Cosmic Tortoise

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 Baker Mala Ruckus Songs: ”Autumn Wind” @ 01:04:12 ”I Shall Be Released (originally by The Band)” @ 01:32:45 ”Ponder ‘round The Sun” @ 02:13:42 In the podcast: Laura Brennan English 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 wor

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 Richie Email 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

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.org Twitter 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: Twitter Facebook Website The 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:  Facebook Email Twitter ACT Party Recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand