Visit Normals In my book ‘ It’s time to imagine harder ’, my hypothesis was that bringing the creative consciousness back to work is a clear path to unlocking the unexpected and unanticipated. A way to sense into and feel for the unseen. The creative consciousness - which has a proclivity or impulse to operate comfortably even enthusiastically with the unknown — can dream of the undreamt as if were soaking in a warm bath of ambiguity. The creative consciousness ambles around in the new territori...
Jun 08, 2025•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 98
The Intersection of Imagination, Science Fiction, Strategy and Creativity. we wandered into something I keep circling back to: the idea that strategy is a kind of science fiction . Not in the “space battles and robots” sense, but in the deeper way that science fiction gives us permission to imagine futures—plausible or not—and then build toward them. Jarrett and I talked about design not just as a tool for solving problems, but as a mode of inquiry , a way of asking better questions and shaping ...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 97
In which Tobias and I converse about the release of the book ' Practices of Future Casting ', the importance of events that gather thought leaders to spur creativity and career development in design and futures thinking, the compilation and production of the book, the value of speculative writing as a legitimate form of future making, the significance of in-person events for fostering impactful professional and creative relationships, the concept that imagination, like a muscle, must be exercise...
Apr 28, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Phil Balagtas' book "Making Futures Work" is a comprehensive map of the work of futuring. https://www.philbalagtas.com/ Learn how to get started with Futures Thinking. With this practical guide, Phil Balagtas, founder of the Design Futures Initiative and the global Speculative Futures network, shows you how designers and futurists have made futures work at companies such as Atari, IBM, Apple, Disney, Autodesk, Lufthansa, and McKinsey & Company. This book demystifies the process of Futures Th...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Please become a paid supporter over on Patreon . Your support helps keep the Podcast going and gets you membership in the Near Future Laboratory community on Discord. A conversation with Troy Campbell who describes his journey from graduate school to becoming a professor and the Chief Scientist at On Your Feet, where he became passionate about the power of behavioral science.We talk about concepts like identity, memory, and mindset activation, and how they can be utilized across consumer, organi...
Dec 14, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 94
This is Episode N°093 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast with filmmaker, director Gary Hustwit, the creative punk mind behind documentaries Rams, Helvetica and Objectified. We dive into his journey in independent filmmaking, his DIY ethos, and his bold ideas about storytelling in a digital world. Gary shares his approach to creating generative cinema—films that evolve and change with each viewing. We explore what it means to push against the boundaries of trad filmmaking, trad distribution, a...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Read More 👉🏽 https://detroit.imaginesharder.com Can you imagine your idea of the future of work, beyond Zoom calls from the beach? What is the Onboarding Guide for the Future of Work? What is the Resumé from the Future of Work? What does the equivalent of the ‘org chart’ look like? Want to help create a reinvigorated future imaginary of what work could be? Want to try your hand at Design Fiction Worldbuilding? Join me for Detroit Imagines Harder: Futures of Work, a 3-day Design Fiction Summit...
Sep 24, 2024•9 min•Ep. 92
Tobias and I have a tidy morning/evening conversation that revolves around the impact of Philip K. Dick's science fiction, particularly how his imaginative devices influence modern technological narratives. We talk about the ways he refers to and anticipates AI and other artifacts, of course there's a deep dive into the significance of the Minority Report's gestural interface created for the 2001 film adaptation, and how it has influenced real-world technological advancements. What prompted this...
Jul 26, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Near 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, sit...
Jul 22, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 90
In 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...
Jun 23, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 89
A 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://s...
May 08, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Taryn O'Neil and Tamara Krinsky are the creative force behind Scirens , a creative team working at the intersection of science & storytelling, creative entertainment that encourages curiosity and imaginative thinking to shape a new vision for a rapidly changing world. They recently produced the trailer for Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination 's Climate Action Almanac . You can see the trailer, called The Assignment over on Youtube. Thank you to all my patr...
Mar 24, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 87
This is a digest of the 3PM session of General Seminar Season 05 Episode 01 where we discuss possible futures in which AI is as normal, ordinary, and everyday as wheels on luggage and televisions we talk to. General Seminar is Near Future Laboratory's platform for sense-making in which we excavate artifacts from possible futures rather than make predictions and prognostications. This is the Design Fiction approach to imagining into possible futures. To learn more about General Seminar sign up fo...
Mar 24, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 86
This is a digest of the 10AM session of General Seminar Season 05 Episode 01 where we discuss possible futures in which AI is as normal, ordinary, and everyday as wheels on luggage and televisions we talk to. General Seminar is Near Future Laboratory's platform for sense-making in which we excavate artifacts from possible futures rather than make predictions and prognostications. This is the Design Fiction approach to imagining into possible futures. To learn more about General Seminar sign up f...
Mar 24, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Ladies 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 ...
Feb 17, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 84
In this episode, I chat with the fun, creative, thoughtful Ruth Guerra, a design researcher with a knack for amplifying the questions about design, creativity, research and futures through a wonderful social media presence. We dive into her journey from a theater undergrad to mastering future design, where she champions participatory design with a twist. Ruth shares her passion for storytelling, not just any storytelling, but the kind that shapes our future. She's also getting busy hosting innov...
