I finally have full scheduling information about the upcoming showing of the "Micronations" documentary! It's on November 9th at 7:30pm, at Innis Town Hall, the University of Toronto. Cost is free for U of T members and students, $15 for the general public. There'll be a Q&A session afterwards.
Joe Kowalski and Tom Zavertnik, the makers of the "Micronations" documentary, got interviewed for Cleveland State University's "Viking Voices" broadcast (probably since they are both CSU alumni) about their experience making the film and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival. You probably won't find any earth-shattering revelations here, but it's a short listen at around 17 minutes. You can have a listen here.
Over on the Reddit website, I sometimes lurk in the r/micronations forum. Recently there was a question there which gave me pause. Someone asked something along the lines of, "Do you consider virtual or LARP (Live Action Role Play) micronations real?"
Let's first delineate what we mean by those terms:
Most micronations who are questioned on their right to exist will point to the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (typically just referred to as the Montevideo Convention), which was signed at Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1933 and establishes the definition of a sovereign state under international law (Wikipedia link).
Article 1 of the Convention sets out the requirements for defining a state "as a person of international law":
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| You can see the large Montevideo Convention poster in this photo, it's the oblong tan thing hanging in the middle of the picture (MicroCon 2019) |
I'd previously posted about the Micronations documentary that opened at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. Since then, Joe Kowalski has been taking the movie to various venues, and now I'm happy to report that (thanks in part to the efforts of Robert Motum, who authored the article about micronations in the Globe and Mail newspaper last year) it will have its Canadian premiere here in Toronto on November 9th! I don't have the exact venue information yet, but it sounds like the venue will open at 6pm, the movie will start around 7:30pm, and everything should be over and done with by 10pm.
Oh, and I will be their special guest for a Q&A session! Now I have to figure out what to wear...
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| Yeah, I probably won't be wearing this... |
The Micro European Summit (MES) is this weekend at the old town hall in Brno, the Czech Republic. I hope all attendees have fun!
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| This picture is from MicroCon 2019, it's just here "for the algorithm" |
I recently posted a picture of one of the projects I've been working on - a paper currency. However, I only posted a picture of one side of it. This was because there were a couple of small errors on the other side. However, I can now report that those errors have been fixed, and here's the picture you were waiting for!
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| Commemorative bank notes produced for MicroCon 2027 San Diego (top) and Aigues-Mortes (bottom) |
As the caption says, these are being produced specifically for MicroCon 2027 - one variant will be distributed in San Diego, and the other variant will be given out in Aigues-Mortes, so the only way to get both will be to attend both conferences! (On a side note, MicroCon 2027 San Diego only had a limited number of seats available, and those have all been sold now - the queen-consort and I will be there!)
I'm quite proud of these, even though the artwork was AI-assisted (because the engraving would have driven me insane if I had to do it myself, as previously stated). The paper is a "high rag content" (75%) blend, much like what many of the world's banknotes are printed on, and it incorporates two holograms. The one on the left has a unique serial number for each and every bill, and the one on the right has the word "genuine". (in case there was any doubt).
The last couple of posts have been more about what other people have been doing - attending the documentary screening at Tribeca, using me to advertise for MicroCon 2027... But today I want to show you all something I've been working on myself.
The picture below shows one side of our new paper currency - the currency name is the New Llama, and it's symbol is the Ł (a capital L with a line through it - which is actually the 16th letter of the Polish alphabet). The currency is printed on high rag content (75%) paper, which is similar composition to what macronational currencies are often printed on. The bill design was generated with the help of Google Gemini AI, mainly because without it I wouldn't have been able to get the engraving without going insane, broke, or both. For the most part I'm not a fan of using generative AI for things that I can do for myself (or teach myself to do), but I made an exception for this, and it turned out very well.
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| Hot off the printer, new paper currency! |
So, per my last post, while I've been silent here I haven't been completely off the planet. Recently, as part of the advertising campaign for MicroCon 2027, they posted an Instagram reel of a brief interview I did at MicroCon 2025 in Montreal. You can watch that reel here. And yes, per my comment that I posted below the reel, I already have a presentation ready to go for San Diego, even though it's still about 14 months away at this point...
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| A random picture from MicroCon 2025 for the algorithm (Presenting a Slabovian friendship medal to Phil Pillin of Pibocip) |
Yeah, it's been a hot minute since I updated here. Stuff's been happening. And is still happening. And hopefully will keep happening. I'll make several posts out of it to spread the news.
