21futures

Dogs_And_Cats

21 Futures has acquired two new employees

His prefered nickname is Bazza.

More than anything though, he likes to hide behind the toilet!

BooksAndArticles

Fifteen Shades of Time

![](https://m.stacker.news/57911)

I think I know which one is likely to get employee of the month for October.

My critters

siggy47

What's the cat's name?
I'll guess Milton Milkbum III

Why I subscribed to posts from @21futures and you should to.

realBitcoinDog

They have been named.
Betty and Balthazar.

'Fifteen Shades of Time' is a new release with Konsensus Network, publishing VERY soon.

"What exactly is time? This question even troubles world-renowned scientists. This book presents fifteen possibilities all bound into one compelling narrative.

Troubled philosopher Luca Cangemi wrestles with the fabric of time in a lecture that will transform the lives of every person in attendance: a grieving mother desperate to finish her degree, an immortal delivery driver, a psychonaut hell-bent on documenting her trips, a boy who dreams of living on Mars, and many others.

They all discover something incredible about the nature of time. 

Will you discover it too?"

***

This novella will interest future seekers, metaphysical deep-thinkers, sci-fi philosophers, and time-travel aficionados. 


Want an advanced read copy in exchange for an honest review?

It's a short book with big ideas (you can read it in one sitting).

Just comment below if you are keen to read it, and I'll be in touch.

Must have an active Amazon account.

Thank you!

![](https://m.stacker.news/57891)

What are you working on this week?

Writing!
21 Futures editing and web content.

Book promotion for my forthcoming novella.

Meetings with prospective ghostwriting clients (bitcoin only founders and companies).

Writing content for clients.

And maybe getting a haircut!

Is AI Art slowing bitcoin adoption?

Yes, it's complicated when authors want to remain anon, but it's possible to create a persona or avatar.

And no, I don't use AI for any part of my writing process. It can be useful for idea generation I guess, but I find the experience of talking to a chatbot makes me truly miserable.

It’s hard for bitcoin businesses and founders to stand out
Especially when their images look so similar.

![](https://m.stacker.news/57542)

***

Am I against Dall-E or AI images? 
Not entirely.

They add colour and can be quite arresting.
It’s amazing that we can get art like this at the click of a button.

But I see 50%+ of those who post about bitcoin using Dall-E images.
All so similar! 

If you do this, you end up as noise not signal.
They make your posts look like a cheap Crypto News website.

Readers are hypersensitive to image quality.
It’s what determines whether they give your ideas the time of day or not.

***

Ideas to use instead of instant GPT images:

1. Trust your words. 
Craft a hook that draws readers in rather than an image.

2. Show your face. 
Selfies are divisive, but readers like to see who is offering the thought. We connect with people.

3. Use image libraries.
Search sites like Pexels or Unsplash for great photos.

4. Spend more time prompting.
Ensure your image looks unique. This can take some time.

***

What’s your opinion on AI art? 
Definitive yay, or hell-to-the-nay?


![](https://m.stacker.news/57062)
![](https://m.stacker.news/57063)

Hide and seek champion looking for a name (girl)

R.I.P. Catoshi! It's now time for Orange Vagabond

catoshi

Sorry to hear that.
I'm sure she's at peace now.

REVIEW: The Mandibles by Lionel Shirver

It's not a good novel. The characters are flat and the structure is warped. 

I see it as more of a concept book. Using fiction to present a near future (with a lot of the author's hangups thrown in)

I just hear Max Hillebrand talking about this book. That guy READS!

It's near the top of my list.

A review of THE MANDIBLES (2016) by Lionel Shriver.

The next 21 Futures book will be an anthology of financial dystopia. 

So, I wanted to read and review the best known recent fiction on the topic. 

***

The book traces the fortunes of the Mandibles, a wealthy family living in a badly decaying New York of 2029.

The US dollar has collapsed, and the family suffer a series of misfortunes which lead to several generations sharing the same Brooklyn brownstone house.

 If things are going badly for a family with huge generational wealth, a widespread financial portfolio, and a slew of assets, imagine how bad things are for the rest.  

Society breaks down at an alarming rate with citizens fighting for basic necessities and healthcare.

The book provides cutting (and often funny) social commentary on the Western worldview, the US health system, and wealth inequality.

The family fortunes go from bad to worse, and they are eventually forced to leave the city in a Grapes of Wrath style journey of salvation.

The cast of characters is broad, and we see kind and good-natured beings break down to their base form, seeking to survive the next day at any cost. 

Ultimately, the story is of a country and of a rotten fiat economy coming to its natural conclusion - hyperinflation.

Be prepared for authorial preaching and summary of big-picture events.  The book passes through the depression years of 2029 to 2047 and we miss out on large swathes of the characters' lives.

Throughout, I found myself devoid of empathy for most of the Mandible family.

Yet, the book is deeply affecting. The scenes painted are not only realistic, but are highly likely to come to pass at some point in ALL countries as our current financial system crumbles.

This is NOT a relaxing bed-time read. In fact, it will likely give you nightmares.

More than any book on investment strategy, macro economics, or bitcoin evangelism, this book shows the dangers of continuing on the same path.

It shows the dangers of not learning, not preparing, and not changing our misguided ways.

This book, more than any, proves the importance of stories in the world of economics.  It is a stark and real presentation of money, 1,000 times more likely to wake wage workers and the financially illiterate from their slumber.

This is the power of fiction.

#scifi #sciencefiction #Dystopia #amreading #BookReviewhttps://m.primal.net/KTLR.jpg 

Politics_And_Law

Latest opinion piece from 'Maximum Freedom, Minimum Bullshit'.

Is Bitcoin Anti-Democracy?

Bitcoin and stories are much alike. 

They can be described in powerful simplicity or astonishing complexity. Both are unique developments in human history and feed our well-being. Bitcoin and stories are forces for good, but they must be used wisely.

By removing himself from the equation, Nakamoto left it to us to write the future of bitcoin. It’s not surprising that we have been tentative to propose a narrative. Stories have never been decentralized before.

Think of the pyramids, the invention of the printing press, or the release of the iPhone 1. Instead of the technology itself, we focus on the people who made it and how its invention affected us. The story of the pyramids survives in every tourist’s photograph; the joy of reading touches a higher percentage of the world’s population every year; the garage-to-keynote-speaker tale of Apple’s late CEO inspires entrepreneurs worldwide.

To unite interest in bitcoin, we need to be better at telling its stories. Only stories have the power to stop us, to wake us, to make us feel rather than think.

For most people, great change doesn’t arrive from binary logic and a working knowledge of code. Understanding grows through narrative. It is stories that bring change.

What kinds of stories will you write?

More emotion, less code - Why we need more bitcoin stories

📚Ultimate read before you die books?

User21000000

The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
True Names by Vernor Vinge
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe