Astral Codex Ten

Vancouver

12 min read

Vancouver

Article

Vancouver is a recurring place in the Astral Codex Ten archive, appearing 13 times across 13 issues between April 10, 2022 and September 01, 2025. The archive places it in contexts such as “VANCOUVER, BC”; “Squamish tribe building skyscrapers on their land in Vancouver”; “VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA”. It most often appears alongside Atlanta, Discord, India.

Metadata

  • Category: Places
  • Mention count: 13
  • Issue count: 13
  • First seen: April 10, 2022
  • Last seen: September 01, 2025

Appears In

Source Context

Recovered passages from the original issue text. When the raw archive preserved outbound links inside the source passage, they are listed directly under the quote.

Spring Meetups In Seventy Cities
April 10, 2022 · Original source
VANCOUVER, BC Contact: Tom Ash & Dirk Haupt (events@philosofiles.com) Date: April 20 Time: 7:00 PM Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH Location: East Van Brewing, at Commercial & Venables. We'll have a sign on the table. Notes: We'll have open discussion and beers, plus games! This coinciding with 4/20 (and this being Vancouver and all), we'll have some discussion of drugs and rationality, and are soliciting reading suggestions thereon. And Dirk (aka Cornelis) will be running games like Mafia to help new folks get to know people. For more see the Facebook event.
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH, Facebook event
22
August 01, 2022 · Original source
They seem to have gotten…an Indian tribe? That wasn’t on my bingo card for 2022. The Catawba Digital Economic Zone is the brainchild of Joseph McKinney (founder of the pro-charter-cities Startup Societies Foundation) and the Catawba Nation of Native Americans (a federally recognized tribe with a reservation in South Carolina). Indian tribes have regulatory independence from state governments, which some tribes have famously used to allow casinos in their territory. The Catawba are going one step further: they claim to have favorable cryptocurrency regulations which make it easier to register and operate your crypto company in Catawba territory than in the rest of the US. You can find their exact laws here, although they are long and in legalese. CoinDesk has an explainer of the crypto benefits, which seem to focus on digital asset regulations which “integrate digital assets under existing law”, including rights around disputes and loans. They also expect upcoming laws on DAOs, stablecoin, and banking. “Native American tribes” and “cryptocurrency” were not previously two concepts I associated closely with each other. But the Catawba were already a standout for their political savvy and economic ambitions, and they seem intimately involved here; the Zone is being run by “the business branch of the Catawba Indian Nation”, the commissioners are mostly Catawba citizens and tribal elders, and there are some nice touches like financial incentives for businesses that employ Catawba citizens. I like crypto as an insurance policy against oppressive governments, but I am not very bullish about it as an industry right now. Still, I am excited about the idea of Indian reservation charter cities - either in cooperation with outsiders like McKinney, or - who knows? - as grassroots designs from the tribes themselves. Reservation charter cities wouldn’t be the biggest deal. Tribes have substantial independence from state and local governments, but not much independence from the national government, and a lot of the dysfunction that needs escaping is at the federal level. Still, there are probably some niche opportunities; see eg Squamish tribe building skyscrapers on their land in Vancouver despite NIMBY opposition for one example of where this sort of idea could go. Seasteading In Paradise Malé is the capital of the Maldives, a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean. It looks like this: One noticeable feature of Malé is its lack of lebensraum. Maldives is a pretty well-off country with a strong tourist industry, and lots more people would like to be nearby. What to do? You can already guess the proposed solution of Maldives Floating City. They want a 20,000 person seastead docked ten minutes away from the 130,000 person island-capital. The Floating City will serve both tourists and local Maldivians (some of whom are getting nervous about rising sea levels, and would probably appreciate a development guaranteed to stay above water). According to the organization’s press release, the Dutch corporate sponsor has obtained full permission to build the seastead, some test construction has already started, and full construction will begin in January. They hope to finish by 2027. Here are the inevitable pretty pictures: The layout is supposedly based on brain coral, but is this really the best way to lay design a seastead? Does this pattern really maximize the ease of getting from Point A to Point B? If you like tropical paradises and are incredibly optimistic, you can buy a house in the Floating City here, prices seem to be $150-250K. This is not the long-awaited dream of the libertarian seastead; the whole city will be firmly anchored in Maldives, both physically and legally. But if it works, it’s a proof of concept that libertarians may be able to build on later. Elsewhere In Model Cities 1: Prospera now hosts the drone delivery service Aerialoop, which will eventually transport cargo from their Roatan Island hub to various outposts on the mainland; you can find more information here. Their long-term plans include eventually following this up with passenger drones. And here’s some more information on the growing drone industry in Latin America. 