Robert Stark and co-host Francis Nally talk to Vaporwave artist Spear 槍. He is a musician and DJ who attends Pennsylvania State University. Check out his music on Facebook, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp.
Topics:
Intro: 名誉
The Vaporwave genre
Slowed down compressed 80’s music
Lo-Fi Trip Hot
The revival of cassettes and VHS
Adult Swim
Vaporwave as a surreal idealized consumerism
Mallsoft
The visual art for the videos
The Vapor Room show
Saudade; a Portuguese term to describe the longing for and memories of good times
Hypnagogia; the state between being awake and being asleep where you can’t distinguish between what is real and what is not Vaporwave Literature(Robert Stark’s Journey to Vapor Island)
Robert Stark is joined with Francis Nally and Brandon Adamson to discuss his new novel Journey to Vapor Island.
Topics:
Brandon’s review of Journey to Vapor Island(Contains Spoilers)
The cover art by Mark Velard
How listeners to the show will instantly recognize favorite topics when they make cameo appearances in the book or manifest themselves as part of the underlying themes
Internet memes in the book(ex. the men in the frog masks)
The fusion of genres including Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, and Dark Comedy
A disclaimer that this book is not for anyone that is squeamish about sex or easily shocked or offended
Brandon’s observation that the sexual scenes in the book are more akin to the “random battles” in old school Super Nintendo RPGs like Final Fantasy IV
The theme of how central sex is to people’s motivations, and the overall perception of status in society
The main character Noam Metzenbaum who is a socially inept yet intelligent student with illusions of grandeur
The Chads and the theme of the nerd getting revenge against bullies and the popular cliques
Noam’s crush Natalie Bloom and his lifelong obsession with her
The Retro-Futuristic surreal fantasy world in the book; an adult Never Ending Story
The Roger Blackstone character who could represent a Trump-like figure, but could just as easily be a Ross Perot or even Willy Wonka
The outrageous comic elements in the book
The theme of the commercialization of tragedies and the celebrity status of mass murderers
How the book is timely with the ongoing Hollywood sex scandals
The theme of living in ones fantasies and how that shapes the book’s narrative
Robert Stark and co-host Francis Nally talk to Andres Gomez Emilsson. Andres is a Transhumanist and is involved with Qualia Computing.
Topics:
Qualia Computing and plans for a Qualia Research Institute
The computational theory of the mind
The nature and science of happiness Peaceful Qualia: The Manhattan Project of Consciousness
Creating a state of consciousness so power that it could prevent wars
How brain chemistry effects philosophy and politics
Mind melding technology and expansive consciousness
Exploring altered states of consciousness
The pleasure and fear centers of the brain
Psycho-physical experiments and measuring pleasantness
The biochemical tools to change states of consciousness
Deep brain stimulation
Enhancing relaxation, motivation, creativity, and open mindedness
Whether this can be universally accessible as an information technology
The possibility that these technologies could be misused
Anti-mind control technology
Psychedelic drugs and the benefits when done in proper settings
