Kronosapiens
@kronosapiens.bsky.social
Digital governance researcher/practitioner
There is no gene for the human spirit
There is no gene for the human spirit
After six years as a mechanism designer, I've teased out two principles and three provocations for building "sacred machinery" -- socio-technical systems which *actually* serve humanity
Full essay here: blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
Full essay here: blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
May 26, 2025 at 8:07 PM
After six years as a mechanism designer, I've teased out two principles and three provocations for building "sacred machinery" -- socio-technical systems which *actually* serve humanity
Full essay here: blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
Full essay here: blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
Really proud of this one
I draw on my experiences at Colony and Zaratan to tease out design principles for socio-technical systems that *actually* serve humanity
blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
I draw on my experiences at Colony and Zaratan to tease out design principles for socio-technical systems that *actually* serve humanity
blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
The Sacred Machine
Embeddedness and orientation in socio-technology
blog.zaratan.world
May 17, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Really proud of this one
I draw on my experiences at Colony and Zaratan to tease out design principles for socio-technical systems that *actually* serve humanity
blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
I draw on my experiences at Colony and Zaratan to tease out design principles for socio-technical systems that *actually* serve humanity
blog.zaratan.world/p/the-sacred...
People will collectively pay billions of dollars... to click on monsters
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3v-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3v-...
How Many Clicks Does It Take To Get to the Center of Diablo? [A Franchise Retrospective]
This is a video retrospective and critique of the Diablo franchise, by Blizzard. It looks at how the games invented an entire genre of RPG, refined it, and t...
www.youtube.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:33 PM
People will collectively pay billions of dollars... to click on monsters
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3v-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3v-...
In games, there is an idea of the "Magic Circle" -- a space set apart from normal reality. In these spaces, the substance of "civilization" is formed.
Learn more about what makes magic circles so special, and about ongoing efforts to create them in real-life:
Learn more about what makes magic circles so special, and about ongoing efforts to create them in real-life:
The Magic Circle
Sacred, profane, and the essence of community
blog.zaratan.world
April 20, 2025 at 10:04 PM
In games, there is an idea of the "Magic Circle" -- a space set apart from normal reality. In these spaces, the substance of "civilization" is formed.
Learn more about what makes magic circles so special, and about ongoing efforts to create them in real-life:
Learn more about what makes magic circles so special, and about ongoing efforts to create them in real-life:
In this month's essay, I explore what the history of games and religion can tell us about modern-day efforts to create community.
Hint: to thrive, people need spaces where can be relational beings, not merely economic producers.
Read the whole thing here:
Hint: to thrive, people need spaces where can be relational beings, not merely economic producers.
Read the whole thing here:
The Magic Circle
Sacred, profane, and the essence of community
blog.zaratan.world
April 8, 2025 at 12:44 AM
In this month's essay, I explore what the history of games and religion can tell us about modern-day efforts to create community.
Hint: to thrive, people need spaces where can be relational beings, not merely economic producers.
Read the whole thing here:
Hint: to thrive, people need spaces where can be relational beings, not merely economic producers.
Read the whole thing here:
Are digital technologies essential for modern governance? Signs points to "yes."
Learn why in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
buff.ly/2i2XWor
Learn why in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
buff.ly/2i2XWor
March 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Are digital technologies essential for modern governance? Signs points to "yes."
Learn why in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
buff.ly/2i2XWor
Learn why in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
buff.ly/2i2XWor
What do 19th-century utopian communes and modern coliving houses have in common? Find out in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
Chore Protocols
Issue #4: The most under-theorized domain on Earth
buff.ly
March 3, 2025 at 5:33 PM
What do 19th-century utopian communes and modern coliving houses have in common? Find out in my new essay "Chore Protocols" – featured in Protocolized Magazine.
Bike trip with the boys
March 1, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Bike trip with the boys
Mircea Eliade, The Sacred And The Profane
February 23, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Mircea Eliade, The Sacred And The Profane
Been absorbing a lot of commentary about how AI will make humans obsolete
It seems like our human edge will come down to two things: relationships and perspective
Relationships -- our ability to form connections with other people
Perspective -- our unique lens on the world
It seems like our human edge will come down to two things: relationships and perspective
Relationships -- our ability to form connections with other people
Perspective -- our unique lens on the world
February 19, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Been absorbing a lot of commentary about how AI will make humans obsolete
It seems like our human edge will come down to two things: relationships and perspective
Relationships -- our ability to form connections with other people
Perspective -- our unique lens on the world
It seems like our human edge will come down to two things: relationships and perspective
Relationships -- our ability to form connections with other people
Perspective -- our unique lens on the world
Do people crave hierarchy?
