Automated dystopia and the worst tourist attraction of all time 

I'd never heard about the Mound before and I'm laughing SO HARD at "looks like a game asset glitched halfway through rendering" because it DOES

Wow thank you for the excellent existential panic. It was exceptional as always!

I’m consistently delighted and amazed by the diversity of your sources and what you discover by connecting them.

Whether its rewatching an older video or seeing a new one for the first time I always leave your content knowing I’ll be back to watch it again. Like after watching a new favorite movie feeling that jumble of satisfaction, drowsiness, and “that was so good”. I appreciate your essays so much and enjoy everyone of them dearly

Oof, I felt this video. I'm a freelance writer, and I mostly do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content for business blogs and such, since there's an endless need and it pays the bills. So, in essence, my job is to write articles which are *intended to be read by machines.* Because, seriously, no one's reading their local car mechanic's shitty blog. I write for an audience of one: The Google Algorithm. Personally, I find this darkly hilarious. In defense of myself as a person, I do enjoy the rare opportunity to do otherwise. Like I sometimes write reviews for a C-tier website that mostly exists to give indie bands some positive press. And you know what? I am FINE with that. I'll happily write a good review of a halfway decent band. It means I'm getting paid to actually do something nice for other actual human beings. Which is way too rare these days.

When I first saw cube, I went "well, a tad bit farfetched, innit?" I think about it often Thank you for putting words on a feeling I carried with me for a long time

I missed your videos so much, glad to see you back!

Squid Game is pretty much like the dark and gritty version of _Takeshi's Castle._

"To realise there is no malicious intent us much worse" gave me goosebumps... T.S. Elliot's yawn vibes

Wow, this was quite a journey. For a few minutes there, I thought this might just be you taking an opportunity to dunk on the Marble Arch Mound. I was genuinely in awe of how you tied this all back into the story of Cube and Squid Game's success. I recently watched Folding Idea's video from a few years ago on those RU-vid Kids videos, so I'm already familiar with our algorithmically driven hellscape. I hadn't thought of viewing our disastrous capitalist hellscape under that same lens, though. Sometimes the things that make the most money make the least sense, and sometimes things that make the least money make the least sense because they thought that would somehow make the most money. It all ties back neatly to that profit motive. Now any time I see something so catastrophically, inscrutably nonsensical, I'm going to suspect that's at the root of it.

What a ridiculously good video, it gave me chills! As an artist turned middle school teacher I have so many thoughts on this video I just dont know how to put into words.. But in the end I just want to thank you for an amazing and insightful video that I am going to have to rewatch at least a 100 fimes :)

The only channel I turn notifications on for, cause each one is a banger

So good! I like that you discussed such a variety of seemingly unconnected things, but showed how they’re all a symptom of the same thing

This channel is such a delight.

wow, this is a nice surprise, missed your content a lot. Great video, kinda reminded me of the one Solar Sands did on the topic of NFTs, in a way that NFTs are like AI-generated content for kids, but for adults, which makes it way worse actually. (i think i teared up a little on the quote about those who care less profit the most... that is true for a way too many aspects of capitalist system)

This is one of the best video essays I've seen in a LONG time

ive watched this video around 3 times now and im just amazed that more people havent seen it. So well written, so well edited, so funny, so wide in its research.

I was playing a game by the name of Prose and Codes, which is basically about filling up incomplete words to make an intelligible sentence taken from famous books or novels And there was one which can be applied in here, "Men never completely understand its inventions, it only tries it's best to adapt with it" Throughout our existence in this world we have made numerous devices, products, etc. for the betterment of our species, some stick and other's don't But the complex ones always baffles the people who use it, even the creators, for example Mark Zuckerberg never knew what Facebook would become and be used for in the future The best we can do is adapt with it and the changes that comes from the ever-moving time, even though it was started by us it has become something more than we can ever control PS: Amazing comeback after your brief stint and great video as usual (Watch Platform if you haven't you will enjoy it)

I literally was just like where is “what’s so great about that? I miss them”

Watched an old Utopia review from you and wondered if you still made videos and to my surprise not only did you still make them but I was blown away by this one. Really great stuff 😁 👍

I am definitely here for backdoor Cube videos!

good to see you are still uploading, and that you're willing and able to join all kinds of dots together like this.

Your video is so eloquent as always! I loved tying in Cube to the horror of algorithmically generated content, that's such a brilliant insight

Honestly Cube reminds me a lot of Kafka's "In the Penal Colony": punishment inscribed on the body without any sense of the law broken, until it's been carved into your skin for 12 hours.

Had you in my subscriptions and I don't think I ever watched a video from you. Probably just subbed because someone recommended your channel. This video was stunning and incredibly thought provoking. You opened my eyes to a very interesting topic.

