Bitcoin and seasteading go together like PB&J. What other currency are people going to earn online when they are stateless? The guy I interviewed here, Oswald, recently started a Geyser.fund (lightning-ready) fundraising campaign to enable him to film a Netflix-quality documentary about this seastead that has already been launched in the Indian Ocean. Check it out at:

I reached out to Oswald yesterday and had him answer a bunch of questions about the Barge-based Seastead in the Indian Ocean. It is owned by a retiree named Sam, who you can see in the fundraising video. Here's my exchange with Oswald:

Luke: I looked at the seasteading.org projects list and the only one they have listed in the Indian ocean is "Freedom Haven," although it is still listed as in port. Is Sam's seastead associated with that?

Oswald: No Sam’s project is not associated with freedom haven.

Luke: Is the seasteading institute aware of his project at all?

Oswald: Yes the Seasteading institute is aware of his project. I have chatted with Joe Quirk about his project. There are others Seasteading project not listed on seasteading.org.

Luke: What are Sam's main goals/hopes/dreams for his project? Is it about floating autonomy, or more of a technical showcase?

Oswald: His goal is to create a floating city. His primary goal is to link 20 barges together. These barges will be twice the length and width of his current barge. This will amount to about 11 hectares (27 acres) of land. A large area for a small city state. My goal as a filmmaker is document everything he is doing to provide a clear path for others to follow. For many Seasteading seems like a far off dream, yet with sam’s methods it is much more simple than most realise. Sam is not designing or building anything new, he is relying on what has worked well in the past. Sam is not trying to sell any new fangled Seasteading technology. At sea you must use well tested technology or the surprise will be great! It is about freedom and autonomy. Not a technical showcase. Sam intends to live at sea until he dies. Pragmatism guides the project a desire for freedom and open space.

Luke: What kind of economy does Sam hope for this project?

Oswald: As Seasteading societies grow different industries will emerge. You will be able to provide services to other Seasteaders (gym, spa, casino, school). But initially software is best as you can earn money with just a computer and Starlink. This gives you full autonomy. If you break away from a barge community and your earnings will not be jeopardised. As you can continue to earn money online.

Luke: Is there a type of job that Sam feels this environment is best suited for?

Oswald: Anyone that can earn money with an internet connection. That way you can earn your living and sustain your Seastead. Software development is a good career path. A recurring theme is to do what works! Yes you may be able to earn a living from the sea. But it’s not clear how to in a dependable way.

Luke: Which flag is he going to fly?

Oswald: Liberia’s. Anything longer than 24 meters in length must be registered as a commercial vessel. The barge is registered as an accommodation vessel in Liberia. Sam always goes for the simplest most pragmatic route. Why spend $5 million on creating a flag? When you can fly an existing one (Liberia) and spend the rest of the money on developing a Seastead?

Luke: What power & freshwater generation capability does the have here now, and what does he have planned for later?

Oswald: Solar panels. AC produces freshwater as a byproduct. Generator, although Sam is trying to phase out his generator usage. He is looking into different biofuels.

Luke: What kind of maintenance will the barge require?

Oswald: The main maintenance task and a very useful trade for a Seasteader is learning how to weld. This is the most important maintenance task. The hull is divided into 24 separate chambers. So whenever a hole appears it usually fills up one chamber at a time. Making the barge very hard to sink. The chamber is drained with an electric pump, the hole is found and welded closed.

Luke: What are Sam’s goals for the project?

Oswald: The project is to connect 20 barges together. So anyone that is interesting in buying a barge and joining his project should reach out. The hope is that it will develop into a city. This is the principal aim of my film, to help the first Seastead grow.

Luke: Does Sam have any defense plans for Pirates or other hostiles?

Oswald: At sea it is legal to own guns…

Luke: Does Sam have any type of governance structure planned for the community on his seastead?

Oswald: I think there will be spontaneous order. Each person is the captain/king of their own barge. If they like the community they can stay, if not they can separate and go their own way. Governance structures change depending on the scale of a society. Who knows what will develop. I think many experiments will take place with many different structures tried.

Luke: What's your background in seasteading? What do you hope to see it achieve?

Oswald: I read the Seasteading book by Joe Quirk and Patri Friedman. I became obsessed with the concept. In the opening chapter it talks about Ephemerisle, at that time is was living in that area. So I went to Ephemerisle and met many people from the Seasteading world. Ephemerisle is a floating festival set up by TSI. I got increasingly obsessed and wanted to make a documentary to spread these ideas to the world. Hopefully to inspire action.

When I came into contact with Sam’s project I was amazed at its simplicity. Everyone always assumed a Seastead would require great feats of engineering, and many millions of dollars. It seemed so out of reach. Yet Sam’s set up can be replicated anywhere in the world. His setup costs less than the average house in western Europe. It seems everyone was over complicating it. My goal is that i want to show the Seasteading community it’s not as far out of reach as everyone thought. I want to inspire action. I want others to join sam and indeed start barge communities in different parts of the world. This project has the chance to revolutionise Seasteading and inspire many to move to sea. I’m making this film to inspire Seasteader’s the world over to move to the Oceans. The time is now.

Luke: What are your goals for your video project?

Oswald: I hope to inspire others and show them a path they can follow. I have entirely self funded the first filming venture. I’m hoping to upgrade my camera and production value with your generous donations (https://geyser.fund/project/floatingcity). I want to buy a Netflix approved camera, film underwater and have a wider reach for the project. There are lots of other miscellaneous costs that add up when making a documentary.

So far i have funded everything myself, i’m not being paid by Sam or any organisation. With your donations. I need to upgrade my gear and give you guys better quality, so that the documentary can have more reach. I need to be able to have some funds of how to leave the Barge, given that it will have moved to a spot 300 miles from any land. I do not have an exit plan in place! I’m aiming to raise about $25,000 to cover the total cost of production. It is such an important story, that I am excited for you all to be a part of. I hope to see many of you on the water and am very optimistic for the future of Seasteading. I think this could be the project that triggers an explosion of Seasteads around the world.