The Basement: Joseph Matheny | The Man Who Hacked Reality Before the Internet Existed

I had fun doing this interview. As I said when I announced that I was doing this interview, after deciding at the beginning of this year I would no longer do interviews, this will be my last interview I do. I made an exception this time because AJ and I had emailed a few years ago; he brought up my doing an interview, and I agreed. The Why Files team was very gracious and accommodated my schedule, so here is the result. I hope you enjoy it. Interviews have lost their luster for me, and god knows, you have plenty of examples of me blathering on. I wish you all well. –JM


Joseph Matheny invented something in 1989 that nobody had a name for yet. He called it a story. The internet called it the first alternate reality game. The Navy called him to ask how he did it. He turned them down.

Tonight he’s in the basement explaining how he built an early AI, game-mastered Robert Anton Wilson at Esalen, and why QAnon looks so familiar to him.

Some things are better understood when you know how the trick works.

Tonight he’s in the basement explaining how he built an early AI, game-mastered Robert Anton Wilson at Esalen, and why QAnon looks so familiar to him.

Some things are better understood when you know how the trick works.

Joseph Matheny - The Man Who Hacked Reality Before the Internet Existed

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