It begins with a simple, profound realisation — to quit capitalism, we have to liberate ourselves from its entrenched mindset, beyond economic reform; it demands a fundamental shift in how we perceive success, value community, and envision our role in the future of humanity.

— How to quit capitalism by Joan Westenberg

These were my thoughts about how cities affect your lifestyle for today. They change you. It takes a while for the lifestyle changes to occur. It didn’t take Yerevan too long to do it and essentially kill a lot of good habits I had from my hometown. However, I’m happy to share that it seems the Netherlands is swiftly acting to undo the damage, reverse the course, and reintroduce the positive lifestyle aspects I once enjoyed, much like they did with the bikes.

— Reclaiming Urban Spaces: The Critical Link Between City Design and Lifestyle by fperson

This messaging app I built for, and with, my family, it won’t change unless we want it to change. There will be no sudden redesign, no flood of ads, no pivot to chase a userbase inscrutable to us. It might go away at some point, but that will be our decision. What is this feeling? Independence? Security? Sovereignty?
Is it simply … the feeling of being home?

— An app can be a home-cooked meal by Robin Sloan

All the books I read in 2023, with a ⭐️ next to my favourites. You can also check my lists for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Fiction

Red Star - Alexander Bogdanov
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
Ghostwritten - David Mitchell ⭐️
Keep the Aspidistra Flying - George Orwell
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers
Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler ⭐️
Utopia - Thomas More & Ursula K. Le Guin
Make Room! Make Room! - Harry Harrison
The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Radicalized - Cory Doctorow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Non-fiction

Gentrification Is Inevitable and Other Lies - Leslie Kern
Uses of Disorder - Richard Sennett
Radical Cities - Justin McGuirkn ⭐️
Moods of Future Joys - Alastair Humphreys
Microadventures - Alastair Humphreys
The Autonomous City - Alex Vasudevan ⭐️
Mindful Thoughts for Cyclists - Nick Moore
Mismatch - Kat Holmes
La anarquía explicada a los niños - José Antonio Emmanuel
Company of One - Paul Jarvis
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Anarchy - Simon Read
Something Should Be Done - Peter Good
Ur-Fascism - Umberto Eco ⭐️
Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook - Mark Bray
Bicycle Diaries - David Byrne
Journey to Portugal - José Saramago
Art for UBI - Institute of Radical Imagination
La trinchera doméstica - Cristina Barrial
Anarchy Works - Peter Gelderloos
The Utopia of Rules - David Graeber
FIRE - Dama de Ouros
The Beach Machine - Kyklàda Machines
Will Make Better Choices Than Humans - Douglas Coupland
Off the Map - Alastair Bonnet
Pirate Enlightenment - David Graeber