Cosmic Tortoise

Tyson Yunkaporta is the author of Sand Talk - a book which examines the modern would through an indigenous lens, weaving together traditional knowledge systems, complex systems theory, dreaming narratives, art and philosophy. In our second yarn we discuss Matariki and the universality of narratives surrounding the Pleiades star cluster; high context vs low context cultures; distribution of violence within civilisation; Tyson's views on transhumanism; cultural synthesis; sentience in land + more. This conversation is preceded by an excerpt from Sand Talk read by Tyson - something between a Dreaming Story and a meditation - best experienced in a quiet place with intention and focus. The regular discussion begins at 30:52. Follow us for future episodes. To support the podcast, shownotes and more visit thegoodtimeline.com/podcast  

Robin Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University.  He runs the blog Overcoming Bias and is the co-author of Elephant in the Brain. In light of the recent news cycle and Robin's recent blog posts on the subject we discuss UFOs through the lens of Bayes and Rationalism. If you enjoyed this conversation and are someone who is in the position to contribute to playing with the world and nourishing art/regenerative projects on the ground, you have permission to do so and are welcome to get in touch. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast

Michael Ashcroft is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, an awareness based educational process that helps people live with greater ease and freedom and is the co-founder of the Carbon Removal Centre. We discuss Alexander Technique, expansion of awareness and ways of being, human advancement and pluralistic utopianism (thanks Tyler Alterman), aesthetics, carbon removal, art incubators and “how to find the others”. If you enjoyed this conversation and are someone who is in the position to contribute to playing with the world and nourishing art projects on the ground, you have permission to do so and are welcome to get in touch. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast

Mango joins The Good Timeline to discuss NFTs and DeFi; the redistribution of wealth in crypto, Charged Particles; and the future of art and music in the crypto-space. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Lyttelton, New Zealand

Mango takes us on an NFT odyssey as a prelude to our full conversation on NFTs, DeFi, Charged Particles and NFTs in music coming next week. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Lyttelton, New Zealand

Benjamins McCarthy is a skydiver, musician and a teacher of yoga and Te Reo Māori.  We discuss the past and future of European and Māori culture in Aotearoa New Zealand, the past synthesis of the two cultures and the new synthesis of the cultures heading into the future.   Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Kumeu, Auckland, Aotearoa / New Zealand

Frank Yang is a bodybuilder, virtuoso musician, filmmaker, vlogger and arhat (one that has achieved Buddhist awakening/enlightenment). We discuss Frank's journey from physical aesthetics to spiritual/mind aesthetics; psychedelics and how to transcend the dead materialist worldview; metamodernism; the efficiency of meditation retreats; how awakening has changed Franks motivations, autonomy, love and relationships & pain and pleasure.  We talk about the performance and health benefits of awakening; psychopathy and bad gurus; 5 MEO and NN DMT; depersonalisation experiences with meditation and what's next for Frank Yang. (To get the most out of this conversation I highly recommend listening to episode #16 first, especially if you are unfamiliar with Buddhist/awakening terminology, and Frank Yang's video on YT "Full Enlightenment Happening Live") Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Tyson Yunkaporta is the author of Sand Talk - a book which examines the modern would through an indigenous lens, weaving together traditional knowledge systems, complex systems theory, dreaming narratives, art and philosophy.We discuss humans as a custodial species; subduing and the role of narcissism; rites of passage; knowledge creation; distributed cognition; the impact of cities; states of non-thinking and the impact releasing the book has had on Tyson.Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Cologne, Germany

David Pearce is a British Transhumanist philosopher and co-founder of Humanity Plus.We discuss the Abolitionist Project and the importance of suffering in negative utilitarianism; MDMA and gradients of bliss; GTP-3 & AI-generated art; CRISPR gene editing in humans; cultured meat and the end of factory farming; the relationship between happiness, suffering and meaning; identity; David’s views on metaphysics, cryonics and a bunch more. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Shasa Bolton is an artist, mechanical engineer, musician and adventurer. Some years ago he completed a 2500km solo circuit of India on nothing but a hand-powered tricyle, raising money to purchase trikes for forgotten people with disabilities he found along the way. We discuss Shasa's adventures, the commonalities of humanity and how they can supersede the fear of the other alongside Shasa’s new podcast, Memory Land. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast   Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

