Shows
Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big ThinkersThink Forward EP 135 - Artifacts of Imagination with Julian BleeckerWhat happens when you hold an artifact from a future that doesn't exist yet? A newspaper headline from 2045, a product manual for technology not yet invented, or a social media post from an entirely different world? These aren't just creative exercises—they're powerful tools for making abstract futures tangible.Julian Bleecker, one of the pioneering architects of design fiction, takes us on a fascinating journey through his approach to imagining possible tomorrows. Julian shares his journey from building computers in eighth grade to pioneering design fiction, creating tangible artifacts from imaginary futures that spark meaningful conversations about to...
2025-06-0959 min
Scratching the Surface267. Julian BleeckerJulian Bleecker is a researcher, designer, engineer, and entrepreneur. He runs Near Future Laboratory, a platform and consultancy focused on design fiction. He is the author of Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact, and Fiction and co-author of The Manual of Design Fiction, among other titles. In this conversation, Jarrett and Julian talk about the origins of design fiction, how he applies it with corporate clients, and how we can get design students to rediscover imagination. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/267-julian-bleecker.
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If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us on Substa...
2025-03-191h 03
The Brand Called YouUnlocking the Future with Design Fiction | Julian Bleecker, PhD, Founder, Near Future LaboratoryIn this episode, Julian Bleecker, PhD, founder of Near Future Laboratory, shares his journey of merging design fiction with real-world product development. From science fiction-inspired ideas to practical innovations like Omata One, Julian's work redefines how we think about future technology. Learn how speculative design bridges the gap between imagination and actionable solutions that reshape industries.
00:33- About Julian Bleecker
Julian is the founder of the Near Future Laboratory.
He's the author of a book titled, Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction.
He has also written, I...
2024-10-2425 min
Cool Tools409: Julian BleeckerJulian Bleecker, Ph.D., is an accomplished engineer and author with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, an MSEng from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz. He founded Near Future Laboratory in 2005 and OMATA, a one-person innovative hardware product design studio, in 2014, which he sold in 2022. Julian has written It’s Time To Imagine Harder and co-authored The Manual of Design Fiction. He also wrote the influential essay, Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction. His engineering expertise and innovative work in Design Fiction have significantly shaped creati...
2024-10-1142 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°090 - Kyle Ng / Brain Dead / Fashion For FuturingNear Future Laboratory Podcast Episode 90: Exploring Creative Worlds with Kyle Ng
Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
Join us at Detroit Imagines Harder: https://detroit.imaginesharder.com
$55 Gets You 4 Design Fiction Books (Plus Electronic Sheep Training Cards): https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com/products/the-manual-of-design-fiction-paperback
In Episode 90 of the Near Future Laboratory podcast, Julian Bleecker, founder of the Near Future Laboratory, sits down with Kyle Ng, creative director and founder of Braindead, to discuss his journey through creativity and innovation.
Kyle shares his experiences from a young age, detailing his diverse creative influences, from...
2024-07-2258 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°089 - Silvio Lorusso Design & DisillusionIn Episode 089 I get into an in-depth conversation with guest Silvio Lorusso, a designer, artist, and writer based in Lisbon. Our discussion centers around the complex relationship between design, disillusionment, and the evolving role of design in society, as Silvio has articulated in his recent book 'What Design Can't Do', a critique of the rhetorical expectations placed upon design. We consider the future and past inspirations relevant to the field of Design and cover various facets of design culture, including the loss of material practices, the socio-economic impacts of design evolution, and the melancholic nostalgia among designers today. We...
2024-06-2357 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°088 - Dave Gray School of the PossibleA discussion with Dave Gray about our experiences creating communities that foster human connection, imagination, and possibility. We share our own approaches to building new kinds of ways of organizing human potential where people can explore ideas and practice creatively.
"What if school was a place where we could test our theories by creating prototypes, proposals, and provocations; where experiments were encouraged, where people could play, practice, and prepare for life and work?"
https://schoolofthepossible.com
See all of my podcasts over on https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/
2024-05-0857 min
North of PatientEpisode 1: Julian Bleecker - Design Fiction and how an imagination can help us see the future of healthcareWelcome to the inaugural episode of the North of Patient podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world.
My first guest is Julian Bleecker. Julian is a leading researcher, designer, and entrepreneur in the fields of technology and innovation. He founded Near Future Laboratory and OMATA, and is the originator of the concept of Design Fiction. Bleecker has published extensively on design, technology, and the future, and his book "The Manual of Design Fiction" is widely recognized...
2024-03-2145 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°084 - EMERGENCY BROADCAST! THRILLING WONDER STORIESLadies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather 'round for an electrifying journey through the cerebral and speculative realm of "Thrilling Wonder Stories." Listen as we regale you with a tale of imagination, innovation, and intellectual wonder. Our narrative unfolds through a dazzling array of discussions, exploring the intersection of technology, science, and the arts. From the organic to the artificial, from the accidental to the meticulously planned, our speakers weave a tapestry of ideas that challenge the boundaries of reality and fiction. Venture with us into discussions that span the history of consciousness, the marvels of special effects in...
2024-02-171h 43
Near Future Laboratory PodcastLast Week from the Near Future N°009 - Weeks 51-52/2023Some things that happened at the Near Future Laboratory the last weeks of 2023 including a day trip to SFO using a travel voucher that was going to expire at the end of the year, meeting with the NFL gang for an awesome lunch and chat, hanging with Will Carey from https://formation.eco to continue working on the meaning, purpose, and offering of this reinvigorated evolution of Near Future Laboratory. There were also a bunch of (other people's) podcasts that dropped (links below). And it was the 9 year anniversary of OMATA which had me go back and reflect on...
2024-01-1209 min
In Clear FocusNear Future Laboratory with Julian BleeckerIN CLEAR FOCUS: In the second of two conversations, Julian Bleecker discusses how the Near Future Laboratory helps organizations envision future scenarios using Design Fiction. Julian explains why imagination is essential for solving existential challenges and how it will help us shape the future. We also discuss Solarpunk, regenerative design, the future of work, and how Design Fiction can be applied to enrich marketing and advertising with immersive research and creative storytelling methods.
2024-01-0230 minIn Clear FocusDesign Fiction with Julian BleeckerIN CLEAR FOCUS: Julian Bleecker explains the development of Design Fiction, a method he pioneered for imagining future scenarios through the creation of tangible artifacts. Julian discusses some of the ways the practice can help guide decision-making and its uses in strategy and communication. Julian invites listeners to explore this interdisciplinary approach through publications and the Near Future Laboratory, a community applying Design Fiction principles to a broad range of projects.
