Joseph Matheny

Joseph Wayne Matheny (born December 24, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American storyteller and artist who has created works using alternate reality gaming and transmedia storytelling methods, dealing with subjects of liminality and modern myth. He holds patents for prediction, recommendation, and behavioral analysis algorithms and software design. He is a published author of screenplays, white papers, technology, sci-fi, marketing, and gaming books. He currently resides in the Pacific Northwest. He is probably best known for the avant-garde work, Ong's Hat, which has been called the proto-Alternate Reality Game by academia, the mainstream, and alternative media. Ong's Hat is often cited as the first ARG on many List of alternate reality games.

By Joseph Matheny January 26, 2024

The Mauve Zone – Transmission #004 BEASTTECH, TIKTOK ASTRAL BATTLES, and PUNK ROCK MAGICK

***Begin transmission Joseph Matheny, David B Metcalfe, and Ken Eakins send you transmissions from the Mauve Zone. UFOs are angels? Beasttech, Kenneth Grant is the new Crowley? Magick needs to … Continue reading The Mauve Zone – Transmission #004 BEASTTECH, TIKTOK ASTRAL BATTLES, and PUNK ROCK MAGICK

By Joseph Matheny December 16, 2023

Ong’s Hat creator Joseph Matheny on the blurred lines between fiction and reality

Sat down and had a discussion with Greg, one of the curators of one of my favorite OG websites, The Daily Grail. LINK: https://www.dailygrail.com/2023/12/ongs-hat-creator-joseph-matheny-on-the-blurred-lines-between-fiction-and-reality/ Ong’s Hat. For those who were … Continue reading Ong’s Hat creator Joseph Matheny on the blurred lines between fiction and reality

By Joseph Matheny November 30, 2023December 1, 2023

The Mauve Zone – Transmission #003 Aleister Crowley, UAP Culture, and Traditionalism

AUDIO LINK ***Begin transmission Joseph Matheny, David B Metcalfe, and Ken Eakins send you transmissions from the Mauve Zone. Aleister Crowley the misunderstood, Lockdown conspiracies, The 2012 grift, failed raptures, … Continue reading The Mauve Zone – Transmission #003 Aleister Crowley, UAP Culture, and Traditionalism

By Joseph Matheny November 25, 2023

CAN HYPER-SINCERITY SAVE US?

RECENTLY, INTERNET CREATIVES ARE TRANSFORMING THEIR VULNERABILITIES INTO STRENGTH, BREAKING DOWN ALL BARRIERS OF HUMAN RESPECT. IS THE FEAR OF RIDICULE EXPERIENCING ITS FINAL HOURS? SOURCE: https://www.archyde.com/can-hyper-sincerity-save-us/ Photo caption: BEWARE … Continue reading CAN HYPER-SINCERITY SAVE US?

By Joseph Matheny November 13, 2023

These Scientists Ripped A Hole In Reality From A Cabin In The Woods

Ever wondered about the wild, wacky and wonderful world of quantum physics, alternate dimensions, and internet hoaxes? Well, buckle up for a roller-coaster journey as we uncover one of New … Continue reading These Scientists Ripped A Hole In Reality From A Cabin In The Woods

By Joseph Matheny November 9, 2023November 4, 2023

ART IN THE AGE OF REELS

SOURCE: https://www.archyde.com/art-in-the-age-of-reels/ THERE WILL BE A BEFORE AND AFTER AGGRO DR1FT, THE NEW DIGI-PSYCHEDELIC FILM BY HARMONY KORINE. INSPIRED BY GTA 5, CREATED WITH AN ARMY OF DESIGNERS, AI ARTISTS, … Continue reading ART IN THE AGE OF REELS

The Worst of All Possible Worlds bringing you the worst of all possible content since 2020

By Joseph Matheny November 6, 2023

The Worst of All Possible Worlds: 111 – Slender Man and Marble Hornets

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Anne Huston (Caveat NYC) joins Brian and Josh to do battle with the Slender Man and other monsters from … Continue reading The Worst of All Possible Worlds: 111 – Slender Man and Marble Hornets

By Joseph Matheny October 31, 2023October 31, 2023

Der vielleicht älteste Internet-Mythos überhaupt: Das Mysterium von Ong’s Hat

“Perhaps the oldest internet myth of all: the mystery of Ong’s Hat” I had a wonderful conversation with Michael Förtsch, the author of this piece for the German Scifi mag … Continue reading Der vielleicht älteste Internet-Mythos überhaupt: Das Mysterium von Ong’s Hat

By Joseph Matheny October 27, 2023October 27, 2023

Dive into the rabbit hole of unexplained mysteries and conspiracy theories! From Ong’s Hat to Mount Rushmore secrets, Titanic’s sinking to the Black Knight satellite – explore the unknown! LINK: … Continue reading The Wildest Conspiracy Theories of All Time (Epic Blaze)

