Psychic Weather: Clouds Clearing?

Nice new interview with me at JiveMagazine.com.

They brought me back to the early years - at least the early years for me, circa 1992, when I was writing Cyberia and thinking about the possibilities for rave culture and reality hacking. Coincidentally, I've assigned Cyberia (along with Grant Morrison's Invisibles) as the reading for this week in my NYU class. It's the first time I've actually assigned that book, and I meant it as a way of sharing a document (and the enthusiasm) of that earlier time.

But the more I think about it, the less I see Cyberia as a weird fluke to be apologized for, and the more I see it as an accurate chronicle of a state of being, and a mindset of possibility. It feels particularly relevant right now, as so much of our culture (America, at least) further calcifies.

Meanwhile, I'm actually in SF right now - the birthplace of Cyberia, and the location where most of the book takes place - having just done a talk last night at a good, progressive reform Jewish synagogue called Emanu El. A Smart, open-minded crowd showed up, intrigued by the possibility of a Judaism without sacred idols - a path of questions rather than answers. It was one of an increasing number of audiences I've been encountering who are more interested in figuring out how to get past the need for a belief system to hang onto, and onward toward making the world a better place. And they were asking me the same sorts of questions I ask myself - which is always a good sign. (Yes, there was one fellow there from one of those Jewish fundamentalist groups - he had even adopted the fake Yiddish/Israeli accent that they encourage their followers to use - but even he was happy to engage in dialogue.)

So while all certainly isn't right with the world, from my perspective right now, the psychic weather is clearing again - eyes and minds seem a lot more willing to open up. At least mine is.