Adventures in Nutopia

Alan Turin’s ‘automatic machine’ remains the blueprint for nearly all of our modern computer systems. In an early paper however Turin wrote: ‘of course another type of machine is possible. This is the Oracle Machine and I will not speak of that.' Our guest for this mini episode however, will.

James Bridle is the author of Ways of Being and an artist whose work deals with the ways in which the digital, networked world reaches into the physical, offline one. James shares their thoughts on why computers can’t do random and what our computers of the future might look like. We also touch on the role that randomness play in evolution and how it can radicalise our political systems. 

With James Bridle and special guest ORAC 

www.jamesbridle.com

In S2E1 we met Rogan Taylor, author of The Death and Resurrection Show a book which traces a path from popular entertainment to the darkened yurts of our nomadic ancestors. After writing this book Rogan went on to pioneer the world’s first post-graduate ‘football’ degree and write many books on the subject. During our conversation he talked about football in relation to myth, ritual, suffering and community. It’s a unique and fascinating perspective on the sport that will stay with you. 

Are our listening habits changing? What effects can sounds like drones and sine tones have on us physically and emotionally? Can we imagine a future in which we might receive audio prescriptions for wellbeing? Why does music played badly make us laugh? Does beetroot really taste better if serenaded with sound? And what might the national anthem of Nutopia sound like? 

With guests Richard Norris, Paul Devereux, Fiona Miller, Jude Rogers, David Velez and Harry Sword. 

https://pauldevereux.co.uk/

https://richardnorris.bandcamp.com/

https://fionasallymiller.bandcamp.com/

https://davidvelez.bandcamp.com/music

https://oddfellowscasino.bandcamp.com/

https://greyhoundliterary.co.uk/authors/harry-sword

Our ancestors invested great importance in the power of dreams. Across traditional, indigenous and pre-industrialised cultures – including the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians – they were an integral part of the healing process and a tool for divination. So why do most of us give so little consideration to them now? What is hypnagogia? What techniques can help us lucid dream? What might precognitive dreams tell us about the nature of time? This episode dives into the poetic realms of dreams and even offers insomnia sufferers fresh advice on how to get a better night’s kip. 

With guests Sarah Janes, Gary Lachman, Philip Carr-Gomm and Kate Alderton. 

https://themysteries.org/

https://www.gary-lachman.com/

https://philipcarr-gomm.com/

https://dreamfishingsociety.com/

If our capitalist economic model of perpetual growth was presented as a myth it would read something like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. As for our economic unit of measure, in a speech in 1968 Robert Kennedy described GDP as ‘measuring everything except that which is worthwhile’. Are there economic models out there that might allow for a paradigm shift from the need for constant growth to a system that is more sustainable, regulated, and nurturing of life? In this episode David attempts to get his head around doughnut economics, de-growth and how our financial systems might be radically reimagined.

With guests Sir Tim Smit, Kate Raworth, David Barmes, Timothee Parrique, Inez Aponte and Sara Osterholzer.

https://www.edenproject.com/

https://www.kateraworth.com/

https://positivemoney.org/

https://timotheeparrique.com/

https://www.resilience.org/resilience-author/inez-aponte/

https://saraosterholzer.com/

https://revbilly.com/

As the lights dim and performers take to the stage, is it mere escapism for us or is there something deeply profound about our need to be entertained? Why do we get so fanatical and idolatrous about musicians and film stars, wanting them to be something more than us mere mortals? Might the whole entertainment industry have learned its trade from an ancient shamanic journey of the soul known to some as the death and resurrection show? 

With guests Rogan Taylor, journalist Jude Rogers, Dr. Marissa Carnesky, Kris Hughes/drag queen Maggi Noggi and magician Paul Zenon.

https://carnesky.com/

http://www.paulzenon.com

https://www.angleseydruidorder.co.uk/kristoffer?tab=about

@judgerogers 

Comedian and ‘anarchist chef’ George Egg was planned for inclusion in Series One but we just couldn’t work out where to put him. So instead he gets a mini episode all of his own exploring his own concept of snack-hacking, sharing ways of being creative with ‘scraps’ and demonstrating how to cook a full meal in such unlikely places as a hotel room and garden shed. 

While western medicine excels at repairs and crisis management it remains, for many, too mechanical and reductive in its approach to important issues such as mental health, diet and lifestyle. With health practitioner Peter Deadman and Dr Laura Marshall Andrews we’ll explore new (and very old) alternative approaches to health, from social prescription to the Chinese system of yangsheng and the magic of tea. We’ll also meet tech pioneer Sarah Ticho, championing the use of VR for tackling our phobias and anxieties. Warning: this episode contains giant spiders.

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com/

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/what-seems-to-be-the-problem-9780008445027/9780008445027

https://www.instagram.com/sirateeko/

https://peterdeadman.co.uk/

In 2019 artist Daisy Campbell led 69 seekers on a pilgrimage from the Cerne Giant to CERN in Switzerland and back. Their intention? To ‘immanentise the eschaton.’ David was there to see them off, dressed in a gold robe for a ritual to awaken the sleeping giant. Why did they do it? Did they succeed? What is the eschaton? Daisy shares the full adventure and the processes involved in creating a pilgrimage from scratch. We’ll also meet scientist Rupert Sheldrake and Guy Hayward of the British Pilgrimage Trust to learn about more traditional forms of pilgrimage and why there has been such a huge resurgence of interest in them.

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com/

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://the-mycelium.com/team/

https://www.sheldrake.org/

https://britishpilgrimage.org/