For today, the micronations documentary did air at the Tribeca Film Festival! Unfortunately, I was unable to attend (affairs of state and all that 😊) but several micronational rulers did attend, including Grand Duke Travis McHenry of Westarctica, Queen Carolyn of Ladonia, and President and First Lady Kevin and Adrianne Baugh of Molossia, as well as Dr. Robert Motum, who authored the micronations article that appeared in the Globe & Mail newspaper last year.
Here's the trailer for the documentary:
More to come soon!
Joe Kowalski, a film maker, has been making a documentary about micronations for the last several years, including attending MicroCon events. He recently announced that his film will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival (June 3-14, 2026). Information and tickets can be purchased here.
I haven't seen it, so I don't know if I am actually in it or not, but several friends of Slabovia are prominently featured in the documentary, including Queen Carolyn Shelby of Ladonia, Grand Duke Travis McHenry of Westarctica, Prince Phil Pillin of Pibocip, King Ernest Emmanuel of Amethonia, and President Kevin Baugh of Molossia. What's more, several of those people will be at the film's premiere on June 5th, including President Kevin (and First Lady Adrianne) of Molossia, Queen Carolyn of Ladonia, and Grand Duke Travis of Westarctica, to participate in a Q&A.
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| Joe Kowalski is in this photo. Somewhere. |
A frequent criticism of micronations is that we're "just playing" because we're "not real nations". Well, that's actually a good thing, in my opinion.
In order to explain why, I'm going to start with a quote from Belle of the Ranch (YouTube), who often states, "Nations don't have friends, they have interests." In other words, nations are always looking for a competitive advantage, and that drives who they ally with. Micronations, on the other hand, are not competing with each other (for the most part they don't have shared economies, they aren't claiming the same land, and they aren't competing for other resources, except maybe citizens), and therefore self-interest does not drive which other micronations they maintain relations with.
Thus, a micronation is free to choose its "friends" using any criteria it likes, including shared interests, shared beliefs, or even just shared experiences (such as MicroCon!). It's because of this that I've formed a number of good friendships through the micronational community - since I am not wondering what another micronational ruler is trying to gain from me, I don't have to second-guess every word and gesture in a conversation.
Of course, that's also why Slabovia doesn't bother signing "recognition treaties" with other micronations - there's no need for them in our view. Your micronation exists (in our eyes) from the moment you declare it, and it will continue to exist until it explicitly doesn't - i.e. you state (for whatever reason) that you're wrapping it up or subsuming it in another micronation or whatever. Arguably, your micronation continues to exist even after you've departed this world, as long as there's someone around to remember it.
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| A centrepiece of micronational flags MicroCon 2019 |
For the record, I'm not a huge fan of GenAI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, and the like. I'm not a total Luddite, I recognize that these systems have their place, and I even use them occasionally. However, I do not, and will not, allow such systems to speak for me. I don't let them write my social media posts, although I sometimes use one as a "sounding board" to get some ideas, and I only use their art sparingly when there's no other alternative - I think I've used exactly ONE AI-generated image on this blog, and I called that out in the post at the time.
I don't see this changing in the future, either. Yes, sometimes it's hard to come up with ideas for social media posts, but the various issues associated with GenAI systems (such as the environmental costs, the copywrite issues, and the cognitive effects that are exhibited by heavy users of such systems) make them a tool that I'm only willing to use sparingly, and with extreme care.
In short, this blog remains 100% written by a real human being, and that's not something that's liable to change any time soon.
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| Picture for the algorithm |
Oh look, someone forgot to have a post queued up again!
In my (rather weak) defense, I'm in the middle of another cybersecurity competition, keeping my skills (skillz?) tuned up for the defense of the cyber realm.
But that got me thinking earlier this week that Slabovia has more of a military presence than we really claim to. If you believe our outward statements, we mainly just have a Navey (sic) and a Maroon Corps. But we also have SCENTDROP (our cybersecurity force), drones, a trained and capable space force in BARFleet, and a nascent Space Maroon capability. We're currently seeing in various world conflicts that drones are rapidly changing the face of combat, the US military has created a "Space Force" to prosecute war in that domain, and a couple of years ago Canada created a separate Cyber Command within their military structure (led by Major General Dave, who I've known since he was Officer Cadet Dave).
What I'm driving at, I think, is that micronations can't compete with macronations in the traditional military space - the cost of a single destroyer would collectively bankrupt pretty much all of the micronations, much less being able to pay to fuel and arm it. But where we can maybe "compete", or at least be near-peers, is in the emerging military sectors of cyber, drone, and space.
