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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 14h

“You only exist here. And you exist here because four billion years was necessary to construct you on this planet.”
- @saraimari.bsky.social

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 5d

Eno has so much to share on the subject of art, time, and creation. Here are some other favorite conversations to explore:
On the joys and techniques of generative creation w Will Wright: longnow.org/talks/02006-...
On road trips, space travel, and art with Danny Hillis: longnow.org/talks/02014-...

Danny Hillis & Brian Eno: The Long Now, now

Launched by Stewart Brand in 02003, Long Now Talks has invited more than 400 leading thinkers to share their civilization-scale ideas.

longnow.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 5d

A wonderful, expansive conversation with Long Now cofounder Brian Eno on the @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social show today.

"I think that’s what I mean by ‘generative music.’ You start the piece, but it finishes itself. It carries on finishing itself for the rest of time.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o...

Opinion | A Breath of Fresh Air With Brian Eno

www.nytimes.com

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 6d

NASA researcher Dr. Lynn Rothschild has
-built synthetic cells
-3D-printed trees
-designed fungal-based housing for the moon

You don't want to miss her upcoming talk exploring bleeding-edge synthetic and evolutionary biology, and how it can save us: longnow.org/talks/02025-...

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 7d

Jane Goodall radically changed how we understand and relate to other intelligences on Earth.

Learn more about how Goodall's approach left lasting impacts on primatology and many other fields of study in this excerpt from Elizabeth Lonsdorf's 02019 Talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqGJ...

Legacy of Female Primatologists Jane Goodall & Dian Fossey — Elizabeth Lonsdorf at The Interval

YouTube video by The Long Now Foundation

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Denise Hearn @denisehearn.bsky.social · 8d

I'm elated to share that I've joined @longnow.org as Director of Strategic Initiatives. While a long / deep time perspective can feel like a luxury in times such as ours, I'm grateful for a community of thinkers & practitioners hopefully creating the conditions for the many potential futures ahead.

The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 8d

We are thrilled to welcome @denisehearn.bsky.social as our new Director of Strategic Initiatives. She is an accomplished speaker (listen to her 02024 Long Now Talk, “Embodied Economies” t.co/MqaDE8GQjN), as well as an author, advisor, and Berggruen Institute fellow.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 8d

Learn more about Denise here:
longnow.org/people/denis...

Denise Hearn

The Long Now Foundation fosters long-term thinking. Our work encourages imagination at the timescale of civilization — the next and last 10,000 years — a timespan we call the long now.

longnow.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 8d

We are thrilled to welcome @denisehearn.bsky.social as our new Director of Strategic Initiatives. She is an accomplished speaker (listen to her 02024 Long Now Talk, “Embodied Economies” t.co/MqaDE8GQjN), as well as an author, advisor, and Berggruen Institute fellow.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 9d

What if the solutions to humanity's greatest challenges have already been invented by nature?

Dr. Lynn Rothschild of NASA's Ames Research Center explores the bleeding edge of synthetic biology in her upcoming Long Now Talk.

Tickets and more info here: longnow.org/talks/02025-...

Lynn Rothschild: Nature’s Hardware Store

Launched by Stewart Brand in 02003, Long Now Talks has invited more than 400 leading thinkers to share their civilization-scale ideas.

longnow.org

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Blaise Agüera y Arcas @blaiseaguera.bsky.social · 16d

Everything alive is a computer—because the processes that enable life, at its core, are computational. This was a central point in my presentation and conversation with Benjamin Bratton at @longnow.org, where we challenged conventional notions about biological and artificial systems.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · 22d

TUNE IN: livestream starts at 7:00pm PT
In his Long Now Talk “What is Intelligence?” @blaiseaguera.bsky.social will discuss the connection between the nature of life and computing. Q&A hosted by Benjamin Bratton: www.youtube.com/live/NKxAWa7...

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Blaise Agüera y Arcas @blaiseaguera.bsky.social · Sep 4

For those of us raised on science fiction, having AI become part of everyday life feels like the breakthrough we’ve been expecting. Yet some critics insist that no matter what these models do, they're not truly intelligent—just clever simulacra.

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Blaise Agüera y Arcas @blaiseaguera.bsky.social · Sep 4

I summarize this perspective in a new piece for @longnow.org, exploring how AI represents the next chapter in the long-running symbiotic story of life on Earth: bit.ly/4gdOWey

Life, Intelligence, and Consciousness: A Functional Perspective

Artificial intelligence is simply the next chapter in the long-running symbiotic story of life on Earth.

bit.ly

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Alexis Madrigal @alexis-madrigal.bsky.social · Aug 28

I want to file all memories big and small.

