mastodon 4.5.18I write books about media, technology, and society. (Team Human, Survival of the Richest, Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus). Made some PBSFrontline docs (Merchants of Cool, Generation Like), graphic novels (Aleister & Adolf, Testament, ADD), and the Team Human podcast. I'm a Prof of media theory and digital economics at CUNY/Queens, and playing with people at IFTF, The Story Giants, Sugar23, EoI, and here in Hastings on Hudson.
Finally left Twitter for good. "Conversations" about the Middle East pushed me over the edge. The space just doesn't engender productive discussion.
I'm interested to try to codify what makes one platform work, and another not. I do think the federated model with individual community standards does help.
So I ended up meeting the Mastodon team in New York this week. They have like three people doing the whole company. Three sweet European hacker guys.
I do want to support them, and this place. They say some people are working on a bridge between Mastodon and Bluesky, which I do think would be great for both. Though I wonder if people have noticed any changes since Threads was federated.
I'm reminded of when AOL connected to USENET in '93..and that was kinda bad for the culture.
Hey. I've been off networks for a while. Actually going to a Mastodon-related dinner tonight and it reminded me to say hey to everyone here. I'm starting to feel like one has to pick a community and then stick with it - trusting that what needs to "spread" beyond will cross whatever boundaries and do so.
So here's my latest thinking, a Team Human monologue and Substack post about how we mistook fractals for nature, and our new models for the territory.
https://rushkoff.substack.com/p/the-model-isnt-the-territory-either
After more than twenty years, I'm rejoining PsychicTV for a special tribute to Genesis Breyer P-Orridge at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn.
Special guests including David J (Bauhaus), Cynthia Sley (Bush Tetras), CHRISTEENE, and others. (I only got a single +1 that I already gave away.)
But I think this will be a special night, so come if you're up for it!
https://tribecafilm.com/films/tribeca-presents-genesis-p-orridge-tribute-concert-2024
Ken Jordan - friend and supporter of everyone interested in psychedelics, society, technology, and the arts, and founder of Lucid News - just passed away. Some sort of sudden and unexpected covid complication. :(
Safe passage, my friend.
https://www.lucid.news/author/ken/
@MissConstrue@mefi.social @cobalt@awscommunity.social Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about how her delivery relied on her experience making cases in front of juries.
I found myself wishing she added just one more sentence for the pro-Palestine perspective. But as VP she's kind of obligated not to criticize current foreign policy.
Still, amazing speech. It made me realize the importance of a leader in convincing people to be their best selves and participate. It's not just policy. It's the ability to motivate.
Hollywood's future belongs to people, not machines! Sci-fi author and futurist Madeline Ashby rips AI a new output on the new @TeamHumanShow
Plus, a monologue from me about how stamping on lantern flies because their species is "bad" makes me feel....
We're debuting Team Human in Real Time, live streamed, this Wednesday April 24 at 1pm eastern. Live call-in, write-in, AMA-style discussion.
Go to http://teamhuman.fm/live when it happens. Send questions or topics you want discussed in advance to team@teamhuman.fm