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| The ship's crest of the USS Don Quixote, the flag ship of BARFleet |
Long time readers of this blog might recall that 2024 was a double jubilee year for Slabovia, marking both its 40th year of existence and my 25th year as its ruler. To mark the occasion, during that year I acquired this ring which symbolizes both my own 25th jubilee (via the silver making up the ring itself, since silver is a traditional 25th anniversary gift) and Slabovia's 40th jubilee (by way of the ruby, which is traditionally the material that marks a 40th anniversary).
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| Excuse the cat hair - the royal mouser sheds EVERYWHERE |
We are still planning other official crown jewels, including a crown, a scepter, and an orb, but this piece marks the start of the collection!
I previously posted "Ten Reasons You Should Start Your Own Micronation". So, to be fair, here are five reasons you should not start your own micronation:
5. You're happy with things the way they are. You think the government is doing a fine job, and have no reason to wish things were run better or differently.
4. You think it's silly, dumb, or immature. But maybe you could ask questions before judging?
3. You have absolutely zero free time or money, ever. That's actually very sad.
2. You don't want to make new friends. That's also very sad, in a different way.
1. You're a very boring person with zero creativity. Speaking of sad, that might be the saddest of all...
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| Picture for the Algorithm |
From the home office, here are ten reasons you should start your own micronation!
10. You have a lot of creative ideas. Micronations offer many opportunities for creativity!
9. You want to make new friends. The micronational community is large and very friendly!
8. You're a "political science geek". Micronations allow you to simulate various forms of government to "see what would happen".
7. You need a conversation-starter. There's nothing like "Well, actually, I'm a king/prince/duke" to get people's attention!
6. It's good practice for the seemingly-inevitable "balkanization" of society. (I wish I was kidding...)
5. You feel the need for more pageantry in your life. A little pomp and circumstance, so to speak. (But also see my series on "Making your life more royal")
4. You're quite sure you know how to run things better than those idiots in [insert name of capital city here]. So prove it!
3. You have too much money. Seriously, this can get rather expensive!
2. It can be a lot of fun! (Although there's also way too much drama sometimes...)
1. Because you want to. And in a modern society, that might just be the best reason of all!
EDIT: Bonus reason! Because as a ruler you're a fons honorum which means you can bestow royal titles on your friends and family!
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| Picture "for the algorithm" |
I first met Zar Antonov, the President of Obscurium, in 2019 at MicroCon (yes, the one we hosted in Hamilton). He's a very interesting sort of person, and some of his ideas have inspired some of my own ideas, as often happens in the micronational community. And so, it is with the utmost respect and pride that I congratulate both Obscurium and President Antonov on their eight "Declaration Day", and I wish them many more to follow!
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| The flag of Obscurium (Source: MicroWiki) |
First, a brief apology - between recent work travel (two days in Tijuana, teaching) and switching systems from my old desktop to a laptop, some things (including my social medial presence) have fallen a bit behind. I'm slowly getting back on track though! I'll have to do a better job of pre-queuing posts next time (although my planned return trip to Tijuana has been cancelled due to recent events down there, unfortunately).
Now, on to something a bit more fun! Wednesday this past week was my birthday, and I'm rather tickled by this, which was posted in the MicroCon 2027 Facebook group by the organizers of that event:
"And I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand" (Coldplay, Viva la Vida)
Although, in this case, you can substitute "plans" for "castles"...
So I don't think I'll be able to do the Great Lakes Regional Micro-Summit this year. Between a lack of action on the part of someone who was supposed to get back to me, and my own life "stuff", it's just not going to come together in time.
But I've already got two new ideas to replace it that I'm working on! (Neither of which, sadly, is any sort of event, in-person or otherwise.)
First up, Slabovian Geographic: I'd mocked up a cover a few years ago (see picture), and I used Slabovian Geographic as a "backstory" for my expedition at the end of last year. Now, I think I want to figure out how to make a "zine" using Slabovian Geographic as the theme/title. If nothing else, it might make an interesting giveaway at the next MicroCon-type event. Although, to do it "right", I'd want glossy printing, which would be expensive. Sigh. Big ideas, small treasury, as usual. 😖
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| The Slabovian Geographic cover I mocked up |
The other idea I had sort of harkens back to my childhood. I was growing up when the "Choose Your Own Adventure" (CYOA) books became popular, and today I came up with the idea of doing a MicroCon-themed CYOA. The idea would be that you're attending your first MicroCon, and you are presented with various choices about who to talk to and what to do, and based on those choices you end up with a good or bad experience at MicroCon. I'm still workshopping the idea a bit, but I think it's got potential. I might even do it as an online experience using Twine, "an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories" which would hopefully allow me to embed pictures from previous MicroCon events as part of the story.
