Experience.Computer

Marco Giancotti

Host Jay Springett and guest Marco Giancotti explore aphantasia, SDAM, and spatial memory. They discuss writing as thinking, cognitive frameworks, and why looking at a picture of a sour plum (Umeboshi) doesn't make everyone's mouth water.Then they discuss:Aphantasia: Navigating spatial presence without a "mind's eye." • SDAM: Living without the ability to "re-live" past personal memories. • The "Swoosh": Using mental maps to trigger sudden cascades of information. • Digital Reality: Why browser windows feel as "real" as physical books. • Thinking Tools: Using "Framing" and "Virtual Physics" as cognitive rule sets. • Culture & Code: How Japan's cultural framings change the "feel" of apps like Line.A huge thank you to Marco for responding to my Bluesky DM after I spent an afternoon and evening binge-reading his fantastic blog Aether Mug. Which is definitely not about science, philosophy, philosophers, languages, Japan, or picture frames, or boxes, (though you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise).QUOTES“ I tried but no image no picture appeared in my mind.”“My perception of what I feel that is happening, is that there’s a separation between this the actual sensory information, and how you accept it and how you internalise it ”*During COVID, I was flying and I went to Italy and then flew back to Japan. We had to take a test to see if we were infected, and basically, we had to spit in a little vial. There was this little cabin or space where you could spend a few minutes producing your saliva. In each of these little cubicles, they put a picture of Umeboshi. Which is a kind of dried peach—extremely sour. For most people, just looking at it is enough for them to produce a lot of saliva, so it makes it easy for them to spit into the vial. For me, it didn’t do anything at all.”“I have this definition of framings as the things that you take to exist in a certain thought. Because you cannot think about the whole world and everything that you know about the world at any given moment, you have to focus on a few things depending on what you're trying to do.”ABOUT THE GUESTMarco Giancotti is a thinking-tool artisan, writer, and engineer.He is the author of Plankton Valhalla, a collection of deep essays about the Universe, and Aether Mug, his blog about cognition, science, culture, philosophy, and other mysterious things like that. He lives in Japan and has aphantasia, just like Jay.IN YOUR MINDHas this interview sparked any thoughts or questions about your own mind’s eye, creative process, or inner experience? I’d love to hear your insights! Share your reflections in the comments below or on social media!If you have ideas for guests you would like to hear from in the next season, add your suggestions in the comments; or share this episode and tag them in Substack Notes.Your recommendations will help guide the conversations that follow.LINKS* Aether Mug* Plankton Valhalla* Follow Marco on BskySubscribe to Experience.Computer* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* PocketcastsPermanently Moved - Episode #302 - Monsters In The MirrorWhat are large language models really? On AI, Language, and the new entities that wear language as their skin.* Monsters In The MirrorABOUT THE SHOWIn 2022 writer and host Jay Springett discovered he had aphantasia - the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one’s mind. For 36 years he thought ‘picture this’ was a metaphor.Experience.Computer is slow radio about high tech. An interview show exploring perception, experience and expression. The show examines how people perceive the world, and how they work with the creative tools they use to make their work with.ABOUT THE HOSTJay Springett is a strategist, producer, and cultural theorist. His professional work focuses on how worlds of all kinds are run; shaped, steered, and kept coherent over time. He has hosted the personal essay podcast Permanently Moved since 2018, and Experience.Computer since 2023.Jay is currently working on his first book ‘Slop Machines of Loving Grace‘ and writes online at thejaymo.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit experience.computer