2023-12-2630 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°082 - Shashwath Santosh and The Innovation CrisisEpisode 082 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast with Julian Bleecker in conversation with Shashwatch Santosh.
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Please support this work and join the Near Future Laboratory Discord through Patreon:
https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
You can also support the work by buying something from the Near Future Laboratory Shop of Futures Artifacts:
https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com
In Episode 082, Shash and I dance around the world of design education from Shash’s experiences at...
2023-12-2437 minPodcast – Journey With Purpose010 Julian Bleecker – A Little Bit More Curious
Julian is one part of the team behind Near Future Laboratory, a design-led innovation practice, who invented design fiction as a thing and practice. When not designing and publishing books, podcasts, and doing consulting, he runs the Near Future Laboratory Discord, a Hypercollaborative where people come together to practice the craft of futuring and design fiction.
We speak about how to balance structure’s need for managed expectations, and imaginations need to jam. How listening to each other and trust in one’s self and each other can make beautiful things. How making things is our differentiator.
...
2023-12-1500 min
Journey With PurposeJulian Bleecker – A Little Bit More CuriousJulian is one part of the team behind Near Future Laboratory, a design-led innovation practice, who invented design fiction as a thing and practice. When not designing and publishing books, podcasts, and doing consulting, he runs the Near Future Laboratory Discord, a Hypercollaborative where people come together to practice the craft of futuring and design fiction.
We speak about how to balance structure’s need for managed expectations, and imaginations need to jam. How listening to each other and trust in one’s self and each other can make beautiful things. How making things is our differentiator.
L...
2023-12-1533 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastLast Week from the Near Future N°007 - Week 49/2023Here it is. Another episode of 'Last Week from the Near Future'. This is Episode 007, for Week 49 of 2023.
Please support the Near Future Laboratory Podcast and get access to our awesomely vibrant Near Future Laboratory Discord community over on Patreon.
Here's what I covered.
PDPal: A 20-Year Anniversary
I'm taking you on a trip down memory lane as I reminisce about the PDPal project, an emotional GPS I worked on 20 years ago. Discover how it made its way to the Times Square Jumbotron and how this early exploration of technology was an art-led prototyping...
2023-12-1307 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastLast Week from the Near Future Minisode E001A new show. Last Week from the Near Future — a summary of some interesting things that came through and around the Near Future Laboratory Discord.
1. The Imagine Harder Summit (Detroit, Sept. 22/23, 2023)
2. Dave Eggers is outraged by AI on the Ingenious Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ngt80qNlrtDMH3j5jBf3p?si=1e27914d58544887
3. Donna Harawy & Bruno Latour (RIP) at ZKM's "Critical Zones" exhibition
https://zkm.de/en/media/video/storytelling-for-earthly-survival-discussion-on-the-film-with-donna-haraway-bruno-latour-and-peter
https://www.icarusfilms.com/if-donna
4. Thomas Euyang drops off Green Pages - our magazine from the future of filmed entertainment / Hollywood
5. Androids? They Dr...
2023-10-0311 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°075 - Artificially Artfifully Enhanced RebroadcastThis Episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 030 with Tony Dunne and Fiona Raby, preceded and amended with various explications and questions posed to the Chesterbot container of the conversation's semantics.
**Speculative Design Practice**
Tony Dunne and Fiona Raby's design practice has evolved over time. Initially focused on conceptual models, they now also create prototypes. They find models give more creative freedom. Their work with complex technologies like biotech led them to embrace fiction and modeling. The term 'speculative design' emerged from their critical design work engaging science and tech. They value fiction...
2023-09-111h 26
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°074 - Sascha PohfleppSascha Poflepp was a German artist, collaborator, and friend. We dedicated The Manual of Design Fiction to him. It's important not to forget his contributions to creative thinking and making. In that spirit, I managed to extract the audio tape from a panel I organized at SxSW back in 2010 on the topic of Design Fiction in which Sascha contributed a remarkably clear and cogent perspective through his own work.
Also contributing to the panel were Stuart Candy, Jake Dunagen, Jennifer Leonard, Bruce Sterling, and myself.
You can see Sasha's slides cued to his presentation here...
2023-08-051h 10
Monday MeetingA Journey into Design Fiction with Julian Bleecker || July 31, 2023In this engaging episode, special guest Julian Bleecker, a pioneer in the field of design fiction, shares his background and underlines the critical role of visual storytelling in design.
Mark Cernosia, special co-host Sam J, and Julian dive deep into the concept of design fiction, illustrating how it helps envisage hypothetical future worlds through tangible objects. The discussion emphasizes the significance of crafting visual narratives that depict a habitable and optimistic future, challenging the prevailing dystopian outlook often associated with science fiction.
They further discusses the ripple effect of design on our collective consciousness and...
2023-08-011h 26
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°073 - Lila Feldman Emerging Creative ConsciousnessLila Feldman is a designer based in NYC. She received her BA in 3D Design: Product + Furniture from Northumbria University and her MFA in Design + Technology from Parsons School of Design.
https://lilafeldman.com/
Lila and I discussed finding purpose in creative practice and how creativity, imagination, and a futures-oriented mindset can help reinvigorate the potential for bringing about meaningful change through individual as well as team-based design practices.
If you want to hear more of these types of conversations, become a Patron over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory.
If you w...
2023-07-261h 03
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°072 - Che-Wei Wang CW&TIf you're curious to hear about what it takes to dream into, create, build, grow, maintain an independent creative studio and practice, you'll want to listen to this conversation with Che-Wei Wang and myself. We talk about the importance of creativity and how it can be used to create meaningful change, and the need for a balance between creativity and structure and how to create an environment that fosters collaboration.
https://cwandt.com
If you want to hear more of these types of conversations, become a Patron over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory.
...
2023-07-191h 12
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°071 - Geoff Manaugh (CGI Ghosts and Defensive Grappling In Zero G)This episode is a conversation with writer and noted architecture critic Geoff Manaugh, who has written for the The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Wired, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Financial Times Magazine, New Scientist, Cabinet Magazine, The Daily Beast, Wired UK amongst many other publications.
