#I joke frequently with my friend that communism is the religion of science but like I do unironically believe that lol

[communistkenobi]

I’m curious if other communists have like a religious relationship to their political beliefs for lack of a better word? That’s not a good word to use but I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m solidly atheist but all of the feelings and emotions religious people talk about, revelation and spiritual connection to community and so on are all things I experience pretty regularly and I interpret those feelings as fundamentally communist. the way I take in and absorb information in particular feels revelatory in a religious sense. I’m pretty sure this is fairly common with MLs but I’m curious about it in general

[delusion-of-negation]

top 10 (ish) ridiculous or annoying FAQs:

(click at your own discretion)

1) "kids today rely on others to do everything"

ah yes, damn those participation trophies! if it wasn't for them my hands wouldn't be fucked, and I wouldn't need people to write for me. but seriously, stop reading boomer comics, and go outside to meet some actual young people.

2) "sus that a non-american says mom"

yeah, because it's clearly the superior version, and I'm not too patriotic to concede a defeat.

3) "sweaty, the victims of abuse by catholics are real people, stop appropriating their pain just because you want to hate catholics; plus teachers abuse people just as often anyway"

so firstly, I don't hate anybody. and secondly, regarding the fact that victims really do exist, [insert "of course I know him, he's me" meme here]; although I don't often talk much about the abuse I went through or what my religious beliefs are. but, more importantly, statements like "survivors are people" can be phrased like "some people are survivors", and when you're unable to act according to the latter (like when you don't even consider that somebody might be one) then you display a failure to recognise the former - you're projecting; a survivor can't be appropriating their own pain, but you can be appropriating it to silence one. and thirdly, teachers do abuse - the problem isn't and has never been purely religion, rather that abuse is often done by somebody in a position of trust, power, and familiarity; and that the lack of a global minimum enables totally legal abuse on top of the illegal stuff. people with access and respect have more opportunity to abuse than those without, and that goes for teachers too. but, once again, you can be appropriating the pain of survivors to deflect and silence people. please remember this before you say that shit.

4) "get help/therapy"

way ahead of you - years ahead of you. but it's not magic - people who say this often act as if you'll start behaving differently overnight. not only are some things simply beyond the ability of talking therapy to completely rectify, it also takes time and has to be selective. you've got to pick your priorities, and that's definitely not whatever ship or joke you're mad at me about today. therapy is a slow, arduous process that can't guarantee results - it isn't "anti-recovery" to recognise that, it's honesty. while I've been in therapy for a long time, it is not necessarily going to change whatever you don't like about me - whether that's because it can't, because my focus now is on more important or urgent things, or because I don't want to change that.

5a) "tell your family you ship incest, see how that goes; normal people find it disgusting"

actually, some know, and they're fine with it. in fact, one prefers sibling pairings in fiction to all other dynamics because, to paraphrase, "it's a deeper level of messed up co-dependence". so unfortunately for you, my remaining family (by which I mean those not dead or cut out of my life after abuse and so forth) actually are able to distinguish between fiction and reality. plus, my reasoning for caring if they find it gross or not pertains only to recommending books and such - their opinions do not dictate my tastes.

5b) "don't sexualise/appropriate incestuous abuse" and "I bet you enjoyed being raped" and other attempts to upset me over 5a

firstly, as I've already said here, survivors can't be appropriating ourselves. in addition, you're not owed people's history or trauma - it's not okay to require people's personal information, or else you'll send anon hate and accusations of appropriation. secondly, I'm not sexualising our abuse (not just because I write horror, and so a lot of my writing is intended to be creepy, not sexy); these stories aren't about us, they're not us at all. entire dynamics/people (fictional or otherwise) aren't all going to be applicable to us or identical to us, just because they have something in common with us; they're not us and they're not accountable to us. thirdly, the fact that people send this stuff (attempting to trigger people's trauma over ships) is so much more worrying to me than somebody making our communal imaginary friends kiss. you're trying to hurt people. and finally, to the "I bet you enjoyed it" crowd (if you're at all serious): do you think you'd enjoy being in a real zombie apocalypse, alone, afraid, and really at risk of being eaten alive? a fictional scenario does not feel remotely the same as a real one. this isn't rocket science - things that look like you aren't you; fiction isn't reality; don't send anon hate. (edit: comparable "just leave me alone, I'm not hurting anyone" sentiments for yandere stuff, and anything else you decide I'm naughty for.)

6) "you'll be sent off to do manual labour once your communist revolution happens"

while I don't know why people think that I'm a communist, a dictatorial regime probably isn't going to want me to do manual labour. they're more likely to just shoot me; I'm useless and a liability. call me crazy, but something tells me that "ah yes, we shall give ze deranged cripple ze power tools" isn't the communist position.

7a) "they/them can't be singular pronouns"

yes they can, and they're used as such in both shakespeare and the bible. but you don't have to say this - I'm also okay with he/him, so you could've just used those and chilled out. also, do I look like somebody who views the rules of grammar as fully immutable and imperative?

7b) "enbies/aros/pan/etc aren't valid"

do you really think that you're going to change any hearts or minds by putting that in my ask box or under my funny maymays? chill out, it's not worth the effort - you could be planning a party (in minecraft) and having fun instead. it isn't worth my time to rant at everybody who's saying something isn't valid, updating how I'm explaining it as my opinions grow and general discourse around it evolves; I'm just who I am, somebody else is who they are - why bicker in presumptuous ways about if that's enough? it ultimately is valid, in my opinion, but that isn't an invitation to keep demanding that I debate. (edit: old posts of mine probably don't phrase things incredibly, on this or anything... I tried.)

8) "what are your politics?"

my politics are informed first and foremost by the knowledge that I'm not cut out to be some kind of leader - I don't want to be the guy who tells everyone else what to do, I just offer what seem to me like valid criticisms of how we are doing things now, and general pointers on the values and ethics that I would prefer to move towards. things like individual freedom, taking the most pacifist route where possible, trying not to give excessive power to small groups of people (governments or corporations), helping those in need even when they're not palatable, and letting me suck loads of dicks. but please refrain from decreeing me something - there's not enough information in what I said, so you'll just be filling in the blanks with assumptions. (edit: workplace democracy seems cool to me; benefits are good; fair fines and taxes; and the "sperm makes you loopy" saga: 1, 2, 3, and 4.)

9) "you're a narcissist"

no, I don't meet the diagnostic criteria. joking on the internet that you're hot doesn't make a person a narcissist. the fact that I've chosen to keep my actual self-esteem issues to myself is not proof that they don't exist - you're just not entitled to that information about me. but it's also not narcissism to really like how you look. (edit: don't throw labels around carelessly too.)

10a) "kin list?"

the fabric of the universe, a zombie, dionysus, maned wolf/arctic fox hybrid, a comedian, big gay, big rock, ambiguously partial insincerity. (edit: kin list may or may not be incomplete.)

10b) "kin isn't valid/that's just being insane"

haven't we established that I'm deranged, and that sending stuff like this on anon is simply a waste of your precious time? besides, I do not care if it's invalid or insane - it's fun, I'm happy. (edit: see 7b for my opinion on sending me yet another ask with "that's invalid" in it; I'm not in the mood to discuss the nature of validity.)

bonus: "it gets better" and "trigger list?"

as I've said before, things just don't always get better for everyone - sometimes things can't be cured or even treated, sometimes they kill you; in some cases it could get better if not for a blockade or lack of time. the world is messy. it needs to be more normalised to reassure or comfort people without relying on saying that their issue will get better or be cured. it does suck to be this ill, but it also sucks to be made out to be a lazy pessimist, just because I have the audacity to not play along. and as for the trigger list, I don't like providing people with an easily accessed list of ways to hurt my feelings or harm me - upsetting me is supposed to be challenging, and thus rewarding. if you want a cheat sheet then you're out of luck, I'm afraid.

bonus #2: "FAQ stands for frequently asked questions, it doesn't need that s at the end!"

yeah, I know, I just enjoy chaos and disarray.

bonus #3 (edit): "what are your disabilities and how exactly are they incurable and/or deadly?"

again, I don't tell the internet everything about me, especially when it poses a risk, especially not as an easily accessible list for you to refer back to whenever you feel inclined to hurt my feelings. that is understandably a sore subject. (edit: that includes physical health issues btw.)

bonus #4 (edit): "so we shouldn't be critical?"

if it wasn't clear from my answer about politics or my post in general, you can have opinions about things, and you can voice that. it's just not realistic to exist at extremes: to think that you alone should dictate what exists in fiction, or to think that people shouldn't be expressing disdain or criticism of any calibur. say how you feel about things, that's fine, but it's also fine if people find that they don't value your input. plus we're all flawed, we can all be hypocritical from time to time, we all get bitchy, and we all make mistakes, or even knowingly fuck things up. that's important to keep in mind, whether we're talking about the one being criticised or the one doing the criticising - poor choices of words, imperfect tone, or contradictory ideas are inevitably going to happen occasionally.

congrats on reaching the end! if you have, at any point, said one of these to me, you owe a hug to your nearest loved one (once it's safe).

edit: might add more links/bonus points in the future when I think of things, but it's late now. (sorry for links where prior notes in the thread have my old url, that may get a tad confusing; also, not all links are my blog or my op, since it is to illustrate points/vibes, not to self-promo.)

[mcusoulmateau]

Jane Foster, the Consultant

(If this looks a bit familiar, it’s because a version of this has been put on AO3. But I’m reworking it, taking Jane in new, more canon-divergent directions.)

It could be worse, Jane tells herself. There are whispers that one girl in her grade has a mark in hieroglyphics. Some people say that Brittany and James only broke up because James’s mark came in with a boy’s name. And everyone knows that Coach Fowler has no mark and is bitter about it.

 Still. “Thor” is pretty bad, and it’s not even in English. She spends a whole day in the library just trying to decode the not-English-alphabet language on her arm before she knows for sure what the name even is.

 Jane’s best friend suggests that she travel to Scandinavia for a better chance at finding a Thor. Jane shrugs the suggestion off and keeps dating her not-Thor boyfriend, a sweet boy called Brandon.

 But Jane Foster is not one of the brightest minds of her age because she can forget about an idea. The same obsession that drives her to excel at astrophysics also compels her to learn everything she can about her would-be soulmate. The only Thor she has even heard of is a pagan god, so that’s where she starts.

 She is by no means religious, but these stories give her a feeling of home that she has never found outside of research. Just like writing papers and entering centuries-long academic discourse, myths give her a community and a sense that some knowledge belongs uniquely to her. On Thursdays, she feels something that might be her soul. If Thor is Jane’s and Thursday is Thor’s day, then it follows that it is also Jane’s day.

 The romantic in her wins out, and Jane studies abroad in her junior year of college. She bounces across Europe, meeting a handful of Thors but never hers. One is the young son of an archeology professor, a little boy whose mother convinces her to tough out the double major and to keep studying the ancient Norse. Jane babysits little Thor and loses herself in his mother’s library after he falls asleep. Another Thor is an old man who bartends at a pub she frequents, and he tells her about the myths so precious the Nazis invaded to dig them up.

 That catches Jane’s attention, and before she knows it, she’s submitting her thesis proposal about the Nazi incursion in a tiny town in Norway.

 Uncovering the Mystery of Tønsberg:

Norse Mythology, HYDRA, and the Impossible Advancements of the Nazi Science Division

 It’s a wild thing, she knows, not like her neat lab experiments. This is photographs of Johann Schmidt’s personal belongings, taped interviews with Dr. Armin Zola before his death, centuries-old poetry and stories about Odin and his treasures, interviews and diaries from the Tønsberg survivors, photographs and reports from battlefields all over Europe, even an interview she manages to score with Strategic Scientific Reserve officer Margaret “Peggy” Carter. Peggy is not a scientist, but she is an eye witness who affirms many of Jane’s theories. She’s also frustratingly coy.

 Still. By the end of it, Jane Foster is so close to reverse-engineering HYDRA’s weapons that it hurts. There’s something, this nameless treasure that holds the secret to Schmidt’s science and Norse mythology, something that gave Schmidt incredible power and that the people of Tønsberg tried desperately to protect. And Jane knows in her bones that Thor is involved. She calls this mysterious MacGuffin “the Cosmic Cube,” even though she’s only 70% sure that it’s even cubic.

 In front of a panel of professors and TAs, she begins.

 “I did not think it would be possible to write a single thesis that unites my two majors of Physics and Germanic Mythology, the latter of which is a custom program designed for me. Yet, while studying abroad in Norway, I visited several archeological sites with mythological significance, where I discovered the ruin brought on by Nazi Germany. Though the accounts of what Johann Schmidt did to the Norwegians are horrific, it was the stories about Schmidt’s exploits after leaving Norway that caught my attention. Survivors, Allied and Axis alike, all tell of physics-defying weapons wielded by Schmidt and his men. I believe that Schmidt found something in Tønsberg, Norway, something of mythological significance, that gave him and the Nazis a technological edge on the Allies.

 “By all accounts, Johann Schmidt, the head of the Nazi Science Division, HYDRA, was obsessed with Norse paganism and mythology. . . .”

 When she is done with her speech and accompanying slide projections, most of her professors look impressed. Not convinced, but impressed. They thank her and send her on her way when she is confronted by a woman in a suit.

 “Jane Foster,” she says. “My name is Dr. Weaver, of S.H.I.E.L.D., and I’d like to offer you a job.”

 She says she can fast-track her for a PhD, get her a spot in her organization’s elite Academy of Science and Technology, maybe give her a chance to study things like the Cosmic Cube. But something about it doesn’t feel right, the fact that she’s never even heard of this organization. And if they know about the Cube, why didn’t she find anything about it when she was researching? And why does Jane get the feeling that if she accepts, she’ll be signing away her freedom?

 They compromise, and Jane Foster becomes a consultant of S.H.I.E.L.D. Years pass, and they never call her, and she starts to forget about the shadowy organization. They have better astrophysicists they can call, better experts in Norse myth—why would they bother with a PhD candidate like her? She has better things to think about, like tracking meteorological anomalies and theorizing about interstellar travel.

 And then New Mexico happens.

 Jane and her intern, who is also her only friend, are chasing an atmospheric disturbance when a man falls out of the sky. A man who looks like all the drawings and paintings from her mythology studies. A man who wields a hammer. A man whose name matches the name on her wrist.

 When Thor finally acts reasonable (though if she had traveled lightyears via an Einstein-Rosin Bridge, got hit by a van, tazed, and sedated, she doubts she’d be reasonable), Jane tells him she believes him.

 “I know who you are,” she says, “but I don’t know how you are who you are.”

 “You’ve heard the tales of me, then?” he asks with that cocky smile.

 “Tales? More like myths. Maybe humans believed them, once, but not anymore.”

 “But you do.”

