Turtles All The Way Down

Jake begins this episode with a few thoughts on thought experiments. He questions the identity of things, how they change over time and how they remain the same. How do we see ourselves and how do we make sense of the multitudes within us? Jake’s musings on the nature of the mind segues appropriately into his conversation with neuroscientist Karen Campbell, whose research focuses on cognition and aging. The two explore how the brain and memory work. Karen discusses what research shows about aging populations, information, intelligence and integration. This episode ends with a taste of Cenk’s musical stylings, incorporating soundbites from the conversation - enjoy!  

In this episode Jake and guest, Kyle Lumsden speak on the controversial topics of drug policy; use and society. They touch on the current cultural movements towards greater awareness and acceptance of substances for recreational or therapeutic purposes. Kyle is a researcher with UFT and a member of the Canadian Students for Responsible Drug Policy as well as the Canadian Coalition for Drug Policy. The two speak on popular notions of drug use, the history, moral and religious causes and the future of drug policy and culture. They explore the complexities and stigmas attached to drugs prompted during the Nixon era’s “War on Drugs”.

In this episode Jake speaks with local artist Damon Pourshian. This one is slightly more revealing as Jake and Damon dig a little deeper into personal secrets and stories from the past. The unburdening of stuff, makes way for discussions on love, intimacy, submission, the end of the world, art, creation and of course, manifest destiny. 

In this episode Jake speaks with Ana Serrano. Throughout their conversation the two explore various ideas about framing a world view, political agendas, the bubble, mindfulness and how to be in the world. From the divisive left and right dichotomies, self-serving political agendas and the big question of what is truly best for everyone and who is going to determine that.

In this episode we welcome back our very first guest, Rodrigo Gudiño. Jake and Rodrigo begin this conversation with a reflection on Turtles All The Way Down, why Jake started the podcast and how he feels about where it’s going. The conversation continues into explorations on various subjects from the nature of experience to virtual reality, paranormal activity and tarot cards. The underlying theme throughout this conversation circles around the deeper mystery of existence and the conundrum of the unknown. While peeling back the layers the two touch on morality, death, truth and consciousness. They postulate on integration and holistic approaches to living. They discuss how more integrated realities could potentially lead to more fulfilling experiences. While the intellect is an important part of navigating and understanding the world, there is something to be said for the visceral experience, the intuitive, emotional and non-thinking elements of everyday life.

In this conversation Jake and Craig ponder the art of relating to each other and how media, bias, fake news and belief systems are creating barriers in between people and bubbles around individuals. They discuss the nature of “truth” and the role journalism traditionally played in distributing content and what journalism means in today’s world. How do we distinguish the real from the fake?. Craig and Jake ponder the emergence of AI, ethics and the moral responsibility of the designers of the future. The two explore ideas about Virtual Reality and what this world might look like, Jake suspects much like a psychedelic trip. The big question throughout this conversation is how do we relate to people who hold fundamentally different world-views. If progressive actions are what’s needed in today’s turbulent world, then we need to adopt new ways of relating, understanding and educating people on the issues that matter. And finally, amidst all the chaos, how do we find calm so that we can move about in non-destructive ways, creating bridges not barriers. 

Find Craig:  @saila |www.saila.com

Bonus music episode featuring the work of Jake's alter cyclone Cenk. It's the last 23 minutes of his recent live performance for ctrlroom.ca and chew.tv. 

In this episode Jake and Elena discuss the current cultural and intellectual curiosities around home life, owning your own business, the changing workplace, young people, AI and of course, super-intelligence. The theme is balance. How do we find it, sustain it and manage the creative, intellectual, practical and existential flows? Elena describes her role as business owner and mom and how she created a life that works for her.  

In this episode, Liberal Cucktard, A Primer For The Alt-Right, after a brief detour into the Star Trek vs Star Wars debate, Jake engages the young men of the Alt-Right with some brotherly advice and maps them within a framework illustrating the polarization of empathy and intelligence. 

In this episode Jake welcomes Toronto artist, Jo Blakley where they discuss the more esoteric elements of the universe, such as the forces of creative genius, oneness, love, religion, spirituality and what it means to be an artist. Jo offers insights on her own spiritual and religious experiences, with reference to William Blake, from whom she draws her name. Jo is an optimist, who believes that love is the ingredient that holds the universe together. She believes that the spiritual energies in the world are slanted towards good and that we are now faced with a critical opportunity to connect, and encourage the creative genius in each one of us at a time of great uncertainty. She imparts that one doesn’t have to look much further than oneself for the answers.

