In the collision between physical and digital business, there can only be one. — In September 2000, the co-founders of Netflix offered to sell their company to Blockbuster for $50 million. The CEO of Blockbuster, struggled to contain his laughter as he dismissed their offer saying, “The dot-com hysteria is completely overblown.” Netflix is now worth $170 Billion and Blockbuster doesn’t exist. What the…

Everything is getting more expensive. What prices you care about are the prices that matter most. — The “I” in CPI does not stand for inflation. Although often referenced interchangeably as inflation, in reality the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an attempt at measuring a subset of price data within the economy. The CPI measures the weighted average inflation rate for a market basket of goods and…

From domain names to Twitter handles, digital scarcity is shaping 21st Century economics — The domain name Nissan.com is not owned by the car company. It was purchased in the 1990’s by an individual, and despite Nissan Motors Company’s efforts, the domain name remains out of their reach. As a result, customers searching for Nissan cars must look elsewhere, by going to NissanUSA.com or…

“Inter arma enim silent leges” should not be, but it is. — The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Just over two months later, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the creation of military areas, which could exclude groups of citizens. This order led to the internment of some 120,000 people, of whom approximately 80,000 were US Citizens, predominantly…

Afixing the term “digital” to legacy words is an exponential change, not a linear change. — Google Maps was launched in 2005. Since then it has grown from an obscure, static map app into a powerful technology used by millions around the world. Although initially named “Google Maps”, it has become something much more than a map. It provides GPS navigation, street view, business info, voice…

The implications of converting electricity into a scarce, digital asset are profound. — This piece builds upon ideas established in Part 1. The pertinent point to keep in mind is that energy is the ability to effect change in the world. It can manifest in many forms ranging from physical objects, to money, to bitcoins, with each form exhibiting its own energy storage…

The global marketplace for energy is transformed through Bitcoin — WORK STORES ENERGY A potato farmer works hard. He burns calories to plant, tend, and harvest potatoes. Come harvest season his investment of time and energy yields a bushel of potatoes. He has managed to convert his labour energy into harvested potatoes. The potatoes can be understood as storing the farmer’s time and…

Now that El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin, which countries are most likely to follow suit? — El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender on September 7th, 2021. The reasons for this are numerous. Examining the motivations behind El Salvador’s move could give insight into the question: Who will be next? REMITTANCES: A compelling reason behind El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption is remittances. Salvadorians living and working abroad send…

Bitcoin’s digital nature is not detrimental to its value, it is among its greatest features — The fact that Bitcoin is an exclusively digital asset should not be viewed as detrimental, rather it is one of its greatest advantages. In the 21st Century, our professional, social, academic, romantic, and commercial lives are deeply embedded with digital products, transacted in digital spaces. Kindle, Spotify, and Netflix have…