GDP sucks. That’s what we found out this week as we looked at the current state of the world’s money. It’s amazing how a nation’s outlook and world ranking changes when we measure more than what it produces and sells domestically. We’re doing more on the economics of happiness later this month as part of our Made of Money series. Be sure to check back.
“Stratoscrapers” and Underwater Villages: Meet the City of the Future
Todd Jaquith, Futurism
You know where it’s better? Why, down where it’s wetter, of course. And also, miles up into the sky. A recent Samsung report says a century from now we’ll be living in structures almost inconceivable to us in 2016. [7-minute read]
Manifesto for a Bankless World
Alan Donner, The Future of Money
This may be sponsored content for a fintech startup called SoFi, but it’s got some useful examples of ways in which the current U.S. banking system is weak and ripe for disruption. [5-minute read]
Thailand’s Country-Psychedelic Music Is Crazy Good
Laurel Tuohy, Vice
Heard any Molam recently? We haven’t either, but this piece a) alerted us to its existence and b) explained that it’s a marginalized yet kickass-type of Thai music now getting exposure in the West. [5-minute read]
A Plagiarism Scandal Is Unfolding in the Crossword World
Oliver Roeder, FiveThirtyEight
On the internet, nobody forgets, nobody forgives — especially in the world of crossword construction, where fans with access to decades of newspaper archives have discovered extensive (alleged) plagiarism. [10-minute read]
A War Over Dots
Ben Marks, Collectors Weekly
The story of how braille typewriters came to be is also the story of standardizing a written language for the blind. [7-minute read]
GDP Sucks. Here Are Some Better Alternatives
Duncan Geere, How We Get To Next
The concept of measuring a country’s gross domestic product dates back to the 1600s. It’s ancient. It ignores life expectancy, education, income per capita, and ecological impact. These five maps show a more modern way. [6-minute read]
Every New Way to Pay Has Its Problems
Ian Steadman, How We Get To Next
The intricacy and thoughtfulness of a currency’s design has a whole lot to do with how easy it is to counterfeit. The U.S. dollar bill is the worst offender of all. [7-minute read]
That Money Is Funny
Richard Baguley, How We Get To Next
A $10 trillion banknote issued in 2008—now worthless. The world’s earliest virtual currency—12-foot round stones far too heavy to move. The items we’ve endowed with value and used as tender are weirder than you might imagine. [9-minute read]
Why an Amazonian Tribe Built a Video Game
Duncan Geere, How We Get To Next
In our weekly roundup of world news, find out what’s happening in Brazil, Japan, the Arctic, Chile, Egypt, and Argentina. [3-minute read]
