Westenberg.
Field Notes on Now.
$ ls ./posts/
The Ego-Legacy Complex: On Ancient Monuments and Modern Malaise
A handful of years ago, I visited the Roman Forum in Mérida, Spain. And I found myself contemplating a peculiar fact: I was standing among ruins that had survived longer
Everything Is Always Getting Worse (Until It Isn't)
A few months ago, I found myself doomscrolling through X (first mistake) when I found a thread about how “everything is getting worse.” The author had assembled an impressive collection
The Doomscroll Industrial Complex: How Anxiety Became a Business Model
We need to talk about the doomers and the attention economy they’ve built. Not because they’re entirely wrong — from climate change to political extremism, a lot of their
How Elite Institutions Launder Legitimacy
A blogger notices something strange about the markets. They write a post about it. No one cares. An economics professor at Princeton notices the blog. Writes a paper. Gets it
Why Your Great-Grandchildren Won’t Be Billionaires
In 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt had a dying wish: “Keep the money together.” He might as well have asked water to flow uphill. Within a few generations, one of history’s
We Don't Need More Cynics. We Need More Builders.
Cynicism is the cheap seats. It’s the fast food of intellectual positions. Anyone can point at something and say it’s broken, corrupt, or destined to fail. The real
First Steps and False Barriers
I have a stubbornly "anti" disposition. I don't react well to impossibilities. It goes way back - and I'm assuming it has its roots
Big Tech Wants You Trapped. The Open Web Sets You Free
Big Tech designed their platforms to keep you trapped. YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok aren't neutral spaces. They're businesses built on capturing your attention and data.
The Case for Embracing Cringe
We curate ourselves into something safe. We smooth out our rough edges. We keep things palatable, we stay detached, we’re less invested, we’re dedicated to avoiding embarrassment at
Have You Earned Your Opinion?
We've all heard the saying. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion." But it's not quite true, is it? An opinion isn’t a birthright,
Pattern Recognition vs. Pattern Lock-In
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 cast a long shadow. France, humiliated and burning for revenge. Germany, rising and certain it had to strike first to stay on top. Every decision,
Why Do Corporations Love Authoritarianism?
The least fun fact you're likely to read today: IBM helped the Nazis. Through its German subsidiary Dehomag, "Big Blue" custom-engineered Hollerith punch card machines specifically