REROUTE.FM: Recent Episodes
Gavan Wilhite
Humanity stands at a crossroads. We face a myriad of existential challenges, yet we are closer than ever to realizing the dream of global flourishing. Finding the right path forward has never been more consequential.
ReRoute is a podcast about creatively navigating around disaster and towards a brighter future.
Join us as host Gavan Wilhite and a series of cultural and technological visionaries explore new systems and stories for brightening our shared path forward.
In this episode, we speak with Andrew Frawley. Andrew is many-talented force in American politics. Starting from a background in marketing, he became the first person hired onto the Yang2020 presidential campaign, created the MATH hat, and helped grow the movement into the force it is today.
He currently is the Executive Director of the “Good Life Movement”, an organization dedicated to advancing mental health policy through bipartisan civic engagement, awareness, and direct action.
Today we’ll dive into topics including the power dynamics present in American politics, how shifting views on mental health can lead to improved policy, and better metrics we can use to evaluate national success.
Activations <<
Donate $1 to the Good Life Movement
Links and References <<
Good Life Movement
Mad Pride Movement
Anosognosia
In this episode, we speak with Alex Maki-Jokela. Maki is an engineer-turned-artist and entrepreneur. His work includes Burning Man art installations, arctic vaults designed to preserve open-source code for millennia, and an AI-driven fashion company. He is currently the COO of GreenCubes, a startup building automated infrastructure for urban food production.
We’ll dive into topics including integrating AI into design workflows, mindfully navigating the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship, and positive ways to push yourself to execute on intentions.
Links and References <<
Maki’s Brain Installation at Burningman
Piql Arctic World Archive
Spirit & Glitch
Peak Design
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Github Code Vault
Pictures of Cases Designed for Code Vault by Maki
Today we'll be speaking with Aviv Ovadya. Aviv is a consultant who specializes in the governance of emerging technologies, particularly those of artificial intelligence and online social platforms. He has been a Technology and Public Purpose Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, and served as Chief Technologist at the Center for Social Media Responsibility at the University of Michigan. We’ll dive into topics including lottocracies, incentive-structures for change in big-tech companies, and promising social media algorithms for improving online discourse.
Links and References << https://m.youtube.com/c/BeauoftheFifthColumn (Beau of the Fifth Column) https://theshareholdercommons.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/From-Shareholder-Primacy-to-Stakeholder-Capitalism-TSC-and-B-Lab-White-Paper.pdf (Culture Holder Commons) https://engine1.com/ (Engine No. 1) https://joinofbyfor.org/ (Of by for*) https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/towards-platform-democracy-policymaking-beyond-corporate-ceos-and-partisan-pressure (Platform Democracy - Belfer Center)
In today's episode, we speak with Adam Elzer. Adam is the founder of Within, a wellness retreat and event space in the Delaware River Valley, which is an hour or two outside New York City. His background includes 20 years of building NY-based organizations focused on hospitality and food, including Everyday Hospitality and Empellon. Today we’ll dive into topics like the healing power of nature, getting land-based projects off the ground, and how the inner work you do for yourself can turn into the outer work you do for others.
Links and References << https://reroute.fm/episode/this-ten-thousand-year-moment (Our Episode with Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz) https://nelsontreehouse.com/about-us/our-crew/ (Nelson Treehouse Team) https://snohetta.com/ (Snøhetta)
In this episode we get to speak with Gabby Beans. Gabby is a member and lead producer for the New York-based aid network Home is a Human Right. She is also an actor, writer, and filmmaker, who has been recently featured in TV shows like Succession, House of Cards, and Blue Bloods. Today we’ll dive into topics including mutual aid networks, tactics for helping house the unhoused, and better ways to think about those living on our streets.
Links and References << https://homeisahumanright.com/ (Home Is A Human Right) https://mutualaid.nyc/ (Mutual Aid NYC) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_Aid:_A_Factor_of_Evolution#:~:text=Mutual%20Aid%3A%20A%20Factor%20of%20Evolution%20is%20a%201902%20collection,and%20anarchist%20philosopher%20Peter%20Kropotkin.&text=Mutual%20Aid%20is%20considered%20a%20fundamental%20text%20in%20anarchist%20communism (Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin) Picture the Homeless https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/source-of-income.page (Source of Income Discrimination Law) Research Regarding Homelessness and Criminality << https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2019/september/HomelessQandA.html (https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2019/september/HomelessQandA.html) https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/violence (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/violence) https://abcnews.go.com/US/incidents-violent-crime-homeless-grab-headlines-activists-urge/story?id=82443787 (https://abcnews.go.com/US/incidents-violent-crime-homeless-grab-headlines-activists-urge/story?id=82443787) https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/hau-chg-mythsfacts-12-8-2016.pdf (https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/hau-chg-mythsfacts-12-8-2016.pdf) https://endhomelessness.org/blog/the-disturbing-realities-of-homelessness-and-violence/ (https://endhomelessness.org/blog/the-disturbing-realities-of-homelessness-and-violence/) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438347.pdf (https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438347.pdf) https://www.jstor.org/stable/3096817?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3096817?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)
In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome friend of the show Dr. Matthew Canham for an in depth conversation about cybersecurity. Dr. Canham is the CEO of Beyond Layer 7, a consultancy that assists with cybersecurity analytics and culture development, as well as the Senior Director of Operations at the security company Khonsoo. He previously worked as a Professor of Cyber Security at University of Central Florida, and as a Special Agent in the FBI. During his career in law enforcement, he served as the Program Manager of the Emerging Technologies Program for the FBI’s Operational Technology Division. While there, he evaluated new technologies for use in law enforcement, and as a special agent, he investigated cyber-crime, intellectual property theft, and insider threats. Today we’ll dive into topics including information warfare during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, securing against social engineering attacks, and alternatives to law enforcement for fighting cybercrime.
Activations << Are You a Developer Seeking a Job? Email Matt! Links and References << https://www.belay7.com/ (Beyond Layer 7) https://drmatthewcanham.com/ (Dr. Matthew Canham's Personal Site) https://cognitivesecurity.institute/ (Cognitive Security Institute) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_J._Hadnagy (Christopher J. Hadnagy) https://blog.gigamon.com/author/ianfarquhar/ (Ian Farquhar) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick (Kevin Mitnick) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini (Robert Cialdini) https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/projects/books/ (Black Hills Information Security Books) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3OxCWLEmoIhNMm-hnvBm9Q (YouTube Page of Jolly Roger Telephone Co) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE1KWpoX9Hk&ab_channel=GoodMorningAmerica (Jordan Peele Deep Fake Obama) https://www.amazon.com/LikeWar-Weaponization-P-W-Singer/dp/1328695743/ref=asc_df_1328695743/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312446862670&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13552865415546137466&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030984&hvtargid=pla-539477997338&psc=1 (Like War by PW Singer) https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720/ref=asc_df_0684832720/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=316705607905&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13769574130871098127&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030984&hvtargid=pla-457954451889&psc=1 (The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg) https://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-Maskirovka-Russias-Influence-Operations-ebook/dp/B07NPZK3WM (Unmasking Maskirovka: Russia's Cyber Influence Operations) https://www.amazon.com/Active-Measures-History-Disinformation-Political/dp/0374287260/ref=asc_df_0374287260/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=533317510260&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10277631977121534594&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030984&hvtargid=pla-965603662037&psc=1 (Active Measures by Thomas Rid) https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/collection/52/mitrokhin-archive (Mitrokhin Archive) https://www.bellingcat.com/ (Bellingcat)
In this episode we get to speak with Rich D. Bartlett. Rich is a co-founder of Loomio: a platform for small-scale digital democracy; as well as The Hum: a consultancy for improving the operations of decentralized organizations. He also is the designer behind the Microsolidarity methodology of community-building. In this episode we’ll dive into process facilitation for decentralized organizations, methods for developing a sense of belonging, and how to create containers where people can actually change their minds. We also run our first ReRoute collaborative brainstorm for finding non-traditional forces to stay grounded to real needs as an organization.
Links and References << http://richdecibels.com/ (Rich's Website) https://www.enspiral.com/ (Enspiral) https://g0v.asia/ (Gov Zero Asia) https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers/dp/1591846404 (Turn the Ship Around) https://www.thehum.org/ (The Hum) https://www.loomio.com/ (Loomio) https://twitter.com/RichDecibels (Rich on Twitter)
In our first episode of ReRoute Season 2, we get to talk to Jason Snyder, Jared Janes, and our very own producer, Nick Thurston. Jason is a homesteader, host of the Doomer Optimism podcast, and professor at Appalachian State University with a focus on local food systems. He is passionate about transitioning us to a more resilient and regenerative society. Jared is a prolific podcaster, yogi, and co-founder of the Evolving Ground community of practice. He cares deeply about the principles of human development and following its many threads. The two of them are the minds behind the Both/And podcast. On this episode we talk about topics like adult development, how to navigate the plethora of available world views, and the art of holding both optimism and our shared peril in mind at the same time. This season, we are making a push to both explore, and help you explore, new communities of thought. To that end, we discuss and offer inroads to communities focused on metamodernism, the liminal web, and doomer optimism.
Links and References << https://bothand.libsyn.com/ (Both/And Podcast) https://www.joelightfoot.org/post/the-liminal-web-mapping-an-emergent-subculture-of-sensemakers-meta-theorists-systems-poets (The Liminal Web article by Joe Lightfoot) https://www.jaredjanes.com/ (Jared Janes Website) https://twitter.com/JaredJanes (Jared on Twitter) https://twitter.com/cognazor?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Jason Snyder on Twitter) https://www.evolvingground.org/ (Evolving Ground) https://t.co/IqrHeUqrdW (Doomer Optimism) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructive_developmental_framework (Constructive Developmental Framework Robert Kegan) https://www.jimruttshow.com/ (The Jim Rutt Show) https://bothand.libsyn.com/32-regenerating-earth-with-joe-brewer (Joe Brewer on Both/And) https://bothand.libsyn.com/2-memetic-mediation-with-peter-limberg (Peter Limberg on Both/And) https://bothand.libsyn.com/14-paradigm-shifting-with-erik-davis (Erik Davis on Both/And) https://www.thestoa.ca/ (The Stoa)
In this episode, we get to speak with Paisley Smith. Paisley is a virtual reality creator and filmmaker. She is a Civic Media Fellow at the University of Southern California, and currently leads Unity for Humanity, a project that funds impact-oriented creations that leverage the Unity game engine. Gavan and Paisley talk about a variety of ways one can create positive change through game technology, how we can challenge our cultural assumptions while crafting worlds, and the timeless power of the humble animated GIF. They also touch on Paisley's world building work with Feminist Futures and her VR art projects Unceded Territories and Homestay.
Links << https://unity.com/humanity (Unity for Humanity) https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-nonny-de-la-pena-the-godmother-of-vr-is-changing-the-mediascape-1541253890 (Nonny de la Peña) https://twinery.org/ (Twine) Interactive Fiction https://www.paisleysmith.com/unceded-territories-vr (Unceded Territories) https://www.paisleysmith.com/ (Paisley's Personal Website)
In this conversation, we get to talk with Donnie Hill. Donnie is a communication & leadership coach, and an impact-oriented business strategist. He currently runs the https://thelifemaximizer.com/ (Life Maximizer) consultancy, sourcing his lessons from an eclectic background which ranges from personal training to stage acting. It’s clear that many traditional leadership and communication techniques aren’t taking us down the roads we need to walk together. Often “influence” techniques seem manipulative, morally grey, or even dark-side. Donnie points us down a new route: one inspired quite a bit more by the light-side of the force. Donnie and Gavan talk about topics like restorative leadership, holding compassionate conversations with people you strongly disagree with, and how to “invite people in,” even during a negotiation.
