i write because the the alternative forms of my obsessive insanity are either too destructive or decidedly less sexy.
futureinevitability
Part 3 of 25 in the The Philosophy of Future Inevitability series. Allen Dulles ran the CIA from 1953 to 1961. During his tenure, the agency overthrew the democratically elected governments of Iran and Guatemala. Installed dictators. Ran mind control experiments on unwitting American citizens. Trained death squads. Assassinated, or
futureinevitability
Part 2 of 25 in the The Philosophy of Future Inevitability series. Here's the uncomfortable truth about the twentieth century's greatest monsters: They were competent. Not good. Not justified. Not redeemable. But competent. They rose to power, held power, and wielded power with extraordinary effectiveness. Hitler
futureinevitability
Part 1 of 25 in the The Philosophy of Future Inevitability series. People got in wooden boats. Tiny wooden boats. Boats that leaked. Boats that broke apart in storms. Boats that were, by any reasonable standard, coffins with sails. They sailed across oceans they didn't understand, to places
series
Some changes are coming whether you're ready or not. This isn't futurism or prediction markets. It's pattern recognition. Certain technological, demographic, and social trends have enough momentum that the question isn't whether they'll happen—it's how you'
blacksails
Part 13 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. The pirate republic falls. This isn't a spoiler. It's history. Nassau was reclaimed by the British. The pirates were killed, hanged, or pardoned into submission. The dream of a free society outside imperial control
blacksails
Part 12 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. The Urca de Lima. Spanish treasure galleon. Five million dollars in gold. Flint has been chasing this since the pilot episode. The treasure that's supposed to change everything. Fund the war. Save Nassau. Make it all
blacksails
Part 11 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Peter Turchin has a theory about why societies tear themselves apart. It's not economics alone. Not politics alone. It's the relationship between elite production and elite positions. When a society produces more elites than
blacksails
Part 10 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Nassau is the dream. No kings. No taxes. No laws except what the captains enforce. Anyone can rise. Merit is the only hierarchy. Freedom is the founding principle. It's also the dream that kills everyone who
blacksails
Part 9 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Edward Teach built a brand so powerful that ships surrendered at the sight of his flag. No venture backing. No institutional support. No MBA. He created Blackbeard from nothing—a performance art piece made of fire, legend, and
blacksails
Part 8 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Max starts in the brothel. Not as owner—as merchandise. Her body is the commodity. Her agency is someone else's property. Violence against her has no consequences. This is the lowest position a woman could occupy
blacksails
Part 7 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Eleanor Guthrie doesn't sail. Doesn't fight. Doesn't chase ships or seize cargo or do any of the things the show makes you think pirates do. She runs the port. This distinction matters
blacksails
Part 6 of 13 in the Black Sails: A Leadership Masterclass series. Jack Rackham is not the best pirate in Black Sails. Not the best fighter—Vane would destroy him. Not the best strategist—Flint outthinks him. Not the most ruthless—Silver adapts faster. Not the most powerful—Eleanor controls