Spectacle is that which is designed for the explicit purpose of attracting attention through aesthetic means, often by making things bigger, faster, and in greater quantity.
Speculation is work that is less goal-oriented, and more about unpacking, understanding, and critiquing that which already exists.
Midge Sinnaeve's "VJ Loops" is a series of 60 seamlessly looping videos made in Blender 3D. In some ways this project is very much so about spectacle: the loops employ techniques that are showy, there is no primary moral or message, and of course there are 60 of them. However, the artist is not directly profiting off of the creation of the loops, and in open source fashion, even released the videos and source files free to download.
The project is definitely on the side of acceleration as opposed to drag. During the creation of the loops, new features were implemented in Blender, and Sinnaeve always had the latest daily build of the software, utilizing the latest tools. It is also on the side of visibility, because he often exposed the polygons and wireframes by distorting meshes and highlighting sharp edges. The project certainly tends towards waste and dysfunction rather than surplus and function, because it doesn't serve any commercial or practical goals. It seems trapped between commerce and art, without really embracing either one.