He also co-authored with Nicola Twilley the book ‘Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine, and A Burglar’s Guide to the City on the relationship between crime and architecture. And most recently, a ghost story he wrote called ‘Ernest’ back in 2017 was adapted for film and recently...
2023-07-061h 10
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°070 - Juliana Schneider — More.Than.Human-Centered DesignJuliana Schneider is a trend researcher, futures designer and creative strategist with diverse and extensive experience in the creative industry. She helps people and businesses make sense of the world around them and build stories and strategies that inspire us to engage with the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
https://julianajschneider.com/
Please support the podcast over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and don't forget to pick up your copy of The Manual of Design Fiction, now in its second printing. Published fiercely independently by Near Future Laboratory.
http://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com
2023-06-271h 11
The Deep DiveEpisode 152: Design Fiction Come to Life w/ Julian BleeckerPhilip spends time designer Julian Bleecker, author of The Manual of Design Fiction. In their conversation they discuss how the practice of design fiction can help think about potential future(s) and create tangible artifacts that assist in world building. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings.
Philip’s Drop:
Attack on Titan (Hulu//Crunchyroll)
Julian’s Drop:
2023 Work Kit of Design Fiction Special Guest: Julian Bleecker.
2023-06-081h 07
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°069 - Dr. Delfina Fantini van Ditmar — A Not Too Comfortable FutureDr Delfina Fantini van Ditmar is a biologist, design researcher and Senior Lecturer. Her practice is concerned with ecological thinking, reflective practices, epistemological paradigms and alternative futures.
https://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/dr-delfina-fantini-van-ditmar/
Please support the podcast over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
Thank you!
_ Julian
2023-05-281h 23
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°068 - Futures of Fashion, a Digest of General Seminar S04E01 (29)This is a digest of General Seminar S04E01 where Drew Wiberg, Kempe Scanlan and I took about 30 folks into the Futures of Fashion had a look around, and we brought back some Design Fiction artifacts from that future to share with you!
General Seminar is the platform I created for sense-making against the beautiful confusion of all the new 'futuristic' things we confront seemingly every day. So in General Seminar we take on these topics, with none of the hubris that one puts on to try and 'predict' the future, and wander around to see what...
2023-05-1444 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°067 - Tucker Viemeister (The Last Industrial Designer)Tucker Viemeister is an American industrial designer, and founder of Viemeister Industries in New York City.
Please consider supporting this podcast and joining us here at Near Future Laboratory by getting behind all of this over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
2023-04-301h 25
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°066 - Your Daily Design Fiction Exercise RegimenMy special guest Dré Labre, proprietor over at https://www.designfictiondaily.com/ discusses how he has been training for the Imagine Harder marathon later this year, and how he uses the new 2023 Work Kit of Design Fiction, which drops in a limited release on April 20th 2023!
https://www.designfictiondaily.com
https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com/products/the-work-kit-of-design-fiction-2023-mj-edition
Support the podcast over on Patreon: https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — every Patron gets a legit invite to the Near Future Laboratory Discord!
Thank you for your listening!
- Julian
2023-04-1852 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°065 - A Magazine from the Autonomous Future, A Design Fiction Project DebriefHow does Design Fiction do the work of reporting on the future? Most futures reports are heavily analytic, styled to be read analytically and interpreted as data. Very seldom if at all is there any point of entry to create a sense of the future as something the report has come from. And this is important because the artifact itself — the report — provides little opportunity to experience the future as it could possibly be.
This is where Design Fiction provides an opportunity for teams and organizations that are working towards a future to gain a more full spect...
2023-04-0354 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°064 - From Collectors to Creators: A Design Fiction Debrief with Thomas EuyangThis is a Episode 64 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast, a Design Fiction Debrief with Thomas Euyang, where we breakdown his Design Fiction project 'From Collectors to Creators'.
From Collectors to Creators is a design fiction where our relationship with clothing, especially footwear is fundamentally different. Using found footage from cobblers and sneaker redesigners, a documentary offers a glimpse into an alternative world where the importance of newness is replaced with heritage, disposability with repairability, and mass production with craft.
Please support the podcast over on Patreon. Every patron...
2023-03-2034 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°063 - Imagining the Future of the Imagination Academy with Will RichardsonWill Richardson is a life-long educator and co-founder along with Homa Tavangar of The Big Questions Institute, was was created to help educators use 'fearless inquiry' to make sense of the complex moment and uncertainty felt around the future. In this episode we focus specifically on the ebook he and his co-founder recently created called 'One Foot In The Future' containing new frameworks, tools, and lenses to help educators imagine what comes next.
https://bigquestions.institute/
https://bigquestions.institute/onefootebook/
Please consider supporting the podcast over on Patreon at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory...
2023-02-2048 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°062 - Structure vs. Imagination with Andy PolaineAndy Polaine is a designer, educator, writer and podcast guy. He hosts the wonderful 'Power of Ten' podcast. Andy is known for his work as a service designer, innovation consultant and professional executive coach.
Don't forget — please support the podcast and all the things over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory. Your support would be very much appreciated.
Oh, also? Please rate and write a review of the podcast over on Apple Podcasts. That stuff really does help!
Thank you!
Julian
2023-02-131h 03
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°061 - The Machines Make The Spoons with Simone & MatteoSimone Rebaudengo and Matteo Loglio are founders of the fun, eclectic, speculative design studio OiO. We had a fun chat about their latest conjuring, 'Spawns' where they taught a machine to make spoons, and then manufactured them in one of the oldest silverware factories in Italy.
https://oio.studio/
https://oio.store
http://www.simonerebaudengo.com/
https://matlo.me/
If you want to find out more about the Near Future Laboratory join our email list: https://tinyurl.com/nfl-newsletter.
And don't forget — please support the podcast and all the things ov...
2023-01-3042 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°060 - ChatGPT Futures, a Digest of General Seminar S03 E26This is a digest of General Seminar S03 E26 where we traveled into the ChatGPT future, had a look around, and brought back some Design Fiction artifacts. General Seminar is the platform I created for sense-making against the beautiful confusion of all the new 'futuristic' things we confront seemingly every day. So in General Seminar we take on these topics, with none of the hubris that one puts on to try and 'predict' the future, and wander around to see what we see and reflect on the way the world is becoming. I've boiled down 90 minutes to about 35 to...
2023-01-0238 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°059 - The Year In The Rear ViewGot together with Nicolas Nova (who was sitting on his living room sofa in Geneva) and Zach Hyman (who was sitting in a hotel lobby in Singapore) to reflect on what we think of when we think of 2022.
Please support the podcast over on Patreon at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and write a review of the podcast over on Apple Podcasts! It really does help!
Pick up your copy of The Manual of Design Fiction over at http://themanualofdesignfiction.com
And get one of the last remaining Work Kits of Design Fiction over...
2022-12-291h 09
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°058 - We Are Hypercollaborative with Toby BarnesToby Barnes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobybarnes/) is a design strategist with a range of experiences and interests, including at AKQA, Nike, and now Amazon. Toby and I have been longing for a revival of the kinds of creative community experiences, gatherings, retreats, and workshops that flourished around the turn of the century, and that is what motivates the conversations we've been having over the last several months, including looking at the Near Future Laboratory community as an experiment in Hypercollaboration.
Please support the Podcast by either becoming a Patron (https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory) and rating...
2022-12-1355 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°057 - Design Fiction with Domus Academy & Speculative Futures MilanThank you to Gabriele Ferri, the staff and students who participated from Domus Academy and Speculative Futures Milan, especially Silvio Cioni for organizing.
You can support this podcast at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — your support is very much appreciated!
Also, you can purchase your copy of the first printing of The Manual of Design Fiction here: http://themanualofdesignfiction.com
Please subscribe, rate the podcast, and write a review! It all really helps!
Thank you!
https://www.domusacademy.com/
https://twitter.com/Futures_Milan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ci...
2022-12-071h 07
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°056 - The Manual of Design Fiction with Patrick Pittman and Chris FreyA conversation with Patrick Pittman and Chris Frey who are collectively https://no-media.co/who are the folks who shepherded us through the design, writing, editing, production of The Manual of Design Fiction, which is still available for pre-order! http://themanualofdesignfiction.com
Please support the podcast over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory!
And rate and write a review, please!
Want to chat? Let's grab a coffee! https://calendly.com/julian-bleecker/coffee-chat
2022-12-021h 04
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°055 - The Manual of Design Fiction with Nicolas NovaA short discussion with Nicolas Nova on his take on our recently completed book 'The Manual of Design Fiction'.
You can find more about Nicolas here: http://www.nicolasnova.net/
And order The Manual of Design Fiction here: http://themanualofdesignfiction.com
Please consider supporting the podcast at: https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and writing a review on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Contact me at https://julianbleecker.com for a chat!
2022-11-2347 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°054 - Design Fiction Imagining for Autonomous Vertical Takeoff with Dave GrayDave Gray uses visual tools and techniques known as "drawing" in order to unlock the potential of imagining possible worlds. He founded XPLANE in 1993 as a platform to his life-long commitment to the ineluctable fact that analytic thinking on its own cannot solve the challenges most organizations and societies face. Visual imagining and images are the counterpoint to balance an over-reliance on analytics, and allows us to sense into possibilities in a uniquely powerful way.
http://www.xplaner.com/bio/
http://www.xplaner.com/
2022-11-191h 03
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°053 - Design Fiction for the Master of Business Administration with Mathieu AguesseMathieu Aguesse is a French entrepreneur, dedicated to innovation and education on impact-driven topics. He successfully launched the first open innovation class dedicated to solving plastic pollution, a program called Deplastify the Planet. At Haas, he is now running a class at called Equitable Design, which leverages the power of design to solve challenges related to diversity, equity and inclusion. He recently co-authored an article on Design Fiction in the Harvard Business Review.
Oh, by the way – we wrote a manual of design fiction called, conveniently, The Manual of Design Fiction! You can pre-order it now (shipping early November!) over at...
2022-10-281h 14
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°052 - Speculative Futures as a Design Approach with Johanna HoffmanMy guest this episode is Johanna Hoffman, who's book 'Speculative Futures: Approaches to Navigate Change, Foster Resilience, and Co-Create the Cities We Need" is now available. Johanna is an urbanist working in the space between design, planning, fiction and futures. The Co-Founder and Director of Planning at Design for Adaptation. We discuss her introduction to design fiction and speculative futures practices, as well as the topics she covers in the book.
johannahoffman.com
Please support the podcast over at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
And don't forget — The Manual of Design Fiction is now available fo...
2022-10-1748 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°051 - After Action Report / ASU's Design Fiction as Science Fiction PanelThis is a lightly edited after action report we did reflecting back on the ASU Applied Science Fiction panel (https://csi.asu.edu/calendar/events/designing-the-future-with-applied-sci-fi/) during the Near Future Laboratory Discord's regular Friday Office Hours. The panel sparked lots of insights, considerations, and ideas that we naturally wanted to discuss. In attendance were Isabella, Dré, Nick M., Nic, Kempe, and myself.
Please support the podcast at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and rate the podcast over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/near-future-laboratory-podcast/id1546452193
Thank you for your support!
2022-10-0249 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°050 - A 21st Century Enlightenment with Joe Lindley Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 05Joe Lindley runs Design Research Works, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship which aims to understand, gather evidence about, and promote leadership for Design Research. I'm particularly interested in the role that Design Research plays in understanding rapidly-changing relationships between individuals, society, and technology.https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/security-lancaster/about/all-staff/joseph-lindley
Please support the podcast at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and rate the podcast over on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/near-future-laboratory-podcast/id1546452193
Thank you!
2022-09-2650 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°049 - Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 04 with Paulina Yurman: The Design Innovators' Design DilemmaPaulina Yurman, Ph.D. is a a designer, researcher and lecturer who works in design research, and has a background in engineering and industrial design.
Please support this podcast over on patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and rate on Apple Podcasts, write a review, and share widely! Together, we can reinvigorate design practices and put creativity and curiosity into the service of meaningful, purposeful directions that will make the world a more habitable place.
2022-09-1542 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°048 - Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 03 with Alan Hook: Designing Augmented Alternate Reality When Every Community Is Its Own Private QAnonThis is from the Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 03 with Alan Hook, a Lecturer in Interactive Media and a Researcher in New Media and Play at Ulster University. Alan teaches Games Studies and New Media Studies within the School of Media Film and Journalism.
Equine Eyes
Alan Hook on Twitter
Please support this podcast over at Patreon. Support comes with access to the bustling design fiction oriented Near Future Laboratory community on Discord.
Also, please rate and write a review on whatever platform you happen to be listening!
Thank you...
2022-09-0851 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°47 — The 'Third Space Conversation' Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 02 with Futures Designer Laura DudekAlt-Academia, Alt-Industry, Alt-R&D with Laura Dudek at the Design Research Works Jamboree, Brathay Hall, Windermere, UK
https://2021.rca.ac.uk/students/laura-dudek
https://laura-dudek.com/
https://jamboree.designresearch.works/
If you feel that this work contributes some meaningful value to your day, please take a moment to support the work over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory, and then write a review, rate, and share it widely so more listeners can feel the same. Thank you!
- Julian
2022-08-2153 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°46 — 1.5° Futures, Windermere Tapes Box 050, Tape 01 with Tobias RevellTobias Revell in conversation with Julian Bleecker at Research Through Design 2022 at Brathay Hall, Windermere UK on or about August 2022.
https://tobiasrevell.com/
https://jamboree.designresearch.works
Tobias' reflections on the Design Research Works Jamboree: https://blog.tobiasrevell.com/2022/08/10/box077-an-hypothesis/
If you feel that this work contributes some meaningful value to your day, please take a moment to support the work over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory, and then write a review, rate, and share it widely so more listeners can feel the same. Thank you!
- Julian
2022-08-1059 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°45 — Design Fiction and The Generalist with Joe Lindley & Paul CoultonA conversation with Joe Lindley PhD and Paul Coulton PhD about the role of The Generalist and Design Fiction to see the unanticipated and unexpected possibilities of design in shaping future products, strategies, ideas, and worlds.
Please support this podcast by becoming a Near Future Laboratory Patron over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and join the Near Future Laboratory Discord.
You can read Joe's doctoral thesis 'A thesis about design fiction' here: https://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/a-thesis-about-design-fiction(1b771f57-1c78-4bda-9d38-b0f452c983ac).html and...
2022-08-0154 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°44 — Meow Wolf, Public Policy, and Design Fiction with SRG BennettA conversation with Stephen Bennett and his work at the UK's Policy Lab where design fiction, experiential design, speculative design meets the technocratic machine of policy and decision making.
The best way you can become part of the Near Future Laboratory and help out is to support this podcast right now over at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and rate the podcast, write a review, and share through whatever platform on which you are presently listening! Patreon supporters get access to our supporters' only Discord community where all the things happen.
Interested in discussing how Design...
2022-07-2851 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°43 — Computer Art Pioneer Herbert W. Franke & Susanne PaechBack in May I had a conversation with Susanne Paech, the wife of pioneering computer artist Herbert W. Franke. Franke passed away on July 16th. He had just turned 96 in May. Franke was a true innovator, exploring with a pioneer's curiosity the ways humans and machines could collaborate to create unexpected work together. Before computer art was "a thing" and before it was at all obvious as to the processes by which one would create or collaborate with a machine, Herbert was pushing ahead. As with most innovators, it wasn't at all clear to those who had a firm...
2022-07-1647 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°42 — Sci-Fi, Museum of the Future, & Blade Runner with Fred ScharmenThis conversation is with Fred Scharmen. Fred teaches architecture and urban design at Morgan State University's School of Architecture and Planning. He is the co-founder of the Working Group on Adaptive Systems, an art and design consultancy based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fred's recent book 'Space Settlements' is his reflection on a 1975 program in engineering and systems design that was held at Stanford University, which itself resulted in a research report called 'Space Settlements: A Design Study'
Fred and the Near Future Laboratory recently collaborated on installations for the Museum of the Future in Dubai. They...
2022-07-1447 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°41 — Design Fiction with Elliott P. MontgomeryElliott and I discuss some meta topics related to speculative design generally speaking and design fiction, the way its practiced, taught, and received in academic as well as commercial contexts. We also discuss the map he created 'Unresolved Map of Speculative Design' which should not be taken as literal rather as a provocation and conversation starter to discuss (not resolve) the role, relationships, situatedness, and purposes of futures thinking and the futures mindset.
This map has been generative some others whose practice operates in the general space of futures design (https://blog.tobiasrevell.com/2020/08/05/box-006-gadget-realism/, https...
2022-07-0446 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°40 — Speculative Design with KontrapunktA conversation with Jonas Schmidt and Philip Linnemann from the design agency Kontrapunkt. We discuss the state of play around the broad collection of practices we refer to as speculative design, and their new futures tool, Kontrapunkt Futures: https://futures.kontrapunkt.com/
Philip also recently gave a TEDx talk discussing the concept of futures design: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj63yLFBZdk
Kontrapunkt: https://www.kontrapunkt.com/
Kontrapunkt Futures: https://futures.kontrapunkt.com/
Philip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiplinnemann/
Jonas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasmschmidt/
2022-06-231h 09
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°39 — Simone Rebaudengo Futures DesignerSimone Rebaudengo describes himself as "a designer?" He works at the intersection of tradition and unanticipated possibilities that are implicated in possible futures and adjacent presents.
Simone's early experiments with what an IoT world could (should?) look like involved a global networked web of kitchen toasters that playfully forced us to think about our relationship to appliances, and were the only toasters in the history of appliances to have a waiting list. Recently, his studio OiO contributed to the Dubai Museum of the Future project, an epic intervention to instill a very specific imaginary about space travel and...
2022-06-151h 08
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°38 — Julian MontagueJulian Montague is an artist, designer, and illustrator. I first came across his work through his Instagram feed, where he occasionally features 'faux books, posters and record album covers. The playful nature of these speculations caught my attention, as well as the way they speculated, of course. It resonates with my own interests in uses of fiction in design specifically, and not just as an idiom of writing. Please consider supporting the podcast over at Patreon, and rate and write a review right here — wherever you happen to be listening. Your support really does help!
https://patreon.com...
2022-06-0555 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°37 — Life On Mars with Camille MacRaeThis episode of the Near Future Laboratory is an after action report with Camille MacRae about her experience of life on Mars.
Mars College is an educational program, R&D lab, and off-grid residential community dedicated to cultivating a low-cost, high-tech lifestyle, and Camille spent 3 months there in the desert earlier this year and took a few minutes to share her experience.
You can read more about Mars over at https://mars.college
And more about Camille here: https://camillemakes.work/Information
Please rate, write a review, and share the Near...
2022-05-2424 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°36 — Andrew Dana Hudson Post Normal FictionAndrew Dana Hudson is an speculative fiction writer, researcher, futurist who's novel 'Our Shared Storm: A Novel of Five Climate Futures' was just published. We get into a range of topics around ways of imagining possible futures, particularly around wicked and super-wicked problems where there are often no clear solutions, something he works through in 'Our Shared Storm'.
