Issue 12 - The Rise of the Far Right 👀

Welcome to issue twelve of the Eco Punks Gazette. The dirty dozen issue. Well, not really, but we’re always digging into the dirt of our culture, economy, and society.

If you’re new to the Eco Punks, welcome! We’re here to serve and stimulate you, so please let us know if there are subjects or topics that you would like us to cover. We can always be reached by replying to this email or contacting us via email, [email protected] or [email protected].

Salon Withdrawal

This week marks the first week since we started that we didn’t host a salon. Your reactions last week right after the salon on rudeness, in which Jesse made the announcement that we are going to take a break, were touching and we already miss the salons too. We’d therefore like to know, if there was one more salon before the end of the year, what topic would you like to cover? Please send in your suggestions—we might schedule a bonus salon if there is sufficient interest.

Ecosystems of Reputation

Sports, music, art, indeed almost all aspects of our contemporary culture depends upon sponsorship to sustain themselves and their operations. Yet at what cost? We explore the fluidity of trust and reputation in the larger industry of sponsorship and endorsements. Thanks to Chris Irwin for joining us. Members of our Signal group receive invitations to the podcast: more info on Eco Punks on Signal at the end of this email.

Jesse talks to the Feds

The Canadian federal government’s Service Canada department had Jesse join them for a Zoom session with over 400 leaders and managers. The focus of the presentation was on AI, Innovation, and Upgrading Government. Here’s a clip:

Next week Jesse speaks to Baxter Pharmaceuticals about the future of health care, and the Ontario Agricultural Adaptation Council about the future of farming. The week following he’ll be speaking to Transport Canada about AI, cybersecurity, and hacking autonomous vehicles.

Jesse is just one of many Eco Punks you can hire to speak at your event. Email us at [email protected] for more info.

The Netherlands moves to the far right

In the “oh shit” department, and 12 months prior to the next US election: the Netherlands (!) voted last weekend, and the results are the opposite of what we are used to hearing from this little progressive bastion of liberal thinking (and acting!) in Europe. The new government leader resides on the far right. WTD? Seriously, What the DUTCH?

It’s news like this that is oftentimes overlooked or not taken seriously, but is quite a significant indicator of the lay of our land(s). The Netherlands is building a “far right” government. Is nothing sacred anymore? What’s next? Argentina? Oh wait.

Perhaps we will do a salon right before the new year focusing on the rise of the far right and what it means for 2024 (and the elections to be held).

Mark Cuban sells Dallas Mavericks!?

The sports industry continues to increase in value. Billionaires from around the world seem to find it increasingly irresistible to buy teams or significant stakes in teams in order to have a little toy to play with, or to build a “legacy” for themselves. Not so Mark Cuban, who admittedly knows a thing or two about business and sports. Having bought the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million USD in 2000, Cuban is selling the majority of his stake for $3.5 billion USD to the family that runs the Sands Casinos in Las Vegas.

The sale, which could qualify as a strategically anti-cyclical maneuver, came just days after Cuban announced that he will quit his role as a judge on Shark Tank, which he held for 16 seasons. These developments raise the following question:

Noam Chomsky disses OpenAI

The legendary linguist argues quite emphatically that OpenAI will never achieve “sentience” or artificial general intelligence, and that their attempts to do so are a waste of resources (especially true given the intense cloud computing resources required to build and leverage large language models).

Worth Reading: Cal Newport’s Deep Work

Rules for focused success in a distracted world

It gives us a glimpse of what life could be like if we managed to limit online and offline distractions in our daily lives. In doing so, the book excels in acknowledging everyday needs and hence avoids feeling unrealistic or like a pipe dream. Less distraction, better work, more satisfaction. It sounds so simple, and apparently also can be.

Upcoming Events

The Power of Open Source? Date TBD

Fellow eco punk and President of the Mozilla Foundation, Mark Surman, will be joining us for an open discussion reappraising the power and role of open source, both as a concept and as the software the enables our connected world. Whether AI, IoT, health tech, farming, EVs, green energy, and smart cities, open source can and should play a role. Yet is it? Is open source living up to the potential and promise set decades ago?

Sound smart and look good online! Date TBD

Many of us meet, socialize, and do business in online environments. Yet have you taken the time to think about how you look and sound? Time to upgrade your game!

We’re going to hold an open workshop in our salon style that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the technology we use and the opportunities they enable. The best part is these tools are free and open source!

We’ve created a Signal group for Eco Punks to share links, ideas, and get a friendly reminder about salons and events. If you’d like to join us on Signal, email [email protected]. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Signal, or if you’re not already using it, this video will bring you up to speed and explain why Signal is the choice for Eco Punks: