Steppin' off the Edge

The C-Realm podcast and Extraenvironmentalist are two of the preeminent podcasts available today. Their hosts, KMO and Justin Ritchie, step off the edge with me for a 3-way conversation about podcasting and the common narrative of collapse. Though it may not be a career path to most, podcasting can be a great way to build community and further the conversation about topics of interest. We move quickly into a wide-ranging conversation focused around the idea of collapse; an idea that KMO says he doesn’t believe any of, but takes very seriously. We explore what a hypothalamus reaction to Rush Limbaugh sounds like, kvetching inside Karl Rove’s big tent, voluntary peasantry, appropriately scaled living, de-growth and many more interesting items.

For full show notes (and to download if Podomatic monthly quota is exceeded) visit http://steppinofftheedge.com/podcast/astrobarryology/ AstroBarry Perlman steps off the edge with me to discuss his lifes’ passion: Astrology is “a craft, a mystical craft at the center of which is a beautiful mystery which nobody has yet been able to confidently say how it works despite thousands of years of history of people getting similar results and sharing each others experiences and research to build up a codified body of knowledge.” We discuss the history of astrology, the interplay between science and astrology which some scientists have characterized as a pseudo-science despite having very similar origins to their profession, where the planets are now and what the coming alignments might mean for humanity as a group consciousness. There’s some surprising parallels to be drawn back to the revolutionary energies of the 1960′s and 1780′s that suggest we are living in interesting times indeed.

After two episodes focusing on technology and its' implications for society, SotE begins to explore another of its' philosophical pillars: humanities' impact on our environment. This episode features an engaging speech and interview with Michelle Lambert of the Kanata Environmental Network. Michelle has been tracking the consumption of plastic in her home for 3 months and finding ways to avoid and replace the plastic. Listen and laugh as she recounts some of the obstacles, successes and failures her family of four encountered — from children bent over backwards with glass dishes containing plastic-free lunches to finding the perfect wooden toothbrush. For full show notes and details please visit - http://steppinofftheedge.com/podcast/plastic-people-and-planet/ NOTE: If you subscribe to the show via podomatic, please update your RSS feed to http://steppinofftheedge.com/feed/podcast/. This will be the last full episode available on podomatic due to bandwidth limitations.

The first episode of 2011 features an interview with Matt Mullenweg, technological optomist and lead developer of WordPress - the dominant open source web publishing platform of the Internet. He steps off the edge with me to discuss the history of launching WordPress, the practicalities, possibilities and philosophy of open source, his dream that the majority of the web can be built to run on open source software and what his life is like as the benevolent dictator of a platform which some have characterized as the modern day printing press. For complete music and show notes for this episode, visit http://steppinofftheedge.com/podcast/philosophy-of-open-source/

The SotE podcast returns with its second episode on what appears to be approximating a monthly release timetable with an interview of famed author Douglas Rushkoff. During the 45-minute interview we discuss topics related to his newest book which is where the title for this episode comes from. "In the emerging, highly programmed landscape ahead, you will either create the software or you will be the software. It’s really that simple: Program, or be programmed. Choose the former, and you gain access to the control panel of civilization. Choose the latter, and it could be the last real choice you get to make." See http://steppinofftheedge.com/podcast/civilizations-control-panel/ for full show notes!