It's part of a project I'm working on for Fort Mason to commemorate the institution's founding, which is fascinating and unexpected.

The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

Do you have memories of Fort Mason in San Francisco to share?

Next week at Fort Mason, from noon on Friday, 9/5 to noon on Saturday, 9/6, @alexis-madrigal.bsky.social of @kqedforum.bsky.social will catalog memories of Fort Mason to mark the center’s 50th anniversary. fortmason.org/event/alexis...

Alexis Madrigal: The Memory Clerk - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

In a unique blend of performance art, oral history, and historical research, KQED’s Alexis Madrigal transforms into “The Memory Clerk” for 24 hours, beginning Friday, September 5, 2025, stationed in F...

fortmason.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

Do you have memories of Fort Mason in San Francisco to share?

Next week at Fort Mason, from noon on Friday, 9/5 to noon on Saturday, 9/6, @alexis-madrigal.bsky.social of @kqedforum.bsky.social will catalog memories of Fort Mason to mark the center’s 50th anniversary. fortmason.org/event/alexis...

Alexis Madrigal: The Memory Clerk - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

In a unique blend of performance art, oral history, and historical research, KQED’s Alexis Madrigal transforms into “The Memory Clerk” for 24 hours, beginning Friday, September 5, 2025, stationed in F...

fortmason.org

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Ahmed Kabil @med.bsky.social · Aug 27

Are modern AI models conscious? In a new essay for @longnow.org, @blaiseaguera.bsky.social, CTO of Technology & Society at Google, makes the case that the answer is yes. longnow.org/ideas/life-i...

Life, Intelligence, and Consciousness: A Functional Perspective

Artificial intelligence is simply the next chapter in the long-running symbiotic story of life on Earth.

longnow.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

On September 16, Blaise Agüera y Arcas will join us for a Long Now Talk. Learn more: longnow.org/talks/02025-...

Blaise Agüera y Arcas: What is Intelligence?

Launched by Stewart Brand in 02003, Long Now Talks has invited more than 400 leading thinkers to share their civilization-scale ideas.

longnow.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

In his view, there is no clear reason why a sufficiently complex, responsive digital computer could not possess a theory of mind, just as sufficiently complex biological computers like humans do.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

Agüera y Arcas argues otherwise. By taking a functional approach to our notions of consciousness and intelligence, he finds deep overlaps between the capacities of biological systems and digital computers.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

In the face of the advent of increasingly complex artificial intelligence systems, many experts have rejected the possibility of truly intelligent machines. Instead, they claim, these systems merely simulate intelligent behavior without possessing it in any real sense.

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

“If we think of living systems more expansively as functional ecologies, then we must draw our charmed circle not only around humans, or around what is squishy and biological, but around all that is functional, including technology.”

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Aug 27

Can artificial intelligence systems truly possess intelligence?

As upcoming Long Now Talks speaker @blaiseaguera.bsky.social argues, taking a functional approach to defining intelligence allows us to place synthetic intelligence into a broader lineage of consciousness. longnow.org/ideas/life-i...

Life, Intelligence, and Consciousness: A Functional Perspective

Artificial intelligence is simply the next chapter in the long-running symbiotic story of life on Earth.

longnow.org

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Jul 25

We're honored to announce that The Interval at Long Now has been named the Best Cocktail Bar in San Francisco by San Francisco Magazine.

Thank you to all of the dedicated bartenders & staff who have made The Interval into a one-of-a-kind gathering place, as well as all of our patrons.

A list of the Best of the Bay from San Francisco Magazine.

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Reposted by The Long Now Foundation

Lucas Gonze @playingintongues.com · Jul 17

A really beautiful Long Now insight:

"Fossil fuels are a transition phase, not something we want to or even can rely on indefinitely. Our civilisation is up and running, and now it’s time to throw the switch."

Deb Chachra @debcha.bsky.social · Jul 16

I think of fossil fuels as humanity’s “black start” — they bought us the ability to figure out renewable energy technologies. But it’s just dumb — expensive, polluting — to keep the diesel generator running once the lights are on.

[last few paragraphs of this]

www.theguardian.com/news/2023/no...

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The Long Now Foundation @longnow.org · Jul 1

Long Now is hiring! Come join our team and work with us to foster imagination at the timescale of civilization.

We're looking for a full-time Communications Manager, contract IT Support, and (starting in September) a Bartender at The Interval at Long Now.

Learn more: longnow.org/careers

The Long Now Foundation is hiring! We are looking for a full-time Communications Manager, ongoing contract IT support, and a bartender at the interval!

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