 “I didn’t until a few hours ago. And it’s only because—” She stops herself, heart pounding. “I don’t want to presume anything. Do your species even have soulmarks? But…” It’s easier if she shows him.

 Jane uncovers her wrist and holds it out for Thor to see.

 “I am sorry,” he says. “Mine is not a match.”

 Her heart plummets. “Can I see? How do I know I can believe you?”

 He smiles sadly. “You may. But I would not lie to you, Jane. I do care for you.”

 “I do care for you” is hardly the passionate speech Jane has dreamed of hearing from her soulmate. Yet, it is a balm to the wound in her chest, an assurance that things may yet work out.

 Thor removes the alien covering from his wrist. On it, in the same alphabet as her own mark, is the name “Loki.”

 “Him? Isn’t he—he’s your brother!”

 “I do not know why fate gave me his name and not yours, or any other. But my destiny is entwined with his, for good or ill. It would not do to enmesh you in our affairs.”

 “But—but you care for me,” she stutters.

 “Yes.” He seems to hope she will be satisfied with that answer alone, but when she is not, he continues. “I care for you, Jane Foster, which is why I cannot bring you to Asgard. Only a true match may rule, and I cannot abdicate the throne. You would be in far more danger there—from him, from a thousand others—than you would on Midgard. ”

 He’s handsome and kind and dreamy and noble and fascinating and everything she could want in a soulmate. But he’s also an alien and decidedly not a match for her. When Thor leaves Earth, Jane Foster returns to academia. S.H.I.E.L.D. asks for her help with studying the Bifrost and the marks it leaves behind, and the agent who had tried to wipe her research on Thor’s arrival apologizes by giving her access to the Cosmic Cube.

 But it turns out that Thor was wrong about at least one thing: Jane Foster is still very much in danger of Loki while on Midgard, especially given her proximity to the Cube.

 Perhaps, in another reality, Loki would puppet a different human. Perhaps the Tesseract, the Chitauri invasion, all of it would still play out the same way. Perhaps it makes no cosmic significance that it is Jane Foster who Loki picks to be his influence on Earth.

 But it matters to Jane, cosmic significance be damned. For months, she is made and unmade by a stranger, driven by whispers and whims she doesn’t understand. It’s not entirely against her will, either. She has been champing at the bit for a chance to focus exclusively on the Cube for a decade. It just takes a push from Loki for her to seize that opportunity.

 It’s a little poetic, in a backwards way, that she should be puppetted by her soulmate’s soulmate. For a normal couple—a true match—one is always controlled by one’s soulmate’s soulmate (i.e. one’s self). But she, with her alien mark and her god inexplicably bound to his brother, she gets this twisted version of a soulmate. If she were herself, she’d be horrified. But the god of mischief in her brain finds it all very amusing.

 Besides, there is no time for horror when there is research to be done. Working with the Cube begins to consume her, and Jane—both with and without Loki’s influence—is rather willing to be consumed.

 “I understand the ancient Norwegians a lot better now,” she confesses to Dr. Selvig one night over a beer. “Putting the Cube in a church, in a place of honor, revering the ones who sent it as gods.”

 “Finding religion, are you?” he asks, only partly joking.

 “Maybe. The Cube is beautiful, Erik. Otherworldly. Perfect. It’s an actual four-dimensional shape, and sometimes I feel like I’m on the edge of finally comprehending it. Not just theoretically, but really getting it. If I were the type, I think I’d worship it.”

 She isn’t sure how much of her right now is Jane and how much is Loki. Nevertheless, her words are true.

 “Anything new to report?”

 “It’s more than an energy source, that’s for sure. Maybe the energy output is the most useful attribute, at least for human civilization right now, but I’m almost positive that the thing can warp spacetime. Maybe it makes time loops, maybe it creates tiny wormholes, maybe it can manipulate the space between subatomic particles. But the readings it creates don’t get explained away by energy alone.”

 “You think we could see interstellar travel with the Cube.”

 “Imagine creating your own Bifrost whenever and wherever you pleased.”

 “You’re getting fanciful, Jane. Lost in the Edda.”

 “I have never been less lost, Erik. Johann Schmidt died on the Valkyrie with Steve Rogers. Except Rogers isn’t dead, and there’s not a single shred of Schmidt’s remains on that ship. Forensically speaking, there ought be some trace of him, even after seventy years. But there’s not! And the Cube is involved, somehow. I just have to piece this mystery together, like all the others.”

 “Your poking at mysteries will be the death of you. And I’m only half charmed and endeared when I say that. The other half of me is quite concerned.”

 Jane smiles, though it does not reach her eyes. “It’s not such a bad way to go.”

 When she is on the cusp of sleep that night, a whisper creeps into the base of her skull, a primal thought she will only barely remember in the morning: a doorknob in the shape of an otherworldly Cube.

  Days later, with the help of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or two, the door opens.

[curiousobsession101]

@ichthus95​ and a few other people and me are in a Starfinder campaign DMed by one of my two best friends (not @littleblackdragonbayard​ , one who doesn’t have a tumblr). Originally the party was my character Ressa (a true neutral damaya lashunta), ichthus’ character Sim (a chaotic good ysoki), and Bolt (a true neutral android). Here are some highlights from our campaign so far:

Session 1:

Sim: They did shoot me. Ressa: You wouldn’t have been shot if you hadn’t run out in front of them. Sim: That’s victim blaming! A few sessions later our assignment by the Starfinder society had led to us exploring a derelict ship with a mysteriously missing crew. On the ship we quickly found a lone survivor, a true neutral vesk named Gomorod (technically an npc) who immediately joined out party. It turned out the ship was attacked by monsters that were weak to water, and after the crew was killed some goblins had arrived to collect scrap and had been killed by the monsters too, with only two survivors. Later, same session: Ressa: I give the goblins each a flask of water. DM: They seem slightly disappointed these won’t set anything on fire. Ressa: You can set the ship on fire after we’re done investigating it. Goblins: We can we can?! Ressa (OOC): *laughing* I like them. Can we keep them? Sim (OOC): *also laughing* Yeah!!

(We didn’t set the ship on fire.)

End of that session:

DM: I didn’t expect them to actually survive! Now I have to come up with names and classes for them!! The goblins are called Stinky and Smelly and they’re our unofficial party mascots now. After exploring the ship we went to this asteroid where an android bounty hunter shot at us. We fought and won but didn’t kill him, and he joined our party (Thrynn, a chaotic neutral android played by someone who had joined the campaign late.) Eventually we ended up in a situation that required formalwear and this happened: Sim: Does a lab coat count as formal clothing? Thrynn: Do you have a tie to go with it? Sim: That is a GREAT idea!

Then we were doing some research in a library and Thrynn picked up a book on Aucturn. This whole conversation was OOC: Ressa: Wait you’re interested in Aucturn? Thrynn: Yes. Ressa: And we’ve confirmed you speak Infernal? Thrynn: Yes. Ressa: What’s your alignment again? Thrynn: Chaotic Neutral. This is just professional curiosity. Ressa: Oh yeah, being a bounty hunter means you need to know as much as possible about Nyarlathotep and them. Thrynn: Of course. Ressa: Wait, was it someone on Aucturn who hired you to kill us?” Android 2: “I told you, I don’t know who hired me. Ressa: Maybe it was a shell company on Aucturn! (later, same conversation, still OOC, also Ressa is a priestess of Lao Shu Po): Ressa: Well Ressa wouldn’t question your alignment based on your interest in Aucturn. She’d just find it interesting. Thrynn: Your character worships a death rat. Ressa: Exactly! Much later we’re in a forest surrounded by creatures colloquially called “stingbats”. We’ve killed all but one. DM: The last stingbat looks like it doesn’t really want to fight anymore. Ressa: We should let it go. Bolt: Yeah, no point wasting charges if it’s not even gonna fight otherwise. Later, same campaign after a much tougher fight: DM: The stingbat from earlier shows up and holds out a mark one serum of healing to you. Ressa: Awesome. Can we keep it? Sim: Yeah it can be our new pet! DM: Ugh, NO! Bolt: Aw, why not?

