Controlled Demolition: Birthing New Societies Through Mutual Aid

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "Present Shock" by Douglas Rushkoff - This book, written in 2013, outlined the author's predictions about the extreme hallucinatory bifurcation that would arise from an always-on, interrupted, puntulist, and conspiratorial media environment.
• "Survival of the Richest" by Douglas Rushkoff - This book explores the escape fantasies of tech billionaires and how they are attempting to insulate themselves from the realities created by their wealth-generating activities.
• "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" by Douglas Rushkoff - This book examines how growth became the enemy of prosperity, particularly in the context of large tech companies like Google, and the resulting societal divisions.
• "Siberia: Life in the Trenches of Hyperspace" by Douglas Rushkoff - Written in 1991, this book explores the cultural movement surrounding early digital technologies, psychedelic revival, chaos math, and the hypertext culture of San Francisco, even before the widespread internet.
• "Zero to One" by Peter Thiel - This book by Peter Thiel discusses the idea of creating new things and building monopolies, influencing the mindset of tech billionaires who aim to operate on a magnitude above others rather than competing.

People Mentioned

• Douglas Rushkoff (Humanist, Presentist, Author) - The main guest of the podcast, who writes about the impact of digital technologies and has authored several books discussed in the episode.
• John Barlow (Lyricist for the Grateful Dead) - Mentioned in the context of his "Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace," which argued for the internet's autonomy from government control.
• Kevin Kelly (Wired Magazine) - Referenced as an important figure from Wired magazine in the early days of the internet.
• Stewart Brand - Mentioned as being associated with Ken Kesey and the early psychedelic and counter-cultural movements that influenced the internet's development.
• Mark Andreessen - Discussed as the co-founder of Netscape, whose decision to take the browser public was a significant inflection point in the commercialization of the internet.
• Jerry Garcia (Guitarist of the Grateful Dead) - His death was symbolically linked to the end of the 1960s counter-cultural roots of the internet.
• Steve Case (CEO of AOL) - Mentioned in the context of the AOL Time Warner merger, where he used AOL's inflated stock to acquire Time Warner.
• David Shipley (New York Times Op-Ed Page) - The editor who initially asked Douglas Rushkoff to write an op-ed about the AOL Time Warner merger.
• Janet Maslin - A book critic whose positive review of "Present Shock" was a significant validation for Douglas Rushkoff.
• Peter Thiel - Referenced for his "Zero to One" philosophy and his view on a select few "superhumans" who should "level up" and seed the cosmos, describing those who object to this as "satanists."
• Sam Bankman-Fried - Mentioned as an example of "idiot philosophers" who support effective altruism, often cherry-picked from prestigious universities.
• William F. Buckley - Referenced for his phrase "anarcho-totalitarian," used to describe figures like the Koch brothers.
• Curtis Yarvin - Described as someone who speaks in a medieval or 19th-century manner, representing a historical way of thinking about societal structures.
• Taylor Swift - A popular musician whose vinyl album was mentioned as an example of young people's engagement with physical media.

Organizations & Institutions

• Bantam - The publishing house that initially canceled Douglas Rushkoff's book "Siberia" due to skepticism about the internet's longevity.
• Harper - The publishing house that eventually released "Siberia."
• Wired Magazine - A publication that launched around the time Douglas Rushkoff's book "Siberia" was released, promoting a vision of the internet as a transformative force.
• The WELL - An early online community (pre-internet) that allowed users to connect and communicate, described as an "elevated place" for intellectual exchange.
• Sun Microsystems - An early computer company where some of Douglas Rushkoff's friends worked in Silicon Valley.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - An organization that might have been on the "wrong side" of the decision to allow commercial traffic on the internet.
• University of Illinois - The institution where the Mosaic browser, a precursor to Netscape, was developed.
• Netscape - A company formed by Mark Andreessen that took the Mosaic browser and commercialized it through an IPO, marking a significant shift in the internet's development.
• AOL - A dominant internet service provider (ISP) that merged with Time Warner, a pivotal moment in the commercialization of the internet and media landscape.
• Time Warner - A large media conglomerate that merged with AOL, a merger described as detrimental to journalism.
• New York Times - A newspaper where David Shipley ran the op-ed page, which was later renamed "Opinion."
• The Guardian - A London-based newspaper that published Douglas Rushkoff's op-ed on the AOL Time Warner merger after the New York Times declined it.
• South Dakota State University - A university where Douglas Rushkoff gave a talk, noting the students' awareness of sustainable agricultural practices.
• Monsanto - A company mentioned in the context of farmers' dependence on agricultural inputs.
• Oxford - Mentioned as a source of "idiot philosophers" like Sam Bankman-Fried, who support "effective altruism."
• Portfolio (a business press at Penguin) - The publisher of Douglas Rushkoff's book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus," which initially struggled to accept the idea that exponential growth could be negative.
• Judson Church - A location mentioned for hosting "ecstatic dance nights," offering an example of intergenerational community and connection.
• Columbia Luddites Club - A student organization at Columbia that hands out paper flyers, representing a counter-cultural movement.
• Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School - A co-producer of the podcast.
• Columbia Journalism Review - A co-producer of the podcast.
• Journalism and Design Lab at The New School - An organization that provided help for the podcast.

Websites & Online Resources

• Buzzfeed - Mentioned as an example of an emerging online media platform in 2010 that traditional magazine editors at Time Warner dismissed.

Other Resources

• John Barlow's Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace - A document written around 1995 from Davos, asserting the internet's independence from government control.