entertainment

AMA with Ali Beiner. Wednesday 2/4 at 11:00 AM CT

Kainos host Alexander Beiner exploring cultural sensemaking around psychedelics, popular culture, philosophy, psychology, alternative economics, and spirituality.

A Vtuber Built on Community, Not Virality. I’m a music artist, VTuber, and radio-style host — and more importantly, I act as a voice and gathering point for a community I call Cyber City Underground. My work lives at the intersection of music, conversation, and community: original songs, live radio-style streams, and spaces built around listening, dialogue, and shared humanity.

A core part of what I do is creating places where people can slow down, talk honestly, and feel connected — not optimized, not farmed, not reduced to engagement metrics. Through my music and my live conversations, I’ve heard the same sentiment echoed again and again: the current internet feels fragmented, hostile, and engineered to divide.

That’s why seeing UpTrust launch genuinely means a lot to me.

A platform that puts trust, dialogue, and human connection at the center aligns deeply with the values I’ve been building toward — resisting algorithm-driven outrage and instead amplifying voices, nuance, and real conversation. This feels like the kind of space where creators and communities can show up as people, not products.

I’m here because I believe in a better internet — one where trust matters more than virality, and where communities are built through intention rather than manipulation. I’m excited to be part of this early wave and to contribute however makes sense as things grow.

Glad to be here — and hopeful for what this can become.

— Oni-1
🎙️ Radio-Style Host | 🎵 Music Artist
Voice of Cyber City Underground

Godzilla Minus One was surprisingly good! Redemption story, more about character development than monsters. Brought me to tears at times.

Have y'all seen it? What'd you think?

If you think my bicycle metaphors are too much ... If you've ever heard me on a rant, you may know that I can go down a few rabbit trails when trying to make some obscure point through metaphors. I just posted about  language being a reverse bicycle, as one example (interesting to me, but we'll see if anyone else agrees).

But sometimes I even shake my head at myself. Today is one of those days.

You may have seen this perspective taking meme that is one of my favorites:
 
and of course, I like to take this to another level, so here is the version I like better:

And of course, one can extrude this example even further by moving into another dimension. And someone did by challenging AI to navigator a 4D universe: https://youtu.be/1BDYSxsVMAE?si=jj0PWlJ8mFewhmQg

I'll never be able to use this as a metaphor to explain anything except why it is that nobody likes my metaphors. You don't even have to understand this video fully, but watch it to see if it tickles your brain. It tickled mine.

But then, I live in the Meta-Phorth Dimension.

Anyone watching the Pluribus TV show?  

Only saw the first two episodes, will keep it spoiler-free.

I was really wowed by the pilot that it felt like I was watching an entirely new experience that's never been done before. It feels like a horror zombie film but subverts itself.

I think the show is a fascinating look at individualism vs collectivism. Freedom vs sacrificing some self autonomy for more collective well being. Centralization of power vs decentralized units?

It's setup that the protagonist isn't really a likeable character yet at the same time you are on their side.

There's an innate sense that losing free will is bad but the show makes you really question why.

TBEX Wichita. Attending our first TBEX conference in Wichita, Kansas. This event brings creators and destinations together to collaborate in an effort to increase tourism. 

Anyone else super excited to see the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap? : )

Significance of Kendrick Lamar's Superbowl performance. Here's what I've learned so far, would love to hear everything others find!

The Drake Stuff

• As the lights in the audience at the end said, this is Kendrick's "Game Over" in his ever-increasing beef with Drake. They teased the song "Not Like Us," in which Kendrik calls Drake a pedophile, nodding to the immense talk over whether he would perform the song there. When they did do that song, they added insult to injury by panning the camera over a cameo of Drake's ex, Serena Williams, dancing.

Black Culture

• Every human in the entire halftime show was black, including the prime old-school representative of the USA, Uncle Sam, portrayed by Samuel Jackson.
• When the dancers were in the american flag formation made only of men, there was a potent dance move of them all simultaneously did the Black Power fist.
• One youtuber referenced the significance of the colors, when Kendrick was wearing mostly blue and the only other color on stage was dancers wearing red, that it was a powerful reference to last year's "Pop Out" concert in LA which was a groundbreaking moment in music creating unity because the stage was filled with members of both the Bloods and the Crips, two gangs that have had decades of violence between them, going so far as to gather for a group photo at the end of the concert. During the photo, Kendrick said "This is unity at its finest... this shit makes me prouder than a motherfucker..."
• The choreography was jam packed with black culture, all the way to one of the most successful tennis players in history Crip Walking.
• Black culture is also celebrated with the souped up Grand National car, streetlights, and clothing styles.

Things I want to know more about:

• There had to have been a lot of commentaries on America with how blatant that theme was. I'd love to learn what all people find, beyond what I've heard about the boldness of doing that while Trump was also there.
• Symbolism, including the colors and all other things I missed.
• Significance throughout the lyrics and phrases that were added in during transitions, etc.

Wholesomeness culture. I was listening to a cool album Dara and Forest recommended called ten days, and as I was listening to it I had this surge of: ahh yeah, wholesomeness is so cool, I wish it was a bigger trend. And then I'm like: how is it already a big trend to be wholesome, which I'm just not aware of yet? This album feels that way to me. I guess in some way sustainable living, recycling, reusing is wholesome and trendy these days, as well as being honest and kind  (Relatefulness and AR seems to be a little trendy these days), living healthy, supporting local businesses etc.  what else is wholesome and trendy these days? 

