Can You Engineer Serendipity?

Serendipity generally looks accidental. These three builders spend a lot of time trying to make it happen. Evan Baehr of Arena Hall, Chris Taylor of Red Fridge Society, and Zac Solomon of ATX Writing Club are building very different physical communities in Austin. We get into fast and slow serendipity, how rooms get curated, why members need roles, and…

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Notes

Why Can a Wild Comment Stay Inside Rosedale?

at 15:22 · Transcript

Rosedale is a physical room Zac Solomon runs for serious, non-dogmatic argument. The project started very niche. Full answer
Why Do University of Texas Grads Work in the Bay?

at 31:28 · Transcript

Evan Baehr says top CS students at UT and the Austin companies that want engineers keep missing each other. Full answer
Why Refuse Ten Serendipity Locations?

at 37:19 · Transcript

Chris Taylor says serendipity manufacturing is mostly the room. Full answer
Why Did Less Writing Make a Writing Club Happier?

at 42:14 · Transcript

Zac Solomon says a writing club is really about talking to other people. People use the writing as the excuse for showing up. Full answer
Why Is Fridge Starting to Charge Event Hosts?

at 52:06 · Transcript

Chris Taylor says a big benefit of being a Fridge member is throwing events in the space for free once the group is above 10. Full answer
Why Do Big Spenders Love the Free Golden Ticket?

at 56:21 · Transcript

Evan Baehr runs a for-profit membership with a very high price and a free version called the golden ticket for extraordinary people under 25. Full answer
Why Did a Member Mop the House Floors Unasked?

at 1:02:41 · Transcript

Zac Solomon is the only employee, and the members already got the picture. Full answer
Why Does a Small Austin Club Survive Losing Half?

at 1:12:05 · Transcript

Zac Solomon calls a small rented room probably the most sustainable way to run a community in Austin. He is a little younger and takes very minimal risk. Full answer
Why Aren't Sweet Greens the Way of Texas?

at 1:13:51 · Transcript

Evan Baehr says an experience of Texas made of Sweet Greens and La La Land is not the way of Texas. Full answer