Contraptions

Contraptions

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Fall Break
Contraptions is going on hiatus
Sep 28 • 
Venkatesh Rao
13
4
The Band Theory of Societies
An extended physics metaphor for politics
Sep 25 • 
Venkatesh Rao
22
Gaslit Courage
When the impulse to virtue becomes an attack vector
Sep 20 • 
Venkatesh Rao
13
5
Beyond Szabo Scaling
Miniaturization and orchestration of human capabilities with AI and protocols
Sep 11 • 
Venkatesh Rao
36
8
Hysteresis and the Mark-Makers
The American center-left through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu’s theories
Sep 5 • 
Venkatesh Rao
20
2
Memento Salis
Prolegomena for any future digital saltspaces
Sep 3 • 
Venkatesh Rao
11
4

August 2025

Dark Age Stylesheet
Developing a visual style guide based on James Gunn's Superman
Aug 30 • 
Venkatesh Rao
17
1
A Tale of Four Supermans
A design history of the Superman franchise
Aug 30 • 
Venkatesh Rao
8
Towards the Cosmopolitan Supergrid
From Subprime Globalism to Cultural QE
Aug 27 • 
Venkatesh Rao
11
7
Art as Memory
On art forms as memory technologies
Aug 17 • 
Venkatesh Rao
35
6
Welcome to the Cosmopolis
A talk on Wednesday, a new big synthesis of stuff
Aug 12 • 
Venkatesh Rao
51
7
Tab Budget
Dark Age Microfiction #1
Aug 4 • 
Venkatesh Rao
12
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