Links << https://thelifemaximizer.com/ (The Life Maximizer Consultancy) https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/my-grandmothers-hands-racialized-trauma-and-the-pathway-to-mending-our-hearts-and-bodies-paperback (My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem) https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/what-boomers-can-learn-millennials-about-changing-world-your-relationships-ncna1259290 ("Rules of Estrangement" by Joshua Coleman) https://gregmckeown.com/books/effortless/ (Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown) https://www.amazon.com/Art-Extreme-Self-Care-Transform-Month/dp/1401918298 (The Art of Extreme Self Care by Cheryl Richardson)
In this episode, we speak with Cade Diehm. Cade is a political and systems theorist who was an early contributor on the messaging app Signal, as well as the chief design officer at SpiderOak. He went on to lead design and security research at Tactical Tech, and most recently founded The New Design Congress where he currently researches the intersection of digital infrastructure, politics, and society. Topics covered include the concept of digital regionalism, methods for building more ethical systems, and ways to challenge assumptions about how we build technology by imagining alternative histories.
Links<< https://newdesigncongress.org/en/ (The New Design Congress) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1542-734X.1992.1504_43.x (“Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate”: A Cultural History of the Punch Card) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHeyZpOXvA&ab_channel=DACIDA (Cade Diehm: On Weaponized Design) https://www.inkandswitch.com/ (Ink and Switch) https://newdesigncongress.org/en/pub/this-is-fine (This Is Fine: Optimism & Emergency in the P2P Network, by Cade Diehm) https://www.moralmachine.net/ (Moral Machine) https://stream.undersco.re (Undersco.re Stream)
In this special episode, recorded on location in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, we speak with Tilek Mamutov. Tilek is a software engineer and entrepreneur. He recently led projects at Google X, including at Loon: a moonshot to deliver internet to underserved populations via stratospheric balloons. He now is the founder & CEO of Outtalent, a Y Combinator-backed startup helping engineers from emerging markets level-up and get jobs at Silicon Valley tech companies. In this conversation, Gavan and Tilek talk about fostering personal rationality, methods for instilling values into organizations, and how to create a career trajectory aimed at personal impact. For the video version of this interview, check out our YouTube Channel!
Links << https://outtalent.com/ (Outtalent) https://kloop.kg/ (Kloop) https://www.rationality.org/ (Center for Applied Rationality: CFAR)
Join us for our conversation with Sherryl Vint. Sherryl is a professor of science fiction at University of California Riverside, and the author of a number of books including Science Fiction from the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, and Biopolitical Futures, which comes out later this year. We'll be talking about the roles that speculative fiction plays in our society, ways to critically navigate both utopian and dystopian narratives, and how science fiction thinking is, and isn’t, making it into the corporate world.
ACTIVATIONS << https://iaftfita.wildapricot.org/Imagining-Indigenous-Futurisms-Award/ (The IAFA Imagining Indigenous Futurisms Award) https://www.xprize.org/prizes (XPrize) https://sfcs.ucr.edu/ (Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science program at UCR) REFERENCES << https://www.amazon.com/Ministry-Future-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316300136 (Ministry For the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson) https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Asimovs-Foundation-Foundations-Prelude/dp/B01EFDEMS8 (Foundation Series by Isaac Azimov) https://www.amazon.com/Ubik-Philip-K-Dick/dp/0547572298 (Ubik by Philip K Dick) https://www.nealstephenson.com/ (Neal Stephenson's Website) https://us.macmillan.com/series/thecentenalcycle/ (The Centenal Cycle by Malka Older) https://www.amazon.com/Dispossessed-Ursula-K-Guin/dp/B00HTJMH2E/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+dispossessed&qid=1624759762&s=books&sr=1-2 (The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin) https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0441172717 (Dune by Frank Herbert) https://www.amazon.com/Bannerless-Saga-Carrie-Vaughn/dp/0544947304 (The Bannerless Saga by Carrie Vaughn) https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-TM-Daemon-Daniel-Suarez/dp/0451231899 (Freedom(TM) by Daniel Suarez) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(TV_series) (The Expanse) https://www.amazon.com/Semiosis-Novel-Duology-Sue-Burke/dp/076539135X (Semiosis by Sue Burke) https://www.amazon.com/Colonialism-Emergence-Science-Fiction-Classics/dp/0819568740 (Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction by John Rieder) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkady_Martine#A_Memory_Called_Empire (A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series (Culture Series by Iaian M. Banks) https://www.amazon.com/Starship-Troopers-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441783589 (Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein) https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Ender-Quintet-Orson-Scott/dp/0812550706 (Enders Quintet by Orson Scott Card) https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Remembered-Earth-Poseidons-Children/dp/0425256162 (Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Moylan (Tom Moylan) https://www.samueldelany.com/ (Samuel Delany) https://www.amazon.com/Unkindness-Ghosts-Rivers-Solomon/dp/1617755885 (An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon) https://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307387895 (The Road by Cormac McCarthy) https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Remembrance-Earths-Past-ebook/dp/B00IQO403K (The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu) https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/ted-chiangs-soulful-science-fiction (Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction)
In this episode, we speak with Jeffrey Ladish. Jeffrey wears many hats. He is variously a biologist, a cybersecurity and biosecurity consultant at Stanford University, and the founder of Gordian Research, which provides operational security and select biosecurity consulting services. Jeffrey and Gavan get meta/nerd out on the dual-use model of risk assessment for emerging technologies, discuss the lab origin theory for SARS-CoV-2, and Jeffrey offers some best-practices for your own personal security. Producer Nick's toe sticks out momentarily from behind the curtain.