2: Related: Prospera intern and resident George Kerpestein is writing a Substack about his experiences there. And here is the Prospera newsletter. 3: Thanks to commenters last month for pointing out that Chinese cult Falun Gong has its own compound/city in upstate New York. You can read more about it here: 4: Sealand is an independent nation (according to Sealand) based out of an old WWII sea fort in international waters. It is not for sale, but the Bull Sandfort is, for only £50,000. Alas, this one is firmly within British territorial waters. But it does look pretty defensible…anyway, see the listing here. Predictions In 2030, there are at least 50,000 people in whatever the Neom project has evolved into by then: 75%
Inline links: Startup Societies Foundation, Catawba Nation, here, CoinDesk has an explainer of the crypto benefits, already a standout, building skyscrapers on their land in Vancouver despite NIMBY opposition, Malé, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGww!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6b977d54-218e-4a02-8ffe-630a48099ec2_1386x924.jpeg, Maldives Floating City, press release, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_9hG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59b2e0ea-e379-4e67-b7a0-7ad9c4ab034a_2400x1350.jpeg, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WoEb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9be04950-c68a-4869-aca0-d7134a6ccfc0_1200x918.jpeg, here, here, the growing drone industry in Latin America, writing a Substack, the Prospera newsletter, here, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kdyl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd505ec-7998-4f17-b1b5-82cbaa663ea0_700x525.jpeg, Sealand, here, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X_kO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fc09d9d-ac8b-4e5f-a4c0-061832919c87_753x416.png
Spring Meetups Everywhere 2023
April 10, 2023 · Original source
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Contact: Tom Ash Contact Info: events[at]philosofiles[dot]com Time: Thursday, April 20th, 07:00 PM Location: East Van Brewing, at Commercial & Venables. We'll be on the top floor, and have a sign. Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1214528206120446/
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH, https://www.facebook.com/events/1214528206120446/
Your Book Review: The Educated Mind
July 14, 2023 · Original source
Reviewer: Yeah, I wish I coulda seen a conversation between the two of them! They both lived in the Vancouver area for a number of years; maybe they bumped into each other in the grocery store. So, anyway, that’s two ways so far of adjudicating Egan: formal studies of classrooms, and looking at how the components of his paradigm have fared.
Meetups Everywhere 2023: Times & Places
August 25, 2023 · Original source
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Contact: Michael Contact Info: maswiebe[at]gmail[dot]com Time: Thursday, September 28th, 7:00 PM Location: East Van Brewing Company, upstairs Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7WGH+PH
Spring Meetups Everywhere 2024
March 30, 2024 · Original source
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Contact: Jordan Contact Info: j[dot]verasamy[at]gmail[dot]com Time: Saturday, April 13th, 11:00 AM Location: Dude Chilling Park, NW corner, with a big sign. Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+P9
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+P9
Open Thread 324
April 08, 2024 · Original source
2: ACX meetups this coming week in Haifa, St. Petersburg, LA, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, San Jose, Milwaukee, Hong Kong, Tallinn, Cambridge MA, Mumbai, Singapore, and many more. See the Meetups List for details.
Inline links: See the Meetups List for details
Meetups Everywhere 2024: Times & Places
August 29, 2024 · Original source
Contact: Andrew Contact Info: partyatmyplace2024[at]gmail[dot]com Time: Saturday, September 21st, 04:00 PM Location: FourFifty The Well (450 Front Street), ask the concierge to send you to the rec room for the ACX Meetup Coordinates: https://plus.codes/87M2JJV3+4R Group Link: https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA Notes: RSVP over email for planning around snacks and venue capacity, or to let me know any dietary requirements. Please leave your pets at home :) VANCOUVER, CANADA Contact: Jordan Contact Info: j[dot]verasamy[a t]gmail[d ot]c om Time: Saturday, September 21st, 01:00 PM Location: Dude Chilling Park, NW corner, with a big sign Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+PC Group Link: https://www.meetup.com/vancouver-rationality and https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/foFedJFgad2qDd3vp
Inline links: https://plus.codes/87M2JJV3+4R, https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA, https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+PC, https://www.meetup.com/vancouver-rationality, https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/foFedJFgad2qDd3vp
Contact: Jordan Contact Info: j[dot]verasamy[a t]gmail[d ot]c om Time: Saturday, September 21st, 01:00 PM Location: Dude Chilling Park, NW corner, with a big sign Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+PC Group Link: https://www.meetup.com/vancouver-rationality and https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/foFedJFgad2qDd3vp
