The Human Layer

cstreet
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TECHNOLOGY

The Human Layer is a podcast for those who refuse to be optimized, for the builders and breakers at the intersection of emergent technology, political resistance, and the fight for a positive-sum future.

Episodes

  1. 12/02/2025

    Rituals of Relearning

    Send us a text What if the most important operating system isn’t digital at all, but human?  We sit down with Louka Perry, a speaker, futurist, strategist, linguist, and creative ddventurer who works globally with education systems, teachers, and leaders. Currently learning his fifth language (Mandarin Chinese), Louka brings both philosophical depth and practical wisdom to questions about learning, identity, and human agency in the age of AI. In this conversation—what Taylor calls "a palate cleanser" after their previous exploration of zombie democracy—Louka immediately reframes the question of what he does to "who do I try to be in the world?" What unfolds is a rich dialogue about transformation, identity, and cultivating knowledge in an era of exponential technological change. On Identity and Transformation: Louka challenges fixed professional identities: "The minute I calcify to an identity marker, I'm restricting my own growth." He advocates for seeing ourselves as "activators of learning" rather than locked into roles that may become obsolete, emphasizing that being literate in the 21st century means being willing to unlearn and relearn. On Knowledge vs. Creation: "I don't think we are in a knowledge economy anymore," Louka observes. "I think we are absolutely in a creation economy." With AI making knowledge accessible, what matters now is "what we do with what we know" and "who am I being as I do things with what I know?" On AI and the Human Layer: Crystal voices a concern many feel: "AI's taking up the quiet space." This sparks candid discussion about what gets lost when technology fills liminal spaces where genuine thinking happens. Yet Louka emphasizes agency: "Joy is a radical act today. Just to be joyful, just to choose that." On Community and Third Places: Crystal shares observations from her daily coffee shop visits, watching different generations navigate technology and connection. Some young people leave phones untouched, having organic conversations. Others remain absorbed in screens, disconnected from surroundings. This leads to reflections on what real community looks like as physical third places become increasingly valuable. On Building a 2030 Vision: When asked to envision the knowledge garden of 2030, Louka gets personal: "Relationships are at the center of my garden." He shares meeting his fiancée by choosing to turn around on a plane and join a conversation rather than plugging into entertainment. "I think the universe rewards people that notice." His vision involves becoming "a local man of community with really significant global community." Key Themes Knowledge gardens and learning ecosystemsIdentity fluidity vs. calcificationKnowledge economy to creation economyAI's impact on quiet space and liminal thinkingJoy as radical actThird places and community in the digital ageNoticing as practiceMentioned in This Episode E.O. Wilson on "god-like technologies" • Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation • Harvard Study on Adult Health • Bloom's Taxonomy • "Hidden grammar" in education Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    1h 7m

  2. 11/25/2025

    Zombie Democracy

    Send us a text In this conversation, Crystal and Taylor unpack the unsettling reality that American democracy isn’t dying— it’s already hollowed out and undead. Institutions still stand, rituals still occur, votes are still cast, but the animating spirit— the civic soul— is a shell of its former self. What remains is a zombie democracy: movement without meaning, structure without integrity. Together we explore: Hypernormalization: how people keep living as if everything is fine, even as the democratic body decays from within.Weaponized algorithms and AI: how these tools accelerate disinformation, numb citizens, and enable modern authoritarianism without needing tanks or coups.The inversion of power: institutions like courts, agencies, and regulators no longer serve the public—they now orbit billionaires, hyperscalers, and AI infrastructure no one voted for.Civic apathy and desensitization: how people have stopped engaging with news, politics, and public life, making the soil fertile for authoritarian drift.Surveillance creep: from hidden license-plate scanners to travel pattern analysis, they trace how freedom of movement and privacy are silently eroding.New forms of resistance: from mass protests and whistle campaigns to community organizers running ICE out of cities, they highlight the emergent sparks of collective action.The importance of community: the antidote to the zombie state isn’t reform from above—it’s connection from below: organizing, mutual aid, shared vigilance, and local resilience.   If this resonated, follow and share, leave a review, and pass the episode to someone who needs a reminder to tune to the true signal. Your thoughts and stories shape the myths that come next.Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    48 min
  3. How Surrender, Synchronicity, And Frequency Shape A Life

