Discord in the Dark Forest ft. Joshua Citarella

Neighborhoods Are Better Than Nothing ft. Tao Lin: Somehow, we never posted this excellent episode. I think this might be the last episode that we recorded together before the hiatus. -- Default Friend The birds are chirping, the Gchats are pinging, and Default Friend and the Personality Girl interview the inimitable Tao Lin. TPG and Tao talk glyphosate; DF mixes up Terence McKenna and Timothy Leary; the three reverse engineer themselves into accepting Traditionalism wholeheartedly. by The Computer Room

68 min listen

#MeToo'd In the Metaverse: Promoting this episode of ex.haust on The Computer Room's feed. Emmet Penney and I talk about one of my favorite pieces of tech writing of all time, Julian Dibbell's essay, "A Rape in Cyberspace." (As an aside, where has all the tech writing like this gone?) Read "A Rape in Cyberspace" here: http://www.juliandibbell.com/articles/a-rape-in-cyberspace/ Listen to ex.haust here: https://exhaust.fireside.fm/ by The Computer Room

62 min listen

Casual Sex Doesn't Exist ft. Rayne Fisher-Quann: One of my favorite TikTokers, Rayne Fisher-Quann, joined me to talk about TikTok, cancel culture, the futility of the culture wars, how people talk about casual sex, and a shared favorite topic, the Internet. You can find Rayne’s reading recs, advice column, and internet culture observations at internetprincess.substack.com. Theme: You’re Standing On My Neck by Splendora by The Computer Room

59 min listen

Technology for Conviviality ft. LM Sacasas: I spoke with the writer and technological theorist L.M. Sacasas about his work, grounding your perception of digital technology in philosophy, and moving towards a more coherent understanding of what the Internet is. Subscribe to his Substack here: https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/. Produced by: Will Kraus by The Computer Room

59 min listen

The Baroque Creoles of the Internet ft. Gio Pennacchietti: In an episode that may or may not be part of After the Orgy, Default Friend and friend of the pod and artist Gio Pennacchietti discuss internet-based creoles, the Internet's obsession with the body, the trad thots of yore, 'found footage' e-girls and self-posters, Girl Bosses as a sexual orientation, and why Default Friend wasn't bat mitzvahed. Theme: Sara perché ti amo by Ricche e Poveri Find Gio around the web: https://twitter.com/giantgiohttps://gioscontentcorner.wordpress.com/author/giopennacchietti/ by The Computer Room

137 min listen

Broadcast Yourself ft. Peter Coffin: In this episode, I talk to the YouTube personality and fellow Fan Studies guy, Peter Coffin about YouTube, politics, and the mob. by The Computer Room

72 min listen

pandora's vox: In this special crossover episode, Emmet returns to discuss Carmen Hermosillo's/humdog's iconic essay about self-commodification on the WELL (Whole Earth 'Letronic Link), "pandora's vox." Read it here:https://gist.github.com/kolber/2131643 by The Computer Room

62 min listen

This Used To Be Real Estate ft. John Zerzan: This is an interview with the anarcho-primitivist John Zerzan. What to say about John. He’s a really nice guy. He’s anti-civilization, but not an accelerationist (as far as I know). He’s an icon. There’s also a chance you don’t know who he is. John Zerzan was one of the first philosophers I ever read. I’ve been a fan of his work since I was very young. I remember a long, long time ago, it must have been the mid-2000s, anarcho-primitivism was having a real moment online. I was old enough to grok it, young enough to still be enchanted by it. As I’ve grown older, there’s lots about his work that I can’t totally get behind or relate to (for example, one thing I’m learning about my politics, whatever they are, is that I don’t believe you can eliminate hierarchy), but I still think it’s well worth checking out. His commentary on symbolic thought, time, and computers are both especially interesting and prescient. by The Computer Room

56 min listen

The Ghost of Adam Lanza ft. BlitheringGenius (Pt. 1 of 4): In episode one, I speak with the author of the essay, “The Ghost of Adam Lanza,” BlitheringGenius. https://thewaywardaxolotl.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-ghost-of-adam-lanza.html I’d also like to add a content warning. We don’t discuss the tragedy at Sandy Hook, but the nature of our discussion may upset some listeners. Theme: Beehive Days by Locust Toybox by The Computer Room

60 min listen

u mIRCin', brah? ft. Oliver Bateman: This was a wide-ranging conversation. We talked about mIRC WWE roleplays, the impossibility of creating a genealogy of bodybuilding forums, how trolling evolved from Usenet to Twitter, the implicit similarities between Aimee Terese and Zyzz, why the digital invites body modification, male-to-male transsexuals, and the lasting impact of what the New York Times’ once dubbed “the male fitness internet.” Read Oliver’s EXCELLENT reporting here: The Unheard History of Bodybuilding Forums Steroid Solidarity Muscle, Smoke, Mirrors The Life of a Jacked Guy in 2019 How Selfies and Social Media Shaped Modern Bodybuilding What Could Have Triggered Elliot Rodger? Books referenced: Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors by Randy Roach Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder by Sam Fussell Theme: I Should Have Walked Away by KAAZE by The Computer Room

