Anthony J. Pennings, PhD

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

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.

Excel vs. Java: Two Languages, Two Worlds of Thought: Symbolic Grid vs. Algorithmic Script

Excel and Java embody two distinct computing traditions — the grid-born, spatial logic of accounting versus the engineered, algorithmic logic of software — each transformed the world in its own domain.

Lotus 1-2-3, Temporal Finance, and the Rise of Spreadsheet Capitalism

One of the books I read during my PhD years was Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco (1989), about the $25 billion leveraged buyout (LBO) of the iconic conglomerate (tobacco/snacks/) by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). An LBO is the purchase of a company using large amounts of short-term debt and […]

US Legislative and Regulatory Restrictions on Deficit Spending – Reflecting on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)

I outline some of the promise of MMT analysis for increased US spending while digging into several legislative and regulatory problems associated with enacting spending long-term.

Digital Borders and Authoritarianism

The enforcement of digital borders by authoritarian regimes in the modern era represents a significant challenge to global norms of free expression, access to information, and human rights. As regimes continue to develop and refine their methods of control, the international community must navigate the delicate balance between respecting national sovereignty and advocating for digital freedoms.

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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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