Wholesomeness culture. I was listening to a cool album Dara and Forest recommended called ten days, and as I was listening to it I had this surge of: ahh yeah, wholesomeness is so cool, I wish it was a bigger trend. And then I'm like: how is it already a big trend to be wholesome, which I'm just not aware of yet? This album feels that way to me. I guess in some way sustainable living, recycling, reusing is wholesome and trendy these days, as well as being honest and kind  (Relatefulness and AR seems to be a little trendy these days), living healthy, supporting local businesses etc.  what else is wholesome and trendy these days? 

Wholesomeness culture. I was listening to a cool album Dara and Forest recommended called ten days, and as I was listening to it I had this surge of: ahh yeah, wholesomeness is so cool, I wish it was a bigger trend. And then I'm like: how is it already a big trend to be wholesome, which I'm just not aware of yet? This album feels that way to me. I guess in some way sustainable living, recycling, reusing is wholesome and trendy these days, as well as being honest and kind  (Relatefulness and AR seems to be a little trendy these days), living healthy, supporting local businesses etc.  what else is wholesome and trendy these days? 

Split Brain Music - wow! I discovered this artist, Madelline, on IG. People were commenting about how her song, Dopamine, is in English in one ear and French in the other. I was listening at first without headphones, so I only really heard the English. But with headphones it’s amazing. I don’t understand French but it’s still cool.

Madelline’s Dopamine
https://youtu.be/YMYqvPHLjjM?si=F32KrdZzcwv7luPm

I later discovered that there is 8D and 9D music. It’s wild.
Here’s one example: https://youtu.be/xqOWZY33efY?si=BD6LoGLj3Dfd0R1I

The audio pans from left to right or vice versa. Sometimes it sounds like the audio is playing behind me. It’s amazing.

Anyone have experience with this before?

What are your sci-fi TV show recommendations? Some i loved that jump to mind:

• The Expanse
• Most of the Marvel stuff like Loki, What If?
• Rick and Morty
• Legends of Tomorrow Etc

90 day fiance. Coming clean- I love 90 day fiance. Does anyone else watch it?

TV like this is really helps me turn off my brain. 😅

The season that’s on right now is Before the 90 Days

REVERSE the DIS-CONNECTION - Movie Recommendation and Review of "Reverse The Curse". Movie Review: Reverse the Curse by David Duchovny

Reconnect the Disconnection = Reverse the Curse

This is a movie about life and it’s about death and life through the eyes of death. First of all will say this is a spoiler. The trailer URL is also a spoiler.

Do you watch trailers before movies? If you do, enjoy. This is a drama, psychologoical death specialist - if was a movie catagory called relateful… Perhaps this would fit. It’s a happy sad ending all in one.

I watch a zillion trailers just to enjoy mini movies. RARELY do i watch the full film. This trailer intrigued me. No one in my life is actively dying. This isn’t about the death as much as REVERSE THE CURSE is about RECONNECTING DISCONNECTIONS. And Ducovny wrote and directed and starred, Good job David, seems like a long way from Californication.

Disconnection from too much love. Disconnection from too much hurt.

In this film, Duchovny plays a father who was a terrible father. There is no disputing the history. But it gets to be repainted in such a beautiful way. If only some of you smarter deeper personal development folks could find more words after seeing the film (if it speaks to you). The film plays him to be the bad dad really well, totally bought the innocent son and distant non loving father, one innocent and one wretched. I didn’t see it until the son saw it. I could not not blame the dad. But we humans are so much more than these double binds, victim molds.

It was so well done. It should win awards. SIDE NOTE: i’m on the selection committee for the SAG awards this year (it will be nominated by me).

This movie is focused on baseball. I do not like baseball or any spectator based sports, but that’s another story. It suits this film well. It’s perfect as it’s not about baseball - spoiler - love when he throws out the map on the way to the stadium. And really wanted his team to win, but it was so perfect the entire time.

The character who has job title Death Specialist almost became an FBI agent earlier in life. She shares a story from her moment at the academy. She takes one big message, In real life the fbi agent shares with her, agents are shot and often die because the mind thinks they are dying from the gun shot. While, in reality most bodies can survive a gunshot. He said most important thing he wants all his agents to know is Don’t let the bullet kill. Don’t let the trauma ruin your life. Don’t let the bad dad make you a bad son or have a bad life. Don’t let the bullet kill you is in my soul in a new way, similar concept, lodged in deeper. Wish could say more, it’s beyond words and done perfectly well in the movie.

Without spoiling more… some little personal tidbits.

Truth be told, i fast forwarded the part that knew was coming, when his protected world was uncovered and his reality was shattered. Much like in the Truman show, when Truman found out his whole life was fake. We all knew it would happen if he lived long enough, how long can they fake reality. Then his trauma is shared on screen. This kind of pain, have enough, know it well, didn’t feel the need to live vicariously. Maybe it’s an edge, a boundary, or a block… It doesn’t mean it isn’t a perfect movie. Doesn’t mean that should remove that scene, it is completely necessary. Makes me happy to say, i skipped that part. It’s like saying, i don’t like hearing sirens, so they should stop using ambulances (do think they should change the sound, another story). But i do close my ears if possible when sirens go by.

Summary the film is about WAKING UP. Taking responsibility. Don’t let the bullet kill you is about forgiveness. The movie caught me in blame for the bad dad and then woah, woah, woah, you all know, we are more complex. Here’s where i lose my wheelhouse. Want to speak on the relatefulness and growth of the characters. The love that is found even at the end of time, even when no more time.

Who doesn’t need a death specialist before they are dying????