The episode features The Wizard of New Zealand and his apprentice, Ari Freeman. The Wizard was decreed a living work of art by the NZ Art Gallery Directors’ Council, named the official Wizard of New Zealand by Prime Minister Michael Moore in in 1990, and was awarded the Queens Service Medal in 2009. Ari Freeman is a wizard and musician and is currently writing a book grounding esoteric, magical and occult ideas within the philosophical framework of pragmatism. We discuss the definition of magic and pragmatism, the wizards origin stories alongside romantic revivalism and the importance of love, logic, liberty and fun. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Recorded at The Wizards Garden, Christchurch, New Zealand

Daniel M Ingram is a high level meditation practitioner and emergency medicine physician.We discuss a bunch of higher level Buddhist practice, experience and theory including jhanas; stream entry; trauma processing and metta / cultivation of joy. Daniel places a rational / pragmatic lens on chakras & anatomy; death & reincarnation; entity experiences; belief structures & mythical thinking; MDMA & 5 MEO DMT; time, matter & consciousness; and parallels between bipolar disorder & spirituality. Other topics include "silent experiencers"; psychopathy; God & Highest Value; AI; Neuralink; and futurist Transhumanism. Follow us for future episodes. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast

What do Burning Man, Fight Club and the San Francisco Salmon Run have in common? Mango Dogwood joins The Good Timeline to converse on the fundamental importance of play, expression and how to ride in the cultural edge - hopefully without getting arrested. Shownotes available at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast  

Noah Gundersen is an American indie folk singer-songwriter from Seattle. We discuss: truth and meaning within art; the value of intuition in songwriting; America and Modernity; self determination and free will; balancing peace and achievement; what freedom means to Noah; the age of physical and digital identity; spirituality and finding meaning outside the church; mortality; Noah’s experience with psychedelic mushrooms; future fear and optimism and relating to technology; Noah's creative process and a typical day at his writing cabin + more. Spotify playlist of songs we explore can be found at thegoodtimeline.com/podcast Songs:So What Heavy Metals After All (Everything All The Time) Audrey Hepburn Wild Horses New Religion Robin Williams .     Connect with Noah at noahgundersen.com Photo by Catherine Powell Recorded in Napier, New Zealand

Part 3 of 3 of our chat with Andres Gomez Emilsson (part one here & part two here) We discuss: DMT Entities, so called "possessions" and how we might determine experimentally whether the entities are real (in the sense of other) or not (in the sense of self rendered); memetic hazard of weird discoveries; epistemological optimism; carriers of identity and universality of near death experience; mind uploading; the one electron theory; brain harmonic dating tech; freewheeling hallucinations and Steven Lehar; how Andres sources information and his thoughts on speed reading; blogs Andres regularly reads; tips on avoiding the hedonic treadmill; interesting lesser-known psychoactive compounds + more.Corrections : at 38:30 James refers to ‘The Egg’, being written by Steven Binch- it is actually written by Andy Weir (author of The Martian also). Andre's Work and Collaborations: Qualia ComputingQualia Research InstituteOpenTheory.net Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand  