(the stingbat stayed with us for several sessions after that perched on a party member’s shoulder) Thrynn’s player has missed a few sessions for various reasons. Whenever we have a session and he’s not there we joke that Thrynn is updating and the reason it takes so long to update is because he was made by Apple. At one point he was gone for several sessions in a row and we made frequent jokes about how long it was taking him to update. This was during that time:

DM: The fungal spores are no longer dangerous, but they cover the ground in drifts about three feet deep and they stain anything that touches them pink. Sim: That’s almost as tall as I am. Um, I stay behind Gomorod and walk in the path he clears out. DM: Actually, Gomorod picks up Thrynn and basically uses him as a snowplow through the spores. He’s pink all over now. Bolt: A sporeplow! Ressa (OOC): Oh my god, he upgraded to the rose gold version!

A couple sessions later:

DM: Ressa, roll charisma. Ressa (OOC): Um why? DM: Just roll it. Ressa (OOC): Nat 20. My first decent roll today. DM: This creature [shows a picture of a sky fisher] appears in front of you and shoots sticky threads at you. You are now entangled. That roll was to look like the most delicious party member. (a round or two later, having established the sky fisher is a very strong opponent) Ressa: I try to communicate with it telepathically and tell it that whoever’s been shooting at us from on top of that statue must be way more delicious than someone as scrawny as me. DM: It considers for a moment, and then you feel it touch your minds again and say “I will help you.” Later, same session, the sky fisher has eaten the npc on top of the statue. (This conversation is all OOC): DM: Wow, they really didn’t plan for you guys to have telepathy. Ressa: What? But there’s two main playble races with telepathy! DM: I know but they apparently really didn’t expect you to convince the sky fisher the shirren would be delicious. They have TONS of information on what you could have found out from interrogating them. Ressa: Well that sky fisher was super helpful. Could we persuade it to join our party? DM: NO!! Bolt: Oh come on, it’s really good in a fight! DM: OK if you go back to civilization in Castrovel with a sky fisher following you, you’ll be shot on sight. They really don’t like sky fishers there. Thrynn: Why not? DM: THEY EAT PEOPLE! Thrynn and Ressa: So? Sim: But it can turn invisible. Can’t we just have it turn invisible when we get back to the city? DM: If they pass a check they’ll notice it. Thrynn: OK so we just need to get it to fly high enough that it’s too far away for them to notice it if it’s invisible. Sim: How tall are the buildings here? *cue a ten minute long discussion of how to get the sky fisher on our spaceship without being noticed* DM: Well if you ask it to join your party it will tell you it doesn’t like enclosed spaces like a spaceship. Whole party: Aw..

There have been a few jokes during the campaign that instead of a stereotypical “seduce ALL the things!” party we’re an “adopt ALL the things!” party. Also our stingbat ran away before we could take it to the ship with us and we all miss it terribly. Today we had the last session of the second segment of our campaign. Here are the highlights. (Sim’s backstory is that he has been a college student pretty much his entire adult life but he’s decided to take a gap year and gain some real-world experience by temporarily joining the Starfinder Society.)

(this conversation is all OOC, also keep in mind Thrynn and Ressa are the most money-hungry characters in the party) DM: After you get back to the university of Castrovel, you’re offered two options of payment. Either each of you can take a 1000 credit “research grant” or you can take up to three years free tuition at the university. Sim: I’ll take the research grant. Thrynn: Do they have online classes? DM: No. Thrynn: I might just leave the party to get my degree here. DM: It’s only for three years. Thrynn: I’ll take some extra classes, it’ll be fine. Ressa: Yeah honestly, can Ressa ask for a moment to think about it. After what’s happened, she’s discovered an interest in learning about history and other religions. Bolt: Yeah, free classes! Thrynn: We can go back to the Starfinder Society in three years! DM: You do this, you go back three years later and the universe has ended. Thrynn: Not my problem. Ressa: Ressa wouldn’t care. DM: Yes Ressa would care! That’s where she keeps all her stuff! Ressa: But HISTORY! DM: And [our direct superior in the Starfinder Society] is mad at you. Sim: Wait, why’s he mad at us? Ressa: He means he’d be mad at us if we quit the Starfinder Society to go to college. DM: Yeah because you’re well aware that even if what you found out turns out to be wrong, all the Devourer cultists would rally around it and try to destroy the entire universe and you didn’t stop them! Thrynn: OK then just let us take online classes. Bolt: We have a system-wide comm unit now. *several minutes of arguing later* DM: OK! You can take online classes! Jeez! Bolt: Great! Now whenever [Thrynn���s player] isn’t here we can just say Thrynn is doing homework! Sim: Sorry, got a term paper coming up. Thrynn: Look mom! I’m getting smart! DM: Oh god no... (Sim ended up being the only one to take the money and the rest of us are now officially enrolled at the university.) (During this conversation Ressa opens telepathic communications with the other party members so they can talk without Aria hearing.)

DM: OK as you approach your ship you see a cloaked figure approach. She introduces herself as Aria and offers to pay you to take her to Akiton because she has a shipment of cargo to sell. Bolt (OOC): I can’t tell from the picture, what species is she? DM: That’s a life science check. *one of our party rolled high* DM: She’s an elf. *after a little bit of discussion where we talked about how smuggling stuff to Akiton was EXTREMELY SUSPICIOUS and we didn’t want to get in potential danger but also most of the party are greedy fucks* DM: She offers to pay you 10,000 credits to take her to Akiton. Ressa (via telepathy): OK her cargo is DEFINITELY illegal. Thrynn (via telepathy): But that’s a lot of money. Ressa (via telepathy): I’m just concerned it might be slaves. Otherwise, it’s fine. Sim: Will your cargo require any food or water during the trip? Aria: With any luck, no. After a little bit of conversation, we discovered we’d misunderstood and the DM didn’t mean she was smuggling cargo TO Akiton, she was smuggling cargo OFF of Akiton and didn’t much care where we brought her and her cargo to as long as there was a population she could sell to and it wasn’t Castrovel.

