Other Life

We discuss what's real and what's not in web3 gaming, and the future of crypto countries. Charl3s is a cool dude I've got to know in Austin. At a party recently, I heard him spitting some fire about how most of web3 gaming is bullshit, so I brought him on to discuss.✦ Nifty Island is a web3 game that lets players import NFTs from multiple chains✦ Charl3s on TwitterOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ We're building a new country at imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

We discuss the evolution of "alt lit," the formative experience of "indie sleaze" for millennials, why party photography went out of fashion, and the gathering wave of sex negativity.✦ Katherine's newsletter✦ Katherine on Twitter✦ Katherine on Urbit: ~hapnyx-tamnexOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ We're building a new country at imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

We discuss the imminent future of DAOs on Urbit with the founder of Holium (~lomder-librun) and Anthony (~poldec-tonteg) from the Urbit-focused startup accelerator The Combine.Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ We're building a new country at imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

James Poulos is a Tocqueville scholar who wrote The Art of Being Free (2017) and Human Forever (2021). He was a co-founder of The American Mind and his latest project is a magazine called Return. We discuss humanism and post-humanism, the merging of Big Tech and Woke Capital into an atheist cyborg theocracy, why James rejects accelerationism, the importance of human memory, Bitcoin, Urbit, and much more.✦ Human Forever✦ Return Magazine✦ James on TwitterOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ We're building a new country at imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

Riva Tez wants to fund epistemological anarchy in science. Former VC, Former Director at Intel, former store owner, Riva does whatever she wants.We talked about how Riva built a unique career doing whatever she wants, what she's learned from the philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend, why the brain might be an antenna, why she moved away from Transhumanism, why Rationalism is cringe, how she thinks Urbit will win, and how she's planning to introduce epistemological anarchism to contemporary science funding.✦ Riva is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rivatez✦ Riva's writings: hardtowrite.comOther Life✦ Subscribe to the Other Life newsletter at OtherLife.co✦ We're building a new country at Imperceptible.Country

If you like the podcast, you'll love the newsletter: otherlife.co✦ The Improvement Illusion: otherlife.co/improvement✦ On the NYRB: otherlife.co/signs78✦ Join the new Other Life community: imperceptible.country✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work you should join the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

I'll be in NYC for a few days around May 20. I'm down to give talks, do your podcast, etc. Just hit reply to an Other Life newsletter and tell me what's up.✦ Subscribe to the Other Life newsletter (free) at OtherLife.Co✦ Get your own Urbit planet (free) at imperceptible.computer✦ If you're a writer, enroll in the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

Dr. Jonathan Paprocki is a specialist in topological quantum compiling and an Urbit engineer interested in swarm intelligence, Internet of Things, and anarcho-communist governance structures.✦ Jonathan on Urbit: ~datnut-pollen✦ Get your own Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ Subscribe to the Other Life newsletter at OtherLife.Co

Anthony Arroyo runs The Combine, a startup incubator for startups building on Urbit. We discuss how Urbit governance really works, debunking the many myths, i.e. the meme that Urbit has a "feudal" or even "fascist" governance structure. We also discuss how Urbit competes with Ethereum, what kinds of businesses are starting to appear on Urbit, and many other interesting topics.✦ Anthony on Urbit: ~poldec-tonteg✦ Get your own Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ Subscribe to the Other Life newsletter at OtherLife.Co

Sam Frank has written for Harper's and The New Yorker, but he was also an early buyer of Ethereum because Vitalik "looked like an alien." Sam explains his heuristics for judging technological and cultural projects, how he first met Curtis Yarvin, what he sees in Urbit, and how he eventually became one of 256 senators in Urbit's galactic senate.✦ Sam on Urbit: ~todset-partug✦ Get your own Urbit planet at imperceptible.computer✦ Subscribe to the Other Life newsletter at OtherLife.Co