Voice Notes: Reflections on CBDCs
(On the beat in London…OTRB) FIRST DRAFT Voice Note: Settlement Costs Factoid: The Riksbank apparently decided to plug into the European T2S settlement system rather than develop its own system as it was more cost-efficient to do so. This is despite the Swedish krona obviously not being in the eurozone. I did not know that. […]
Introducing Blind Spot “Voice Notes”
They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well, here at the Blind Spot we are beginning to understand exactly what “they” mean when they say that. As a media start-up with a high trust score with sources but insufficient resources to maximise output, we find ourselves in a unique situation where we have more […]
Spotlight on Satoshi’s Bletchley Park Connections
This story has been enhanced with artificial intelligence-generated visualisations from Midjourney. While the world mourns Queen Elizabeth II, a wartime monarch beloved by the nation, a little know court case is going on in Oslo, Norway, that stands to be no less disruptive for the citizenry of the internet. As judge Helen Engebrigtsen recounted when […]
Like Libor All Over Again, But With TTF Gas Markets
EU officials are thinking of totally restructuring how gas and power markets are priced. It’s to do with how long-term contracts are adjusted when wholesale prices move, which very much resembles the way debt contracts used to be linked and adjusted with Libor benchmark rates. Via CNBC: Von der Leyen also said there had been […]
The Blind Spot Podcast “Flattens the Energy Curve” w/ Craig Pirrong
In the latest Blind Spot Podcast Junseth and Izzy chat with energy expert Professor Craig Pirrong from the University of Houston. We review all five energy price relief measures from the EU’s Urusla Von Der Leyen, the expected £100bn support package for the UK’s new prime minister Liz Truss and ask why has has Janet […]
There’s an Arms Race Going on With Online cults, and it Affects Us All
In our previous post, we discussed how the XRP crypto movement has leveraged cult dynamics to rally networks and communities to silence and repress critics in ways that both boost and defend the value of its key token. The question at hand is whether democracy can survive in an environment where anyone can print their […]
When Crypto Cults Collide with Influence Operations, XRP Edition
Of all the cryptos, in all the world, XRP — the brainchild of Ripple Labs — has always seemed the most redundant and pointless to this author. One of the reasons for this is that the structure seems purposefully designed to make gazillionaires out of its key holders. That includes people like Chris Larsen, a […]
On the attempted cancellation of Jeffrey Sachs
I’m on the road this week on the way back from the European Forum in Alpbach, Austria, where I participated in a bitcoin panel — so excuse typos etc (writing on my phone). As it happens, American economist Jeffrey Sachs was also there. For those who don’t know, Sachs is a key figure in sustainable […]
Leaked Lunch Show Notes: Adrian Monck
Here are the show notes to this week’s Leaked Lunch podcast with WEF’s head of comms, Adrian Monck, recorded at La Finestra restaurant in Geneva on August 17. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3p9IIHDqWAwxlOwr6q2vJQ Show Notes: 2:05 – 7:45 Adrian introduces himself. Izzie and Adrian chat about local food options in Geneva and the WEF compound. 7:45 – 12:00 Adrian […]
Leaked Lunch with the WEF’s Adrian Monck
In this week’s Leaked Lunch I sit down with the World Economic Forum’s head of public and social engagement (a.k.a head of comms), Adrian Monck, at La Finestra restaurant in Geneva. We discuss the challenges facing modern media, what the Forum is really all about and what’s behind “the Great Reset” conspiracy movement, including whether […]