Please consider supporting this podcast by becoming a subscriber over on Patreon.com. Also please rate and write a review on Apple Podcasts. Every little bit helps!
Thank you for listening and thank you for your support!
2022-05-0959 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°35 — General Seminar 20 "METALABELS WTF!?"This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — a digest of General Seminar 20 which was on the topic of "METALABELS". So this episode consists of excerpts from that seminar, along with some commentary for context. Thanks to all the wonderful participants from that session!
Some links mentioned:
https://www.thecut.com/2022/02/a-vibe-shift-is-coming.html
https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/galaxy-brain/620d5303dc551a0020870079/i-found-the-tech-angle-on-the-vibe-shift/
If you dig this topic, you'll probably dig the Near Future Laboratory Discord community. Contact me at about joining the Near Future Laboratory in there.
P...
2022-05-0127 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°34 — Genevieve Bell from Cybernetics to Meta(verse)My guest Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell, AO FAHA FTSE is an Australian anthropologist best known for her work at the intersection of cultural practice and technological development. She taught Anthropology at Stanford before being recruited to Intel in 1998 to build out their social-science research program in their advanced R&D labs. There, Bell and colleagues helped orient Intel to a more market-inspired and experience-driven approach, establishing Intel's UX competency and, indeed, introducing the viability of UX research within high technology. Together with Paul Dourish, she wrote the book 'Divining a Digital Future: Mess and Mythology in Ubiquitous Computing', an...
2022-04-251h 12
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°33 - Special Bulletin on the NFT Marketplace with Michelle KasprzakPlease support this podcast over on Patreon! You can also support me by rating and writing a review over on Apple Podcasts. Thanks!
This is a Special Bulletin from the Near Future Laboratory on a report that Michelle Kasprzak shared in our NFLPRO Discord that was commissioned and funded by by the Government of Canada, specifically Canadian Heritage. Titled "Decrypting the Medium: A Report on the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Marketplace", it's a cogent, steady-handed look at the NFT Marketplace that I found insightful and refreshingly balanced. When I read it I thought it would be of general...
2022-04-1329 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°32 — Yancey Strickler & METALABELOriginally I wanted to have Yancey Strickler as a guest to discuss his book This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, after I read it last spring. A year has passed since I thought it would be fun to have Yancey on and in that time he created something called Metalabel, and that was equally interesting and maybe more so because I've been actively working on various social architectures to facilitate groups and teams whose purpose is creative action, creating culture, groups and teams that translate ideas into material form. And, somehow, from what...
2022-04-1059 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°31 — J. Paul Neeley (Futurists Talking To Futurists) This is the second in a series of conversations with people operating in the foresight/futures arena — Futurists Talking To Futurists.
J. Paul Neeley is a speculative designer and service designer. He teaches at the Royal College of Art in the service design course. His work explores the social, cultural, economic, and ethical implications of emerging technologies, designing speculative futures that help us engage with possibility as a way of reframing and understanding anew our current state. Recent projects have focused on happiness, healthcare and wellbeing, self quantification, social polarization and civility, future mobility, AI, synthetic biology, and...
2022-03-2855 min
Unsee The FutureUnsee The Future: The Hopeychattybits – meeting Julian BleeckerIn the fifth of this ten-part series, Timo Peach meets a design fiction creative director, creative tech engineer, entrepreneur and founder of the Near Future Laboratory. He aims to help people, groups “explore futures, chart the unexpected and transform opportunities into new and tangible forms”.
Find out more at the episode homepage right here:
https://unseethefuture.com/the-posts/utf-the-hopeychattybits-julian-bleecker/
2022-03-2546 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°30 — Dunne & RabyMy guests in this episode are the design practice known as Dunne & Raby, Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby. They continue to be pioneers at the vanguard of design practice with a particular emphasis on speculative design, and the use of design as a medium to stimulate discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the public about the social, cultural and ethical implications of existing and emerging technologies.
They are the authors of several books on the topic, most recently "Speculative Everything" and a long-awaited reprint of their seminal book "Hertzian Tales". In our discussion they allude to...
2022-03-151h 19
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°29 — General Seminar 17 "Solarpunk"This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — a digest of General Seminar 17 which was on the topic of "Solarpunk". So this episode consists of excerpts from that seminar, along with some commentary for context. Thanks to all the wonderful participants from that session, and especially to our extra special guest participant Andrew Dana Hudson who has a forthcoming book on Climate Fiction called Our Shared Storm: A Novel of Five Climate Futures due to drop on April 5th.
I mentioned that I would put a link to a Solarpunk Futures proposal the Near Fut...
2022-03-1030 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°28 — Radha Mistry (Futurists Talking To Futurists)This is the first of what I hope to be a series of conversations with people operating in the foresight/futures arena and I'm calling it Futurists Talking To Futurists. Radha Mistry and I met late last year when her team posted a role in their growing strategic foresight team. I was intrigued by our conversation and asked if she would come on the podcast to talk about her role, experiences, and insights — mostly because I was trying to understand what "foresight" meant or means now after I had been away for nearly 8 years quite focussed on building and gro...
2022-03-0251 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°27 — General Seminar 16 "The Generalist"This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — a digest of General Seminar 16 which was on the topic of "The Generalist". So this episode consists of excerpts from that seminar, along with some commentary for context. Thanks to all the wonderful participants from that session.
Please support the Near Future Laboratory Podcast over on Patreon — https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — Your support is very much appreciated and helps me know that you value the effort that goes into producing the show!
Want to find out more about General Seminar? Looking to bring General Seminar...
2022-02-1525 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°26 — Ed Finn, Solarpunk, Design Fiction & ASU Center for Science and the ImaginationEd Finn is Director at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination and Associate Professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. In our conversation we wonder through a variety of topics including the nature of the imagination and education, Design Fiction, CSI's work on Climate Futures and Climate Fiction and a whole lot more!
Please support this podcast at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory or buy me a coffee ☕ — thanks!
Check out my linktree for links to the Near Future Laboratory Discord server, my portfolio site, and newsletter and all the rest...