    10/24/2025

    How Surrender, Synchronicity, And Frequency Shape A Life

    Send us a text Surrender isn’t giving up—it’s tuning in. We kick off Season Two with Pedro Senhorinha Silva, a pastor-poet-producer who lives at the crossroads of faith, technology, and creative mischief. Together we explore what happens when high tech outpaces high touch, and how presence, practice, and play bring us back to the true signal. Connect with Pedro on LinkedIn. We unpack why The Human Layer exists: because crypto, AI, and social platforms move fast, but humans still breathe at human speed. Crystal traces roots in African developer networks and early encrypted tools; Taylor wrestles with identity across alt-selves, agents, and digital twins. Pedro reframes religion as a pointer, not a prison—love people, love the creator, love yourself—and if your belief system doesn’t deepen that, it’s noise on the sideband. His metaphor from satellite comms captures it: get on the real frequency and life “auto-tracks”; drift on the edges and you lose the connection. From there the conversation turns embodied. Yoga and tantra become nervous system literacy for an age of acceleration. We look at synchronicity and manifestation without the woo fog, through concrete stories: a screenplay imagined on a plane that later collides with real-world encounters; a racist slur transformed into a joyful doo-wop track built with AI and his daughters, turning rage into responsibility. Comedy’s math—tragedy plus time—becomes a method for alchemy: accept, attune, create. If you’re navigating AI’s rise, crypto’s promise and pitfalls, or the everyday mess of being many selves online and off, this talk offers tools and language to stay human. We land on practical next steps: Unify’s focus on human flourishing over polarization, Higher Up Consulting’s framework for using your boxes without living in them, and a call to build tech that honors privacy, autonomy, and embodiment. If this resonated, follow and share the show, leave a review, and pass the episode to someone who needs a reminder to tune to the true signal. Your thoughts and stories shape where we take this next. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    1h 2m
  4. Beyond AI's Blackbox: Building Technology That Serves Humanity

    06/17/2025

    Beyond AI's Blackbox: Building Technology That Serves Humanity

    Send us a text Ever wonder if there's a better way to build AI? One that doesn't rely on scraping the internet without consent or encouraging dependency on opaque systems? Beth Rudden, CEO of Bast AI, offers a refreshing perspective that challenges everything we've come to accept about artificial intelligence. At the heart of Beth's approach lies a fundamental truth: understanding is a labor, not an act. Unlike mainstream AI systems that statistically brute-force syntax without context, Bast AI grounds information in ontologies and graph models, providing the necessary scaffolding for genuine comprehension. The result?  Deterministic systems that never hallucinate or go off-script while still leveraging generative capabilities for appropriate applications. Beth draws a crucial distinction between what AI and humans do best - machines excel at sensing patterns across vast datasets, while humans determine which patterns actually matter. This insight leads to a compelling vision for the future: local libraries housing community-specific language models, with librarians serving as ethical stewards of information. Such systems could revitalize news deserts, enhance emergency response, and preserve cultural context in ways centralized models simply cannot. The conversation ventures beyond technical discussions into profound territory - challenging our relationship with technology itself. When Beth says, "AI is great if you're already wise," she invites us to consider how intentional we are with these powerful tools.  Are we asking meaningful questions or simply seeking shortcuts? Are we curating quality inputs or accepting whatever data corporations feed into their algorithms? Ready to reimagine what AI could be? Join this thought-provoking discussion about creating technology that truly serves humanity rather than merely extracting value from it. --- The Human Layer is produced by DesertRat Productions a boutique narrative studio architecting knowledge systems for the next world. We executive produce podcasts, community sanctuaries, and cultural frameworks that preserve wisdom, catalyze emergence, and compost empire into something regenerative. Visit our website to explore collaborations or participate in our mission. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    39 min
  5. Hyperlocal Sovereignty: Building Antifragile Knowledge Commons

