Week 28

Hi Reader,

At the beginning of the week, I accidentally attended the new decentralized finance (DeFi) meet-up in New York. Now that Fred Wilson has written about it - it's official - everyone in crypto believes DeFi is the first real use case for crypto. Naturally, this is the best time to look beyond for everyone involved.

A lot more grounded ensemble this week though, we revisit authenticity and tradition through hipsters and Chinese cooking. The piece "After Authenticity" culminates in an existential crisis where the author revisits their personal ambition for realizing an authentic self. Can we truly be entitled to our own vision of our future or should we settle for a collective purpose?

Finally, internet is finally mainstream in US politics with digital-natives Andrew Yang and Beto O'Rourke blowing up the deep web. I'm expecting good voter turnout this time around - US politics is turning into a spectator sport.

🐦 Tech (mainly) tweets I'm reading

Tom Brammar likens the college entry scandal to intra-elite fighting as predicted by Turchin.

🥕 Cooking

A series of videos from Dianxi Xiage brings Yunnan Chinese cooking to the masses. A hint on how we can leverage modern technology preserve tradition through the times and a masterclass in semi-outdoor cooking.

🍔 Branding

After Authenticity by Toby Shorin is an interesting take on the reducing importance of authenticity in purchasing. Puts the hipster movement in an interesting context and charts the path to keeping all brands, even our newly accepted commodities (Supreme included), accountable to a higher community standard.

Via Gordon Brander.