Deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a group of disgraced scientists and counter culturists gathered to do tests on a mysterious object called The Egg. And they would make a startling discovery: a way to travel to parallel worlds. This includes a parallel Earth devoid of humans. Realizing governments and others would want this technology, the scientist decided to move to this other world mostly permanently. Or at least, that’s what the books Incunabula: A Catalog of Rare Books, Manuscripts & Curiosa, Conspiracy Theory, Frontier Science & Alternative Worlds says, and a book wouldn’t lie, would it? Okay, maybe they would. See, Ong’s Hat was one of the first internet fiction projects, an ARG before we even got close to creating their term. Created by Joseph Matheny, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Nick Herbert, and James Koehnline in the 1980s, the fist version of the story would appear in Edge Detector magazine. But after this, the group would spread this story in numerous ways, from leaving photocopied versions of the original article in coffee shops, to mail-order zines and even in-character radio show appearances. However, with the birth of the internet the project would only grow in scope. Not only did it allow the creators to tell the story in new ways via message boards, fake blogs, and even making emails and homepages for the story’s various characters. It also led to the project taking on a mind of its own, to the point that Ong’s Hat became a frequent talking point of real conspiracy theorists and it wasn’t uncommon to see web users cite the books as factual rather than fictional. Thus, after having people literally camping out on his lawn demanding secrets to inter-dimensional travel, Joseph Matheny ended the project and came clean about the whole thing in 2001. Ong’s Hat is a crucial part of internet history as not only is it a fun art project, the fact that the story, despite its weirdness, was able to embed itself in actual conspiracy lore foreshadowed our modern misinformation problem, years before anyone would talk about it. It is enough to make you want to move to the alternative-reality pine barrens. Deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a group of disgraced scientists and counterculturalists gathered around a mysterious object called The Egg, and discovered a way to travel to parallel worlds, including a version of Earth entirely devoid of humans. Realizing what governments would do if they found out, they quietly relocated there. More or less permanently. Or at least, that’s what the book Incunabula: A Catalog of Rare Books, Manuscripts & Curiosa says. And a book wouldn’t lie. Well. Ong’s Hat is one of the earliest ARGs ever made. created by Joseph Matheny, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Nick Herbert, and James Koehnline, in the 1980s, long before anyone had a word for what they were doing. The first version of the story appeared in a magazine called Edge Detector. From there it spread through photocopied articles left in coffee shops, mail-order zines, and radio appearances where the creators would pretend to be people who were involved with, or saw the fallout of the things that happened at Ong’s Hat. Naturally, when the internet became a thing, the creators quickly leaned into this new medium, seeding the story on message boards, as well as making numerous fake blogs and webpages. But the audience that found it wasn’t treating it as fiction. Ong’s Hat quickly embedded itself in actual conspiracy theory circles. People cited Incunabula and the other Ong’s Hat books as actual facts, and started to include the Things quickly spiraled out of hand, to the point that Joseph Matheny had people literally camping on his lawn demanding the secrets to interdimensional travel. He called it quits in 2001, coming out and explaining the history of the project and making it clear the whole thing was just art, nothing more. #arg#internethistory#internetmysteries#weirdhistory#conspiracytiktok
A B S T R A C T
Using ˇZiˇzek’s concept of ontological incompleteness, we theorise the touristic appeal of online
legend-tripping as derived from the fantasy of traversing reality’s uncharted horizons. While
online legends such as ‘the Backrooms’ invoke curiosity in suffering and the macabre, they
deviate from the sense of heritage, moral guardianship, and evidential integrity that characterise
physical dark tourism. Drawing upon an observational netnography of the ‘r/backrooms’ community
on Reddit, we unpack processes of temporal suspension, ‘good’ alienation, and transcendence
downward which enable online legend-tripping to function as a ‘para-terrestrial’ variant of dark
tourism. The importance of real-world referents recedes, giving way to subjective encounters with
the unknown. Obscene enjoyment displaces moral engagement, and participatory mythmaking
supplants the bureaucratisation and commoditisation of travel experiences.
This is one-half of the complete work. The second half is an audio conversation available for a discount for people who purchase a print copy of this work. A URL and/or QR code with a discount code is available in the book.
Although the function of following the copious amount of links in the text half of this work is impeded by the print format, I understand that some people demand having a print version. I have included the discount download of the other half of the work so that you may still experience this work as intended.
FAQ The guide to experiencing this interdisciplinary work.
The guide to experiencing this multidisciplinary work.
Introduction to Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT
Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT is a multi-layered work designed to be experienced in various ways, depending on the experiencer’s preferences and level of engagement.
Structure and Components
The work consists of three main elements:
Original Notes: A PDF or EPUB document containing the author’s initial draft, providing background information and links for further research.
Audio Conversations: Chapter-by-chapter discussions between Joseph Matheny and Sequoyah Kennedy, exploring the material in depth.
Transcripts: Written versions of the audio conversations allow readers to listen to or read the discussions. (Coming in print version later this year)
Suggested Approach
While readers are encouraged to engage with the content in any order they prefer, the author recommends the following sequence:
Read the original notes (PDF or EPUB)
Listen to the audio conversation or read the transcript for each chapter
This approach allows readers to first gain a foundational understanding through the notes and then delve deeper into the material through the conversations.
Author’s Note
The current format of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT evolved from an initial draft created a year prior. After careful consideration, we decided to present the work in its current, multi-format structure rather than as a traditional book.
Readers are invited to explore and enjoy the work in whatever order suits them best.
I think the interview is a new art form. – Jim Morrison
Initially conceived as a traditional book, this project has evolved into a multifaceted, interdisciplinary work that better reflects the complex ideas it contains. The transformation from a standard book format to a more dynamic, digital-age presentation was necessary to fully capture the essence of the concepts explored.
Project Overview
Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT is a comprehensive exploration of key periods in the author’s life. It focuses on developing the Ong’s Hat hyper sigil and interactions with various disembodied intelligences. The project is a collaboration between the author and Sequoyah Kennedy, co-host and producer of the Nonsense Bazaar podcast.
Format and Content
The project consists of several components:
Audiobook: A multi-chapter series of conversations between the author and Sequoyah Kennedy, totaling over 14 hours of content.
Digital Documents: Fully linked and notated documents containing the original notes used in the conversations, comprising over 28,000 words.
Print Version: Transcriptions of the conversations, including notes, endnotes, and URLs for reference. (Coming later in 2025)
Visual Elements: Relevant photos, diagrams, and copies of pertinent documents.
Audio Production
The audiobook features music, sounds, and atmosphere created by Polypores (Stephen James Buckley), a multi-talented artist. Polypores’ work can be found on various platforms:
This interdisciplinary work can be viewed as a comprehensive scrapbook covering a specific project, its development period, and the people, places, and things connected to it. The extensive audio content and detailed notes provide the audience a rich, immersive experience.
Summation
This narrative unveils the previously undisclosed origins of Ong’s Hat, the Infinite Game, and the Proto-Alternate Reality Game (ARG). It’s a tale that intertwines early AI, paranormal encounters, emergent phenomena, and the nascent Internet culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The story is a rich tapestry woven from diverse cultural threads:
Psychedelic and avant-garde art movements
Punk rock and industrial music scenes
Experimental theater and method acting
Hermetic magick and beat literature
The Esalen Institute’s influence
Philip K. Dick’s literary works
This narrative is a modern spiritual quest, blending these eclectic elements into a compelling journey.
