World Archives

The Dimensions of Political Power

Features, Politics | 27 September 2023

While rewatching a MandaloreGaming video on Tyranny, a role-playing game on being a bad guy in a fantasy Iron Age world, he mentioned a concept in political science called the Faces of Power, also known as the Dimensions of Power. It’s an academic theory put forth by Steven Lukes, a British political and social theorist currently based in New York University, which looks into how it is to rule over other people’s lives and influence their actions — something that politicians also do in this day and age in the real world. (more…)

Kayfabe in Politics and Media Manipulation

by: Sonny Go

Essays, Life and Philosophy, Politics, Pro Wrestling | 18 July 2023

After getting word of videos about Eric Weinstein’s interpretation of kayfabe on Twitter, I found Frame Problems after a brief search and gave these three videos a watch. I found them interesting as they stretched the application of kayfabe to politics, economics, and mainstream media as far as they possibly can. I had always been interested in Eric Weinstein’s opinion of kayfabe being a crucial component of the cognitive toolbox. As a part of the pro wrestling industry, I wanted to take a closer look at this take on kayfabe and how understanding it can enhance how one interprets mainstream media and public consciousness. (more…)

Russophilia and Slavsploitation

by: Sonny Go

Essays, World | 26 June 2023

As I was writing the draft for this blog post, the Wagner Group — the Russian mercenary group led by former Putin stooge Yevgeny Prigozhin — was staging a mutiny against the Russian military and government. Events were being documented on Twitter as they happened, including this sitdown between Prigozhin and Russian defense officials. No one knew what would happen and if it would affect Putin’s reign and the war in Ukraine, but they were doing it in a city that’s over a thousand kilometers from Moscow. In any case, I’m taking this opportunity to talk about something that has always bugged me about all things Russian. (more…)

Manila Central Post Office Fire Almost Cost Me $155

by: Sonny Go

Blog, Philippines, Vlogs | 02 June 2023

Manila Central Post Office After the Fire

On the eve of Monday, 22 May 2023, smoke billowed from the basement of the Manila Central Post Office in Lawton, Manila. Shortly after, the flame that made the smoke became fire. The fire then spread and crawled its way up the building. Paper, wood, and other materials in the post office served as kindling to feed the fire, which grew it into a roaring blaze. For the next 30 hours, one of Manila’s great landmarks stayed alight, to the horror of eyewitnesses and the citizens of Manila. (more…)

Finance is the Magic of the Real World

by: Sonny Go

Essays, Finance | 22 April 2023

Bear with me while I ramble about an analogy that may take at least 2,000 words to explain. This is a world I’ve been exploring for the past three months, and I’ve been having fun learning about it thus far. Coming into the game this late, I believe I’ve been seeing it in a unique light, different from how most people see it. Money — the thing which makes our world go round — is much like the forces that govern fantasy worlds. Many seek its power, but few harness it. (more…)

Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, and the Threat of Contagion

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, Finance, News | 14 March 2023

It’s high time I write more about finance on this blog. Unlike the last time, when I wrote about the GameStop short squeeze of January 2021, I now have actual skin in the game. For the past three months, I’ve been getting into stock trading, and it has been both a blast due to the learning experience and a stressful experience due to the initially losing trades. I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t know that I was going into a market that was scarred by the ravages of 2022. Let’s talk about bank runs and the ongoing nightmare of the 2023 market. (more…)

The Battle of Alesia Continues to Inspire Me

by: Sonny Go

Essays, History | 16 December 2022

I’ve written a good bit about military history on this blog, comparing generals to martial artists and professional gamers. Since I’ve been learning more about them and their battles, perhaps it’s time I specifically focus on them to expound on what made them tick and what interests me about their motivations and leadership. Each has their own motivations and styles of leadership, but there was one who was way ahead of his time and displayed a quality similar to entrepreneurs and world leaders of today. (more…)

More on Playing Lame and the Art of Defense

by: Sonny Go

Combat, Esports, Features, History | 06 December 2022

Winky Wright, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and Hungrybox

This is a follow-up to one of my favorite blog posts I’ve ever written. It’s understandable why defense is seen as lame and boring, while self-sacrificial offense is seen as valiant and entertaining. We can have idiots who deliberately put themselves in harm’s way and get people cheering their lungs off while downing gallons of Bud Light, then not be given even an ounce of shit about when they can barely remember their own names years down the line. That’s especially true for combat sports, but we can also look at other fields as well and see how the fundamentally sound are also given the short end of the stick, even in hindsight. (more…)

Thomas Midgley Wasn’t Just a Well-Meaning Idiot

by: Sonny Go

History, Science | 12 July 2022

This post is meant to rectify an old blog post I wrote about well-meaning idiots, specifically the inventor Dr. Thomas Midgley, Jr. In that post, I put him in the same category as John Chau, the American missionary who willingly got himself killed by traveling to the Sentinel Islands to preach the Gospel to its infamously solitary natives. But now, I know better. It turns out Midgley wasn’t merely just a well-meaning idiot who didn’t intend any harm, but a greedy asshole who set upon the world his products that poisoned the air. (more…)

AI Takeover: We Need Machine Overlords

by: Sonny Go

Artificial Intelligence, Opinion, Politics | 29 May 2022

Recent events, including the pandemic and the presidential election, had me thinking about the insufficiencies of government, people’s unwillingness to cooperate, and all the obstacles in enforcing law during national and global crises. As this trend continues, I’m seeing the rise of our machine overlords. As artificial intelligence improves, the world will likely be predominantly ruled by AI by the 22nd century. I wish for things to speed up so we get to our destination sooner, but these things take time. I’ll regret not being able to live long enough to see that. (more…)

Corruption is the X-Factor

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Politics | 14 May 2022

While watching a YouTube video on South Africa, discussing how it’s on the cusp of a civil war due to its geography and demographics throughout history, I looked at the YouTube comments and related Reddit thread. I saw how the South African viewers didn’t like how the video avoided the elephant in the room, which was corruption. I then saw that it’s the common theme in the comments of that video series in that channel. While many countries seem to have all the geographical and historical odds stacked against them, what really holds them back is persistent corruption in their governments and societies. (more…)

Russia and the 16 Steps to Nuclear War

by: Sonny Go

Current Events | 25 March 2022

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine heads towards 30 whole days, my initial analysis of the whole thing not lasting for more than a month due to how the war is likely draining Russian coffers and resources, not to mention the sanctions and corporate pullouts, is likely not coming to pass. We have now entered a period of uncertainty, wherein we don’t know for sure when it will end and if Putin will actually prevail. I then watched a video by TLDR News on what the future may bring. (more…)