Feb 06, 2024•26 min•Ep. 83
Some 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 ...
Jan 12, 2024•9 min
Episode 082 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast with Julian Bleecker in conversation with Shashwatch Santosh. Home Page Instagram 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 experience...
Dec 24, 2023•38 min•Ep. 82
1. Postcards from some possible futures, sent to me by Elliot P. Montgomery 2. A Magazine from the Future in which autonomous vehicles are about as normal, ordinary, and everyday as television remote controls, wheels on luggage, and laptop sleeves. 3. Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, our pulp pop-psychology paperback from some future in which Sony's Aibo became as popular as the Sony Walkman and now, well — they're just here, and about as ferocious as a cuddly cute robot dog. https://magazinefr...
Dec 24, 2023•7 min
Randy Plemel is a design and innovation consultant specializing in solving hard and complex problems for people in elegant, and hopefully simpler ways. Randy has worked with a wide range of organizations in the public sector on democracy promotion, and the private sector on who their customer might be, including the Knight Foundation to reimagine the civic commons across eight cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies to cultivate city-based innovation in the U.S. and India, AARP to evolve their role in ...
Dec 16, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Here 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 ...
Dec 13, 2023•8 min
Here it is. Another episode of 'Last Week from the Near Future'. Last Week from the Near Future Laboratory - Week 48/2023 This is what I was thinking about. 1. Failure of Imagination: This concept is a common issue in organizations that struggle to envision anything beyond their current operations. Design Fiction can help with imagining and visualizing potential unexpected events and futures or even those that no one is able to grapple with or say out loud for fear of becoming a pariah. Design F...
Dec 13, 2023•10 min
SuperSeminar 005 is our second session on Speculative Architecture and Generative AI. Here's a sneak peek with Hassan Ragab where we get some insights into how GenAI is shaping what architecture is becoming. Do you want to know more? Sign up for SuperSeminar 005 at https://www.superseminar.school/ss005/genai-architecture our platform for learning from the key individuals who are at the vanguard of the transformational potential of new practices, tools, mindsets and approaches. Save 50% on all 3 ...
Dec 02, 2023•10 min
Episode N°005, Week Ending Nov 24, 2023 Promotion of Design Fiction for AI Policy Visualization: In this Last Week from the Near Future episode, I emphasize the importance of design fiction as a tool for visualizing and materializing the potential impacts of policies like the AI Bill of Rights. I suggest that design fiction can make complex ideas more tangible and understandable for the general public. Analysis of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights: I have questions about the current form of...
Nov 29, 2023•8 min
SuperSeminar 004 is our session on practical uses for Generative AI within the enterprise. Here's a sneak peek with Drew Wiberg where we hear that he increased efficiency and productivity 40x with Generative AI, and how he used Generative AI to create the actual tooling he needed to bring about those efficiencies. Do you want to know more? Sign up to learn more about SuperSeminar at https://superseminar.school SuperSeminar is our platform for learning from the key individuals who are at the vang...
Nov 28, 2023•5 min
Gabby Morris has soil questions — and a tarot deck to help think through those questions. Check out the Grounded Wisdom Tarot Deck on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabbyamorris/grounded-wisdom-tarot-deck https://www.gabbymorris.co.uk/ Don't forget to support the Podcast over on https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory and pick up your copy of It's Time To Imagine Harder, the book that unlocks ways to create more tangible futures: https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com/products...
Nov 16, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Scott and Susan's new book, Future Cultures, focuses on integrating futures thinking into existing organizational contexts rather than forcing entirely new practices. They emphasize understanding and mapping current networks, language, and processes first and identifying and cultivating diverse champions at multiple levels to spread ideas. In the book, they recommend starting small with regular gatherings to share signals of change. They also provide tactics like writing future scenarios to envi...
Nov 08, 2023•49 min•Ep. 79
This episode is a Digest from General Seminar S04E04 where we went into some Circular Economy Futures and found a bunch of stuff to help us more tangibly imagine what these futures could feel like. https://generalseminar.com
Nov 03, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 78
A conversation with Gemma Jones from School of Critical Design . Check out the Near Future Laboratory's latest drop - ' Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ' - the definitive handbook for understanding the psyche, motivations, desires, fears, and existential quandaries of machine & artificially intelligent intelligences from a slightly adjacent world where AI and their embodiments are about as fearsome, frustrating, and perplexing as a television remote control. Just don't antagonize them, okay...
Oct 30, 2023•34 min•Ep. 77
Last Week from the Near Future Laboratory Episode 002 The Show where we look at some highlights from, you know _ Last Week in the Near Future Laboratory Let’s Go! 1. • Daniel Schmachtenberger l An introduc... 2. https://www.futures-in-maps.com/san-t... 3. https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/... 4. https://aw.network/2023 5. https://uxdesign.cc/a-smart-home-is-o... 5.5 https://lamemage.com/microscope/ 6. https://github.com/srspear/scifitropes 7. https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-image... 8. https:...
Oct 16, 2023•6 min
