The Blockchain Socialist

It's feeling like we're living in a very strange moment in time where liberal norms of openness have been shattered by the same class of tech industry titans who expressed these values just a decade ago. In this episode I spoke to Nick Houde and Severin Matusek from co-matter [https://co-matter.com/], a research and strategy studio based in Berlin, who recently published an incredible memo that is chock full of incredible analysis and insight into our current moment. "New World Order: The Return of Hard Power and Soft Beliefs is a 35-page research memo about what happens when power, infrastructure and ideology collide. A manual for anyone trying to make sense of the present, New World Order contains ideas, context and language to participate in shaping the world that emerges in front of our eyes." The memo is chock full of useful and powerful concepts that help explain this moment. You can order a copy of the memo on Metalabel here [https://comatter.metalabel.com/new-world-order?variantId=1 ]. (I've already got my copy!) Lots of great quotes like "Yesterday's moral stance is tomorrow's liability" and "Whoever controls the infrastructure controls reality itself." This episode is sponsored by NYM [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/903769/episodes/%20https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist], the world's most private VPN. Unlike traditional VPNs, Nym uses a decentralized mixnet to scramble your internet data — hiding who you're talking to, when, and how often. You can switch between full mixnet mode for maximum anonymity, or a faster VPN mode for everyday use. Use the code blockchainsocialist [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/903769/episodes/%20https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist] when signing up and get an extra month! If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist [https://twitter.com/TBSocialist]) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop [https://social.coop/@theblockchainsocialist]) and join the r/CryptoLeftists [https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptoleftists/] subreddit. Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/903769/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It [https://repeaterbooks.com/product/blockchain-radicals-how-capitalism-ruined-crypto-and-how-to-fix-it/] and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking. The book is officially published and you use this linktree [https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals] to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.

The one and only Slavoj Zizek published a piece on Network States and of course I had to read it and share it with you all. It's normally behind a paywall on his Substack but was put on Fileverse [https://theblockchainsocialist.com/all-my-friends-hate-google-docs-with-andreas-tsamados/] by recent guest Naomi [https://theblockchainsocialist.com/crypto-culture-and-its-discontents-with-naomi-oba/] for all to read. Check out  the article on Fileverse here [https://docs.fileverse.io/0x22c3e3290bEecAA3aD5B1879A672Fc9139368AD2/38#key=SxXq8teR9eCGopLq9Y3dThUDlkFfHCXrAyDgFl9m6bj3XsY7dmBMRN2Sf8SmhTtD]. I really want to know who is in Zizek's ear talking about crypto stuff so much that he knows what DAOs are... If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist [https://twitter.com/TBSocialist]) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop [https://social.coop/@theblockchainsocialist]) and join the r/CryptoLeftists [https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptoleftists/] subreddit and Discord [https://cryptoleftists.xyz/] to join the discussion. Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/903769/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It [https://repeaterbooks.com/product/blockchain-radicals-how-capitalism-ruined-crypto-and-how-to-fix-it/] and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking. The book is officially published and you use this linktree [https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals] to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.

