Lives

Battersea Power Station, in a high security penthouse within gated community. Along with 80% of residents, Li is Chinese. Although for many this is their primary home, they are only resident for a few months a year.

Works

Has no office, using secured internet connections at rented desk space in City of London. He makes payments in untraceable digital currency, Bitcoin. He operates solely in the global high-end informal economy not controlled by any state.

Plays

Gambling on the value of Bitcoin to make small change. Develops security software competitively with other members of the StackOverflow computer programming community. The community is no longer accessible via the open internet; they only share code via private peer-to-peer network.

Technology used

Encrypted smart phone running bespoke software to access dark net technology routed through Africa (developed for Chinese military), only uses 'dark net' walled off from open internet.

Key trends

(1) More globally than locally connected communities; (8) Use of personal, transport and environmental data; (9) Socially-divisive access to communication technologies.