The Age of Transitions
Author and digital filmmaker Aaron Franz hosts this podcast about transhumanism, social manipulation, the occult, and much more.

Aaron talks about some of the strangest examples of his own brain's neurons firing off electro-chemical signals across synapses. 

topics include: status of podcast, remembering childhood consciousness, meditation as precursor to OBE, Nothing, experiences that defy logic, occult practices, metaphysics are misunderstood, attention, waking up, awareness during sleep, dreams, astral projection, Robert Bruce, mobile body awareness, Rosicrucians, sleep paralysis, vibration, feeling as though you are struggling with someone, dark side of your psyche, physical and metaphysical realities coincide, reductionist empiricism, Persinger’s God Helmet, public acquiescence to academic opinion, lucid dreaming experiences, telepathy, retaining awareness just before falling asleep, transhumanism, definition of normal

 

Direct download: 167_Out_There_Experiences.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:15am EDT

Aaron rounds off the Virtually There series (for now) with this look at the alt media/Truth Movement. It is easy to get lost in details and semantics when following alt media, but what larger effect has "the truth" had on society as a whole? What is it that we should individually believe in, and what should we be doing in order to make things better? 

topics include: massive change, no identity, Obama’s campaign slogan, anti-establishment election year, frustration, mainstream media, alternative media, what constitutes a victory for alt media, goals of truth movement, how to replace old system, return to past, not about solutions, suggestibility, conspiracy theories in mainstream media, trust no one, nothing to believe in, destroy and rebuild, right-wing extremism, fascism, overcoming confusion, regaining philosophy, put into a reactionary state

Direct download: 166_Virtually_There_ep11_Truth_and_Consequences.mp3
Category:podcast series -- posted at: 1:30am EDT

Virtually There continues as Aaron wrestles with the difficult topic of marriage. What is a marriage? What is a civil union? How are our ideas about marriage changing? We may individually have our own opinions on this issue, but what about the big picture? It is sad to see the shallow level at which the marriage debate takes place today, but you can bet that things are going to get a lot more serious as time goes on. 

topics include: marriage, civil unions, occult, chemical marriage, philosophy, politics, leftwing vs rightwing, social ideals, LGBT, definition of normal, legal structure, Love, creation, sexual union, reproduction, Gods, will, artificial wombs, artificial intelligence, government, population numbers, life extension, transhumanists, transhumanism, big picture, predictions, tough questions

Direct download: 165_Virtually_There_ep10_The_Biochemical_Marriage.mp3
Category:podcast series -- posted at: 4:37pm EDT

Virtually There continues as Aaron talks a bit about media, and its role within the chaotic world we find ourselves in today. 

topics include: media, politics, lack of philosophy, med prefix, in the middle, opposing forces, occult principles, Gemini and Libra Zodiac signs, Hermes, mind, consensus reality, information overload, cognitive dissonance, confusion, hyperreality, reality of immaterial things, metaphysics, Fool, materialism, documentary, media bias, right and left wing, slogans, staying relevant, alternative media, questioning everything, truth, tearing apart, destroy and rebuild,  Freemasons in need of new members, meta conspiracy, storyteller, angry mob, search for identity, esoteric circles, conserving energy, detachment 

Direct download: 164_Virtually_There_ep9_Media.mp3
Category:podcast series -- posted at: 12:37am EDT

Continuing with the Virtually There podcast series Aaron talks about the current political scene in America. 2016 has been dubbed "the anti-establishment" presidential election year. How is it that most people are upset with the establishment, and how are they venting their frustrations? 

topics include: lack of philosophy, emerging technologies, political disintegration, Carroll Quigley, Western Civilization, American history, Revolutionary Tradition, France, national identity, material success, American Dream, American exceptionalism, imperial foreign policy, pseudo philosophies, slogans, propaganda, symptoms of decaying civilizations, vested special interest groups, individual freedom, belief, alienation, political influence, election year, anti-establishment year, Donald Trump, frustration, celebrity, PR, religion decaying, radical Islam, tough guy mentality, everyday things to create real change, geopolitics, National Security Act, counterintelligence, state sponsored entertainment, fog of war, World Stage, actors, Babylon, truth

Direct download: 163_Virtually_There_ep8_Political_Disintegration.mp3
Category:podcast series -- posted at: 12:56pm EDT

Aaron brings back the Virtually There podcast series with this seventh installment. Scientism is rising, and a corresponding lack of philosophy puts us in a troubling situation. Can we regain our ability to make sense of the world before we lose it all? 

topics include: environment within which technology further develops, world culture, progress, science as a process and tool, bumper stickers, fall of religion, true philosophy has been lost, Postmodernism, anomie, scientism, technocratic ideals, Industrial Revolution, technique, Jacques Ellul, social system, human needs not a priority, autonomous machines, transhumanism, enhanced human performance, the system as a living thing, human merge with The System, near future predictions, legal structural change, autonomous vehicles, driving jobs, displacement of human labor, digital inventory, online sales, sensors, narrow Ai, virtual world, cyber security, welfare, more free time, pace of work, distractions, Babylon, Manly P Hall


