#future knowledge

The internet wasn’t ruined by accident—it was ruined on purpose. In this episode, Cory Doctorow joins us to break down enshittification, his term for the slow, deliberate process that transformed an open, vibrant web into something extractive, frustrating, and increasingly hostile to users. Doctorow explains how platform lock-in, predatory business models, and concentrated corporate power hollowed out the digital spaces we rely on—and, more importantly, how we can build an internet that serves people again.

Also he really dresses well when he puts his mind into it,but he still chooses the *dirty creepy undertaker* look

Undertaker's Eldredge

The Eldredge (accidentally called Eldridge below) knot was invented in 2007 but became internet famous in 2008.

As a reaper, Undertaker must have access to modern things, or at least he did when he was an active reaper, and so perhaps he learned this necktie knot long ago and uses it from time to time, when he wants to be flash! Then again, in the Kuroverse he might claim to have invented it, so it could be the Cedric knot or Ros-- knot. 😆

Above, it says 15 steps, but below shows 13. Either way, it's a lot of steps... but honestly not too hard. Besides, reapers are known for being nearsighted, so something done up-close probably isn't too terribly difficult for them.

I've never done a successful Windsor knot, but I did the Eldredge knot in 2018 for Weston!Undertaker cosplay.

That's the first tie knot I ever learned....

Oh, but there might be a couple sliiiight jokes in this choice:

Eldredge sounds a bit like Eldritch (abomination), referring to Sebastian's demon form when he first appears at the summoning ritual. By the events at Weston, Undertaker has already seen Sebastian's cinematic records from when he arrived in the human realm and made the contract.

I’d find it pretty weird if they died in the future but were sent back in time, before their own births... or something.

Since those death lists are distributed to them from someone “higher up”, I think someone has direct information about the future (a “god’s plan” sort of thing), and pertinent information gets trickled down to reapers for them to perform their task. But then other people in the reaper realm have access to other future knowledge.

That would explain the death lists, Sascha getting so excited about diplomatic relations between England and Germany, and how reapers are expected to determine whether an individual would benefit the world somehow if allowed to live.

It would also explain how they could use advanced technology (like a chainsaw), though it doesn’t explain how they have name brand accessories from the future. Unless they are using the “stollen” techniques, etc. and making knock-offs that predate the human-made originals. Technically, that could be an explanation for why the accessories they use are typically not exact replicas; they are simply making their own products in the reaper realm, based on stuff that will be available in the human realm later. And reapers buy these items with the pay they receive, since it’s stated they do indeed get payment. Yana-san even downgraded Ludger/Rudgar’s wristwatch, saying the original model she gave him was more than he could afford at his pay rate.

The internet wasn’t ruined by accident — it was ruined on purpose. In this episode, Cory Doctorow joins us to break down enshittification, his term for the slow, deliberate process that transformed an open, vibrant web into something extractive, frustrating, and increasingly hostile to users. Doctorow explains how platform lock-in, predatory business models, and concentrated corporate power hollowed out the digital spaces we rely on — and, more importantly, how we can build an internet that serves people again.

Fans of the Internet Archive might be interested in their new podcast available to subscribe and download on a range of platforms.

I can recommend the first episode entitled 'The Copyright Wars' which plays an interview from 2022 about the history of copyright and the implications for the future of digital preservation and sharing of knowledge. It certainly put a few things in perspective for me.