Week 2 Recap
Highlights from Reality Reinvented: 3D-printed bikes, humanoid robots, conscious AI, kids vibecoding & more
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We are now halfway through the month at Edge Esmeralda! Week 2 explored how technologies like robotics, AI, digital governance, and decentralized infrastructure are reshaping the world around us.
Across four tracks, we looked at frameworks for progress, philosophies of acceleration, and new experiments in mechanism design, collective intelligence, and real-world innovation.
Here’s a glimpse into what’s unfolded:
By the Numbers
~250 participants over the course of the week (100 full month residents)
70+ sessions hosted
13 active community led experiments
5 thematic tracks across hard tech, d/acc, governance, progress, and policy
Programming Highlights
A few standouts from the week’s agenda:
Joscha Bach led a salon on machine consciousness and “Existential Hope for AI,” exploring how we might approach emerging intelligence with imagination and care.
Vitalik Buterin joined for a live Q&A on d/acc, sharing reflections on decentralization, plural governance, and accelerating progress responsibly/
Danielle Fong introduced the concept of gigacenters: distributed power hubs designed to support autonomy, resilience, and innovation.
Robert Scoble mapped the path to the Holodeck, showing how AR, VR, and AI are converging to create immersive, interactive environments.
Shawn Fanning and Andrew Frame joined Timour for a conversation on invention, failure, and building technologies like Napster, Citizen, and now Ami, that shift culture.
SHIFT Grants announced its first cohort of grantees, with lightning talks from early-stage builders in biosecurity, cyber defense, and decentralized infrastructure.
Governance Games closed with a showcase of new Ethereum funding mechanisms, including Conditional Funding Markets and polycentric governance tools.
Roots of Progress hosted daily writing sessions and discussions with Jason Crawford on AI, energy, biotech, and techno-humanism as design challenges.
Tomorrowland featured talks on biotech, energy, and manufacturing, plus nightly parties with AI DJs (Dadabots), 3D-printed bikes from Pantheon, and hardware demos from the Abundance Institute.
Experiment Highlights
This week’s experiment highlights focus on connection, personal data, and community health, ranging from social technology to biometric tracking.
Ami has been circulating through the village all week, a location-based social app from Shawn Fanning and Andrew Frame that helps you introduce your friends in real life. It’s already sparked tons of new friendships, collaborations, and some great edge-case testing.
Women’s Health experiments led by Cait Chizmar and Mariel Saade invited participants to track daily hormone data using Inito kits, with women’s dinners and meetups around cycles, mood, and energy.
Fulcra Dynamics has launched a village-wide wellness dashboard by aggregating opt-in data from wearables, offering a real-time look at how people are sleeping, moving, and spending time onsite.
Community Highlights
This week was shaped by community-led moments of connection, curiosity, and shared exploration.
Devon’s Land Tours brought groups to the future site of Esmeralda, a walkable village being built 90 minutes north of SF, where lessons from the popup village will shape a permanent home for human flourishing.
Weird Thursday was a two part experience, starting with a fireside chat at Selby Winery, where Timour hosted a conversation with Shawn Fanning and Andrew Frame on Citizen, Napster, and their new venture, Ami. he night continued at the Raven Theater with a tender/funny/chaotic story slam on the theme “My First Time,” hosted by the Long Journey team.
Dream Park brought people together each day in the Healdsburg plaza, turning the town square into an immersive playground. Adults and kids ran around chasing virtual creatures, exploring reactive sculptures, and solving puzzles.
The Kids are Vibecoding has become a real movement, highlighted by 10-year-old Billy’s demo of Dragon Fire Battle, a game he built solo on Replit and presented to a full room of cheering adults.
Village Life
This week’s highlights in village life include new weekend adventures, the joys of cycling around town, and community meals.
Telamon’s Weekend Adventure took a group to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, leading a hike through the trees and trails.
Biking around town has become a daily joy for many—especially through Serendipity Lane and the surrounding wineries.
Community Picnics now happen every Monday and Wednesday, making the plaza feel homey and inviting each evening.
What’s Next
Week 3: Environments of Tomorrow is now underway, with programming on cities, land, food systems, and education. You can still join us for the rest of this week, or come up for Emergent Futures (June 15–22), our final week and a culmination of everything built this month. Expect demos, installations, and daily showcases from 300+ residents across neurotech, AI, hard tech, governance, and beyond.
Environments of Tomorrow (June 8-15)
Emergent Futures (June 15-22)
We’re still welcoming builders, researchers, designers, artists, and anyone curious about what’s happening here in weeks 3 and 4.
For partnerships, sponsorships, or press inquiries, feel free to reach out, we’d love to connect!
– Edge Esmeralda Team ☀️
What a week!