Sim (via telepathy): OK if she taking cargo from Akiton I’m slightly less suspicious. Ressa, who grew up on Akiton, (via telepathy): You know how I was a drug dealer on Akiton? Sim (via telepathy): Yeah... Ressa (via telepathy): YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS ON AKITON OTHER THAN DRUG DEALERS, SIM? GANGS, CRIMINALS, CEOS DOING ILLEGAL SHIT, SLAVERS! Her cargo coming FROM Akiton rather than going TO Akiton makes it MORE suspicious, not less! DM: She offers to pay you double if you take her somewhere she can sell her cargo. Ressa (via telepathy): Oh man, that’s so much money... Thrynn (via telepathy): Well if we won’t be in danger we can just drop her off somewhere it’ll be their problem. Ressa (OOC): [DM] you said she doesn’t care where we take her? DM: Nope. Ressa (OOC): Can we take her to the Diaspora? DM: It has to be somewhere she can breathe. Ressa (OOC): What about Aballon? Bolt (OOC): She can breathe there as long as she stays underground. DM: You need to take her somewhere there are people who will buy her stuff. Ressa: I know it’s not a planet but if we take her to the kasatha ship- DM: They wouldn’t let her on. Ressa: Darn. Thrynn: What’s on the other side of the Diaspora? DM: Eox. Thrynn: We could take her to Eox. DM: She doesn’t look too happy about it but she accepts your offer to take her to Eox. Ressa: OK if we let her on the ship I think we need to keep her under watch at all times. We can each take turns watching her but I think Gomorod should go first. DM: Gomorod watches her for a day and a night and then tells you he’s refusing to watch her any more. Sim (OOC): Why? DM: She’s creepy. Ressa (OOC): SHE creeps GOMOROD out?? Bolt (OOC): Well elves are generally described as being either ethereally beautiful or kinda creepy. I guess she’s the creepy kind. Ressa (OOC) (I’ve never done a pathfinder-style campaign before this): Pathfinder elves are weird. Either way, if Gomorod is creeped out that’s VERY suspicious. But we can rotate who keeps watch so each of us watches for a day and a night at a time and he doesn’t have to watch her for more than that at a time. Bolt, Sim, and Thrynn (OOC): OK sure. DM: Gomorod refuses to watch her at night. Ressa (OOC): Oh. Well we can rotate day and night shifts so he only watches her during the day. DM: He agrees to that.

Pretty much the whole time Aria is on board and Ressa is awake, Ressa keeps telepathic communications open with Thrynn, Bolt, Sim, and Gomorod.

Sim: I’ll take the next night watch. DM: *sends Sim a private message of what he observes* Sim (OOC): Well now I know why Gomorod was creeped out. The rest of us (OOC): What is it? Won’t you tell us? Sim (OOC): Yeah, I’ll tell the others. DM: She never blinks, and at night her eyes glitter like diamonds. Bolt (OOC): So do we know if this is a normal elven thing? DM: No, you know that elf eyes don’t do that.

Later, we’ve long since picked up her cargo and we’re almost at Verces where we intend to drop off another passenger. This is Sim’s home planet and he plans to use family connections to help her find a job.

Sim (OOC): So how many siblings should I have? DM: About a hundred. Ressa (OOC): So what you’re saying is they breed like rats? DM and Sim (OOC): Yes. Ressa (OOC): So can I roll Diplomacy to try to get [Aria] to answer more questions about herself? Sim (OOC): Is it Ressa’s turn to watch her? Ressa (OOC): She can volunteer to take this shift even if it’s not her turn. [DM] can I roll Diplomacy to ask her questions? DM: You can ask her questions, but don’t bother to roll. Just roleplay this part. Ressa: *asks general questions about the cargo* Aria: *reaffirms that the cargo is not alive but otherwise deflects the questions* DM: You notice that at the back of her head, something seems to be moving under her hood. Aria: *a couple more questions later she excuses herself to the bathroom* Ressa: *follows at a distance and stands in the hallway leading to the bathrooms while Aria is in there* Thrynn (via telepathy): I’m gonna sneak in and try to look at one of the crates. Ressa (via telepathy): I’ll tell you if she comes out of the bathroom. Thrynn: *a few successful rolls later, manages to look in one of the crates* DM: You can see that it’s a statue, but you can’t make out details through the packing peanuts. Ressa (OOC): They still use packing peanuts? DM: Yes, but they’re magic packing peanuts. Bolt (OOC): Are they edible? DM: No, but the ones that fall out of the crate disappear instead of getting everywhere. Later, after Thrynn has made it look like he never opened the crate and left, Ressa and Aria are back in the room, and Ressa’s made a bit more idle chitchat with her: Aria: I’m a bit bored in here with my cargo. Ressa: Would you like me to get you a deck of cards? Aria: I guess. Or maybe I could see more of the ship? Thrynn (via telepathy): If we get her into the holodeck we could set up a game of poker and at some point one of us could “trip” and pull her cloak off. Ressa: We have a holodeck. *smiles* Thrynn just said he’d like to play cards with you. Aria: Ah, right, telepathy. Ressa: *laughs slightly and waves her antennae* That’s a common reaction. *inwardly makes a mental note because even if Aria isn’t an elf we picked her up from Castrovel where almost every sentient native species is telepathic so it seems odd at best for Aria to react that way*

(OOC Thrynn made it very clear one of his plans was to try to seduce Aria into either admitting what she was or taking off her cloak.)

Thrynn (OOC): Wow, Ressa’s doing really well at poker. Ressa (OOC): Yeah, see, I can roll high when the rolls don’t actually matter! Thrynn (OOC): We’re almost at Verces, right? DM: Yeah. Thrynn (OOC): Can we slow down so we don’t get there just yet? Bolt, who is in another room, (OOC): I’m part of the telepathic skype call right? Ressa (OOC): Yeah, with this psychic booster we got Ressa can communicate telepathically almost all the way across the ship. Sim (OOC): But I’m the pilot! I’ll do it. Just give me an excuse to leave. Thrynn: I’m parched. Sim, do you think you could get us some drinks? Sim: What kind of drinks? Thrynn: Pan-galactic gargle blaster. Ressa (OOC): NO we need to not be incapacitated. Thrynn (OOC): Virgin pan-galactic gargle blaster! Ressa (OOC): Every single ingredient is a strong intoxicant and some of them are fatal! Thrynn (OOC): A virgin pan-galactic gargle blaster is just water.

Eventually we settled for Starfinder equivalents of vodka, tequila, and whiskey. It quickly became clear that Aria either isn’t affected by alcohol or has an insanely high tolerance. Also we weren’t getting to Verces until this whole thing reached some kind of conclusion.

Thrynn (OOC): So now we won’t get there until after nightfall right? Ressa (OOC): Yep so you get to tell her her eyes sparkle.

Ressa: *to Aria* I have some really good hyperleaf if you want some. Aria: Alcohol is the only drug I do. Ressa: *nods* *says via telepathy* She doesn’t know what she’s passing up. I NEVER give my drugs away for free.

Thrynn: Let’s make things a little more interesting. The winner drinks one shot, and the loser drinks two. Ressa (via telepathy): I deal drugs. I don’t do drugs! Thrynn (via telepathy): You can drink shots of water it’s fine. Ressa (via telepathy): No I’m doing this. I just won’t be drinking much. Ressa (OOC): She’s probably a super lightweight. Sim (OOC): Well she’s very light weight. Ressa (OOC): Exactly! Plus she’s never gotten drunk in her life.

Ressa (OOC): Wait you’re drinking booze in real life?? Thrynn (OOC): I’m a method actor!

Thrynn: So you’re from Castrovel right? Aria: Yes. Thrynn: *starts making small talk in Castrovellian which we all speak* Aria: *responding in Castrovellian but no more talkative than before* Ressa: *looking at Aria’s empty glass* *speaking in Elven* Want another drink? Aria: Y-yes? DM: Aria is hesitant, like she’s not sure she’s responding correctly. Ressa: *in Castrovellian because most of the party doesn’t speak Elven* Sim could you get Aria a refill? Sim: Sure. Ressa: *to Aria, in Elven again* Don’t you speak Elven? Aria: *turns to Thrynn and speaks in either Common or Castrovellian it wasn’t specified* Want to play another round? Ressa (via telepathy): She doesn’t speak Elven!