ACTIVATIONS << https://gordianresearch.org/ (Contact Jeff if you have skills in relevant biosecurity areas, e.g. micro-fluidics) https://jeffreyladish.com/security/ (Security Best Practices From One of the Best!) LINKS AND REFERENCES << https://twitter.com/trvrb?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Trevor Bedford's Twitter) https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/ (Future of Humanity Institute) https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/ (The Eco Health Alliance) https://nextstrain.org/ (Nextstrain.org) https://www.microcovid.org/ (MicroCovid Project) https://www.yubico.com/ (Yubikeys)
In this episode, we speak with Eric Wycoff Rogers. Eric is a scholar, organizer, designer, and artist currently based in Cambridge in the UK. We touch on their project Critical Hedonism(s), which seeks to transform how society distributes pleasure and care, and talk about redesigning cities in an increasingly post-work world; among many other interesting topics. We probably (definitely) nerd out about Cyberpunk 2077.
References << https://postwork.city/ (Post-Work City) http://ericwycoffrogers.com/ (Eric's Personal Web Site) http://www.criticalhedonisms.com/ (Critical Hedonism(s))
In this episode of ReRoute, we speak with Sean Faircloth. Sean is a writer, an attorney, and a politician. Sean has authored both books and articles, served as State Senator, House Majority Whip, and as the Mayor of Bangor, Maine. He is also the founder of the Maine Discovery Museum. We speak about ethical capitalism, religious exemptions in government, the dangers of modern authoritarianism, and why you should consider getting involved in politics.
Activations << https://www.au.org/ (Americans United for the Separation of Church and State)
In our inaugural episode, we speak with philosopher and Director of Development for the Long Now Foundation Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz. We touch on topics ranging from finite vs. infinite games, our relationship to technology, and how to build and sustain multi-generational institutions.
Activations << https://imgur.com/gallery/fPdbfNa (Ask Yourself: What Do I Want to Last?) https://theinterval.org/ (Grab a Drink at the Interval) Links and References << https://longnow.org/ (The Long Now Foundation) https://www.onassis.org/channel/apply-degger-podcast-simon-critchley (Apply-Degger with Simon Critchley) https://longnow.org/seminars/02015/jan/27/pace-layers-thinking/ (Discussion About Pace Layers) https://simonsinek.com/product/the-infinite-game/ (The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek) https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil394/The%20Question%20Concerning%20Technology.pdf (The Question Concerning Technology by Martin Heidegger) https://www.amazon.com/Being-Harper-Perennial-Modern-Thought/dp/0061575593 (Being and Time by Martin Heidegger) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-kind-of-dinosaur-is-godzilla-45639768/ (What Kind of Dinosaur Is Godzilla?)
Humanity stands at a crossroads. We face a myriad of existential challenges, yet we are closer than ever to realizing the dream of global flourishing. Finding the right path forward has never been more consequential. ReRoute is a podcast about creatively navigating around disaster and towards a brighter future. Join us as host Gavan Wilhite and a series of cultural and technological visionaries explore new systems and stories for brightening our shared path forward. Stay tuned for our first episodes on 5/1/21!