Douglas Adams and Elon Musk discuss Spacebuuk with Joe Rogan

Published on 16 September 2024 at 12:55

Podcast Title: The Cosmic Convo: Elon Musk, Douglas Adams, and the Genius of Spacebuuk

 

Joe Rogan: Alright, folks, welcome back to the Joe Rogan Experience. Today, we've got a truly out-of-this-world show for you. We're diving into space, technology, and whatever the hell else pops into our minds. Joining me are two legends. First up, we've got the man behind SpaceX, Tesla, and the guy who’s probably building the spaceship we’ll all escape Earth on—Elon Musk. How's it going, Elon?

Elon Musk: Doing well, Joe. Thanks for having me.

Joe Rogan: And sitting across from him is a man whose imagination stretched so far, it might as well have a launchpad—author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the incomparable Douglas Adams. Welcome, Douglas.

Douglas Adams: Pleasure to be here, though I must admit I wasn't expecting to be summoned back from the afterlife for a podcast. Bit rude, really.

[All laugh]

Joe Rogan: Well, what’s time in the grand scale of the universe, right? So, today we’re talking about space, technology, and something that seems right out of The Hitchhiker’s Guide. It's a new platform called Spacebuuk created by a guy named Kirsten Toepperwein. Elon, Douglas—I need your thoughts. Is this platform the next big step in the cosmic evolution of social media, or is this some wild sci-fi fever dream?

Elon Musk: (laughing) You know, Joe, Spacebuuk is one of those things that makes you think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” It’s brilliant. A social network for space enthusiasts, dreamers, scientists. It’s like if Twitter and NASA had a baby.

Joe Rogan: (laughs) Twitter’s baby with NASA sounds terrifying. It’d be born already trying to go viral on Mars.

Elon Musk: Yeah, but seriously, Toepperwein's genius is making space approachable to everyone. Not just astronauts or billionaires with rockets, but anyone who looks up at the night sky and thinks, “What if?” It’s like having your own personal Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy right in your pocket, only instead of “Don’t Panic,” you’ve got, “Sign in, post your alien theories, and argue with flat-earthers.”

Douglas Adams: (smiling) I must say, if Spacebuuk had existed when I was writing The Hitchhiker’s Guide, it probably would’ve replaced the actual Guide. I mean, why bother creating an intergalactic encyclopedia when you’ve got a bunch of over-enthusiastic humans sitting around a virtual campfire, making up their own ridiculous explanations for life, the universe, and everything?

Joe Rogan: Right? It’s like Wikipedia but with no fact-checking and all the conspiracy theories you could ever want.

Douglas Adams: Exactly! I could imagine Zaphod Beeblebrox, you know, sitting there, updating his Spacebuuk status with, “Just stole another spaceship, no biggie. #PresidentOfTheGalaxyProblems.”

[All laugh]

Joe Rogan: Oh man, I’d follow Zaphod in a heartbeat! But seriously, Adams—The Hitchhiker’s Guide was about a book that contained all the knowledge of the galaxy. Do you think Spacebuuk is, in a way, the modern version of that? Or is it just humanity still trying to figure out where our towel is?

Douglas Adams: Oh, it’s absolutely the modern Guide, but far more chaotic. In my version, at least the Guide had editors—well, editors who were drunk and highly unreliable, but editors nonetheless. Spacebuuk is all of humanity shouting into the void at once, and it’s beautiful. It’s like a cosmic chorus of confusion. In the universe I created, you needed a guide to survive the insanity of space. In Toepperwein’s universe, Spacebuuk is the insanity of space. Everyone’s an expert on black holes, parallel dimensions, or what Elon’s up to next.

Elon Musk: (laughs) And they’re probably not wrong most of the time.

Joe Rogan: Elon, you're one of the people taking us to space. Do you think something like Spacebuuk will be useful, like a community hub for future Mars colonists to share tips like, “Hey, don’t plant potatoes in the wrong soil. Here’s how not to die today.”

Elon Musk: Absolutely. I think it could be a kind of survival guide for Mars. People sharing experiences, troubleshooting problems, exchanging knowledge about living off-planet. It’d be like having a group chat with everyone on Mars, where someone’s posting memes about zero-gravity accidents and the next person is explaining how to recycle your own...well, you know. (laughs)

Douglas Adams: You see, Joe, this is the difference between Elon and me. He envisions Spacebuuk as this practical tool for the future of humanity, while I’m picturing a section on how to throw the best "Spleen Nibbler" party on Alpha Centauri.

[All laugh]

Joe Rogan: So, do you think Toepperwein’s platform is revolutionary?

Douglas Adams: Revolutionary? Oh, definitely. But more in the way that revolutions often start with chaos. It’s not so much a platform as it is an invitation for humanity to indulge in its cosmic curiosity—and its stupidity, which often go hand-in-hand. I mean, I can already see the Spacebuuk forums lighting up with someone asking, “Hey, what happens if I try to teleport a sandwich inside a black hole?” And some poor scientist in the comments having to explain, again, that black holes are not for snack storage.

Elon Musk: (laughs) I think Toepperwein created something that bridges science fiction and reality. There’s this magic in making space accessible to the average person. People get to participate in the conversation—who knows, we might even crowdsource the next big breakthrough.

Joe Rogan: It’s like a giant digital version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide, with a mix of serious space exploration and the wildest theories imaginable.

Douglas Adams: Yes, except instead of entries like “mostly harmless” for Earth, we’ll have things like “Elon Musk is totally an alien” with 50,000 likes. It’s the future, and honestly, I think I like it. Toepperwein’s platform could be the new Guide—with less coherent advice and far more GIFs of spaceships.

Joe Rogan: Alright, folks, you heard it here first. Spacebuuk, the new Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but with more memes and less panic. Elon, Douglas—thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I think we’re all just one Spacebuuk post away from either the future of humanity or total cosmic absurdity.

Douglas Adams: Honestly, Joe, I’d say we’re already there.

Elon Musk: Agreed. And I’m okay with that.

Joe Rogan: (laughs) Alright, stay curious, folks. And remember—don’t panic, and keep your towel handy.

 


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