2022-02-121h 07
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°25 — Katie McCroryKatie McCrory leads the Life at Home global team at IKEA, where she oversees the production of the annual global Life at Home Report. Katie bought into the principles of Design Fiction, particularly the focus on the "everyday", and commissioned me to work with her team to bring some clarity and acuity to the global research 2021 results with some Design Fiction, ultimately delivered within the Life at Home Magazine. In this episode, Katie and I talk about the role of Design Fiction in corporate contexts, and a bit "behind the scenes" as to how we effectively and efficiently achieved...
2022-01-281h 10
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°24 — 0xDEAFBEEFThe artist known as DEAFBEEF began an as art project in 2020 at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic and has drawn attention during the 2021 NFT boom. His work experiments with generative practices, minimal and even near-obsolete technology, and creative emergence.
Please consider supporting this podcast. You can do so over on https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory. You can also "buy" me a "coffee" over at https://ko-fi.com/bleeckerj or disintermediate and support us directly to bleecker.eth.
If you're into this kind of material and the discussions and work surrounding it, consider joining the Near Future Laboratory Discord!
General Seminar i...
2022-01-171h 12
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°23 — General Seminar N°14 WEB3WTF!?General Seminar N°14 was on Web3!
Yeah!
What the heck is that anyway??
Well — that's why we have General Seminar; to discuss the things we're somewhat confused about..the things on the edge of meaning. General Seminar. Listen in on some of the outcomes of Seminar and tune in to our design fiction excavations. We started with a simple brief: what is travel in a Web3 universe? What is the refrigerator in a Web3 universe? DISCUSS!
Please support the Near Future Laboratory Podcast over on Patreon — https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — Your support is...
2022-01-1227 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°22 — JaymoJaymo a/k/a Jay Springett is a writer, podcaster, strategist, currently specializing in the distributed web, metaverse, and world running. He works with individuals and organisations to create cohesive worlds. Hybrid environments made up of people, places, technologies and the cultures they create together. You can find him and his work at thejaymo.net.
Here are some links to some of the material, references, and topics we covered:
Interdependence Ep. 22: This is All Happening Right Now: Solarpunk, cultural fracking and the real Jurassic Park with Jay Springett
Permanently Moved Podcast
...
2021-12-261h 18
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°21 — Mieke Marple & Medusa CollectionMieke Marple is an artist and writer, and creator of the Medusa Collection, a set of 2,500 unique NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. It’s a large scale artwork + restorative history + fundraiser that dedicates 25% of all sales to Steven Van Zandt’s national education non-profit TeachRock.org
Mieke and I talk about art, running a traditional art gallery, and her motivations to move to digital and specifically crypto art.
Please consider supporting this podcast over on Patreon or buy me a coffee! Thank you for ranking this podcast, and for your support!
LINKS
[M...
2021-12-0658 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°20 — Nick FosterA discussion with Nick Foster, Head of Design at X (a/k/a The Moonshot Factory).
Please consider supporting this podcast, or if you want — buy me a Coffee! You may also be interested in the Design Fiction Newsletter as well as the Near Future Laboratory Discord, high-signal / low-noise channel discussing design, technoculture, and futures.
Thank you for listening!
Julian
2021-11-3053 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°19 — Parsons and CharlesworthI had a chance to meet up with Jess Charlesworth and Tim Parsons while they passed through Los Angeles a few weeks ago. It was great to meet them in person after following their work for years now. Their work has been exhibited internationally at some of the most awesome venues and exhibition forums — I suggest you settle in to look at their website, which is a great catalog of their works and their motivating principles.
Parsons & Charlesworth are collaborative artists focusing on the objects and habits of humankind. Their inventive sculptural practice relies upon creating objects th...
2021-11-091h 38
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°18 — General Seminar N°10 CRYPTO GAMING (Something unsettling happened.)This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — an annotated highlight reel from our General Seminar N°10 — a discussion on CRYPTO GAMES. You can find out more about this General Seminar here: https://generalseminar.com/general-seminar-no-10.)
Yeah. CRYPTO GAMING. That’s like..games and blockchains, right? Or pay-to-play-to-earn, as I’ve heard it referred to? Or is it, like..being able to take your broadsword from Fortnite into Call of Duty or something?
Listen along to General Seminar N°10 with hosts Julian Bleecker, Katie Dreke, and Ian Bogost and our 16 participants.
Please cons...
2021-10-2139 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°17 — Blockchain Artist Sarah FriendSarah Friend studied painting as a fine artist and is now one of the more audacious media artists. Her art projects probe the contours of possible kinds of social relations built on top of blockchain mechanics, inspired and shaped by her interest in science-fiction and futures. Sarah's medium is software, her canvas is the blockchain, and her paintbrushes non-fungible tokens and Solidity contracts. He project Lifeforms and Off are especially evocative, pushing into the near future of how cryptodynamics and blockchain architecture can operate as instruments and expressive media.
Please consider supporting this podcast. You can do s...
2021-10-1855 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°16 — General Seminar N°9 — Synthetic Brands / Synthetic MediaThis is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — a highlight reel from our General Seminar N°9 — a discussion on Synthetic Brands / Synthetic Media. We are now nudging into a world in which algorithmically synthetic and computer-generated artificial entities will likely be participating, collaborating, and fully assuming roles up and down the culture stack — from customer care bots to pop-stars and politicians. How do we make sense of all this?
General Seminar is a platform for sense-making through discussion.
One-to-many “expert” platforms like podcasts, TED Talks, and Masterclasses serve a role in the dissemination of...
2021-10-1133 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°15 — What is it to be a Generalist? with Patrick TanguayPatrick Tanguay is a Generalist, Synthesist, and Curator. He explores tech in society, signals of change, & prospective futures in his fantastic weekly newsletter Sentiers, which I recommend you subscribe to. Every Sunday I get a host of fantastic insights and pointers, one of the most interesting is his mentioning the most clicked story a year ago. This morning it was a great piece from last year — the somewhat manifesto-y article on Squad Wealth, some themes we discuss in this podcast. You can also find Patrick on Twitter at @inevernu
Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon — doing so he...
2021-08-291h 01
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°14 - Speculative Design, IOT & Cultures of Innovation with Alexandra Deschamps-SonsinoAlexandra Deschamps-Sonsino is an author, consultant, public speaker, entrepreneur and designer living in London.
She is the author of Creating a Culture of Innovation and Smarter Homes
She is the founder of the Low Carbon Design Institute, a residency for creative people focused on climate change.