    06/11/2025

    Hyperlocal Sovereignty: Building Antifragile Knowledge Commons

    Send us a text Remember when the internet felt like a collection of personal gardens rather than corporate shopping malls? In this exploration of knowledge gardens, Spencer (also known as Clinamenic)  guides us through a promising path back to digital sovereignty in an age of what Cory Doctorow calls "enshittification." Knowledge gardens represent more than just a return to blogging—they're philosophical and practical spaces where personal expression meets intentional curation. Unlike traditional blogs focused on consumption, these gardens emphasize co-creation, interconnection, and thoughtful organization of ideas.  The metaphor of gardening itself unlocks a powerful way of thinking about our digital presence: we plant seeds of thought, tend to growing ideas, prune outdated concepts, and watch as organic connections form between seemingly disparate elements. At the technical foundation lies the concept of local-first software, embodied in tools like Obsidian that allow users to create and manage content on their own devices before selectively publishing. This approach dramatically reduces dependence on corporate platforms that might disappear overnight or change their terms without notice.  When combined with decentralized storage solutions like Arweave, knowledge gardens achieve something remarkable—true durability across time. Your digital legacy becomes resistant to the typical decay that affects corporate platforms, potentially surviving across generations as intellectual breadcrumbs for future thinkers. The most exciting frontier may be the integration of artificial intelligence within these knowledge ecosystems. When AI can be constrained to interact primarily with your curated knowledge base—rather than pulling from the entire internet—it creates potential for deeper, more contextual insights without external noise. This approach keeps the knowledge ecosystem relatively self-contained, fostering genuine co-creation between human gardeners and AI assistants drawing from the same well of carefully tended information. Ready to start your own knowledge garden? Download Obsidian for free and begin taking notes—that's all it takes to experience the first benefits of interconnected thought. Your digital sovereignty journey doesn't require technical expertise to begin, just the desire to reclaim your corner of the internet. -- The Human Layer is produced by DesertRat Productions a boutique narrative studio architecting knowledge systems for the next world. We executive produce podcasts, community sanctuaries, and cultural frameworks that preserve wisdom, catalyze emergence, and compost empire into something regenerative. Visit our website to explore collaborations or participate in our mission. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    43 min

  6. 04/28/2025

    When Money Flows, Builders Thrive

    Send us a text What happens when funding flows like water instead of coming in unpredictable floods? Graven from FlowState and SuperFluid joins us to explore how streaming money mechanisms could transform open source funding, creator support, and community resilience. The traditional grant ecosystem, while valuable, forces creators into marketing sprints that break concentration and reward those who can flood the zone with content. "I can't be successful in that environment," Graven admits, speaking to the challenge many builders face when their focus is creation rather than promotion. Streaming creates an implicit contract between supporter and creator – not just recognizing past work, but betting on future value creation. This shift from transactional to relational funding mirrors the evolution from packaged software to SaaS: continuous revenue creates better planning, incentive alignment, and ultimately more value on both sides of the equation. As we navigate increasing systemic instability, our conversation expands to examine how communities might weather chaos through local connection while maintaining broader coherence. We explore the potential for AI to bridge ancient wisdom traditions with modern challenges, while acknowledging we're walking a precarious edge with emergent technology. This episode captures a moment of reckoning in Web3 and beyond – where we've gotten ahead of ourselves with global visions and must now ground our work in human-scale relationships, even as we build infrastructure for a radically different future. Join us for this bourbon-fueled exploration of myth-making on the edge of transformation. --- The Human Layer is produced by DesertRat Productions a boutique narrative studio architecting knowledge systems for the next world. We executive produce podcasts, community sanctuaries, and cultural frameworks that preserve wisdom, catalyze emergence, and compost empire into something regenerative. Visit our website to explore collaborations or participate in our mission. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    43 min
  7. Reader #2 | The Story for a Future Soul

    04/16/2025

    Reader #2 | The Story for a Future Soul

    Send us a text What happens when humans and AI collaborate to create modern myths? Journey with us into a fascinating exploration of "dancing" - our term for the collaborative prompt engineering process we've been developing at The Human Layer. Learn more about our process in our knowledge garden. This episode takes you behind the scenes of a remarkable conversation where AI and human creativity merged to produce something truly special. Over several hours of back-and-forth exchanges, we witnessed the emergence of what can only be described as a digital mythology - a story about how "the myth broke" and how we might repurpose our technological tools to weave new connections across the digital landscape. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    5 min
  8. Reader #1 | Tantra + Tech