Part 2 of 3 of our chat with Andres Gomez Emilsson of the Qualia Research Institute (part one here) We discuss: game theory of mainstream open individualism; the politics of paradise engineering; selection pressures on ancient societal modes of being; stroboscopic brain entrainment tech + leads on actual tech-facilitated mind melding (based on leads from the Hogan twins); non-invasive brain stimulation; Neuralink; dark futures; AIs as gods + more.   Andre's Work and Collaborations: Qualia ComputingQualia Research InstituteOpenTheory.net Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Andres Gomez Emilsson is a consciousness researcher and data science engineer with a Master's in computational psychology from Stanford University. He is a core member of the Qualia Research Institute and curates the blog Qualia Computing. James and I chat to Andres and catch up on developments at the QRI in the past 18 months. In part one we discuss: 5 MEO DMT and why it might be the most important tool for consciousness research; Valence Realism vs Nihilism; the man who wants to paint the whole world yellow; Andres' thoughts on Techno-Buddhism; Alpha Wave Coherence in meditation; the Schmidt Pain Scale, Effective Altruism and long-tails of pleasure and pain. In Parts 2 and 3 we will discuss: the politics of paradise engineering; leads on actual tech-facilitated mind melding (based on leads from the Hogan Twins); non-invasive brain stimulation tech; Neuralink; Dark Tech Futures; AIs as Gods; psychedelic entities; the science of NDE’s; Freewheeling Hallucinations + more. Andre's Work and Collaborations: Qualia ComputingQualia Research InstituteOpenTheory.net Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Jeremy Sherman is the author of “Neither Ghost Nor Machine: The Emergence and Nature of Selves”. We discuss: superorganisms; why we shouldn't trust woke movements; humanities quest for immortality; which universal truths might actually exist; definition of + potential origins of life; the origin of purpose from pure chemistry and it’s link to love; humanity as a symbolic species and the utility of escapism.   Connect:Neither Ghost nor Machine (Goodreads Entry)Jeremy on Psychology TodayNeither Ghost nor Machine Youtube Recorded in Cologne, Germany and Christchurch, New Zealand  

Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova are the hosts of the Future Thinkers Podcast. We chat life in Bulgaria; sovereignty of mind; Jungian archetypes; identity and embodiment of older limbic system modes; modern vs archaic rites of passage; learning how to learn; what spirituality is, why it's important; nihilism; psychedelics; democracy and transhumanism. Connect:futurethinkers.orgRecorded in Christchurch, New Zealand and Cologne, Germany.

Part 2 of the deep dive into Marijuana covers the issues and societal impacts of legalisation + we hear from Jack Reed of Colorado state, author of the impact report. Read the full blog post in the new writings section here. Recorded in Cologne, Germany and Christchurch, New Zealand

A deep dive into Marijuana - a drug as complex as it is misunderstood. Part 1 of this shortcast examines the definition, use, composition, effects and main arguments for and against legalisation + a chat with “Green Fairy” and co-leader of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, Maki Herbert. Read the full blog post in the new writings section here.   Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand and Cologne, Germany

Alex and Caolan are indie-folk musicians based in Prague. After an afternoon of drinking Czech pilsner in the sun we chat about the boy’s experience of living in China and and being arrested on-stage; the difference between Curling and Hurling; the modern meaning crisis for young people; songwriting and music in general and a few tunes are performed.                       Connect:Bookie BakerMala RuckusSongs:”Autumn Wind” @ 01:04:12”I Shall Be Released (originally by The Band)” @ 01:32:45”Ponder ‘round The Sun” @ 02:13:42In the podcast:Laura BrennanEnglish Breakfast Recorded in Prague, Czech Republic and Cologne, Germany

Don Caldwell is the managing editor of Know your Meme. We chat the power of memes; signalling theory; key components of virality; advertising and perverse media incentives; 4chan culture, Pepe the frog and the alt right and some of the weird and wonderful internet subcultures that exist in 2019. Connect with Don:   Don’s profile on KnowYourMeme   Twitter (@doncald)   Don’s trippy Tumblr      Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand and Cologne, Germany 

Cosmic Tortoise is rebranding. The name was fun and memorable but as the podcast has evolved I feel it doesn’t properly represent the content of the podcast. So here I present: The Good Timeline We are increasingly in charge of our own evolution as a species. This is essentially what transhumanism is - the transition from homo-sapien humans to something different: post-humans. How might we safely move into such a world?What makes us human? And what role as individuals do we play within this incredibly complex and interdependent system that we call Earth? What are the best qualities of human nature, society and technology that we want to retain, and what might we want to eliminate or improve?  And how do we find meaning and peace within all of this?These are the questions I will be exploring in The Good Timeline. 

