Episodes
Tuesday May 18, 2021
S2 E25 New Economics a la Doughnut
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Episode discussion topics
- Get your externalities outa here! Enter: Doughnut Economics brought to us by Kate Raworth. The World Economic Forum featured this short piece that serves as a nice introduction, "Meet the doughnut: the new economic model that could help end inequality." Her book is also available via the usual methods.
- This episode makes the case for why we find this new model of thinking about economics a very compelling upstart worthy of our attention. Honestly, RWJ and MVP find this view really appeals to their strategy gaming heads-up-display instincts.
- The Doughnut model provides a status overview of our biosphere and living conditions. Developing this type of broader worldview sense will be critical for anyone hoping to terraform a hostile world. At least ours is still a little bit friendly to our lives.
- We citizens want our economies and societies to live in the Goldilocks habitable zone, which we call the doughnut, between where the ecosystem can be sustained and above which point we experience starvation, dehydration, or disease. The red parts are an informational status overlay of where we're ranking.
- Welcomed are the ideas around how to embrace complexity and for us to begin designing dynamic feedback loops and control measures to manage foreseeable and unforeseeable shocks (climate swings, volcanoes, meteorites, etc.). By installing dynamic components in our economy, it will become more resilient and perhaps even offer stability during unstable times.
- MVP mentioned Bioneers in the episode and if you're unfamiliar, in their own words, "Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet."
- In a similar lane, an ideation sensation that might tickle your thinker in one word: biomimicry. According to the Oxford dictionary, it is "the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes." check out the Biomimicry Institute for more information.
Your hosts: Michael V. Piscitelli and Raymond Wong Jr.
More info
- One aside made it to air about our dear mammalian cousins: Whales. The May issue of National Geographic features an article about how these amazing creatures keep surprising us in how many ways we are like them. Disney+ also has a series dedicated to this released on Earth Day 2021.
- Did you know that we made cows? I didn't know that. Just like our dogs, a domesticated branch of a wild bunch. Cows are descended from an extinct form of Ox or Yak from Mesopotamia. Holy cow. I just heard this little snippet from the latest episode of Science Fridays, one of MVP's favorite podcasts.
- Please feel free to share your thoughts through our Contact Us page or on Facebook.
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- Head to Citizens Prerogative for additional information and log in or sign up to leave a comment.
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- Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Special thanks
- Our ongoing supporters, thank you!
- Our sponsor CitizenDoGood.com.
- Graphic design by SergeShop.com.
- Intro music sampled from “Okay Class” by Ozzy Jock under creative commons license through freemusicarchive.org.
- Other music provided royalty-free through Fesliyan Studios Inc.
Tuesday May 11, 2021
S2 E24 Our Blockchain Future
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Episode discussion topics
- MVP and RWJ take a turn at discussing what they've learned to date about cryptocurrencies and the technology underpinning them: blockchain.
- This episode makes the case for why we are likely to keep hearing more and more about these new financial instruments and why we should start learning more to be future-ready.
- In a previous episode, we mentioned several exchanges. MVP has developed an initial fondness for Binance.US due to its features, low cost, and breath of currencies on offer. You can also access "staking" which allows your parked funds to earn a return, traditionally referred to as an APY, meaning annual percentage yield. Coinbase is a great option for those starting out who want to earn while they learn. To be fair, they have a Pro option that's trader-friendly. I can't get over the low fees on Binance however.
- A serious watch item related to the long-term viability of large, decentralized blockchains is sustainability. There is an environmental cost at the core of these various coins, it takes energy in the form of dedicated computers in order to mine/maintain transactions happening on the blockchain. People do this in return for coin all over the world. You can do it right now and start earning Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other flavors from the gaggle of upstarts. Seems like the newer ones tend to give you more buck for the bang especially when you have to net out your electricity bill. Seriously, it can be a chunk of change.
- Two recent articles examining the costs of production from an energy or carbon perspective. A keen point made by TechCrunch is that more efficient blockchains will likely be planned for the future and we would add that efficiencies in how energy is produced and transmitted will be changing in the future as well. So harping on the energy point might be moot, especially if mining is relatively less intensive than say, the existing banking system.
- "How Much Energy Does Bitcoin Actually Consume?" Harvard Business Review, 5/5/21.
- "The debate about cryptocurrency and energy consumption," TechCrunch, 3/21/21.
Your hosts: Michael V. Piscitelli and Raymond Wong Jr.
More info
- Repeat mention: If you’re looking for a timely documentary to help get you up to speed on the general state of cryptocurrencies and blockchain capabilities, MVP recommends Cryptopia.
- We didn't get into it, but it's worth noting that by owning certain coins one gains access to certain benefits like a vote in what updates or changes might be implemented for a coin's codebase. We also did not cover Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in this episode, that topic will make an appearance later on.
- Please feel free to share your thoughts through our Contact Us page or on Facebook.
Learn more and reach out
- Head to Citizens Prerogative for additional information and log in or sign up to leave a comment.
- Don't forget to join our free newsletter and get 10% off at our shop! Go the extra mile by supporting us through Patreon.
- Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Special thanks
- Our ongoing supporters, thank you!
- Our sponsor CitizenDoGood.com.
- Graphic design by SergeShop.com.
- Intro music sampled from “Okay Class” by Ozzy Jock under creative commons license through freemusicarchive.org.
- Other music provided royalty-free through Fesliyan Studios Inc.
Tuesday May 04, 2021
S2 E23 The Long Road Toward Justness
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Episode discussion topics
- Defund the Police is on the docket. We explore its driving mission and the value of taking action to better serve our communities.
- The name Defund the Police only states the beginning of the process and does nothing to shed light on what the end looks like. That's the beauty, a plethora of opportunities, and the curse of being ambiguous to its true meaning.
- In this episode, we make the case for focusing on the opportunities which require all of us to think more creatively and openly about real alternatives to posting armed troops at stations on our streets. In the meantime, we need to de-militarize the relationship between police forces and local communities and stop asking them to be the solution to all problems.
- It is still early to know what neat package of community-based services provide the best bang for your buck, but ultimately each community is unique and needs the voices of its people to be present in identifying and selecting solutions to target specific problems.
Your hosts: Michael V. Piscitelli and Raymond Wong Jr.
More info
- If you're interested in a broader perspective on the roots of the Prison Industrial Complex and law enforcement economy, including the bail bond racket, check out the Netflix documentary 13th.
- Our search for alternatives to policing hasn't turned up a whole lot as of late and we'll keep looking. The Defund campaigns site has great statistics on the current state of policing and makes general cases for alternates. Vox suggests, "4 ideas to replace traditional police officers." Rolling Stone weighs in with a brief piece, "Six Ideas for a Cop-Free World." As you can see, there's no one size fits all set of replacement solutions and we look forward to more updates on this topic.
- Please feel free to share your thoughts through our Contact Us page or on Facebook.
Learn more and reach out
- Head to Citizens Prerogative for additional information and log in or sign up to leave a comment.
- Don't forget to join our free newsletter and get 10% off at our shop! Go the extra mile by supporting us through Patreon.
- Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Special thanks
- Our ongoing supporters, thank you!
- Our sponsor CitizenDoGood.com.
- Graphic design by SergeShop.com.
- Intro music sampled from “Okay Class” by Ozzy Jock under creative commons license through freemusicarchive.org.
- Other music provided royalty-free through Fesliyan Studios Inc.
Version: 20240320