Nostr notes by Blair Fix

I read Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone' last night. I ...

2026-01-31T14:51:35Z

I read Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone' last night. I did not anticipate his evidence blaming *television* as a key cause for US civic breakdown.

Someone needs to update this research to include all forms of modern screen time. I suspect the results would be horrifying.

YouTube doubles down on enshittification. The site will no longer ...

2025-11-12T17:26:03Z

YouTube doubles down on enshittification. The site will no longer load videos if it detects ublock origin on your browser.

Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs)

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/internet/youtube-is-not-down-its-cracking-down-on-ad-blocker-users-3-ways-to-fix-it

It's fascinating to watch Paul Krugman transform into a ...

2025-09-11T21:17:37Z

It's fascinating to watch Paul Krugman transform into a radical. If nothing else, Trump is running a very interesting social experiment in how to radicalize elites.

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/can-a-despised-autocrat-consolidate

Here's an interesting new paper from Sandy Hager, in which he ...

2025-09-11T21:00:42Z

Here's an interesting new paper from Sandy Hager, in which he traces the shifting fortunes of corporate psychedelia.

https://capitalaspower.com/2025/09/hager-the-shifting-fortunes-of-corporate-psychedelia/

2+2=5, says the White House. George Orwell rolls in his grave. ...

2025-09-07T21:46:24Z

2+2=5, says the White House. George Orwell rolls in his grave.

In hindsight, the Cold War wasn't a competition between two ...

2025-05-26T17:22:01Z

In hindsight, the Cold War wasn't a competition between two superpowers. It was a battle between a dominant empire and an emerging competitor.

Here's the energy picture.

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/13/the-soviet-experiment-with-empire/

To what extent do politicians have a say over the rise and fall ...

2025-05-09T21:04:55Z

To what extent do politicians have a say over the rise and fall of empires?

The rhyme between US and British history suggests limits to political agency, at least via liberal democracy. (Revolutions, of course, are a different matter.)

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/05/04/the-half-life-of-empire/

It's worth stressing that modern Republican rule is in large ...

2025-03-14T20:22:03Z

It's worth stressing that modern Republican rule is in large part built on ignorance. Here's how the diversity of people's news sources declines as Republican state control increases.

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/01/31/partisan-politics-and-the-road-to-plutocracy/

When Republicans rule, more people are food insecure. Here's ...

2025-02-25T17:05:55Z

When Republicans rule, more people are food insecure. Here's the data at the state level.

#plutocracy

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/01/31/partisan-politics-and-the-road-to-plutocracy/