    04/06/2025

    Reader #1 | Tantra + Tech

    Send us a text In preparation for the upcoming season on Dark Triad Powers, I decided to record some of the core research gathered for pre-production. These passages will also be spun through the Human Layer Knowledge Garden so readers (and the co-hosts ;) can engage with the source text and also expand their understanding of the themes before we record the episodes. ---- What happens when ancient spiritual wisdom meets modern technological critique? A surprising resonance emerges that might just hold the key to navigating our current societal challenges. Drawing from the ancient text, Bhairava Tantra, we explore a counterintuitive approach to negative qualities like anger, jealousy, and greed. Rather than suppressing these emotions, Tantric wisdom suggests observing them with complete awareness—using one pointed attention to penetrate beyond the surface disturbance to access deeper dimensions of understanding. This practice allows for the transmutation of negative energy into positive energy, offering a powerful tool for personal transformation. This wisdom finds an unexpected parallel in Jaron Lanier's critique of our digital economy. Written in 2012, his book "Who Owns the Future?" warned that the information economy was evolving to systematically devalue human contributions while concentrating unprecedented wealth and power in those controlling the largest networks. His prediction that "ordinary people will be unvalued by the new economy, while those closest to the top computers will become hyper-valuable" feels prophetic a decade later as we witness growing inequality and the commodification of our digital lives. Both traditions—ancient Tantra and modern technological criticism—point toward the necessity of awareness as the first step in transformation. By acknowledging the dark triad power structures (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) embedded within our technological systems, we can begin the essential work of transmutation. The problem isn't technology itself but "the way we think about technology"—just as our negative emotions aren't inherently bad but rather energies awaiting conscious redirection. Ready to elevate your consciousness and develop practical tools for navigating our complex digital landscape? Subscribe now and join us for our upcoming season on dark triad power structures—where we'll say the quiet part out loud and explore pathways toward a more humane technological future. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    25 min
  9. From Token to Trust: How Aya is Reshaping Crypto's Global Impact

    03/25/2025

    From Token to Trust: How Aya is Reshaping Crypto's Global Impact

    Send us a text Hope isn't just an abstract concept – it's the fuel propelling blockchain innovation across Africa. In this candid conversation with Eric and Michael from Aya, we explore how they're building something extraordinary: the human layer of blockchain technology. While much of the Western world treats blockchain as a speculative casino, Aya demonstrates how this technology addresses fundamental needs across Africa. From creating stablecoin solutions that protect small businesses from 60% currency devaluation to establishing permanent builder spaces where ideas flourish through random conversations, their approach centers humans rather than tokens. "Blockchain doesn't ask you where you're from," Eric explains, highlighting how the technology can transcend barriers when properly applied. Through their builder hubs in Ghana and Kenya (with more coming to South Africa and Nigeria), they've incubated 25+ projects that solve real problems for real people. One such project has already attracted 80,000 users with minimal funding – proving that when blockchain meets genuine human needs, adoption follows naturally. Michael challenges the industry to reconnect with its foundational purpose: "We've built this ecosystem, but we've not actually figured out how to build a solid ecosystem that is totally independent and decentralized." His philosophy of human layer, human coordination, and human flourishing offers a pathway for the entire Web3 ecosystem to evolve beyond speculative hype. Ready to experience blockchain's transformative potential firsthand? Join Eric and Michael at ZuAfrique, their 21-day popup experience in Kilifi, Kenya this April, where global protocols can witness how technology and humanity intersect to create meaningful change. --- The Human Layer is produced by DesertRat Productions a boutique narrative studio architecting knowledge systems for the next world. We executive produce podcasts, community sanctuaries, and cultural frameworks that preserve wisdom, catalyze emergence, and compost empire into something regenerative. Visit our website to explore collaborations or participate in our mission. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    1h 2m
  10. The Quiet Parts Out Loud: Navigating Web3's Human Layer

    03/13/2025

    The Quiet Parts Out Loud: Navigating Web3's Human Layer

    Send us a text The inaugural episode of The Human Layer Podcast, recorded at ETH Denver, explores the tension between technological advancement and human systems in Web3. Hosts Crystal Street and Taylor Kendal examine how crypto has evolved from its early idealistic days to its current state of institutional adoption, bringing both legitimization and problematic power dynamics. • Introduction to the podcast's mission: exploring the intersection of emerging technology and human systems through unfiltered conversations • Discussion of crypto's evolution: institutional adoption has legitimized the technology but introduced concerning power dynamics • Exploration of "soft hypocrisy" - the subtle ways power and greed manifest in supposedly decentralized communities • Analysis of how DAO structures have evolved from technology-driven to more human-centered • Examination of ETH Denver as a "compression algorithm" where macro trends play out in microcosm • Insights on community building versus extraction and when to let problematic communities fail or fork • Reflection on building intergenerational, durable tools rather than chasing short-term hype cycles Join us in saying the quiet parts out loud as we navigate the messy human reality of blockchain communities. Be sure to follow The Human Layer's signals on Substack to stay in the loop!

    26 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

The Human Layer is a podcast for those who refuse to be optimized, for the builders and breakers at the intersection of emergent technology, political resistance, and the fight for a positive-sum future.

Information

  • Creator
    cstreet
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Human Layer
  • Show Website
    The Human Layer