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The Ümlaut

A journal of ideas and commentary about innovation, society, economics, and public policy.

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  • The Silk Road 2.0 Database Is Up For Grabs in the First Darkleaks Auction

    The Silk Road 2.0 Database Is Up For Grabs in the First Darkleaks Auction

    On a distributed information market, no one cares you’re a rat.
    Go to the profile of Andrea Castillo
    Andrea Castillo
    Feb 13, 2015
    Trending
    Being Your Own Advocate in the Long Tail

    Being Your Own Advocate in the Long Tail

    The long tail is a relative thing, as are all distributional concepts. “The 1%” by construction can only exist if there is another 99, “the…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Sep 22, 2014

    Why is Communist Iconography Still Cool?

    Maybe it’s just me, but I feel there is something deeply unsettling about the display of communist symbols by young people on the political…
    Go to the profile of Dalibor Rohac
    Dalibor Rohac
    May 8, 2013
    The Opposite of Terror is Courage

    The Opposite of Terror is Courage

    Ever since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, we’ve found ourselves trapped in a narrative that frames liberty as something that…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Apr 7, 2014
    The Risks and Rewards of Genetically Modified Organisms

    The Risks and Rewards of Genetically Modified Organisms

    In response to a successful and widely covered project to fund a genetically engineered glowing plant, Kickstarter recently made it against…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Aug 19, 2013
    Conspicuous Frugality: Is Cheap the New Cool?

    Conspicuous Frugality: Is Cheap the New Cool?

    Economists from Thorstein Veblen to Richard Layard or Robert Frank have worried about the implications of status-seeking behavior. If one’s…
    Go to the profile of Dalibor Rohac
    Dalibor Rohac
    Apr 24, 2013
    Europe Between Planners and Searchers

    Europe Between Planners and Searchers

    In his 2006 book, The White Man’s Burden, William Easterly makes the distinction between “planners” and “searchers” in economic…
    Go to the profile of Dalibor Rohac
    Dalibor Rohac
    Mar 27, 2013
    Latest
    The Internet Has Enriched Us More Than Flying Cars Would Have

    The Internet Has Enriched Us More Than Flying Cars Would Have

    Flying cars were the iconic vision of our future for science fiction fans for at least half of the 20th century. At the close of that…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Oct 27, 2014
    Sovereignty Is Not Property

    Sovereignty Is Not Property

    In arguments about open borders or immigration reform generally, the analogy of sovereignty to property is often invoked. “Should anyone…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Oct 20, 2014
    Oh Sacred Science, Hallowed Be Thy Name

    Oh Sacred Science, Hallowed Be Thy Name

    Is economics a science? Is sociology? What about history? At times this whole debate seems to me to be little different than the argument…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Oct 13, 2014
    Home is Where the Social Mobility Isn’t

    Home is Where the Social Mobility Isn’t

    The yin and the yang of modern narratives are the question for liberation on the one hand, for authenticity on the other. We want to break…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Oct 6, 2014
    The Specter of Pluralism’s Bloodstained History

    The Specter of Pluralism’s Bloodstained History

    If laissez-faire is the historic rallying cry of traders and businessmen against the mercantilists and their intellectual and administrator…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Sep 29, 2014
    Reliability > Reliance

    Reliability > Reliance

    The importance of trust in the world of commerce is uncontroversial inside and outside of economics. So many actions have to be taken in…
    Go to the profile of Adam Gurri
    Adam Gurri
    Sep 15, 2014
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