Roel Smelt
Exploring what technology does to us — and then trying it out.

Latest

17
Mar
What Naval Saw About AI and What He Didn't Say

What Naval Saw About AI and What He Didn't Say

TL;DR: Naval Ravikant's AI article predicts technological abundance but stops before the spiritual crisis it creates. Testing
9 min read
14
Mar
CRINK Didn't Happen to America: America Built It

CRINK Didn't Happen to America: America Built It

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea—the CRINK alliance—didn't form because of shared values. They formed because American
5 min read
13
Mar
The Donroe Doctrine: When Retreat Becomes Strategy

The Donroe Doctrine: When Retreat Becomes Strategy

Three decades in business taught me one thing: most organizations confuse motion with progress. The pattern is everywhere. Companies mistake
5 min read
07
Mar
When AI Becomes Your Manager: What Happens to Human Purpose

When AI Becomes Your Manager: What Happens to Human Purpose

TL;DR: AI agents crossed a capability threshold in December 2025. Organizations are adopting autonomous AI decision-makers as department heads.
9 min read
04
Mar
Kill Your Uncles and Sleep Well: What the Bhagavad Gita Teaches About Necessary Action

Kill Your Uncles and Sleep Well: What the Bhagavad Gita Teaches About Necessary Action

The darkest moment in the Bhagavad Gita happens before the war begins. Arjuna stands on the battlefield. Across from him:
5 min read
03
Mar
The Skills That Got You Hired Are Becoming Obsolete Faster Than You Think

The Skills That Got You Hired Are Becoming Obsolete Faster Than You Think

An MIT study found that 11.7% of jobs could be automated right now using current AI technology. Entry-level job
5 min read
26
Feb
The Projection of Presence: Why AI is Not a New Race

The Projection of Presence: Why AI is Not a New Race

Yuval Noah Harari warns us of an "Alien Intelligence" coming to hack the human operating system. The European
2 min read
23
Feb
The Sovereign Grid: When Organizations Become Networks of Buddies

The Sovereign Grid: When Organizations Become Networks of Buddies

In early 2026, Peter Steinberger, the Austrian architect of OpenClaw, made a decision that signaled the end of the traditional
2 min read
14
Feb
When Your AI Got a Memory: How OpenClaw Changes Everything

When Your AI Got a Memory: How OpenClaw Changes Everything

When Your AI Got a Memory: How OpenClaw Finally Solved What ChatGPT Broke I've been drowning in the
4 min read
30
Jan
The Bootcamp Lie: When Everyone Can Code, Perception Becomes the Scarce Resource

The Bootcamp Lie: When Everyone Can Code, Perception Becomes the Scarce Resource

The coding bootcamp industrial complex sold a promise: learn to code in 12 weeks, land a $70,000 job, recoup
4 min read