Jesse van de Riet

Interested in science, bitcoin, austrian economics, machine learning and space.

[The Cultural Tutor @culturaltutor]

I’ve made a short film.

Look at the things around you: doors, bins, staircases, furniture, railings, doorhandles, windows.

Do you like how they look, or not?

Modern design has become boring, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

The word “beautiful” is overused. We don’t need “beautiful” lamps, bus stops, and water fountains – we just need lamps, bus stops, and water fountains that are interesting, that actually mean something.

Or, at the very least, not boring.

Because the aesthetics of architecture and urban design aren’t just a bonus; they totally change how we think, feel, and behave.

Boring environments make us more stressed and less productive; they erode our sense of community; they make us sadder, less trusting, and lonelier.

A boring world is one where we spend even more time online and where our addictions are even harder to battle.

The Problem

There is global, widespread dissatisfaction with how the world looks. In this film, and the series it will lead to, we want to investigate that feeling and give it a voice.

The point isn’t that we should return to the past or get rid of modernism. It’s about learning from the past in order to improve the present, and about giving the public what they very clearly want, which isn’t the eradication of modernism but the co-existence of modernism AND traditionalism.

Just look where tourists go, where they take their photos, and that tells you everything you need to know about what most people find interesting or beautiful.

And look at where people go on holiday. It’s always to cities filled with old architecture and design, with churches and mosques and palaces, with charming little alleyways and stone staircases and wrought-iron railings.

Of the world’s fifty most visited buildings, only four were made in the 20th century, and they’re all museums or memorials.

There’s a reason why posts about this go viral online all the time. Regardless of why the change happened, it is clearly the case that we no longer make things how we used to.

People are rightly confused by the fact that old lamp posts (to take the example we focus on in the film) are usually so pretty, while modern ones are usually so boring.

Some people say this is just an example of survivorship bias… and they’re mostly correct. But that’s the whole point!

Saying old buildings are usually prettier than modern buildings is not to say that architecture used to be better, or that the past was better.

It is simply to say that certain kinds of buildings, because they have been preserved, are good examples of what people like most.

In which case... shouldn't we try to design at least some buildings in a way that we know people like?

A Unifying Cause

Everybody, from all sides of the political spectrum and all backgrounds, stands to benefit from a world that is designed more thoughtfully and imaginatively. The world could be such a colourful, meaningful, and thrilling place!

So this isn’t about left versus right or conservatism versus progressivism; it’s about making our world a more interesting and meaningful place to live in. This should be a unifying cause, because everybody loses out when our homes and cities are badly designed.

I want this film to unite people who think they’re on opposite sides, and to create a consensus that we need to change our approach to how we design our buildings and the objects – benches, bus stops, bins, lamp posts, aircon units – that fill our cities.

The Importance of Details

We are incredibly rich and have a sprawling choice of shows to stream, phones to buy, or shoes to wear… but everything feels more and more generic all the time.

If you want to understand a society, don’t listen to what it says about itself – look at what it creates. You can learn everything about the Victorians – the good and the bad – just by looking at their lamp posts.

And what do the ordinary details of the modern world say about us?

That we are technologically advanced, very efficient… and care more about making money, about making things as quickly and cheaply as possible, than making our world an enjoyable place to actually live in.

It’s important to learn about why and how things have changed, but that’s for another time. The first step is establishing that the public aren’t happy with modern architecture and design, and that something needs to be done.

But what we need isn’t a total revival of so-called ‘traditionalism’; the truth is that traditionalism and modernism can (and should) co-exist.

The trouble right now is that we only have one, and that people are tired of it.

The Power of Noticing

But this film (and the series it will, all being well, lead to) is about more than the specific argument it presents. Above all it’s about a way of seeing the world around us, a way of noticing and thinking.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” That is probably true, and it also applies to whole societies, not just individuals; a single doorbell implies everything else about the whole socio-economic and political system that gave rise to its creation.

And, beyond being merely “useful”, the ability to notice details makes the world a richer place to live in, and life a richer thing to lead. This is what the film is about, more than anything: the power and joy of noticing.

A Bigger Project

This short film is just the beginning. We want to make a full series about the history of art and architecture, both for their own sake and also to see what we can learn about life in the twenty-first century and how to improve it. To keep updated you can join our email list over at our website, linked in the reply below.

