“”I wasn’t partying. I wasn’t relaxing on the beach. I was photographing – working – every minute of the day. That was a means to see as much as I possibly could. And to keep looking.” –Kevin Kelly In this episode of Deviate , Rolf and Kevin discuss the ambitions and connections that led Kevin to Asia not long after high school (2:30); how Kevin’s interest in photography affected his experience of Asia (7:30); how seeing other cultures gave him perspective on his own culture, and on himself, and his countrymen (15:00); how photography gave him intensified attention to what in the world might be changing (23:00); how AI and other technology are changing how we live, create, and travel (30:00); how to travel in such a way that you are open to phenomenon and experiences you don’t know of yet, and how technology might enable a “protopia” future (40:00). Kevin Kelly ( @kevin2kelly ) is a co-founder of Wired magazine, a co-founder of the Rosetta Project , and he serves on the board of the Long Now Foundation . He is a photographer, writer, and futurist, with much of his work centering on Asian and digital culture. His three-volume photo book Vanishing Asia draws on 50 years of vagabonding travel experiences, and his newest book, Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier , debuts in May of 2023. Notable Links: The Vagabond’s Way , by Rolf Potts (book) Leaves of Grass , by Walt Whitman (poetry book) Communitas (egalitarian ethos of shared interest) Jan Chipchase (design innovator) Wired (magazine) Rick Prelinger (American archivist) Stewart Brand (founder of the Whole Earth Catalog ) Shenzhen (city in China) A Pattern Language (1977 urban design book) “ What AI-Generated Art Means for Human Creativity ” (article) “ A Brief History of Smell-O-Vision ” (article) Burning Man (event in the US) Kumbh Mela (event in India) Musical.ly (defunct social media app) “ Forget Utopia. Ignore Dystopia. Embrace Protopia! ” (article) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber . Note : We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at
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