What I'm up to

The Podcast

In June I released an episode on the universal and particular, with Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire as a centrepiece, which is still worth a listen if you missed it.

I’ve also been hosting Twitter spaces. I posted the first conversation I had in January about teleology and abstraction on the podcast.

Patreon

I’ve started a Patreon where you can support my work if you so choose. This is the first place I’ve announced it.

I’m using Patreon as the place where I post a stream of absolutely everything I’m up to. None of it is intended to be paywalled, though sometimes I accidentally paywall stuff since that’s the default. If there’s anything you can’t access, you can always DM me on Twitter.

My newsletter is also free, but you can also opt to pay if you wish to support what I’m doing. I’m planning to post there more frequently.

Hosting conversations

I have hosted a series of fun conversations on Twitter Spaces. I’m intending to release these on the podcast over the coming weeks.

Note that Twitter doesn’t seem to store these forever, but here are the links anyway:

• Saturday, 2nd July at 20:00 — The Life of a History Podcaster with Sam Biagetti
• Sunday, 3rd July at 17:00 — Dualities, Dichotomies, Binaries and their Opposites with Isabela Granic
• Wednesday, 6th July — Personal Knowledge Management with Achim Rothe
• Sunday, 17th July at 17:00 — The Problem with Plato, with Eyal Shay
• Sunday, 24th July at 17:00 — On taking notes with Colin Robertson

If you’d like to speak with me on one of these spaces, which are casual but recorded, please sign up for a future Sunday conversation on any topic.

Video

I’ve run several video experiments, thinking in public. These are essentially drafts for video lectures I’m planning. I’m doing one each Tuesday at 10am London time.

You can see what I’ve recorded in the past, or be notified of upcoming livestreams, by subscribing to my YouTube channel. I also stream to my Twitch channel if you prefer watching them live (you can also ask questions).

Here are a few highlights:

• Conversation with Aman Hussain about rumination and truth
• An unscripted piece on selfhood in Nietzsche and boredom in Pascal/Schopenhauer

IRL

If you’re in London, we’d also love to have you at our Through a Glass Darkly discussions. Or join my book club!

What I’m reading now

• How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others (2020): Fantastic anthropology book about the phenomenology of religious practices.
• Talk to Me (2019): Really enjoyable memoir about how to ask questions.
• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life (1999/2015): Extremely useful guide to how to communicate needs and requests rather than criticisms.

What I’ve read recently

• Stop Asking Questions (2021): Extremely practical advice on how to host good conversations.
• Sea People: In Search of the Ancient Navigators of the Pacific (2019): Phenomenal book about the puzzle of how people reached the most far-flung parts of the Pacific.

What’s tempting me

Einstein for everyone.

(This is a now page, inspired by Derek Sivers. You should read his book.)

I'm Bryan Kam. I'm thinking about complexity and selfhood. Please sign up to my newsletter, follow me on Mastodon, or see more here.