This is a shortcast on overcoming fear in the face of extreme violent attacks. I grew up in Canterbury so this one truly shocked me. I don’t want the fear to spread, so I wrote these words which I have read aloud in this episode. The attack on March 15 was explicitly designed to spread fear and to divide us. Fear spreads like a disease. I won’t let it take me. Many of us were afraid during the earthquakes. Not knowing when another might hit. Whether our loved ones were okay. But we learned in Christchurch, that constant fear is no way to live. We learned to rebuild and continue with our lives despite the danger. It hasn’t been easy and it’s still an ongoing process but many of us have again found joy and peace in our lives. And many others do the same, in troubled areas around the world. Terrorism is nothing new. Incidents have occurred globally for over a century. It has undoubtedly increased in the past decade. But let’s put things into perspective. ~ 55 million people die each year worldwide. In recent years ~ 35 000 have died yearly due to terrorism. This puts death by terrorism at roughly 0.06% of all deaths yearly. Not even 0.1 percent. For comparison, the top 10 causes of death according to the WHO are (mostly preventable) diseases such as heart disease and stroke (15.2 million deaths in 2016) . The other main cause of death is road injury, with 1.4 million dying on the road in 2016. Combined, this is 54% of deaths. Let that sink in for a moment. If you are really concerned about dying early, eat real food, exercise properly and pay serious attention when driving. Especially in regards to the phone. The life of an 8 year old biking home from school is not worth the 5 minutes of time saved texting a friend whilst driving. And do not be afraid of terror attacks. I know this is easier said than done. But it can be done. It does us no use to be anxious about earthquakes, terror attacks or anything else. Obviously this is not a call to ignore risky situations. Lot’s of risk can minimised. But not all of it can. And if something happens, we will respond to it the moment it happens. No amount of worrying will change this. We learnt this with the earthquakes. We can do it again. I will continue with my life and will not change my behaviour. I will go to the city as usual and make use of the airport. I will not allow the actions of a deranged extremist to cause me to be afraid. This post is not intended to invalidate feelings. Especially in regards to sadness. I feel immense sadness for the Muslim members of our community who have endured something I cannot begin to imagine. I feel immense sadness and love for Christchurch and New Zealand as a whole. This is devastating for us. As others have mentioned, these acts are not a part of our culture and we condemn them. Support each other. Grieve with our Muslim brothers and sisters and show them kindness. Do not be pulled to the extremes of either side which speak in hate and fear. Express love. Do not let this divide us. Do not be afraid. Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Richie Ogulnick has worked with Ibogaine for decades and is a pioneer of the Ibogaine Movement. We discuss: Richie’s story of ibogaine and how he brought it from Africa to the US; the allure of heroin and other drugs; the importance of surrender; ibogaine itself: experience, risks + post-session effects; common threads of addiction and relapse + why most therapy and drug rehab doesn’t work; iboga vs ibogaine; anecdotes of low dose ibogaine for conditions such as parkinson’s disease; Richie’s formulation of a vietnamese herbal opiate remedy and his subsequent encounter with the FDA; morality and the sense of good and evil; monism and dualism; divine will, psychosis and the different responses to each from east/west + much more.   Connect with Richie:Iboga with RichieEmail Resources:Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck (describes the Iboga experience with members of the Bwiti faith)Buddha at the Gas Pump   Stats - Ibogaine risk vs Opiates The primary reason ibogaine is illegal in many places globally is because of “ibogaine’s potential to do harm”. Below are some stats to put that view into perspective.There were an estimated 27 million people who suffered from opioid use disorders in 2016. 118 thousand people died in 2015 alone due to opioid use. (source) In the US in 2017, 29,000 died alone due to synthetic pharmaceutical opioids such as methadone. (source) Since presumably the 1960’s 27 deaths in total have been reported from from ibogaine use, 21 of which had pre-existing heart conditions. (source) Some ibogaine-induced neurotoxicity has been demonstrated in rat models, however this was demonstrated with very high doses (100 mg/kg & 300 mg/kg.  Doses of 40mg/kg did not demonstrate neurotoxicity. (source)For reference, a typical human dose of ibogaine is usually within the range of 12-20mg/kg. (source)Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Paul Gilster curates space-blog Centauri Dreams and is an expert in interstellar space research.  We chat: the current state of interstellar space tech; whether Elon Musk’s dream of colonising mars is possible; human speciation in colonies on other planets; space law and jurisdiction of new planets; Terraforming; the Kontiki expedition + the human impulse to pioneer and explore; existential threat posed by comets + bases on asteroids, the Oumuamua object; SETI; long term thinking and much more.  Connect with Paul;centauri-dreams.orgTwitter Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Zoltan Istvan was the 2016 US presidential candidate for the Transhumanist party; author of The Transhumanist Wager; former journalist for NatGeo; pioneer of volcano-boarding; and is often cited as the global leader of the radical science movement. We chat what Zoltan is doing to overcome death personally; nootropics he is experimenting with; the biological age he would choose if rejuvenation tech was invented; cyborg hearts and eyes; ethics of transhumanism and finding meaning in a post-human world; Zoltan's moral system and the morality of longevity/immortality; and whether he is the Zoltan referenced in Dude Where's my Car?.  Connect with Zoltan:TwitterFacebookWebsiteThe Transhumanist Wager  Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand  