She was named 1st in a list of 100 Internet of Things Influencers (Postscapes, 2016), 2nd in Top 100 Internet of Things Thought Leaders (Onalytica, 2014) and in the Top 100 Influential Tech Women on Twitter (Business Insider, 2014). She’s been included in the long-list of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in T...
2021-08-061h 14
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°13 - Tina He on DAOs, Calvino and Blockchain Social MechanicsTina He is a writer, designer, and investor dedicated to creating technology that fosters creativity, growth, and knowledge.
Her essay "The New Frontier of Belonging" caught my attention as it navigated through a number of disparate terrains while describing the peculiar kinds of social formations arising out of blockchain mechanics — and it leads with a reference to Italo Calvino, which I found to be unexpected and beautiful.
Please support my podcast: https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory
Or buy me a small coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bleeckerj
Here are some links related to th...
2021-07-281h 04
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°12 - NFTs, Blockchain, Social Tokens with Sean BonnerA discussion about the social futures and social dynamics inherent in NFTs and Blockchain, with Sean Bonner.
See his https://nftart.lol which compares various NFT platforms. And his blog: http://blog.seanbonner.com/nft/
He also publishes a semi-weekly email newsletter that I can highly recommend, called The Crowd https://tinyletter.com/seanbonner.
2021-06-292h 10
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°11 - PizzaDAO with Daniel van de Ghinste & Jed BerkA long, ranging, technically challenged conversation with two participants in PizzaDAO which formed spontaneously on Clubhouse based on the idea to have a global pizza party.
On March 15th, 2021 they opened Rare Pizzas Box NFT reservations to the public and raised $1.3 Million for real, cheese-y pizza.
What is a DAO anyway, and what's it got to do with the future, let alone pizza?
https://www.rarepizzas.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-van-de-ghinste-46663937
http://cargocollective.com/jedberk
2021-05-283h 01
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°10 - Julian Bleecker: Q&A by Jonas SchmidtIn this episode I move to the otherside of the Q&A table. Jonas Schmidt had contacted me to do a Q&A for his master's program research, specifically on the Near Future Laboratory and our own approach to design and creative work. It was good fun — so I asked Jonas if he wouldn't mind if we made it into a mirrorworld podcast episode and he happily agreed.
Please support this podcast on Patreon - https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — Thank you!
2021-05-0539 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°09- Devon Powers and The Trend of TrendsDevon Powers is an Associate Professor of Advertising at the Department of Advertising and PR in the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. Devon studies consumer culture, cultural history, and cultural circulation/intermediation, with a focus on trends, branding, and popular music. We discuss her book "On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future".
2021-04-201h 02
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°08 - Alexis Lloyd: Futurist Not FuturistAlexis Lloyd is a product design and innovation leader who has spent her career designing experiences for how we read, write, and share information on the internet. She is currently the VP of Product Design at Medium and has previously led design and innovation work at The New York Times R&D Lab, Axios, and Automattic. She co-leads the Ethical Futures Lab and has a deep curiosity about how humans and machines co-evolve with one another.
2021-04-1152 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°07 - Madeline Ashby: Futurism, Foresight, and Science Fiction Part 2This is Part 2 of my conversation with Madeline Ashby who is an American-Canadian science fiction writer and futurist, best known for her 2016 novel Company Town. She is a graduate of OCAD University's Master of Design in Strategic Foresight & Innovation.
If you found this episode a worthy use of your time and is helping your futures brain bulk up, consider become a patron over at our Patreon — or you can offer a tip which is easy to do nowadays over at ko-fi.org/bleecker
2021-03-2939 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°06 - Madeline Ashby: Futurism, Foresight, and Science Fiction Part 1Madeline Ashby is an American-Canadian science fiction writer and futurist, best known for her 2016 novel Company Town. She is a graduate of OCAD University's Master of Design in Strategic Foresight & Innovation.
If you found this episode a worthy use of your time and is helping your futures brain bulk up, consider become a patron over at our Patreon https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — or you can offer a tip which is easy to do nowadays over at https://ko-fi.org/bleecker
2021-03-2936 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°05 - Artist and Filmmaker Anab JainAnab Jain is co-founder, along with Jon Arden, of Superflux which is a design studio based in London that create worlds, stories, and tools that provoke and inspire us to engage with the precarity of our rapidly changing world.
If you found this episode a worthy use of your time and attention consider become a patron. You can do that at patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory — or you can offer a tip which is easy to do nowadays over at ko-fi.org/bleecker
2021-03-0850 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°04 - Professor David KirbyThis episode is with Professor David Kirby. David coined the term ‘diegetic prototype’ to describe an important component of Design Fiction. He describes this and much more in his important book "Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists and Cinema”.
2021-02-0255 min
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°03 - Architect & Filmmaker Liam YoungThis episode is a discussion with Liam Young. Liam is an Australian born archtect and film maker who uses design fiction and film in a really provocative and thoughtful and entertaining fashion. He also runs the MA in Fiction and Entertainment at the Southern California Institute of Archtecture (or SCI-ARC).
Help support the Podcast by becoming a Patron at https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory The Near Future Laboratory podcast is a series of discussions on Design Fiction.
2021-01-121h 53
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°02 - Scott SmithThis episode is a conversation with Scott Smith, Managing Partner at Changeist.
In this chat with Scott, we cover most all of that territory. We talk about what makes Design Fiction Design Fiction and not Science Fiction or Literary Fiction. We discuss David Kirby, who will be featured in a forthcoming episode, and the diegetic prototype. And a big discussion about ‘what Design Fiction is good for.’
2021-01-041h 04
Near Future Laboratory PodcastN°01 - Fabien Girardin and Nicolas NovaWe discuss the role of the generalist in discovery-based creative, design, future-oriented explorations.
2020-12-251h 31
Possibility HoursJulian Bleecker - More than HelloJulian Bleecker (PhD) is a researcher, product designer-engineer. He founded the Near Future Laboratory as a way to explore imminent futures in an experimental and playful way outside of the confines of more traditional research and development practices. He has been a professor at the University of Southern California, and a designer-engineer at Nokia’s Advanced Design Studio. He is also founder and CEO at Omata, Inc., a product design company that has developed a modern analog-mechanical computer.
http://nearfuturelaboratory.com/
https://omata.com/
2019-10-0738 minKeynote presentations - Main Conference Day 2 | VideoJulian Bleecker / Part 2 of 2Julian Bleecker,
Nokia Design, Los Angeles and the Near Future Laboratory, USA
2011-03-3118 min