Katherine Dee

Jay Springett leads internet culture reporter and ethnographer Katherine Dee through a series of imaginative exercises.Then they discuss:* Early Internet experiences* The weight of words in software programs* The feeling of being inside/outside online communities*  The need for experiencing silence and boredomBig thanks to Katherine for coming on the show! She actually came down with something right after we finished recording.Experience.Computer is a slow-radio programme exploring aphantasia, creativity, and the imagination.QUOTES“I’ve given so much of myself to the internet. I tasted the fairy food, and I am returning to a mortal world that is different than the one I left.”“When I hit publish, it feels separate from me. It feels like it’s not mine anymore.”*“I’ve always been a big proponent of the internet as a place. Especially in the early days, there was a sense that you were going somewhere.”“Silence is so valuable. Just a few moments a day where you’re not scrolling TikTok or looking at your phone changes how you think.”ABOUT THE GUESTKATHERINE DEE (also known by her pen name; Default Friend) is a internet culture reporter and ethnographer. You can find her work on Substack at Default.Blog.IN YOUR MINDHas this interview sparked any thoughts or questions about your own mind's eye, creative process, or inner experience? I'd love to hear your insights! Share your reflections in the comments below or on social media!If you have ideas for guests you would like to hear from in the next season, add your suggestions in the comments; or share this episode and tag them in Substack Notes.Your recommendations will help guide the conversations that follow.LINKS* Default.Blog* Follow Kathrine on X* Follow Kathrine on BskySubscribe to Experience.Computer* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* PocketcastsABOUT THE SHOWIn 2022 writer and host Jay Springett discovered he had aphantasia - the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. For 36 years he thought 'picture this' was a metaphor.Experience.Computer is slow radio about high tech. An interview show exploring perception, experience and expression. The show examines how people perceive the world, and how they work with the creative tools they use to make their work with.ABOUT THE HOSTJay Springett is a strategist and writer. His work focuses on the design, administration and flourishing of worlds of all kinds He has hosted the personal essay podcast Permanently Moved since 2018, and Experience.Computer since 2023.Jay is currently working on his first book ‘The Web Was a Side Quest‘ and writes online at thejaymo.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit experience.computer

Jenn de la Vega

Experience.Computer is a slow-radio programme exploring aphantasia, creativity, and the imagination.After an unplanned pause, Experience.Computer will back in production for Season 3! If you have ideas for guests you would like to hear from in the next season, add your suggestions in the comments; or share this episode and tag them in Substack Notes. Your recommendations will help guide the conversations that follow.IN THIS INTERVIEWJay Springett leads cookbook writer and community-oriented caterer Jenn de la Vega through a series of imaginative exercises. Then they discuss:* Imagining the audience of a cookbook cooking* Scaling recipes for large events* Impact of organisation of the space of kitchen on the process of cooking* Traditional versus intuitive cooking methods* Social media's influence on food media and marketingQUOTES"I think creating food is like a song. Songs also need balance. They have melody, rhythm, tempo, and timbre.""I'm interested in how you approach scaling up dishes. The math doesn't always add up.""I have a rolling chopping block cart... I can wheel it anywhere!""I think we need a break. I think we all need a vacation from our devices."ABOUT THE GUESTJENN DE LA VEGA is a community-oriented caterer and cookbook writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Jenn has built a unique culinary practice mashing up experiential with visual art and food through residencies at TASTE Cooking, Babycastles Gallery, and Kickstarter. Her kaleidoscopic recipes appear on Food52, The Kitchn, Yummly, and Wine Enthusiast. You'll find a mash-up of her Filipinx heritage, tapas, artisanal cheese, and 90's inspired fast-food cuisine on her menus. She is most known for her Randwiches or "random sandwiches" and founding the gourmet hot dog program at Wonderville, an indie game art-cade bar in Bushwick.IN YOUR MINDHas this interview sparked any thoughts or questions about your own mind's eye, creative process, or inner experience? I'd love to hear your insights! Share your reflections in the comments below or on social media!LINKS* Jenn’s Website* Follow Jenn on Instagram* Jenn’s CookbooksSubscribe to Experience.Computer* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* PocketcastsABOUT THE SHOWIn 2022 writer and host Jay Springett discovered he had aphantasia - the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. For 36 years he thought 'picture this' was a metaphor.Experience.Computer is slow radio about high tech. An interview show exploring perception, experience and expression. The show examines how people perceive the world, and how they work with the creative tools they use to make their work with.ABOUT THE HOSTJay Springett is a strategist and writer. His work focuses on the design, administration and flourishing of worlds of all kinds He has hosted the personal essay podcast Permanently Moved since 2018, and Experience.Computer since 2023. Jay is currently working on his first book ‘The Web Was a Side Quest‘ and writes online at thejaymo.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit experience.computer