David Seymour is a Member of Parliament and the leader of ACT, the New Zealand Libertarian Party. We converse on David’s formative years; his thoughts on what might insulate New Zealand from the more extreme politics that are emerging globally; views on China’s influence on the world and NZ; Drug Legalisation and why it might not be as clear cut as portrayed; the politics of Transhumanism and David’s favourite Celine Dion song.    Connect with David: FacebookEmailTwitterACT Party Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand 

This episode is the first of a shortcast format. A shortcast is a shorter episode exploring topics that I have been pondering.Since the world is in an uproar about the gene editing / CRISPR baby thing I thought I would zoom out a bit and look at the experiment from a larger, more transhumanist lens.    For those unfamiliar with the story here is an article from WiredThose that would rather read can find a transcript of the episode here Artwork by Bratislav Milenkovic Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Sara Gael is the MAPS director of harm reduction. She coordinates psychedelic harm reduction services at festivals and events worldwide with the Zendo Project.We cover safe use and best practices of psychedelic use; the difference between transformational festivals and mainstream events; MDMA and it’s therapeutic potential and the human yearning for a sense of purpose and meaning. Sarah’s Work:Zendo ProjectMAPSHarm Reduction Resources:RollSafeDanceSafeTripSafeErowidBluelight Post-Psychedelic Integration and Support:Psychedelic SupportMAPS IntegrationAware ProjectPsychedelic Program An index of Transformation Festivals is hereFor those interested in studying Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy:Certificate of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research   Recorded in Tel Aviv, Israel and Christchurch, New Zealand  

Jed Parsons is a New Zealand musician. Over some delicious German beer we chat about music, songwriting and Jed performs some songs from his debut album Midnight Feast.   Connect with Jed:FacebookInstagram Songs:”Reading Me Wrong” @ 05:42 ”How Could You” @ 36:45”Move On” @ 1:01:26   Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand and Berlin, Germany

Libby Emmons is a writer and playwright that recently wrote a piece on Transhumanism for Quillette.  We discuss whether transhumanism is synonymous with oppression; free speech; robot sex; utilitarianism and the ethics of a superintelligent AI govt; what a post human world might look like; free-range parenting; convenience vs human autonomy and the fragility of infastructure; transgenderism, trans rights and transhumanism; eco-anarchism, earthships and self-sustainability; artificial wombs and the future of reproduction; and what it might truly mean to be human.    Libby's Work: Quillette ArticlePuss CollectiveLibby's BlogLibby on Twitter Mentioned:Herman Hesse - The Glass Bead GameThe MagiciansAirline Highway by Lisa D'AmourNeuralink - Wait but WhyHyper-Reality Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Robin Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. He runs the blog Overcoming Bias and is the co-author of recently released psychology book Elephant in the Brain.We chat about The Elephant in the Brain; why Robin retweets negative criticism; what's compelling to humans about art and music; smartness signalling; intellectual norms and value signaling; Robin clears up the recent Twitter mobbing he endured; income inequality vs other types of inequality; modularity of mind and agency (free will) in humans; prediction markets, Augur, and potential assassination markets; the future of the blockchain; Robin's thoughts on what the Effective Altruism Movement may be missing; 3D printed guns + much more. Robin's Work:The Elephant in the BrainThe Age of EmOvercoming BiasRobin on Twitter Related:Kevin Simler's blog Melting AsphaltAugur - Prediction Market CryptocurrencyEffective Altruism MovementModularity of MindRecorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

