Anthony J. Pennings, PhD

WRITINGS ON AI POLICY, DIGITAL ECONOMICS, ENERGY STRATEGIES, AND GLOBAL E-COMMERCE

The SACT Attack: How Spreadsheet Capitalism Conquered the World

Once Substitution is complete, the other layers of SACT can take over. You cannot apply Abstraction (comparing unlike things), Symbolic Computing (formulas), or Telecommunications (speed) to a physical house. But you can apply all of them to the token of the house sitting in a spreadsheet cell.

Will BRICS Effectively Tokenize Rare Earth Elements to Back a New Currency?

Rose Mason in Medium makes a compelling plea for the tokenization of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) currently in high demand around the world. From another angle, Cyrus Janssen presents an intriguing but ultimately flawed argument that the BRICS+ countries will use REEs to back a new currency to challenge the US dollar.[1] This post examines […]

Tokenization of Gold in Blockchained Spreadsheet Capitalism

In spreadsheet capitalism, tokenized gold becomes a substituted signifier for the financialized metal. Vaulted bullion becomes a tradable token represented in a spreadsheet cell. Gold becomes a computable variable (risk metrics, yield structures, algorithmic trading inputs) and a synchronized signal in the global financial grid. Real-time ledger entries are harmonized with financial terminals and portfolio dashboards.

Situating Gold in the Substitution-Computational-Telecom Stack of Global Finance

This post explains that in the modern financial system, gold no longer functions as a currency but as a powerful symbolic asset within the dollar-anchored framework of “spreadsheet capitalism.” Its physical form is replaced by the digital symbol XAUUSD, which represents abstract concepts like “safe-haven,” “inflation hedge,” and “geopolitical insurance.” This symbol is integrated into the global economy through a Semiotic-Computational-Telecom (SCT) stack.

LSEG Workspace as the Central Spreadsheet Grid for Eurodollars

LSEG Workspace is a giant live spreadsheet that organizes the eurodollar system into cells and formulas. Treasuries and Fed rates are the anchor cells. Repo, FX swaps, and offshore deposits are formula-driven references.

Determining Competitive Advantages for Tech Firms, Part 1

This post outlines the critical importance of tech firms establishing powerful competitive advantages, particularly economies of scale, network effects, and customer captivity. Drawing from “Curse of the Mogul,” it emphasizes that success in a market’s structure depends on establishing strong barriers to entry or achieving operational efficiencies, rather than relying solely on brands, deep pockets, talent, global reach, or first-mover status.

Markets and Prices: Pros, Cons

This post looks a how the notion of markets emerged and what is useful and determental about them. It discusses the underlying economic understanding of markets and includes several critiques of this term and our allegiance to them.

AI and Government: Concerns Shaped from Classic Public Administration Writings

Drawing on the classics of public administration, we can start to specify some constraints and goals for artificial intelligence (AI) and develop a “smart” but ethical government that is efficient but also responsive to public concerns.

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  • About Me

    Professor (full) at State University of New York (SUNY) Korea since 2016. Research Professor for Stony Brook University. Moved to Austin, Texas in August 2012 to join the Digital Media Management program at St. Edwards University. Spent the previous decade on the faculty at New York University teaching and researching information systems, digital economics, and global political economy

    You can reach me at:

    anthony.pennings@gmail.com
    apennings70@gmail.com
    anthony.pennings@sunykorea.ac.kr

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    The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of my employers, past or present. Articles are not meant as financial advice.

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