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Originally posted on 15 Jun 2024

less than 1 minute read

The title of this book was enticing. My reading it would be like the choir asking to be preached to, but I was OK with that.

Reading the introduction, I had a couple of “that tech doesn’t work like that” moments. I let them pass, because Napoleoni’s descriptions were “close enough…I guess” for non-tech people.

The following three chapters were largely dedicated to bitcoin. With the author’s professional experience with economics, it’s logical that she’d start with a tech that feels the most comfortable to her.

Unfortunately for me, the content irritated me. It felt like a bitcoin apologetic rather than a critique of how this technology seduces people with promise of quick riches while plundering our natural resources. On that latter point, Napoleoni points out that, sure, bitcoin mining uses a ton of resources, but so does gold mining. So there.

That’s when I checked out and closed the book. The rest of it may contain interesting insights, but I knew I would be too irritated to reach them.