Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2022-01-26
Books mentioned on Stewart Brand on Starting Things and Staying Curious
From psychedelics to cyberculture, hippie communes to commercial startups, and the Whole Earth Catalog to the Long Now Foundation, Stewart Brand has not only been a part of many movements—he was there at the start.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Aurora
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson is a hard science fiction novel that examines the immense logistical and biological challenges of a multi-generational space voyage sent to colonize a distant star system.
Discussed“but uh kim stanley robinson recently did a book called i think aurora where basically makes your point in my point that uh even if you get people out that far the wear and tear on the social fabric on the biology on everything you cannot isolate a very complex biological system like humans for that long”
Where to get it
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Termination Shock
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson is a speculative near-future science fiction novel that explores the dramatic geopolitical and environmental consequences of ambitious geoengineering schemes implemented to combat climate change.
Recommended“yeah i mean uh the the the new steele newtons and neil stephenson um termination shock is brilliant in terms of um really playing out the geo engineering schemes that are out there”
Where to get it
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The Ministry for the Future
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a speculative science fiction novel set in the near future that explores how global societies and central banks grapple with the mounting pressures and crises brought on by rapid climate change.
Recommended“and likewise kim stanley robinson uh with the ministry for the future um again beautiful research on what overheating uh wet bulb high temperatures can mean for for human survival in places like india uh”
Where to get it
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Japanese homes and their surroundings
Discussed“i first fell in love with japanese architecture through a book written by a japanese home in its surroundings 1896 by a new englander”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“well i wrote a whole book called how buildings learn um it's probably my best book and certainly most successful”