preferred crypto could be the last one standing, your profits would be absolute. Wouldn't that be glorious? Sorry, I'm here to tell you that it will never happen. Why not? Individuals and organizations with more power would have to stop trying to gain an advantage over those with less, something entirely incongruent with history and human nature. The world is currently moving away from currency hegemony and its underlying assets. You would never know this from Te