I'm joined by Michael and James for our now more regular chat about anything and everything. With all three of us running on 5 hours sleep and a few drams of whisky we chat: nurtigenomics; ecofacism; mercantilism; The Expanse; Peter Thiel and Seastading; Trump's Space Force; Noopept amongst other themes....and we extend a very generous offer to analyse your dreams.  Send them in to cosmictortoisemusic@gmail.com A reminder that these episodes are more of a hangout format compared to the researched interviews and shouldn't be taken too seriously. I'm joined next episode by economist and Elephant in the Brain co-author Robin Hanson. Discussed in the podcast:Marks Daily AppleDr Rhonda Patrick / Nutrigenomic Analysis toolSlavoj Zizek MercantilismSeasteading.orgTed Talk  - Neuroscientist on experiencing a strokeNoopept - nootropic Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

This is the first of an experimental bi-weekly conversational podcast in which James, Michael and I have contemporaneous yarns about what's happening in the world, new things we've read/learned and just have a general hang. Nothing in this conversation should be taken too seriously.  Except Potassium. This episode is called the Summit Summit as it was recorded during the USA / North Korea peace summit in Singapore.We chat about North Korea, Dennis Rodman, Google and it's political sway, Terrence Tao, the Brainwashed mini series, signal theory and education, the excellent sci fi novel the Three Body Problem, whether the SJW movement is being overblown, Raelism, the incel movement and a bunch more.  We've also put together a quick survey to find out a little more about who you wonderful listeners are, where you're based, what you like/dislike about the podcast and what you'd like to see more of. For those that would like to partake, the link is below.  It shouldn't take more than 4 minutes. For those more interested in the (slightly) more slick and researched expert interviews, we have more of those coming, they just take some time so they will be interspersed with these conversational pieces.  Partake in the CTP Survey hereRecorded in Christchurch, New Zealandwww.cosmictortoise.net

Andres Gomez Emilsson is a consciousness researcher and data science engineer with a Master's in computational psychology from Stanford University. He is a member of the Qualia Research Institute and runs the blog Qualia Computing. My friend James Ormrod joined me to chat with Andres about many different aspects of his work and passion: What qualia are and the goals of Qualia Computing; transhumanist philosophy and why philosophy is important; questions of spirituality, happiness and personal identity; the current state of consciousness research, the hard and important questions in the field and Andres' outlook for the future; theories of time and time perception; why boredom is interesting; psychedelics and inherent geometries found within altered states; Andres' thoughts on Ibogaine, opiates and lesser known psychedelics; non-drug consciousness technologies; the philosophy of David Pearce and why we should eliminate suffering via technology; and a few sneaky tangents as per usual. Image from Andre's TwitterShow notes and links hereCorrections: From Andres: " By the way, I realized I screwed up about the "real problem of consciousness". Here is a little correction:- The ‘real problem‘ of consciousness is whether consciousness has crisp formal structure, or not;- The ‘important problem‘ of consciousness is what makes some experiences feel better than others.As you can see, 'important' is the one involving hedonic tone and taking care of ethics. 'Real', instead, is an allusion to the fact that formalizing the solvable problems of consciousness, a science of qualia will redefine our framework to talk about any "hard problem of consciousness". And this is not a way to dismiss the importance of consciousness. Rather, it is for the purpose of having a granular language to discuss it and establish value equivalences across other-wise unintelligible qualia varieties." Andre's Work and Collaborations:Qualia ComputingQualia Research InstituteOpenTheory.net Support Andres and Qualia Computing:BTC: 3JikWQs9gVcRHLK6F89N9Q6hnKk2FzN7JJETH: 0xd40287e1827e79E9eCA6e92E1c5E84cABB54393BRecorded in Christchurch, New Zealand  

