The Kardashev scale is a simple thing: a set of rules for measuring civilization by its energy consumption. Type I: planetary power. Type II: stellar power. Type III: galactic. It’s an easy, linear way to chart progress—if you can call it progress—and it paints a pretty picture of where we’re headed. A shiny future where…

I thought of these 39 rules as a nod to the 39 Steps, though not the Hitchcock thriller, nor the Buchan novel, but Bunyan’s metaphorical journey. You know, the one where the protagonist wades through muck and despair to reach the celestial city—a perfect allegory for modern life, except now the muck has been monetized,…

Hyper-Legibility—an advanced tactic, a looped back shot of capitalism’s serum injected into the collective vein. A psychotropic modification to the human hardware, flipped on like a circuit switch by the flashing lights and persistent hum of content creation, consumerism, and digital leisure. You’re not just consuming anymore, you’re being consumed—hollowed out, rewired to run faster…

The United States of America is often seen as a unique and influential country. Its culture, values, and way of life have spread across the world, shaping the way people think and act. However, America is also a strange and flawed model of what future worlds could look like, particularly in regards to planet-scale human…