Mike Rugnetta

Jay Springett leads writer, producer, and sound designer Mike Rugnetta through a series of imaginative exercises.Then they discuss:* The nature of imagined versus physical experiences* Carmen San Diego’s role In sparking a love for portable technology* Nostalgia and memory* Smart phones and ‘machine touch’* where the audience is when making work for the internet?* Mike’s relationship with the Yamaha FB-O1 four operator FM synthesiser.QUOTES"You just have to get used to what done enough feels like."“It's like everybody is looking at the horse that just walked into the bar, and they're all talking amongst themselves. Being like, what's the deal with this horse?"“I often feel like I am fighting with my phone to get it to do what I want it to do.”"I could have gotten a similar result and not spent hundreds and hundreds of hours learning a really particular implementation of a really particular thing."ABOUT THE GUESTMIKE RUGNETTA is Brookyn-based writer, producer, and sound designer. He is the co-creator and host of Never Post, a podcast about the internet – as well as the co-creator, co-DM and sound designer of the actual play tabletop roleplaying podcast Fun City. Previously he was the writer, researcher and host of the multiple-award winning PBS Digital series Idea Channel, and the host of Crash Courses Theater and Dramaturgy and World Mythology. His production clients have included Atlas Obscura, Adobe, Duolingo, Future of Storytelling, IBM, Longreads and more.IN YOUR MINDHas this interview sparked any thoughts or questions about your own mind's eye, creative process, or inner experience? I'd love to hear your insights! Share your reflections in the comments below or on social media!LINKS* Mike’s Website* Never Post Podcast* Fun City Podcast* Yamaha FB-O1 Documentation* Mike’s NewsletterSubscribe to Experience.Computer* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* PocketcastsABOUT THE SHOWIn 2022 writer and host Jay Springett discovered he had aphantasia - the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. For 36 years he thought 'picture this' was a metaphor.Experience.Computer is slow radio about high tech. An interview show exploring perception, experience and expression. The show examines how people perceive the world, and how they work with the creative tools they use to make their work with.ABOUT THE HOSTJay Springett is a strategist and writer. His work focuses on the design, administration and flourishing of worlds of all kinds He has hosted the 301 second long essay podcast Permanently Moved since 2018, and Experience.Computer since 2023. Jay is currently working on his first book ‘The Web Was a Side Quest‘ and writes online at thejaymo.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit experience.computer

Meghna Jayanth

Jay Springett leads award-winning narrative designer, and writer Meghna Jayanth through a series of imaginative exercises.Then they discuss:* Imagination in narrative design* Agency and identity in video games* Digital spaces and online communities* Online harassment and its effects* Balancing plot and player freedomQUOTES“Games are a medium of agency.”"I stop playing at essentially the moment I’m about to be nuked by the other civilisation.""I think the screen does have a constant pull towards it, you have to resist.""A huge part of game narrative is defining and describing agency and imagining yourself inside the ego of the player."ABOUT THE GUESTMEGHNA JAYANTH is an award-winning narrative designer, writer and speaker. Her work is focused on subverting the capitalist-colonialist fantasies, pleasures and designs that dominate the imaginaries of video games, and rethinking protagonism. Her work includes Thirsty Suitors, 80 Days, Sable, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Boyfriend Dungeon, This War of Mine and Sunless Sea. She is currently working on All Rise, an inappropriately joyous game about climate crisis and corporate criminals.IN YOUR MINDHas this interview sparked any thoughts or questions about your own mind's eye, creative process, or inner experience? I'd love to hear your insights! Share your reflections in the comments below or on social media!LINKS* Meghna’s Website* Follow Meghna on Twitter* Thirsty Suitors* 80 Days* Boyfriend Dungeon* Read more about Meghna on WikipediaSubscribe to Experience.Computer* Apple Podcasts* Spotify* PocketcastsABOUT THE SHOWIn 2022 writer and host Jay Springett discovered he had aphantasia - the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. For 36 years he thought 'picture this' was a metaphor.Experience.Computer is slow radio about high tech. An interview show exploring perception, experience and expression. The show examines how people perceive the world, and how they work with the creative tools they use to make their work with.ABOUT THE HOSTJay Springett is a strategist and writer. His work focuses on the design, administration and flourishing of worlds of all kinds He has hosted the 301 second long essay podcast Permanently Moved since 2018, and Experience.Computer since 2023. Jay is currently working on his first book ‘The Web Was a Side Quest‘ and writes online at thejaymo.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit experience.computer