Emily C Browning is a New Zealand musician. We talk about all that's happened in the year since we last chatted on the podcast and Emily performs two new songs. This podcast was recorded around a month ago (26 of March 2018).     Connect with Emily:FacebookInstagramEmilyCB.com Songs:"Outgoing" @ 22:28"Chasing You" @ 40:54Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Dylan Curran is a tech expert and privacy consultant based in Ireland who recently blew up the Twitterspere with a series of tweets detailing the staggering scope and breadth of data collection by companies such as Facebook and Google.   We talk about big data collection; whether our phones are listening to our conversations; the reality of incognito mode in Chrome; global porn trends; the Darknet; the Blockchain; 23andMe and issues with privacy; advertising; webcam and microphone hacking; the quantum computer arms race; Russian hacker groups; rationality and terrorism; future consumer trips to orbit and the colonisation of Mars; what we can do to get back our privacy and security online and why we might be living in one of the best and most exciting periods of human history. Dylan's Work: Twitter @iamdylancurran Dylan's Patreon Dylan on Youtube   Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand

Aella is an analyst at blockchain-based dating company Luna.  Her blog details the escape from a homeschooled fundamentalist Christian community; time as a prankster camgirl; her experience taking LSD every week for 10 months and the art that it produced as well as surveys, philosophy, cartography, modelling and fiction.  We chat about most of the above as well as rationality, nootropics and delve into a few healthy tangents.  Show notes and links hereAella's Work:Knowing Less - Aella's BlogAella on Twitter Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand Theme song by Cosmic Tortoise

This episode features Carmel Johnston. Carmel was the commander and soil scientist for HI SEAS IV, a year long mars simulation sponsored by NASA's Human Research Program. Six subjects participated in the study which located on the mars-like slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano. The crew spent an entire year in a simulated mars dome - growing their own crops and donning spacesuits for outdoor excursions.Carmel and I chat about life in the dome and the many challenges that a future mars crew will likely face. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown - recommended reading by Carmel for future spacefarers  hi-seas.org Recorded in Christchurch, New ZealandTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise

Daniel M Ingram is a high level meditation practitioner and emergency medicine physician. He is the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book and is the founder of popular meditation resource dharmaoverground.org Daniel and I chatted about the fundamentals of buddhism and meditation practise; the nature of thought and thought/body identity; tips for increasing visualisation capacity; morality and video games; technology and limits to empathy; food in buddhism; sex/celibacy in buddhism; the potential benefits and dangers of psychedelics; causality vs objective reality; philosophy of personal identity; risks/benefits of high level meditation; and the intersection of medicine and meditation - with a few tangents thrown in for good measure. Show notes and links hereDaniel's Work:dharmaoverground.orgintergrateddaniel.infofirekasina.orgmastering the core teachings of the buddhaDownload MCTB here (free)Download Fire Kasina here (free) Twitter @danielmingram Recorded in Christchurch, New ZealandTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise

Patrick Fuller is associate Professor of Neurology at both Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is involved with numerous organisations including the Society for Neuroscience and the Sleep Research Society.Patrick enlightened me on present and potential future technological hacks for different brain wave states and sleep; some of the major neurotransmitters and hormones involved in sleep/wake regulation; the circadian clock and how we are affected by temperature and blue light; what monophasic, biphasic and polyphasic sleep patterns are and how to create an ideal sleeping environment.   Show notes and links here Recorded in Christchurch, New ZealandTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise

Stanley Krippner is a Professor of Psychology at Saybrook University.I caught up with Stanley in Vienna in October. We sat down to talk about free will, the definition of different entities and their influence on humanity, the nature of life in the universe and how to find meaning in an increasingly unpredictable world.   Show notes and links hereRecorded in Vienna, Austria and Orange, AustraliaTheme Song by Cosmic Tortoise