Transhuman technologies present very real dangers. That they could be used malevolently by terrorists is obvious. In today's terrorized world, what do we think will happen as such technologies "hit the market"? They won't be allowed into the hands of the average person to use as they please as many transhumanists wish to see happen.

topics include: instant news coverage, terror attacks in Brussels, keeping up with the news, entertainment shows, media convergence, sensationalism, terrorism, banning Muslims, modern political paradigm, Post 9/11 World, Security State, alternative media shifting views, transhumanism, transhuman fundamentalists, scientism, overpopulation, eugenics, terrorist potential of emerging technologies, Newt Gingrich, Age of Transitions, stakeholders, NBIC, nanotechnology, grey goo, biotechnology, Information Technology, digitized world, hackers, Cyber Security, Cognitive technologies, implantable chips, brain hacking, car hacking, ISIS, security agencies, military, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, narrow Ai, AGI, pattern recognition, video games, Big Data, social simulations, predictive models, Singularity Summit, autonomous machines, human labor displaced, human dignity attached to labor, Twitter, internet, memes, new podcast

Direct download: 161_Transhumanism_and_Terrorism.mp3
Category:social commentary -- posted at: 12:56am EDT

Aaron talks to his old friend Eric about traveling and living throughout the world. Eric is from America and has lived in China and Panama. 

topics include: traveling, Latin America, Northern China, extreme cold, food, construction, ice festival, working, ESL, natives, snails, collectivism vs individualism, coming back to America, Ohio, permaculture, Panama, Friendly Nations Visa, low population, expat cult, suburbs, pace of life, building homes, The Philippines, Northern California, Cambodian temples

Direct download: 160_Eric_Schickel_Life_in_Foreign_Lands.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 4:56pm EDT

Pearse Redmond returns to the show to tell us about Newsbud. Sibel Edmonds and others are trying to start a new large-scale online news source that will be completely funded by individual people, and not big foundations, corporations or government. If and when Newsbud is up and running Pearse will be a senior producer working full time to bring you more of the kind of material that he now creates at Boiling Frogs Post and Porkins Policy Review. Newsbud is now raising start up money via a Kickstarter campaign. 

topics include: Newsbud, multimedia platform, Kickstarter campaign, Sibel Edmonds, Peter B Collins, Bill Conroy, Pepe Escobar, studio equipment, office, stringers, comments, listener interaction, Jeffrey Epstein, Palm Beach FL, citizen journalism, editing, writing, travel budget, live video streaming, Christoph Germann, Porkins Great Game, podcasting, OJ Simpson, Boiling Frogs Post, quit yer day job, more time to produce media, The Peoples’ Voice, David Icke, vetting producers, celebrity, promotion, funding goal, Bernie Sanders, ski parachuting, James Corbett, interview series, live events, daily live shows, live chats, music, making a contribution

Direct download: 159_Pearse_Redmond_interview_Newsbud.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 1:04am EDT

This podcast examines the careers of four children's book authors/illustrators. All four served in the US military during World War 2. 

topics include: Richard Scarry, Busy Town, army, art career, New York, publishing industry, Golden Books, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Doctor Seuss, First Motion Picture Unit, propaganda, PM magazine, political cartoons, anti-isolationism, Warner Brothers, Disney, Chuck Jones, Private Snafu, PD Eastman, animation career, Seuss protege, Roald Dahl, RAF, pilot, intelligence work, Lord Halifax, Britain, getting America to fight WWII

Direct download: 158_Dr_Seuss_Goes_to_War.mp3
Category:history -- posted at: 11:58am EDT

A life of creating media leads to contemplation of its many shortcomings. More than one devilish prankster has purposely taken advantage of these built in media biases in order to have a good laugh. In this podcast, Aaron encourages such nonsense not only to have some fun but to better understand media and social dynamics as well. 

topics include: art, animation, art class, local newspapers, journalism, interviewee taken out of context, point of view, spin, The Age of Transitions, New Year's Eve 2000, Y2K, WTC 7 as command center, terrorism, promoting the official story of 9/11, viewer, communication, Andy Kaufman, inter-gender wrestling, pranks, Franni 

 

Direct download: 157_Awareness_of_Media_Shortcomings.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:15am EDT

Aaron returns to the dark topic of race politics. Both mainstream and alternative media are in love with stories that can instantly create a hate fueled vitriolic divide within the population. As this occurs the mainstream and alternative worlds grow ever closer in their philosophic ideals. Political extremism is becoming the norm. 

topics include: website rebuild, CSS, race politics, ordinary people fighting each other, media techniques, polarized politics, right and left wing extremism, reactionary public, hatred, stirring up emotions, birthers, Donald Trump the first birther, drift toward fringe, blurring line between mainstream and alternative, controversy, racism, anger, frustration, libertarian philosophy, free markets, American Dream, Neocons, war, American Empire, Defense budgets, white genocide, Nazi sympathy, media encouraging racism against white people, racist social media posts, rational people leaving alternative ideas behind, economic system, slaves to the bottom line, no regard for true value, quantity over quality, Shark  Tank, waste of time, depression


Aaron talks about two similar topics: Donald Trump, and cat crap. 

Direct download: 155_Divided_We_Fall_in_Love_With_the_Latest_Gimmick.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:02pm EDT

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