Today on the premiere of FESTIVAL, we meet two people who helped develop ideas that give me hope in our dark times. Both creations appear simple on the surface—but then reveal themselves to be more and more profound the longer you sit with them.
On the main stage, we launch our first recurring segment—Schemas That Could Save the World—with Deborah Frieze, co-conceptualizer of “The Two Loops Model,” a tremendously useful map of how promising emergent systems can replace failing dominant systems. Tune in to learn how an ecosystem of roles—from Hospice Workers and Protectors on the inside to Trailblazers and Illuminators on the outside—are needed to transform any system.
In the sideshow, we enter the Realm of the Strange to meet Joshua Lengfelder, co-founder of Randonautica, a mysterious smartphone app that invites you to visit a randomized, real-world location…and see what you find. Tune in to learn about the origins of the intriguing Fatum Project, the promise of Noveltism, the latest verdict on Mind-Matter Interaction, and the announcement of Josh’s spiritual sequel to Randonautica: Chronomancy.
Timecodes:
00:00:55 Introducing Schemas That Could Save the World and The Two Loops Model
00:06:20 Interview with Deborah Frieze of The Two Loops Model
00:54:21 Entering The Realm of the Strange and introducing Randonautica
01:00:15 Interview with Joshua Lengfelder of Randonautica
Further reading:
Deborah Frieze and Margaret Wheatley’s book Walk Out Walk On
Deborah’s TED talk about The Two Loops Model
The Fatum Project’s Theory page, explaining Noveltism, Blind Spots, The Despair Meme, and more
Josh’s latest project: Chronomancy, or “Randonauting for Time”
Daytime Revolution — a recent documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s brief takeover of The Mike Douglas Show
Walt Whitman’s “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”
Subscribe to FESTIVAL on:
RSS (can be used with most podcast players)
Substack (If you are already subscribed to my main Substack, you are all set—episodes flow through here.)
And if you haven’t seen it yet, check out FESTIVAL’s trailer, which includes our wonderful theme song—“Last Dance at the Grove” by the great Boston band Noble Dust:




