The Grand Illusion: How Brussels Became a Museum and Why Bulgaria Might Be the Future
The Greeks had a word for it: hubris – the belief that mortals could achieve what only gods should attempt. In Brussels, where the towers…
ADJ
Aric is a co-founder of This is Bulgaria, a futurist, and a professional troublemaker. With over two decades of experience, he explores the intersection of technology, business, and human behavior, turning complexity into actionable insight.
Between Google, Bulgaria, Frustrations, and Love
Between Google, Bulgaria, Frustrations, and Love (A Historically Accurate Account of My Descent Into Digital Madness) Historians, centuries from now, will study the early 21st…
The tree in wind
Watch a tree in windstorm. Really watch. The wind comes hard—the kind that snaps rigid things, that topples what won’t bend. But the tree doesn’t…
THE WAY OF THE RATCHÉ SEAGAL
There are certain things the universe does not intend you to take seriously, and one of them is a rat in a tiny black headband…
Beyond Certainty: Democracy as Ongoing Conversation
Politics, at its core, is not meant to be a theater of dominance but a discipline rooted in humility. Real leadership begins not with the…
The twenty-eight Year test: How Bulgaria became Europe’s most prepared nation
February 1997. A young Bulgarian university graduate woke up to discover his monthly salary—earned, deposited, saved—was now worthless. Overnight, literally overnight, the hyperinflation had accelerated…
Have You Ever Danced with the Devil in the Moonlight?
Have you ever danced with the devil in the moonlight? It’s one of the most profound lines ever delivered in a Batman film-Jack Nicholson’s Joker…
The AI Dividend of Labor and UBA: The Future of Work Is Not Work, But a Productivity Balance
You will find the full paper including the mathematical appendix at this link I wrote this piece because I kept having the same conversation with…
The Algorithmic Donkey: How Digital Paralysis Replaced Democracy
The Algorithmic Donkey: How Digital Paralysis Replaced Democracy It’s 2 AM. You’re in bed, thumb hovering between two Netflix shows. You’ve been here before-last night,…
Conversation with Stella Petkova: AWWWARDS Juror on Design, Discipline, and Finding Balance
It’s the last days of October, a day before a major event, and with all the stress swirling around me, I’ve decided—on top of everything—to…
The false star: An Atlas loop
As a lifelong admirer of both William Blake and Douglas Adams, I found the real-world conversation surrounding the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS to be a perfect,…
The Physics of Freedom – What Rises When Everything Shakes
Imagine you have a jar filled with nuts of different sizes. Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, all mixed together. Now shake it. Shake it hard. What happens?…