By Joseph Matheny October 9, 2023October 6, 2023

Layer 01 Podcast | Episode 06: Ong’s Hat – Liminal Spaces and Legend Tripping

Fray and Kouji return to discuss the first internet ARG known as Ong’s Hat, and its connection with the Legend Tripping Phenomenon, along with the infamous Black Mailbox and other … Continue reading Layer 01 Podcast | Episode 06: Ong’s Hat – Liminal Spaces and Legend Tripping

By Joseph Matheny October 5, 2023October 5, 2023

The Mauve Zone – Transmission #001 ‘UAPs, Cosmic Trolls and Municipal Magick’

Eakins sends you transmissions from the Mauve Zone. This week’s data leak includes UAP in Congress, The new Satanic Panic, Skywatch and the Colin’s elite, dominionism, Kenneth Grant, Hellier, Allen … Continue reading The Mauve Zone – Transmission #001 ‘UAPs, Cosmic Trolls and Municipal Magick’

By Joseph Matheny September 11, 2023September 10, 2023

Où sont passés ces gens disparus à Ong’s Hat ? – Le mystère d’internet qui est allé trop loin

Source: https://youtu.be/9IZk53UZapM Joseph Matheny dit connaître la vérité sur ce qu’il se passe à Ong’s Hat. Mais il n’est pas celui qu’il prétend être… Chapitrage : 00:00 – 01:42 Les … Continue reading Où sont passés ces gens disparus à Ong’s Hat ? – Le mystère d’internet qui est allé trop loin

By Joseph Matheny August 11, 2023August 12, 2023

Original Post and Audio: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2023/06/29.23-MU-Podcast-South-Pole-Secrets MU Podcast 29.23 features the Flaming Plasma Fields, Weaponising the Paranormal, and Legend Tripping with Ong’s Hat Former military contractors, soldiers, pilots, and more have … Continue reading 29.23 – MU Podcast – South Pole Secrets

Near where New Jersey Route 72 intersects with Route 70, there's little left to mark what was once a small town called Ong's Hat - but it was, in fact, really there. You can find evidence of its history in things like a local street called Ong's Hat Road. Depending on who you ask, it may have once been a bustling town, or nothing more than a stopover point for a farmer with the surname Ong who was transporting goods from Little Egg Harbor to Burlington. Midway between, the farmer built a hut where he could spend the night, and over time, Ong's Hut became Ong's Hat. Whatever the case may be, the town (if ever was one) is no longer there, but it left its mark. In fact, there's an online conspiracy theory suggesting the town is gone because it's in another dimension. But if that's not the case, where did the story come from? The answer lies in a sort of alternate reality game (ARG) or a work of meta-fiction created by Joseph Matheny, among others, on early BBS sites and other places during the internet's early years. The story suggested that some Princeton scientists working in Ong's Hat had found a way to reach another dimension and, ultimately, took themselves and their studies to this alternate Earth. Alternatively, the government wiped them out to keep their discoveries quiet. If it is, in fact, widely known that this story of inter- dimensional scientists is fiction, why would people still believe it? Because, according to conspiracy theorists, its creators supposedly had to pretend it was fiction in order to protect themselves from the government.

By Joseph Matheny June 16, 2023June 16, 2023

Link to show: https://www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com/s3-e15-ongs-hat-a-gateway-to-new-dimensions/ Welcome back to That Would Be Rad! This week we dive into the strange and intriguing story of Ong’s Hat, a small town in New Jersey … Continue reading That Would Be Rad: S3 E15: Ong’s Hat – A Gateway to New Dimensions

Interdemensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG'S HAT, NJ

By Joseph Matheny May 12, 2023May 12, 2023

Interdimensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG’S HAT, NJ

PEMBERTON ongshat #conspiracy #conspiracytheory coolplaces funfacts haunted #hauntedhistory #weirdnj #dirtyjersey #southjersey #pinebarrens #locallore #lore #backroads #history #historylovers #historypodcast #americana #cranberry #cranberrybogs #ghosttown #urbanexplorer #urbex #fyp #pembertonnj #pinebarrens #piney #thepinebarrens #pineyproud … Continue reading Interdimensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG’S HAT, NJ

By Joseph Matheny May 10, 2023

They Invented Something Dangerous In This Cabin…

There have been many accounts of people finding portals to another world all over the world. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not so much. Today, we’ll look at the story of … Continue reading They Invented Something Dangerous In This Cabin…

Ong’s Hat is New Jersey’s most infamous ghost town. Credit: Rtsanderson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By Joseph Matheny April 27, 2023

Ghost Towns in NJ That Deserve a Day Trip

Ghost towns in NJ are a reminder of the state’s rich history and offer a glimpse into the past. County and Current Town: Burlington County, Pemberton Township ARTICLE LINK: https://jerseydigs.com/ghost-towns-in-nj/ … Continue reading Ghost Towns in NJ That Deserve a Day Trip