Waldemar Ingdahl is the founder of a Swedish transhumanist think-tank; a science writer with work published in the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Financial Times, Tech Central Station; has appeared on Swedish television and on TedX Stockholm and is the author of several books including Cities On The Edge.  I find transhumanism to be an ethos full of intrigue and wonder and on the topic Waldemar delivered intelligent, open and lucid conversation.If you're curious about the future this is an episode for you. Show notes and links hereWaldemar's work:Humanity+Waldemar's twitter Recorded in Leipzig, Germany Theme song by Cosmic Tortoise

Mimi, Ammie and Maureen are chimpanzee experts and have all spent time in Africa studying wild chimpanzee populations. I was fortunate enough to discover that one of the main centres in the world for Primatology was right here in Leipzig, and so one hot summer's day Michael and I sat down with the girls over beer and coffee and talked deep into the chimp world. I highly recommend curious minds check out the citizen's science project mentioned in this conversation - it's called Chimp and See and it's awesome. Show notes and links hereMimi, Ammie and Maureen's work:DNApes (Mimi's Facebook/Blog)Chimp And See (Citizens Science Project) Recorded in Leipzig, GermanyTheme Song by Cosmic Tortoise    

Pubudu Senannayake holds a PhD in physics, works as a statistical analyst at Stats New Zealand and volunteers for Generation Zero,a youth based climate change initiative. Michael and I chat with Pubudu chat about the applications of quantum mechanics in technology and the present and future issues of climate change.   Show notes and links here  Recorded in Leipzig, Germany Theme song by Cosmic Tortoise  

Jonathan Balcombe is a scientist, author and speaker specialising in animal sentience and emotions. Balcombe holds 3 degrees including a PhD in ethology. He has published over 50 scientific papers on animal behaviour and animal protection and is currently the Director of Animal Sentience with the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy, in Washington, DC. Some topics we talk about include sentience, animal emotions and ethics, cephalopods and the evolution of consciousness and some surprising animal behavioural anecdotes. Jonathan's books really influenced the way I thought about animals and I highly recommend checking them out.      Show notes and links here  Connect with Jonathan:FacebookTwitter Jonathan's Books: Pleasurable KingdomSecond Nature: The Inner Lives of AnimalsWhat A Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins Recorded in Leipzig, GermanyTheme Song by Cosmic Tortoise

Alan Watts was a brilliant philosopher; a fantastic speaker full of lucidity and cheekiness. He wrote a wonderful small book called "The Joyous Cosmology". It is the best description of the psychedelic experience I have come across, and when I couldn't find a decent audio version of his book I decided to make one myself. I feel this book would be of interest to curious people on either side of the psychedelic fence.Since this book appears to be on the public domain, I don't see any harm sharing it. I'm sure Alan wouldn't mind. Read The Joyous Cosmology text in full here"The Joyous Cosmology" by Alan WattsRecorded in Leipzig, GermanyTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise

I feel very lucky to have befriended such interesting fellows as James and Michael. It's with these two that I have spent many an evening talking about anything and everything into the early hours.Michael and James are both highly knowledegable and curious people; they always carry a wide range of topical discussion plucked from a bunch of disciplines. This conversation was particularly enjoyable. Some topics we discuss include:  Brain interfaces, dreams, philosophy, the multiverse, gods, abstinence, pheromones, conspiracy theorists, food ethics, movies, craigslist and non-human entities... So...strap yourself in - this is a gouwun.    Show notes and links here Recorded in Christchurch, New ZealandEdited by Michael KoefmanTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise  

Emily C Browning is a New Zealand musician. We talk about music (mostly) and Emily performs some of her songs.     Connect with Emily:FacebookInstagramSongs: "Lover" @ 01:00 (original video here)"Daydreaming" @ 23:46"All that I want" @ 30:10"Cruel" @ 45:54Recorded in Christchurch, New ZealandTheme song by Cosmic Tortoise