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7W73+PC, https://www.meetup.com/vancouver-rationality, https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/foFedJFgad2qDd3vp
Meetups Everywhere Spring 2025: Times & Places
March 25, 2025 · Original source
Contact: Sean A Contact Info: k9i9m9ufh[a t]mozmail[period]com Time: Sunday, April 13th, 2:00 PM Location: Enter the Mars Atrium via University Avenue entrance. We'll meet at the food court in the basement. I'll be wearing a bright neon yellow jacket. Coordinates: https://plus.codes/87M2MJ56+XG Group Link: https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA Notes: If for some reason the Mars Building is locked, which happens occasionally due to protests and other events, we will still meet outside of the University Avenue entrance for 30 minutes after the start time before relocating to somewhere more accommodating. VANCOUVER Contact: Allwyn Contact Info: allwyn8443[at]gmail[period]com Time: Saturday, May 17, 11:00 AM Location: Mount Pleasant Park, 3161 Ontario St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 0B3 Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7V4V+RH Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kdl [remove this bit] gviZRNzj1JLYEWbLmg6 Additional Notes: Feel free to bring along friends - give them a heads up about ACX substack, maybe share some top posts with them, so they have an idea!
Inline links: https://plus.codes/87M2MJ56+XG, https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA, https://plus.codes/84XR7V4V+RH
Contact: Allwyn Contact Info: allwyn8443[at]gmail[period]com Time: Saturday, May 17, 11:00 AM Location: Mount Pleasant Park, 3161 Ontario St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 0B3 Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR7V4V+RH Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kdl [remove this bit] gviZRNzj1JLYEWbLmg6 Additional Notes: Feel free to bring along friends - give them a heads up about ACX substack, maybe share some top posts with them, so they have an idea!
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR7V4V+RH
Open Thread 378
April 21, 2025 · Original source
1: ACX meetups this week in Warsaw, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Atlanta, Philly, Brooklyn, and Dallas, among others. And late additions to the list include Belfast, Vancouver, and Stockholm. See the post for details. And remember there’s a feedback form for meetup-goers.
Inline links: the post, feedback form
Open Thread 379
April 28, 2025 · Original source
1: ACX meetups this week in Istanbul, Belfast, Copenhagen, Paris, Zurich, Vienna, Rome, Vancouver, Las Vegas, and LA. See the post for details.
Inline links: the post
Meetups Everywhere 2025: Times and Places
August 29, 2025 · Original source
Contact: Abi O. and Sean Contact Info: k9i9m9ufh[a t]mozmail[period]com Time: Sunday, October 26th, 2:00 PM Location: Enter the Mars Atrium via University Avenue entrance. We'll meet at the food court in the basement. I'll be wearing a bright neon yellow jacket. Coordinates: https://plus.codes/87M2MJ56+XG Group Link: https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA Notes: If for some unlikely reason the Mars Building is locked, which happens occasionally due to protests and other events, we will still meet outside of the University Avenue entrance for 30 minutes after the start time before relocating to somewhere more accommodating. VANCOUVER Contact: Allwyn Contact Info: allwyn8443[a t]gmail[period]com Time: Saturday, September 6th, 11:00 AM Location: Aperture Coffee Bar, 4124 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P7 Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR6VXX+9M Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kdl [remove this bit] gviZRNzj1JLYEWbLmg6 Notes: For ice-breaker tell us about your fav ACX post or any posts that you really enjoyed! Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/acx-vancouver-fall-2025-meetup-tickets-1579329028639
Inline links: https://plus.codes/87M2MJ56+XG, https://www.lesswrong.com/groups/8ktnBi4AjxtCmGeXA, https://plus.codes/84XR6VXX+9M, https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/acx-vancouver-fall-2025-meetup-tickets-1579329028639
Contact: Allwyn Contact Info: allwyn8443[a t]gmail[period]com Time: Saturday, September 6th, 11:00 AM Location: Aperture Coffee Bar, 4124 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P7 Coordinates: https://plus.codes/84XR6VXX+9M Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kdl [remove this bit] gviZRNzj1JLYEWbLmg6 Notes: For ice-breaker tell us about your fav ACX post or any posts that you really enjoyed! Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/acx-vancouver-fall-2025-meetup-tickets-1579329028639
Inline links: https://plus.codes/84XR6VXX+9M, https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/acx-vancouver-fall-2025-meetup-tickets-1579329028639
Open Thread 397
September 01, 2025 · Original source
3: Meetups this week in Athens, Markham, Bozeman, Barcelona, Bucharest, Dayton, Dubai, Edinburgh, Erlangen, Klang Valley, Lyon, Manhattan/NYC, Newton (MA), Northampton (MA), Simi Valley, Vancouver, Williamsburg, and Zurich, see the meetups post for more. And two minor corrections: Berkeley is on Tuesday (not Thursday), and London is on Saturday (not Friday).
Inline links: the meetups post