You have the best sense of 'flow' of any video essayist on the platform. Always impressed by the quality and substance of your videos.

"You'll take your trees and bit of grass and bit bloody happy with it!" omg I hadn't heard about that...mound lol I'm so glad you made a video essay about this! Always glad to see a new one from you!

Words cannot express my level of joy at seeing a reference to McMansion Hell! Thank you!

I really think this might be one of your best essays yet. It totally enhanced how I view the relationship between technology and capitalism. I can’t count how many times I’ve rewatched this

What can I say but SOMEONE PLEASE WAKE ME UP FROM THIS ENDLESS NIGHTMARE

Thank you. As always I just love the way you articulate ideas in your videos

God, you uploaded again and now i have to stay up late rewatching everything on your channel again. Thanks a lot ;)

Oh, wow. I haven't thought about Cube since I saw it as (way too young) kid. The subtext went right over my head at the time. Great video! Thanks for making it.

"oh cool a new video! It's about squid game? Well I've still never seen it but this seems like interesting stuff about capitalism either way-WAIT weird London mound is a FAILURE? LET'S FUCKING GO BOIIS!!"

Wow completely forgot about The Cube. Lot to think on here with content creation too. Your videos are always really inspirational as a creator. Both the writing and editing.

everyone is beautiful and no one is horny is one of my favorite essays!! highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it to go and check out the whole thing

AWESOME video! Definitely going to be picking up that Bridle book. Thanks for shining a light on the silent and anonymous worm that's eating away at deliberate and genuine efforts!

Wonderful vid! I hadn't heard about the mound but it was a great choice for a vocal point on this topic!

Great video essay - and I'd never heard of the Mount before either, like some people here, even though we've got friends who live in London. I love the balance your videos have of analysis, critique and humour, where each element informs and enhances the others. Also, your videos are very enjoyable to look at and listen to. Thanks a lot for your work!

Excellent video essay. Connecting so many things into a central theme. The profit motive is an interesting thing, theoretically and logically it should only create that which people want as if that things is unwanted it wouldn't be purchased and therefore there is no incentive to create or develop it. Yet here one of the arguments,I think, is how the profit motive leads to arbitrary, pointless (the definition of pointless being thing that no one wants) things. Can these be reconciled?

Is she gonna mention... CUBE, YEP! : ) I knew it! Everyone needs a death maze!

Incredible video! You have an incredible talent of making me want to watch every single piece of media you discuss. I paused halfway through the video and watched Cube for the first time, and really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your enormous brain with us all!

I watched Squid Games very early on as well and it's popularity seemed at first surreal but it does make sense. Being a fan on isolation room movies including Cube in my early teens I feel like it was inevitable for me to become a leftist.

That line with soul after step 2 - like woah.

Loved the video! The brass eye technology clip is permanently playing in my brain again now

The most important question is, how does this relate to Cube 2 Hypercube?

New Dark Age has been boring a hole in my brain since I read it a couple of years back so thanks for reawakening it - great video

Very interesting video bringing more clarity in this confusing age... The point that it is the maxim of optimization and profit that is burying humanity - not technology - reminds me of a point sci-fi author Ted Chiang: Sillicon Valley's fear of an AI destroying humanity as a byproduct of a simpler and sensible task is actually just a projection of Sillicion Valley's own ruthless maximizing. It also reminded me of philosopher Ivan Illich's point that any tool (in the broadest sense) can grow to a scale where it becomes harmful and actually inverses its original intend. imo the best example is traffic: it's original intend is to increase mobility, but it can grow to proportions where it actually hinders mobility.

Well, this channel easily deserves about a million more subs. Here's some blood for the automated algorithm gods.

This is the way the world ends: not with a bang, but with a sick old man suffering from diarrhea, indigestive problem cell phone cover case Samsung S6.

Love the quality over quantity approach with this channel. What editing software do you use, if I may ask?

Have your heard of Curtis Yarvin? I watched a podcast where he posed the idea on how we no longer follow people ie monarchs or leaders we now follow mechanisms like democracy and capitalism and these mechanisms have become deranged because unlike people mechanisms cannot be held accountable. It just reminded me of this video

For real, though, what kind of algorithm did they have build the cube that filled it *exclusively* with deathtraps. That's not a capitalist system designed to make profit, its only conceivable purpose is as the setting for a horror movie. If the youtube algorithm made a cube, it would be full of car crashes, boxes for you to open, and people playing videogames. Not wall spikes.

Some topiary might have helped the mound.

What a brilliant video! I learnt so much and love your take on things. So witty too!!