DM: Gomorod’s getting tipsy. Aria doesn’t look affected at all. Party: Seriously??

Ressa (up to this point hasn’t had anything to drink): I shoot Thrynn a dirty look and down the two shots. Thrynn (via telepathy): You could just drink water. Ressa (via telepathy): I’m hoping if I’m theatrical about this I’ll amuse her.

Thrynn: Let’s make this more interesting. *takes a flower out of his bag that had previously been employed as a sort of magical lure that almost got Ressa and Bolt killed and even now is remarkably well preserved* If you win, I give you this flower. If I win, you drink that entire bottle of booze. Aria: Are you flirting with me?? Thrynn: Are you declining the challenge? Aria: Fine. Thrynn lost his flower but the round after that Aria lost. DM: After downing the whole bottle, you notice Aria starting to act slightly tipsy. Party: FINALLY! Ressa: *loses again* I guess I have to pay up. If you don’t want my drugs, I don’t have much... Aria: I don’t think you have anything I want. Ressa: Are you sure there’s nothing I could give you that you might want? Sim: That sounded very suggestive. Ressa (OOC): Oh thank god. In real life I’m super aro ace. I don’t know how to flirt!

Thrynn: Well I don’t really have anything else to wager. Let’s make this more interesting. How about strip poker? Thrynn (OOC): OK what does Ressa take off? Ressa (OOC): *almost says she takes of her shirt but then realizes something* Is casual clothing in the Starfinder universe equivalent to clothing in real life? DM: Yeah. Ressa (OOC): OK then- DM: She can take off her jacket. Ressa (OOC): Would she even be wearing a jacket? Oh whatever, she takes off her jacket. DM: Aria takes off the jacket she wears under her cloak. Thrynn can briefly see her forearms before she hides them under the table. They’re scaly. DM: Aria takes off her vest. Ressa (OOC): How many layers is she wearing?! DM: It’s in the picture. Sim (OOC): A lot.

Aria: I know what you’re trying to do. *gets up and walks to the door* Ressa: I follow her. Wait. It’s just that we know you’re lying to us. I’m not usually such a stickler for the truth but we need to be absolutely sure you’re not a danger to us. We weren’t trying to antagonize you. Aria: *sighs* I guess you’re going to pull this out of me no matter what. *reaches for her hood* Ressa: *hurriedly* Just don’t attack us and we don’t have a problem. DM: She pulls back her hood. She’s a medusa.

Thrynn (OOC): This makes me nervous about the statues. Bolt (OOC): Can flesh to stone be reversed? Sim (OOC): Yeah, flesh to stone can be reversed by a strong enough mystic.

Long story short, our characters questioned her and it turns out she’s spent her life making a living by turning “perverted” criminals into statues and selling them to rich people around the system as art pieces. She hid her identity because most races are pretty prejudiced against medusas because of the whole turning people to stone thing. Our characters immediately relaxed when we found this out.

Sim: We’re almost at Verces. Would you like to sell your cargo here instead of waiting for us to get to Eox? DM: She very much prefers selling on Verces than Eox. Necromancers and scavengers really don’t like medusas.

Once she realized we weren’t going to treat her badly because of her race, Aria asked to join our crew.

Ressa: Well we work for the Starfinder Society. You wouldn’t get much chance to do the kind of work you’ve been doing. Bolt: Plus there’s lots of firefights. Ressa: Is that OK with you? Bolt: All the bullets... Aria: A life of investigation and adventure? Count me in.

Aria: Plus I prefer to live somewhere people don’t want to stone me. Ressa: Is that why you refused the hyperleaf?

Sim: So I’ll ask my hundred or so siblings. Actually, we slowed down going to Verces, right? So it’s probably more now. Ressa: It’s only been a few hours! Also, your parents really need a hobby. Bolt: They have one! Thrynn: And they’re very good at it.

Sim: I hope nobody here is lactose intolerant because EVERYTHING in this dinner is gonna have cheese in it. Ressa: Even though Ressa has a clear spindle she’s gonna try a little bit of everything because she’s never had such good food in her life. She’s had Akiton-whatever-she-could-scrounge-up food and tasteless protein wafers and that’s it. And she’s going to compliment the chef. Aria: Aria too. She’s never had a home-cooked meal in her life.

Sim (OOC): Wait. [DM] I think my mom’s gonna have a SEIZURE when she sees Ressa. Ressa (OOC): Um she’ll try to placate her and explain that yes, she grew up starving on Akiton but she has a clear spindle now and doesn’t actually need food or water so she’s fine. DM: Will she have an issue with Aria keeping her face covered? She won’t want them to see her glittering eyes. Sim (OOC): She’ll be fine with that. She’ll just be upset I’m letting my friend go around malnourished.

[peterdiamandis]

3 dangerous ideas from Ray Kurzweil

Recently I interviewed my friend Ray Kurzweil at the Googleplex for a 90-minute (live) webinar on disruptive and dangerous ideas, a prelude to my fireside chat with Ray at Abundance 360 this January. (Watch the replay here.)

Ray is my friend and the Co-founder and Chancellor of Singularity University.  He is also an XPRIZE Trustee, the Director of Engineering at Google, and one of the best predictors of our exponential future.

It’s my pleasure to share with you 3 compelling ideas that came from our conversation.

1. The Nation-State Will Soon Be Irrelevant

Historically, we humans don’t like change. We like waking up in the morning and knowing that that the world is the same as the night before.

That’s one reason why government institutions exist: to stabilize society.

But how will this change in 20 or 30 years? What role will stabilizing institutions play in a world of continuous, accelerating change?

“Institutions stick around, but they change their role in our lives,” Ray explained. “They already have. The nation-state is not as profound as it was. Religion used to direct every aspect of your life, minute to minute. It’s still important in some ways, but it's much less important, much less pervasive. [It] plays a much smaller role in most people's lives than it did, and the same is true for governments.”

Ray continues: “We are fantastically interconnected already. Nation-states are not islands anymore. So we're already much more of a global community. The generation growing up today really feels like world citizens much more than ever before, because they're talking to people all over the world and it's not a novelty.”

I’ve previously shared my belief that national borders have become extremely porous, with ideas, people, capital and technology rapidly flowing between nations. In decades past, your cultural identity was tied to your birthplace. In the decades ahead, your identify is more a function of many other external factors. If you love space, you’ll be connected with fellow space-cadets around the globe more than you’ll be tied to someone born next door.

2. We’ll hit longevity escape velocity before we realize we’ve hit it.

Ray and I share a passion for extending the healthy human lifespan.

I frequently discuss Ray’s concept of “longevity escape velocity” — the point at which, for every year that you’re alive, science is able to extend your life for more than a year.

Scientists are continually extending the human lifespan, helping us cure heart disease, cancer, and eventually neurodegenerative disease. This will keep accelerating as technology improves.

During my discussion with Ray, I asked him when he expects we’ll reach “escape velocity...”

His answer? “I predict it’s likely just another 10 to 12 years before the general public will hit longevity escape velocity.”

“At that point, biotechnology is going to have taken over medicine,” Ray added. “The next decade is going to be a profound revolution.”

From there, Ray predicts that nanorobots will “basically finish the job of the immune system,” with the ability to seek and destroy cancerous cells and repair damaged organs.

As we head into this sci-fi-like future, your most important job for the next 15 years is to stay alive. “Wear your seatbelt until we get the self-driving cars going,” Ray jokes.

