In The Republic of Letters, Clare Ashcraft argues that “Gen Z is worse than you think,” contending that technology and comfort have “infantilized” her generation by eroding purpose, embodiment, and social obligation. “We were told we could be anything when we grew up,” she writes, “and Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok fed us more options than we could ever imagine.” Ashcraft suggests that the digital age has left Gen Z both overconnected and profoundly alone; living online instead of in their bodies or communities. Yet she sees signs of recovery: young people trading smartphones for “dumbphones,” embracing mindfulness, and even returning to religion for structure and meaning. Her thoughtful essay calls for a modest reclamation of responsibility, “driving friends to the airport instead of letting them Uber,” as the groundwork for rebuilding genuine connection and rediscovering the limits that make freedom real.
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In MIT Technology Review, Tiffany Ng profiles Marcin Jakubowski, founder of Open Source Ecology, who is designing what he calls a “starter kit for civilization.” His Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) comprises 50 open-source machines—from tractors to 3D printers—intended to let anyone “build a thriving economy anywhere in the world … from scratch.” Frustrated by proprietary repair restrictions from companies like John Deere, Jakubowski began publishing free blueprints for modular, locally sourced, repairable tools, comparing his project to “Linux for hardware.” His newest venture, the Future Builders Academy, trains apprentices to construct $40,000 off-grid Seed Eco Homes in just five days. “We’re becoming gods with technology,” Jakubowski says, “yet technology has badly failed us.” His vision, decentralized, collaborative, and self-sustaining, imagines a future where progress means not more technology, but fair and equitable access to the tools that already exist.
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On Rick Rubin’s new podcast, Tetragrammaton, economist and author Tyler Cowen described the Trump administration’s new stablecoin legislation as “a big experiment,” calling it a radical shift that “makes stablecoins legal and regulated in a very particular way.” He explained that these dollar-backed digital assets could soon “mainstream” into the U.S. financial system, functioning as programmable dollars with full reserves in cash or Treasury bills. While Cowen acknowledged potential off-balance-sheet risks, he said, “I’m willing to take that chance,” arguing that the U.S. banking system is overregulated and shrinking, now just 20 percent of the financial sector. Stablecoins, he noted, may drain liquidity from banks but could also enable faster, global dollar payments and AI-driven commerce. “Stablecoins are the active, exciting thing,” he said, predicting they will become “the money of the AIs” and a key pillar of future digital finance.
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Micah Zimmerman reports that Compass Coffee in Washington, D.C., became the first café in the world to process a Bitcoin payment through a Square terminal, marking a milestone for everyday Bitcoin use. The live demo, held during DC Fintech Week, showcased Square’s new “Bitcoin payment integration” using the Lightning Network and interoperable wallets. “Cannot wait to see this come to Square devices worldwide soon,” Compass Coffee posted on X. Square’s forthcoming Square Bitcoin platform, launching November 10, will let merchants accept Bitcoin, convert a portion of sales into BTC, or instantly settle in dollars, all within existing point-of-sale systems. “We want to make Bitcoin everyday money,” said Miles Suter, Block’s Head of Bitcoin Product. With no processing fees for the first year, the move could reduce merchant costs and accelerate Bitcoin’s role in mainstream retail commerce.
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