Glad you’re back!

oooh what another fantastic vid! as always i am so impressed by the breadth & depth of your analysis.

seriously touched on something vital for modern world. We are stuck plugged into the hedonic treadmill of the content algorithm. The worst part is there’s no easy way out 😅😅 oh well we have no agency 🤷‍♂️; my nihilistic ass is gunna now to binge your backlog

Without fail, every one of these succinctly encapsulates a difficult to convey concept that I've struggled to put into words for longer that I want to admit. Honestly, when I make a piece of art and want to answer a question or give a statement I just want to have a keyring of QR codes to your various videos and form a phrase out of them via playlist. 🤷🤣

And in this sea of bullshit, garbage, and detritus, sometimes, upon the shore washes not only a pearl, but a deep understanding of where all the rest of this came from. Thank you.

not gunna lie i was pretty unsettled by that last line, grace

I watched The Cube in 1999, I am thirty-five now and just understood the point. This is a good video.

This was incredible!!!! Really wish youtube pushed some more well-researched, thought provoking and educational videos like this :') I'll be doin my part to share your stuff around, so glad I stumbled across this channel!!

I'm most fascinated by the mound. Because this is the first time I ever heard of it. And I want to know more about it. As this video assumes a bit of knowledge about its history I am left with big gaps in the reasoning behind its existance.

Thanks! I appreciate a proper video essay a lot after watching way to much debate bros.

This might be your best yet, Grace!

Another absolutely incredible video. Going to watch Cube tonight, thanks

Wow, such a great video! It really is terrifying indeed. But I've still got hope left - eventually, I think we will reach a tipping point. At least, I hope so.

Top notch work as ever! Horrifying, hilarious and thought-provoking. Time to track down NoNoseKnows and those James Bridle pieces 👍

I don't know if the spanish Netflix film The Platform could be part of this trend, but I think you should watch it. Don't Look Up!! also fits in the category... I'm starting to see a pattern in Netflix productions. Coincidence? I don't... know... Great as usual, Grace!!! Thanx!!!

Is this Meditations on Moloch?

Part of me hates the "automated dystopia", all the opaque algorithms that can have real impact on peoples financial situation, mental health and so on. Another part looks at it like some kind of acceleration of knowing ourselves, learning about what works and what doesn't. There is no inherent meaning behind it (other than profit), but I believe you can choose to find one yourself. It's always funny to think about this stuff on an automated platform designed to make profit :D

Another great video, happy to overlook Ireland getting booped along with thr UK in January. I love the pacing of all your videos!

Every time you upload a video I regain a shred of my lost hope for humanity.

Found this video WHILE READING NEW DARK AGE couldn’t have been better timing

welcome back!

New phobia unlocked

I was having a bad day, but thanks to your upload I can have a lovely evening

Another extremely important treatise on society that everyone should watch even though they can't do anything about it. That's the existential crisis that keeps me up at night. We built the hydra.

Thank you for this amazing and much needed analysis. Your style reminds me of the late Mark Fisher's blog kpunk.

Your works are always amazing. Thanks for another great video.

WELCOME BACK OMG

I actually got excited seeing that you had uploaded again🙏

lol MVRDV isn't really the best firm for feasible projects

The manga Blame is basically the movie Cube cranked up to eleven. While I agree with the overall premise, I don't think Squid Game is the best example. In fact, it is antithetical to your point. The mound and most youtube videos don't carry a lot of substance while Squid Game is the long gestating passion project of a filmmaker with something meaningful to say about our society. The fact Netflix is set up in such way that a Korean series could become a global phenomenon on a scale only reached by Hollywood superhero movies is a testament to the good that can still come out of technology, the ability to unite us. But yes, a Cube or Blame nihilistic future is still in the cards.

Philosophy, the discipline of "lol wut".

SHE RETURNS Not gonna lie i missed your channel

Thoughtful episode.

As I re enter the workforce, I'm realising the truths behind thus video, though I'm still trying to resist. Eventually I'll end up starting a commune or something I just know it.

Superb video, I loved in particular the part about how the inhumanity of the logic of capitalism is inherently coded in the tecnology it produces. It's the murder maze of our own making, while it could have been a garden.

Whoa. Wut? 😉 It's nice to hear you again. Insightful, chilling, amusing.

I haven't seen Squid game. I'm still watching Designated Survivor 60 Days and All of Us Are Dead.

omg you're back im so happy!

Welcome back

Damn.

Hey did you know your script writing is really good. But did you? Holly shit don't you dare scraping that in January.

so is the case just for samsungs?

Algorithm sent me, subbed. I guess the cube is working.

ty for reminding me to watch brass eye

Phenomenally good - and really terrifying, cheers!