We say we want democracy, but across the world people are gravitating towards strongmen.
Learn more about how small housing communities can teach us valuable lessons about self-governance in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
We say we want democracy, but across the world people are gravitating towards strongmen.
Learn more about how small housing communities can teach us valuable lessons about self-governance in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
The Boundaries of Belonging
On kicking people out
buff.ly
February 13, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Do people crave hierarchy?
We say we want democracy, but across the world people are gravitating towards strongmen.
Learn more about how small housing communities can teach us valuable lessons about self-governance in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
We say we want democracy, but across the world people are gravitating towards strongmen.
Learn more about how small housing communities can teach us valuable lessons about self-governance in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
This talk was so awesome
What Do You Do After You Change The World? Mitchell F. Chan’s Talk from Marfa 2024 | Art Blocks
Explore Mitchell F. Chan’s insightful presentation on integrating generative art principles into modern and contemporary art genres. Originally delivered at Art Blocks Marfa Weekend 2024, this…
buff.ly
February 9, 2025 at 1:44 AM
This talk was so awesome
Around the world, people are regressing to "tribal consciousness."
Being in a tribe *feels good* -- until you end up on the wrong side of a dispute.
Learn more about how communities handle these conflicts in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
Being in a tribe *feels good* -- until you end up on the wrong side of a dispute.
Learn more about how communities handle these conflicts in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
The Boundaries of Belonging
On kicking people out
buff.ly
February 3, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Around the world, people are regressing to "tribal consciousness."
Being in a tribe *feels good* -- until you end up on the wrong side of a dispute.
Learn more about how communities handle these conflicts in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
Being in a tribe *feels good* -- until you end up on the wrong side of a dispute.
Learn more about how communities handle these conflicts in "The Boundaries of Belonging"
I'll just... leave this here
The Short Case for Nvidia Stock
All the reasons why Nvidia will have a very hard time living up to the currently lofty expectations of the market.
buff.ly
January 28, 2025 at 5:33 PM
I'll just... leave this here
About to dig into this. My friend in EE said that *I, specifically* would love it.
Anyone read? Thoughts?
Anyone read? Thoughts?
January 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
About to dig into this. My friend in EE said that *I, specifically* would love it.
Anyone read? Thoughts?
Anyone read? Thoughts?
It is easy to think in extremes, but hard to live in them
January 22, 2025 at 5:33 PM
It is easy to think in extremes, but hard to live in them
Cursor, you don't know me
January 16, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Cursor, you don't know me
Wildfires raging in SoCal
Learned a new TLA on the news
PDS: Particularly Dangerous Situation
Learned a new TLA on the news
PDS: Particularly Dangerous Situation
January 8, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Wildfires raging in SoCal
Learned a new TLA on the news
PDS: Particularly Dangerous Situation
Learned a new TLA on the news
PDS: Particularly Dangerous Situation
“While the material value of these patterns may be limited, the significance of memeing a new bottom-up economic model into existence cannot be understated.”
otherinter.net/research/squ...
otherinter.net/research/squ...
Squad Wealth
The squad is the basic user class for the tools we need today as a society.
otherinter.net
March 25, 2024 at 2:02 AM
“While the material value of these patterns may be limited, the significance of memeing a new bottom-up economic model into existence cannot be understated.”
otherinter.net/research/squ...
otherinter.net/research/squ...
"In both cases, the *capital allocation mechanism* elevates normative commitments above quantifiable financial incentives. ... In short, technical protocols do not provide the answer alone, but act as the basis for wider social protocols."
otherinter.net/research/thr...
otherinter.net/research/thr...
Crypto's Three Body Problem
By privileging incentive-driven architectures, crypto protocol design has to date largely ignored vital functions that give an institution cultural substance.
otherinter.net
February 2, 2024 at 2:40 PM
"In both cases, the *capital allocation mechanism* elevates normative commitments above quantifiable financial incentives. ... In short, technical protocols do not provide the answer alone, but act as the basis for wider social protocols."
otherinter.net/research/thr...
otherinter.net/research/thr...
“That [philosophers] reacted to … their own sense of drift, not by … inventing a historicist myth of destiny and decay, but by inventing the tradition of criticism and discussion … is one of the inexplicable facts which stand at the beginning of our civilization.”
- Karl Popper, “The Open Society”
- Karl Popper, “The Open Society”
January 31, 2024 at 2:36 AM
“That [philosophers] reacted to … their own sense of drift, not by … inventing a historicist myth of destiny and decay, but by inventing the tradition of criticism and discussion … is one of the inexplicable facts which stand at the beginning of our civilization.”
- Karl Popper, “The Open Society”
- Karl Popper, “The Open Society”