Final Words

You can watch the film here on X, or over on YouTube, also linked in the reply below.

So… this is where the dream begins, the dream of a new series and the dream of a more charming, more interesting, more meaningful modern world.

Spread the word.

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Watch Starship's tenth flight test → https://t.co/UIwbeGoo2B https://t.co/BFrpQPQFUw

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@elonmusk Per Capita shows dutch people contribute disproportionately

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@elonmusk @joerogan Can someone post links to the .gov sources Elon quotes about the immigration data? I am having a hard time finding what he is referring to.

[Demian Reidel @dreidel1]

President Milei delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations General Assembly, boldly announcing that Argentina will break from its long-standing neutrality to actively defend freedom. He sharply criticized the socialist agenda driving the UN’s failed policies and urged member nations to return to the organization’s founding values, embracing the principles of freedom.

This is what true leadership looks like, and I am immensely proud to be part of his administration.

¡Viva la libertad, carajo!

(speech translated to english and with english captions)
@JMilei

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@crimkadid I just wanted to let you know i really appreciate your posts a lot. Fascinating subjects of history that i would not otherwise come across. Thank you very much!

[Benjamin Carlson @bfcarlson]

Love or hate her, Ayn Rand was a piercing voice on moral questions that continue to haunt the 21st century. Watch this 1959 clip with Mike Wallace and ask yourself: was she wrong?

[The Bitcoin Matrix Podcast ⚡️ @_BitcoinMatrix]

I foresee a situation where the sound money people have all the marbles. I think we're going to break these assholes. I think the fiat people are going to go down & honest bitcoiners will end up running & creating America 2.0

@LawrenceLepard on his dream

https://t.co/RvFQkI5xfT

[James Lavish @jameslavish]

The endless scrolling Debt Clock.

What is it, and what exactly do all the numbers tell us?

Time for a Debt 🧵👇

[Lyn Alden @LynAldenContact]

Either way, the network's energy usage is limited by the amount of utility it provides.

People often extrapolate a brief period of time into infinity, but that's not how things work. The network's design for the long run is different than its design for the bootstrapping phase.

[Lucas Hartong @LucasHartong]

En terwijl Putin simpelweg over de Oekraïne heenrolt is het Westen bezig met woke, transgenders, QR paspoort dictatuur, EU geldverbrassing, milieu-waanzin, uithollen van nationale identiteit en bezuinigen op defensie. De hoge prijs van decadentie en verkeerde prioriteiten.

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@FritsBrouwer @FT Is it a common thing for sovereign countries to post land as collateral to loans? Seems to me to be quite a stupid thing to do.

[Bitcoin Isn't About You @brian_trollz]

Developers need to realize that Bitcoin is not just a "tech protocol." It's a money protocol. In a tech protocol, improving the protocol actually benefits tertiary businesses by lowering costs, opening new business models, etc.

A money protocol like Bitcoin is different.

[Andy Yee @ahkyee]

To paraphrase Thomas Kuhn, the competition between monetary paradigms is not the sort of battle that is resolved by intellectual arguments. It is settled by actual adoption driven by human action and self-interests.

#Bitcoin

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@heavilyarmedc @Breedlove22 @dergigi @jordanbpeterson That initial quote is great, i hadn't read it before. It actually gave me a bit of an epiphany. Excellently written, thank you!

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@ValentineRW Ik zou graag een van jullie verkiezings kranten krijgen. Hoe kan ik daar gemakkelijk aan komen?

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

@CryptoHayes You briefly touch on how to go long interest rates for retail investors. I am wondering if anyone can point me to where I could buy volatility funds or trade options on the interest rates. Or maybe point me in a direction where I can start learning more about that practically.

[Jesse van de Riet @JesseRiet]

Excellent thread that describes nascent theory around money and bitcoin that very strongly resonates with me. Thank you Chris!

[☣surferjim is more stoked than you- regularly.🧡 @surferjimw]

Bullish is an understatement whenever @JackMallers is involved.

The future is here. Most just don't know it yet.

[Raoul Pal @RaoulGMI]

Do we have the wrong denominator?

Many of us believe that Fed money printing is creating an asset bubble. But when we switch the denominator to the Fed balance sheet equities looks fairly priced...