#506: Balaji Srinivasan on The Future of Bitcoin and Ethereum, How to Become Noncancelable, the Path to Personal Freedom and Wealth in a New World, the Changing Landscape of Warfare, and More

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Mar 25, 2021

Balaji Srinivasan, an angel investor and former CTO of Coinbase, shares his thoughts on the future of Bitcoin and Ethereum. He emphasizes the importance of achieving personal freedom and wealth in a rapidly changing world. The conversation touches on the ethical dilemmas in media and the modern landscape of warfare influenced by technology. Balaji also discusses the significance of a pseudonymous economy, highlighting its potential to protect individuals from cancel culture while fostering financial independence and innovative learning opportunities.

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ANECDOTE

1729 and Ramanujan

Balaji Srinivasan uses the number 1729, the Ramanujan number, for his newsletter.
It's the first number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways, symbolizing hidden talent.

INSIGHT

Podcasting Dynamics

Podcasters maintain politeness due to comparable distribution, fostering a peer-to-peer dynamic.
This contrasts with the hierarchical journalist-subject relationship in traditional media.

INSIGHT

Journalism's Moral Dilemma

Traditional journalism, with its power imbalance, often resembles a con game, betraying subjects' trust.
Journalists exploit vulnerability, then justify their actions through appeals to free speech or art.

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Trust Me, I'm Lying

Confessions of a Media Manipulator

Ryan Holiday

In 'Trust Me, I'm Lying,' Ryan Holiday exposes the inner workings of the online media system, detailing how rumors and false information can quickly spread from low-level blogs to major news outlets. The book highlights the role of marketers and media manipulators in this process, driven by the toxic economics of the news business. Holiday shares his own experiences as a media manipulator and provides insights into the social science behind why this system is so vulnerable to manipulation. He also offers advice on how to spot and combat these manipulative tactics[1][3][5].

Seeing Like a State

How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

James C. Scott

In this book, James C. Scott examines the failures of centrally managed social plans and the destructive consequences of high-modernist ideologies. Scott argues that states often impose simplistic visions on complex societies, ignoring local, practical knowledge and leading to disastrous outcomes. He identifies four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society, high-modernist ideology, authoritarian state power, and a prostrate civil society. The book critiques various utopian projects, including collective farms, compulsory villagization, and urban planning, and advocates for a more nuanced approach that respects local diversity and practical knowledge.

The journalist and the murderer

Janet Malcolm

The book delves into the relationship between journalists and their subjects, using the case of Joe McGinniss and Dr. Jeffrey R. MacDonald as a central example. Malcolm argues that journalists often engage in a form of seduction and betrayal, gaining the trust of their subjects only to betray them in their writings. The case involves McGinniss's book 'Fatal Vision,' which portrayed MacDonald as a pathological liar and cold-blooded killer, despite McGinniss's initial pretense of supporting MacDonald's innocence. The book explores the broader implications of journalistic ethics and the power dynamics between journalists and their subjects.

From Third World to first

The Singapore Story: 1965-2000

Lee Kuan Yew

This book recounts the miraculous transformation of Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew's leadership. Rising from a legacy of colonialism, World War II devastation, and post-war poverty, Singapore became a modern city-state. The book delves into Lee's meticulous notes, government papers, and official records to detail the efforts in nation-building, including creating an army, stamping out corruption, providing public housing, and establishing a national airline. It also covers his foreign policy and interactions with global leaders, as well as his personal life and family[2][4][6].

The Network vs. The State

Balaji Srinivasan

Beautiful Trouble

Amy Fleury

Beautiful Trouble is a poetic exploration of the subtleties of landscape, place, families, girlhood, womanhood, and everyday existence on the prairie. The book won the First Book Award in the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry and has been well-received for its accessible and evocative style.