142 min listen

(ed)iets: Happy New Year! Steff and Katherine the wonderful world of Internet fad diets: keto, paleo, carnivore, frugivore, Bulletproof Diet, Ana Boot Camp, Ray Peatism, Raw Egg Nationalism, and Whole30. Correction: At some point, Katherine incorrectly states Susun Weed was pro-raw veganism! Susun Weed merely debated raw vegans. Stuff gets fuzzy that far back. Links: https://archive.amarna-forum.net/salo/ Theme: Computer Love, covered by Envelope Generator (This is the final, static theme. I promise.) by The Computer Room

61 min listen

That's right, I win! ft. Meme Analysis: From the “glow up” to main character syndrome, the internet loves a hero (or an anti-hero, as it were). I sat down with my dear friend Meme Analysis to talk about what this has to do with the persistent popularity of MGMT’s “Little Dark Age” on TikTok. Theme: Little Dark Age by MGMT by The Computer Room

46 min listen

Complete Erasure of the Self ft. Limpida: Here’s a theory I’ve been kicking around with today’s guest: Tumblr was an extension of MK Ultra. I’ve never been more serious. Subscribe to Limpida’s Substack here: https://strigoi.substack.com/ Theme: Autobahn by Kraftwerk Produced by: Will Kraus by The Computer Room

68 min listen

Mini-sode: The Tokenization of Everything ft. Meta-Nomad: Meta-Nomad, the host of another one of my favorite podcasts, Hermitix, and I talk about cyclical backlashes, the frontiersmen of the Metaverse, walking the walk, and the importance of starting a garden. I cut this one a little short because towards the end, it got a little inside baseball and we went on a long tangent about a specific book. Initially, I was planning on this being released in written format, but was pleasantly surprised that the audio quality wasn't too too bad. Theme: Telekon by Gary Numan Listen to Hermitix: https://www.patreon.com/hermitix by The Computer Room

46 min listen

The Android and the Human: Today, Emmet and I discussed PKD's sprawling 1972 speech from the Vancouver Science Fiction Convention, "The Android and the Human." I encourage everyone read the whole piece here, but it's perhaps best summed up by the following quote: Our environment — and I mean our man-made world of machines, artificial constructs, computers, electronic systems, interlinking homeostatic components — all of this is in fact beginning more and more to possess what the earnest psychologists fear the primitive sees in his environment: animation. In a very real sense our environment is becoming alive, or at least quasi-alive, and in ways specifically and fundamentally analogous to ourselves...Rather than learning about ourselves by studying our constructs, perhaps we should make the attempt to comprehend what our constructs are up to by looking into what we ourselves are up to. Read it here: https://genius.com/Philip-k-dick-the-android-and-the-human-annotated by The Computer Room

55 min listen

Welcome to the Group Chat ft. Nymphet Alumni: On this episode, I talk to the hostesses my favorite podcast, Nymphet Alumni. We talk about the lolcowification of TikTok, Marshall McLuhan, what would happen if Tavi Gevinson met Curtis Yarvin, incel ascension, and a hell of a lot more. One of my favorite episodes yet. Also, I quote a hypothetical Russian person at some point. I'm not Russian. The person I made up for my example is! Listen to Nymphet Alumni here: https://nymphetalumni.transistor.fm/ Other relevant links: https://sherbert.biz/selected-work https://www.reddit.com/r/aliceandfernsnark/ https://defaultfriend.substack.com/p/incels-incel-ascension-incel-chasers?s=w https://defaultfriend.substack.com/p/the-inverse-of-the-fuck-boy/comments?s=w Theme: Lolita Ya-Ya by Nelson Riddle by The Computer Room

81 min listen

I Am Jack's Emergent Fandom: Jack Crum of 404Tales joins me for a conversation about internet ethnographies, the history of Tumblr, and what nobody had the balls to say about #GamerGate. Theme: The Great Fairy Fountain Etude Find Jack here: https://www.youtube.com/c/JackCrum404/videos by The Computer Room

79 min listen

Youse-net ft. the most famous blogger in the world: While ATO is on hiatus, from DF's The Computer Room: I talked about Usenet (and, incredibly, mispronounced it), elitism, and the lost civilizations of the Internet with the most famous blogger in the world. I’m not one of his readers, but I feel like I understand him a lot better after hearing him talk about the Internet. After this conversation, I’m left wondering… do we need to govern the Internet, as though it were a physical place? (I also wish I asked him about his galaxy of other projects.) Theme: Computer Love by Kraftwerk Audio edited by: Will Kraus by The Computer Room

68 min listen

Paint the Town Paul ft. Paul Town: Paul Town makes a return to my Substack for a conversation about writing books, moving to Southeast Asia, and killing time. Produced by: Will Kraus by The Computer Room

76 min listen

Raking Muck in the Metaverse ft. Peter Ludlow: WARNING: This episode's audio quality is exceptionally, exceptionally bad. Special thanks to Will Kraus for cleaning it up. In future episodes, I’ll be using a better mic. Is a journalist who reports on virtual events that happen in a virtual world still a journalist? If you choose to present yourself as a rabbit online, does that say anything meaningful about who you really are? I spoke with Peter Ludlow, founder of The Alphaville Herald about living your life—fully online. by The Computer Room

73 min listen

Posts That Never Happened: Jack makes a return and we discuss Tumblr fake stories, from Oppa Homeless Style to my personal favorite, Aceggots. What’s the difference between a fake story and just lying online? Is there a meaningful difference? Is there a taxonomy of fake posts? Beyond that, are there discrete genres? Theme: Are You Satisfied? by Marina Produced by: Will Kraus by The Computer Room

59 min listen

Digital Confessional ft. Atoosa Rubenstein: I have a backlog of episodes! This is a conversation I did with Atoosa Rubenstein, former Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen and founder of Cosmogirl, in January (?) about her career, the importance of content curation, and her wonderful Substack, Atoosa Unedited. P.S. I was sick once again while recording and there are a lot of "I'm sick" noises in this episode. I'm sorry. by The Computer Room

59 min listen

Cow-tipping: A little stroll through the history of the Internet's favorite gossip sites: Pretty Ugly Little Liars, KiwiFarms, The Dirty, lolcow.farm, Perez Hilton, and Lipstick Alley. And of course...honorable mention, the Encyclopedia Dramatica. This was recorded weeks before Katherine had her moment of enlightenment about random Internet strangers. Theme: Computer Love, covered by Envelope Generator by The Computer Room

43 min listen

Discord in the Dark Forest ft. Joshua Citarella: Joshua Citarella is an artist and researcher whose work focuses on the fringe political groups developing in cyberspace. I love his work, partially because it’s a reminder to me that there’s more to Internet politics than the Dissident Right. In fact, talking to Joshua was good reminder in general of the vastness of cyberspace. For me, I always think of it through the lenses of Twitter, Tumblr, and TikTok. Certain podcasts. Journalists. But there’s a whole other ecosystem on YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram. It got me thinking about two things: Fans don’t always mean influence, and influence doesn’t always mean fans. Influence and fans don’t always mean you’ll be familiar with either group. We talked about a lot, more than just the terrain of online life. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much I did. Theme: The Robots by KraftworkProduced by Will Kraus by The Computer Room

66 min listen

The Ghost of Adam Lanza ft. Gio Pennacchietti (Pt. 2 of 2): Two of two in a series about Adam Lanza’s digital footprint. This has some overlap with episode one, and they don’t need to be listened to in order. Follow Gio on Twitter here and on YouTube here. Theme: Beehive Days by Locust Toybox by The Computer Room

123 min listen

Fear of a BlackPlanet.com ft. André Brock: André Brock, professor and author of Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures, popped by the show to talk about the origins of Black Twitter, the importance of writing about digital subcultures as they’re developing, digital whiteflight, and the first Black social networking site, BlackPlanet.com. Find André’s work here and on Twitter here. Articles referenced: How Black people use Twitter, Farhad Manjoo You Can Tweet Like This, Or You Can Tweet Like That, Or You Can Tweet Like Us, Post Bourgie What Were Black People Talking About on Twitter Last Night?, Choire Sicha Micah’s “Black people on Twitter” theory, Nick Douglas From the Blackhand Side: Twitter as a Cultural Conversation, André Brock …and the research on Black Twitter conducted by Deen Freelon, Meredith Clark, and Charleton McIlwain by The Computer Room

56 min listen

Man and Animal and Otherkin: Gio and Kat discuss Agamben's book The Open: Man and Animal and what it has to do with otherkins. They read some of it out loud and may or may have not butchered some of the pronunciations. If you need to fast-forward through those parts, peep the PDF of the book here: http://ewa.home.amu.edu.pl/Agamben,%20The%20Open.pdf by The Computer Room

93 min listen

Finally, Some Good News (An Episode): Default Friend is joined by a new cohost, Poetry Grifter, to talk about two digitally native pieces of literature, Finally, Some Good News and Bronze Age Mindset. The Rise and Fall of the Alt Right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n887xDKppmE&ab_channel=BlitheringGenius Finally, Some Good News: https://www.amazon.com/Finally-Some-Good-Delicious-Tacos/dp/1790356229 Bronze Age Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Age-Mindset-Pervert-ebook/dp/B07DJQ89TD by The Computer Room

50 min listen

Overworked, Overpaid, Undertaxed: Overworked, overpaid, and probably undertaxed: today, we dive into the world of /r/overemployed. by The Computer Room

49 min listen

The Iowa Pariah ft. Alex Perez: While Kat is in Colombia having a mental health episode, Steff interviews Alex Perez, "the Iowa Pariah," whose controversial interview with editor and writer Elizabeth Ellen inspired the entire staff of Hobart Magazine to resign. by The Computer Room

54 min listen

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Discord in the Dark Forest ft. Joshua Citarella

Discord in the Dark Forest ft. Joshua Citarella

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