The implications to society will be profound.  While the scarcity-minded in government will react saying, “Social Security will be destroyed,” the more abundance-minded will realize that extending a person’s productive earning lifespace from 65 to 75 or 85 years old would be a massive boom to the GDP.

3. Technology will help us define and actualize human freedoms.

The third dangerous idea from my conversation with Ray is about how technology will enhance our humanity, not detract from it.

You may have heard critics complain that technology is making us less human, and increasingly disconnected.

Ray and I share a slightly different viewpoint: that technology enables us to tap into the very essence of what it means to be human.

“I don’t think humans even have to be biological,” explained Ray. “I think humans are the species that changes who we are.”

Ray argues that this began when humans developed the earliest technologies -- fire and stone tools. These tools gave people new capabilities, and became extensions of our physical bodies.

At its base level, technology is the means by which we change our environment, and change ourselves. This will continue, even as the technologies themselves evolve.

“People say, ‘Well, do I really want to become part machine?’ You're not even going to notice it,” says Ray, “because it's going to be a sensible thing to do at each point.”

Today, we take medicine to fight disease and maintain good health, and would likely consider it irresponsible if someone refused to take a proven, life-saving medicine.

In the future, this will still happen -- except the medicine might have nanobots that can target disease, or will also improve your memory so you can recall things more easily.

And because this new medicine works so well for so many, public perception will change. Eventually, it will become the norm… as ubiquitous as penicillin and ibuprofen are today.

In this way, ingesting nanorobots, uploading your brain to the cloud, and using devices like smart contact lenses can help humans become, well, better at being human.

Ray sums it up: “We are the species that changes who we are to become smarter and more profound, more beautiful, more creative, more musical, funnier, sexier.”

Speaking of sexuality and beauty, Ray also sees technology expanding these concepts. “In virtual reality, you can be someone else. Right now, actually changing your gender in real reality is a pretty significant, profound process, but you could do it in virtual reality much more easily and you can be someone else. A couple could become each other and discover their relationship from the other's perspective.”

In the 2030s, when Ray predicts sensor-laden nano robots will be able to go inside the nervous system, virtual or augmented reality will become exceptionally realistic, enabling us to “be someone else and have other kinds of experiences.”

Why Dangerous Ideas Matter

Why is it so important to discuss dangerous ideas?

I often say that the day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.

By consuming and considering a steady diet of “crazy ideas,” you train yourself to think bigger and bolder… a critical requirement for making impact.

As humans, we are linear and scarcity-minded.

As entrepreneurs, we must think exponentially and abundantly.

At the end of the day, the formula for a true breakthrough is equal to “having a crazy idea” you believe in, plus the passion to pursue that idea against all naysayers and obstacles.

Join Me

1. A360 Executive Mastermind: This is the sort of conversation I explore at my Executive Mastermind group called Abundance 360. The program is highly selective, for 360 abundance and exponentially minded CEOs (running $10M to $10B companies). If you’d like to be considered,

apply here

.

Share this with your friends, especially if they are interested in any of the areas outlined above.

2. Abundance-Digital Online Community: I’ve also created a Digital/Online community of bold, abundance-minded entrepreneurs called Abundance-Digital.

Abundance-Digital is my ‘onramp’ for exponential entrepreneurs – those who want to get involved and play at a higher level. Click here to learn more.

[wellesleyunderground]

Wellesley in Politics: Talking with Laura Fink ‘98 Founder and CEO, Rebelle Communications

You studied English lit at Wellesley.  How’d you go from that to working as a political consultant?

We all have an instinct that draws us to our particular vocation.  For some of us it doesn’t get us there right away, but mine never led me too far astray.  My passion for literature was grounded in a love of language and expression, and I have always been in awe of those that are deft with a turn of phrase.  The work I love best in politics – message development, speechwriting, candidate coaching and voter persuasion – involves these same elements.

I suppose I should mention that I also majored in political science – which I also enjoyed thoroughly. It gave me analytical skills and an historical context that is invaluable. However, contrary to popular belief it isn’t directly relevant to my day to day political work.  

At Wellesley I also played volleyball and was a member of Shakespeare Society. I loved both. I wasn't the best athlete on the court or actor on the stage, but they allowed my love of sport and performance to find a home, and taught me that I was often a better leader than player.   Appreciating your sweet spot and recognizing where your talent lies is perhaps the most important vocational training there is.

What do you do?  I noticed you started a new company this year.  How is that a change from your consulting firm of the past 10 years?

I am a creative at heart: a teacher, a strategist, a writer and a performer. My job is to move people, and teach others how to do the same.  Human influence is what political campaigns, corporations, advocacy groups and non-profit organizations have in common. Helping these groups and their leadership achieve their goals and solve problems through effective communication is what I love to do.

When I was 28 I started a consulting firm that was focused on fundraising, which was the lane that politics chose for me.  I wanted to do more, and so I expanded, taking on a variety of projects that enabled me to broaden my skillset: I ran campaigns, I produced large scale events, I developed strategic plans and advocacy strategies, I ghost wrote speeches and I drafted and executed press plans. I was a consigliore for politicians, non-profit leaders and philanthropists.  

After more than a decade in business together, my business partner and I decided to pursue different professional paths.  Although I always joke that since she married my brother, she can never get rid of me completely.  This gave me the push I needed to finally build a business around the work I love most.

Rebelle Communications is my new company.  Its focus is helping organizations and leaders tell their story in a way that resonates with the audiences essential to their success.  I help them find that message, and translate it into traditional and digital media and marketing. I also train leaders to speak on behalf of their organizations – writing speeches and talking points and helping them shine in front of the camera or behind the podium.   I do this not just for politicians and campaigns, but have also added businesses, advocacy groups and non-profit organizations and leaders to my dance card.

Which campaign that you’ve worked on have you learned the most from or was the most interesting to you?

Wow. That’s a tough one.  As a client for almost a decade, Congresswoman Susan Davis taught me how to work behind the scenes – and how subtlety and keeping your powder dry can be intensely effective.  As just one example, her work in repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was a case study in leadership.  I also loved running my dear friend Sarah Boot’s underdog city council campaign – she is so talented. We worked so hard, achieved so much, and lost so badly! It’s also impossible not to mention working for the former Speaker of the California State Assembly, Toni Atkins. She is a true political talent, and a sterling example of understanding power and using it for good.

You worked for Hillary Clinton for President.  What did you do for the campaign?

Oh the glory days of fundraising.  My business partner and I worked on a large scale fundraiser for Hillary’s 2008 campaign in San Diego. It was probably the largest event we ever executed, involving a covered tennis court, the secret service and managing a Bill Clinton photo line in an underground bowling alley.  My favorite memory was my Republican father enjoying getting his photo taken with the former President.

You’ve done quite a bit of volunteer service.  Which issues are you most passionate about volunteering with?

Not surprisingly for a Wellesley grad - I care deeply about women and girls being enfranchised – and enjoying the full freedom to pursue what they love to do and to live however they choose.  To achieve this, we need full reproductive freedom, and to level the playing field with a focus on the exponential disadvantage women of color face.  

The more women in leadership positions, the more we are likely to see policy change and a change in perception of women in power.  Normalizing women leaders will tear down stereotypes of what power looks like – which will change the game for women and girls across the board.

Fighting violence against women, the silencing of women’s voices through harassment and ridding women of narrow behavioral expectations and circumscribed life choices will free more of us to succeed in living lives we love.