In this episode, I talk with Adina Glickstein [https://www.instagram.com/adina______images/] — Master’s student in Media Studies under Nathan Schneider at UC Boulder and editor-at-large at Spike Art Magazine [https://spikeartmagazine.com/] — whose recent Compact Mag article, The Rise and Fall of Urbit [https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-urbit/] finally gave me the excuse to talk about Urbit on the podcast and why its failing. We unpack what Urbit is trying to be (although many don't seem to agree), its creator Curtis Yarvin (aka Mencius Moldbug, philosopher of the alt-right), and how its governance structure mirrors his anti-democratic ideals. Adina shares her experience moving from enthusiasm to disillusionment — from Berlin meetups to Urbit Assembly, to witnessing the project lean into neo-colonial “exit” politics. We also get into the reactionary politics inside the Urbit community, the recent leadership coup pitting long-time developers against Yarvin and his backers, and how this drama unexpectedly created a demand for “voice” in a system designed entirely around “exit.”  Links: * User Error [https://spikeartmagazine.com/categories/user-error] — Adina’s monthly tech column for Spike Art Magazine * The Rise and Fall of Urbit [https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-urbit/] — Adina’s piece in Compact Mag * Adina on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/adina______images/] This episode is sponsored by NYM [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/903769/episodes/%20https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist], the world's most private VPN. Unlike traditional VPNs, Nym uses a decentralized mixnet to scramble your internet data — hiding who you're talking to, when, and how often. You can switch between full mixnet mode for maximum anonymity, or a faster VPN mode for everyday use. Use the code blockchainsocialist [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/903769/episodes/%20https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist] when signing up and get an extra month! If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist [https://twitter.com/TBSocialist]) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop [https://social.coop/@theblockchainsocialist]) and join the r/CryptoLeftists [https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptoleftists/] subre Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/903769/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It [https://repeaterbooks.com/product/blockchain-radicals-how-capitalism-ruined-crypto-and-how-to-fix-it/] and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking. The book is officially published and you use this linktree [https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals] to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.

About a month ago I spoke at Dappcon about Solidarity Primitives [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvhM4fxfZkk&pp=ygUdZGFwcGNvbiBzb2xpZGFyaXR5IHByaW1pdGl2ZXM%3D] we've been building at Bread Cooperative [http://bread.coop/]. Before my talk, Naomi Oba gave her own wonderful presentation titled Crypto Culture and its Discontents [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WxGCvElOgk] that unknowingly set the stage quite well for mine so I had to ask her on the podcast.  We discussed the issues with crypto culture including obsession with quantification and financialization, and how to feel emotions instead. Naomi also helped write the Sapphire Punk manifesto [https://sapphirepunk.com/], an exploration of a post-cypherpunk politics that reject the extreme individualism rooted in the original cypherpunk movement. "All that is solid turns into data points." - Engels probably if he was still around This is also the first episode that is sponsored by NYM [ https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist], the world's most private VPN. Unlike traditional VPNs, Nym uses a decentralized mixnet to scramble your internet data — hiding who you're talking to, when, and how often. You can switch between full mixnet mode for maximum anonymity, or a faster VPN mode for everyday use. Use the code blockchainsocialist [ https://nym.com/pricing?ref=blockchainsocialist&ncid=blockchainsocialist&mtm_campaign=blockchainsocialist] when signing up and get an extra month! If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist [https://twitter.com/TBSocialist]) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop [https://social.coop/@theblockchainsocialist]) and join the r/CryptoLeftists [https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptoleftists/] subreddit and Discord [https://cryptoleftists.xyz/] to join the discussion. Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/903769/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It [https://repeaterbooks.com/product/blockchain-radicals-how-capitalism-ruined-crypto-and-how-to-fix-it/] and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking. The book is officially published and you use this linktree [https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals] to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.

They say on the internet no one knows you're a dog but this has created a digital space that is dominated by more bots than humans and crypto space that is easily sybil attacked. Worldcoin, a project led by Sam Altman, is purporting to tackle this issue as AI (ironic?) proliferates content by scanning our eyeballs into an orb that they totally aren't taking your data from! Personally I don't trust them. So I spoke to Shady El Damaty, co-founder and CEO of Holonym Foundation which is building human.tech, a suite of different identity solutions that protect user privacy using zero-knowledge proofs. We spoke about how it all works and the implications of people having control of their identities online. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website: https://theblockchainsocialist.com/  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3geORcile9E1EyPyFiAHhM?si=x7fjsFhURsSBlErXnihh9A   iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blockchain-socialist/id1501607045   Podcast Addict: https://podplayer.net/?podId=2598359  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TBSocialist  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptoleftists/ Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/903769/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/theblockchainsocialist] ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It [https://repeaterbooks.com/product/blockchain-radicals-how-capitalism-ruined-crypto-and-how-to-fix-it/] and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking. The book is officially published and you use this linktree [https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals] to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.