Newbie Guide

Welcome to Giza Death Star

The Basics

There are 2 levels of involvement: (free) subscriber and (paid) member.

• Subscribers (free) can read and comment on blog posts, participate in the Giza Community, and see the "News & Views from the Nefarium" videos.
• Members support the community with a modest recurring monthly or annual fee, and gain access to live member vidchats (video chats) with Dr. Farrell, the recorded library of all past vidchats, an enormous growing library of video dialogues with Dr. Farrell (also available as mp3 for portability), video webinars, member audio, and member documents, plus early announcement and occasional discounts to some live events.

When you click LOG-IN the first time, there will be a link to create your login credentials. Those credentials make you a subscriber. You can upgrade that status any time to full member.

VidChats

• WHAT: A live vidchat consists of Dr. Farrell broadcasting live at a certain time, and members sending questions in advance by e-mail, and raising new ones or commenting by text chat.
• WHEN: For times (be aware of time zone), visit the vidchat calendar on the Membership dropdown.
• WHERE: About 30-minutes before the scheduled time, Dr. Farrell will add a new post to the vidchats section (also available from the membership dropdown). That post will consist of a live video and a chat room.
• ALSO: There are links to alternate chat rooms in case there are technical difficulties with any one room. Dr. Farrell will announce if there's a switch to a different room.
• VIDEO: When you start the video, you will see the live broadcast. If you rewind, you will be watching a recording (made as the broadcast occurs) of what has already occurred. It's usually best to watch live and play back anything you missed later.
• PAST VIDCHATS: Are abundantly available and sorted by date. It's recommended you watch a recent one to get a feel for how vidchats work. That way, by the time you join a live one, you're an old hand.
• HOW MANY: Over 130 videos are available with more live/recordings being added multiple times per month.

Dialogues

• WHAT: A video dialogue consists of a recorded discussion between Dr. Farrell and a host. Dr. Farrell usually does not know what he will be asked, and most shows have one or more themes that emerge and are explored in depth.
• WHERE: Video Dialogues are available on the Membership dropdown on the menu/navigation of this site.
• AUDIO: The most recent Video Dialogues are available as audio MP3s for download to a portable audio device or phone.
• ALSO: If there are topics covered you feel need even more depth, prepare them as questions for the next live vidchat.
• HOW MANY: Over 286 videos are available, with more added every month.
• FORMAT: The earliest shows were produced in segments, with multiple segments comprising one show. The new ones are usually recorded straight through as a single, long video.

Other Media

• WHAT: Video webinars, Audio interviews, Member documents, and other media are produced less frequently, but a recent partnership with Catherine Austin Fitts has contributed content that would normally require an additional membership.
• WHERE: All members-only content is accessible from the Membership dropdown on the top menu.

News and Views

• WHAT: News and Views from the Nefarium are very frequent video updates provided by Dr. Farrell. They usually cover recent news rather than go in-depth into any one topic.
• WHO: They are available for viewing by both Subscribers and Members.
• WHEN: They typically happen weekly.
• WHERE: The appear on the Giza home page.
• HOW MANY: There are more than 270. More can be seen by clicking the "news and views" category link under any one news and views title.

Tidbits

• WHAT: Tiny written updates on various news items you might not otherwise see.
• WHERE: Appearing on the home page
• HOW MANY: Currently more than 500.
• HOW OFTEN: As often as Dr. Farrell see something he wants to share.
• WHO: Everyone

Scrapbooks (categories)

• WHAT: The scrapbooks are an ongoing series of articles and posts on various themes. Examples include the Transhumanist Scrapbook and the GMO Scrapbook. There are other categories that don't use the word "scrapbook" as well.
• WHO: Everyone may read them.
• HOW MANY: We have no idea. It's probably nearing 3000.
• WHERE: They appear as "loops" on the home page. You can click the name of any category under its title for the entire collection, organized by date. Categories with shorter names appear in a menu at the top of the website, above other posts, as well.

Community

• WHAT: The community features are relatively recent additions, and allow both Subscribers and Members to connect and communicate.
• WHERE: You should see all the features on the Community dropdown on the lower menu (secondary header navigation).
• WHO: All Subscribers and Members