My volunteer work tends to reflect these goals. I am the Vice Chair of San Diego’s Coalition for Reproductive Justice.  We raise funds to ensure freedom for all women to access abortion services, regardless of race, religion, income or geography. I belong to a philanthropic funding group focused on the empowerment of women and girls. I speak to civic groups and universities about women in politics, and frequently advise female candidates pro-bono. In the past I have coached girls volleyball and basketball – which I hope to do more of.  

If we can succeed in tapping into the tremendous reservoir of talent and leadership that women possess our world will be a better place.

How did you get involved in working as an on-camera analyst?

Trial by fire.  I was the second of 20 women that came forward to confront then San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and his record of sexual harassment and assault.  As one of the few women who was free to speak openly to the press (due to my not having a pending lawsuit), I reluctantly faced the gauntlet of national and local media in a scandal that lasted months before his resignation. By the end, I was good at speaking on camera under pressure.  When it was all over a local news director approached me about contributing to their news stories as a political analyst.  I agreed – and the exposure led to other stations enlisting me to do the same.  Now I am the exclusive political analyst for the highest rated nightly news station in San Diego (CBS!), I do a regular segment for the most popular morning show (Fox 5!), and appear on the other stations as well.  So, in the end, the lemonade made was commensurate with the lemons received!

You always stay so professional on camera, even when you’re being talked over.  What do you do to blow off steam afterwards?

I am frequently on in the morning, and since a mid day Manhattan is no longer professionally acceptable, I have to find other means!  Actually, the only way you persuade people on camera is to keep your cool – so I try not to get ruffled.   Generally the frustration sets in if I watch a heated exchange afterward and I feel that my response could have been better.  Then I phone a friend to reassure me that I am not an abject failure at defending the progressive cause.  A solid pep talk heals most TV wounds.

What inspires you?

I love developing individual talent, and helping for people and organizations that do amazing work. I enjoy the projects that require both the tactical and the creative.  I love being the underdog and winning.   People with courage and tenacity inspire me – the risk takers and the worker bees – the people with big hearts and sharp senses of humor who take on the tough fights.

New projects also inspire me – right now I am working on launching a podcast: “Bellwether: Everything is Political”.  I plan to do one on one interviews unpacking the politics of sports, pop culture, art, and of course the business by which we run our country.

[tastydregs]

3 Dangerous Ideas From Ray Kurzweil

Recently, I interviewed my friend Ray Kurzweil at the Googleplex for a 90-minute webinar on disruptive and dangerous ideas, a prelude to my fireside chat with Ray at Abundance 360 this January.

Ray is my friend and cofounder and chancellor of Singularity University. He is also an XPRIZE trustee, a director of engineering at Google, and one of the best predictors of our exponential future.

It’s my pleasure to share with you three compelling ideas that came from our conversation.

1. The nation-state will soon be irrelevant.

Historically, we humans don’t like change. We like waking up in the morning and knowing that the world is the same as the night before.

That’s one reason why government institutions exist: to stabilize society.

But how will this change in 20 or 30 years? What role will stabilizing institutions play in a world of continuous, accelerating change?

“Institutions stick around, but they change their role in our lives,” Ray explained. “They already have. The nation-state is not as profound as it was. Religion used to direct every aspect of your life, minute to minute. It’s still important in some ways, but it’s much less important, much less pervasive. [It] plays a much smaller role in most people’s lives than it did, and the same is true for governments.”

Ray continues: “We are fantastically interconnected already. Nation-states are not islands anymore. So we’re already much more of a global community. The generation growing up today really feels like world citizens much more than ever before, because they’re talking to people all over the world, and it’s not a novelty.”

I’ve previously shared my belief that national borders have become extremely porous, with ideas, people, capital, and technology rapidly flowing between nations. In decades past, your cultural identity was tied to your birthplace. In the decades ahead, your identify is more a function of many other external factors. If you love space, you’ll be connected with fellow space-cadets around the globe more than you’ll be tied to someone born next door.

2. We’ll hit longevity escape velocity before we realize we’ve hit it.

Ray and I share a passion for extending the healthy human lifespan.

I frequently discuss Ray’s concept of “longevity escape velocity”—the point at which, for every year that you’re alive, science is able to extend your life for more than a year.

Scientists are continually extending the human lifespan, helping us cure heart disease, cancer, and eventually, neurodegenerative disease. This will keep accelerating as technology improves.

During my discussion with Ray, I asked him when he expects we’ll reach “escape velocity…”

His answer? “I predict it’s likely just another 10 to 12 years before the general public will hit longevity escape velocity.”

“At that point, biotechnology is going to have taken over medicine,” Ray added. “The next decade is going to be a profound revolution.”

From there, Ray predicts that nanorobots will “basically finish the job of the immune system,” with the ability to seek and destroy cancerous cells and repair damaged organs.

As we head into this sci-fi-like future, your most important job for the next 15 years is to stay alive. “Wear your seatbelt until we get the self-driving cars going,” Ray jokes.

The implications to society will be profound. While the scarcity-minded in government will react saying, “Social Security will be destroyed,” the more abundance-minded will realize that extending a person’s productive earning life space from 65 to 75 or 85 years old would be a massive boon to GDP.

3. Technology will help us define and actualize human freedoms.

The third dangerous idea from my conversation with Ray is about how technology will enhance our humanity, not detract from it.

You may have heard critics complain that technology is making us less human and increasingly disconnected.

Ray and I share a slightly different viewpoint: that technology enables us to tap into the very essence of what it means to be human.

“I don’t think humans even have to be biological,” explained Ray. “I think humans are the species that changes who we are.”

Ray argues that this began when humans developed the earliest technologies—fire and stone tools. These tools gave people new capabilities and became extensions of our physical bodies.

At its base level, technology is the means by which we change our environment and change ourselves. This will continue, even as the technologies themselves evolve.

“People say, ‘Well, do I really want to become part machine?’ You’re not even going to notice it,” Ray says, “because it’s going to be a sensible thing to do at each point.”

Today, we take medicine to fight disease and maintain good health and would likely consider it irresponsible if someone refused to take a proven, life-saving medicine.

In the future, this will still happen—except the medicine might have nanobots that can target disease or will also improve your memory so you can recall things more easily.

And because this new medicine works so well for so many, public perception will change. Eventually, it will become the norm… as ubiquitous as penicillin and ibuprofen are today.

In this way, ingesting nanorobots, uploading your brain to the cloud, and using devices like smart contact lenses can help humans become, well, better at being human.

Ray sums it up: “We are the species that changes who we are to become smarter and more profound, more beautiful, more creative, more musical, funnier, sexier.”

Speaking of sexuality and beauty, Ray also sees technology expanding these concepts. “In virtual reality, you can be someone else. Right now, actually changing your gender in real reality is a pretty significant, profound process, but you could do it in virtual reality much more easily and you can be someone else. A couple could become each other and discover their relationship from the other’s perspective.”

In the 2030s, when Ray predicts sensor-laden nanorobots will be able to go inside the nervous system, virtual or augmented reality will become exceptionally realistic, enabling us to “be someone else and have other kinds of experiences.”

Why Dangerous Ideas Matter

Why is it so important to discuss dangerous ideas?

I often say that the day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.

By consuming and considering a steady diet of “crazy ideas,” you train yourself to think bigger and bolder, a critical requirement for making impact.

As humans, we are linear and scarcity-minded.

As entrepreneurs, we must think exponentially and abundantly.

At the end of the day, the formula for a true breakthrough is equal to “having a crazy idea” you believe in, plus the passion to pursue that idea against all naysayers and obstacles.

Image Credit: Tithi Luadthong / Shutterstock.com