In this episode Jake speaks with Toronto Architect, Paul Raff. Throughout the conversation Jake and Paul discuss architecture, how good art shapes taste, dance and the process of creating beautiful things in the world, one small situation at a time. Paul talks about how ecology and the environmental effects of global warming are creating new resources and thus introducing new stylistic experiences for people.

Find Paul: www.paulraffstudio.com

Innovation architect Mark Kuznicki (TheMoment.is) visited Jake at the Junction loft just before the 2016 U.S. election. They take a long ride on a train of thought through the personal, the political and the philosophical. 

Find Mark: http://themoment.is/ | Twitter: @remarkk 

In this episode Jake speaks with Toronto theatre Director, Kimberley Radmacher. Jake and Kimberley discuss the making of a play, the creative process, artistic intuition and the battle between the emotional and the intellectual forces in great art. 

Michael Anton Dila

In this episode we welcome back Michael Dila. This conversation circles around notions of design, more specifically how the concept of "open source software" has created a framework for how we think about design and collaboration. The two discuss how open source started a movement and reformed how people access and exchange information. Business models changed from top down organizations into non hierarchical formations, introducing new platforms, tools and opportunities for business. Open-source models of software allowed channels for creative innovation and the exchange of ideas. From there, Jake and Michael get deeper into the topic of information, AI, intelligence, consciousness and the singularity. Dila discusses the role humans play in designing AI, our responsibility in the development, learning interactions and the potential consequences born out of chaos and complexity. He says two things are unstoppable, climate change and AI, and that we need conscious reflections and ethical dimensions for living systems such as the ones we are designing. 

Find Michael:

https://medium.com/@michaeldila
https://twitter.com/michaeldila
http://www.michaeldila.com/

Angus Rowe-MacPherson

In this episode of Turtles All The Way Down, Jake speaks with Angus Rowe-MacPherson, a photography artist with a degree in engineering and a deep interest in Robotics and AI. Jake and Angus discuss the emergence of technology and it's effects on our physical, cultural and social realities. The robots are coming. How adaptive are we to AI and what role do humans play in designing the Superintelligence that may replace us?

Find Angus: http://angusrowemacpherson.com/ | http://riift.org/

In this episode Jake speaks with Robin Uchida, designer, innovator and creative strategist. Throughout the conversation Jake and Robin explore ideas about the self, awareness and experience. They discuss the cross sections between intellect and emotionality, connectedness, identity, truth and language. Robin offers insights on art and design and how our ability to implement change draws from our capacity to go beyond our intelligence and back into our bodies.

Find Robin: http://bit.ly/2j8k7Ol

Michael Anton Dila

In this podcast Jake speaks with Michael Dila, designer, innovator, strategist, builder and provocateur. Throughout this discussion, Jake and Michael explore the theme of “intelligence” and the schism between the intellectual segment and the emerging populist movement surrounding Trump's campaign. Dila discusses the divide between reason and anti-reason and what this means for a manipulable society in an increasingly complex world where notions of trust and dependency are skewed. Michael expresses a sense of urgency in coming up with solutions to reorganize our purposes for the survival of the planet for future generations.

Jesse Hirsh 

 In this episode Jake speaks with Toronto based technology strategist and public speaker Jesse Hirsh. Jake and Jesse discuss the ever changing cultural landscape, and the role of algorithms in shaping our culture. Jesse offers insights on how our media experience is being created based on our patterns and behaviour, likes and dislikes. Jesse discusses how algorithms are determining or being determined by our experience of culture and by virtue of this, creating a culture that might be detached from reality. There is a crucial question woven throughout this conversation, that is where does the power lie and who or what is creating the systems we are living by? 

Rodrigo Gudino  

In this episode of Turtles All The Way Down, Jake speaks with film director and publisher of Rue Morgue Magazine Rodrigo Gudino. The two discuss art, horror, film, politics, spirituality, religion, death, fear and life. Rodrigo and Jake are old friends who’s creative and intellectual curiosities have brought them together in collaboration on a few projects, one of which is an award winning film starring Vannessa Redgrave, The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh.