Near Future Laboratory Podcast
Episodes
N°062 - Structure vs. Imagination with Andy Polaine
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Andy 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 d...
N°103 - Tom Guarriello The Meaning of Branded Objects
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please support the podcast on Patreon!Thank you to all of my paid subscribers!My friend Tom Guarriello joins me to unpack a deceptively simple questio...
N°102 - The Art of Possible with Dave Gray
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are — where imagination becomes strategy and art is the engine of innovation. This is a rebroadcast of my conversation in Episode 54 with my...
N°101 - Kirby Ferguson Infinite Remix
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here is the link to the video we discuss: https://youtu.be/9pLCIoBZzd4 You'll want to watch that first — I mistakenly said I would include it...
N°100 - N O R M A L S Futures Are Boring
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please support the podcast over on Patreon.https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratoryWe don’t suffer from a lack of imagination about the future. We s...
N°099 - Outgoing
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Outgoing is Brett Gui Xin and Del Hardin Hoyle, they are a creative design team based in Brooklyn. In this chat we discuss their participation in some...
N°098 - NORMALS
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Visit NormalsIn my book ‘It’s time to imagine harder’, my hypothesis was that bringing the creative consciousness back to work is a clear path t...
N°097 - Jarrett Fuller Going Home
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Intersection of Imagination, Science Fiction, Strategy and Creativity.we wandered into something I keep circling back to: the idea that strategy i...
N°096 - Tobias Revell Stories To Imagine Alternate Futures
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In which Tobias and I converse about the release of the book 'Practices of Future Casting', the importance of events that gather thought leade...
N°095 - Phil Balagtas Is Making Futures Work
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Balagtas' book "Making Futures Work" is a comprehensive map of the work of futuring.https://www.philbalagtas.com/Learn how to get s...
N°094 - Troy Campbell Scientific Mind, Artistic Heart
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Please become a paid supporter over on Patreon. Your support helps keep the Podcast going and gets you membership in the Near Future Laboratory commun...
N°093 - Gary Hustwit Why Does A Film Have To Be The Same Everytime
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is Episode N°093 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast , a conversation with filmmaker/director Gary Hustwit, the creative punk mind behind docu...
N°092 - The Future of Work Is Not ‘Work from Home’
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Read More 👉🏽 https://detroit.imaginesharder.com Can you imagine your idea of the future of work, beyond Zoom calls from the beach? What is ...
N°091 - Imagine As Hard As Philip K. Dick with Tobias Revell
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tobias and I have a tidy morning/evening conversation that revolves around the impact of Philip K. Dick's science fiction, particularly how his im...
N°090 - Kyle Ng / Brain Dead / Fashion For Futuring
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Near Future Laboratory Podcast Episode 90: Exploring Creative Worlds with Kyle Ng Support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/nearfuturelabor...
N°089 - Silvio Lorusso Design & Disillusion
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
N°088 - Dave Gray School of the Possible
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion with Dave Gray about our experiences creating communities that foster human connection, imagination, and possibility. We share our own ap...
N°087 - Taryn O'Neil & Tamara Krinsky
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Taryn O'Neil and Tamara Krinsky are the creative force behind Scirens, a creative team working at the intersection of science & storytel...
N°086 - What's for Breakfast In An AI Future Part 2
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
N°085 - What's for Breakfast In An AI Future Part 1
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
N°084 - EMERGENCY BROADCAST! THRILLING WONDER STORIES
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather 'round for an electrifying journey through the cerebral and speculative realm of "Thrilling Wond...
N°083 - Ruth Guerra's Got Social Media Game
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with the fun, creative, thoughtful Ruth Guerra, a design researcher with a knack for amplifying the questions about design, cr...
Last Week from the Near Future N°009 - Weeks 51-52/2023
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ex...
N°082 - Shashwath Santosh and The Innovation Crisis
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 082 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast with Julian Bleecker in conversation with Shashwatch Santosh. Home Page Instagram Please support ...
Last Week from the Near Future N°008 - Week 50/2023
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 n...
N°081 - Randy Plemel is Expedition Works
16 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Randy Plemel is a design and innovation consultant specializing in solving hard and complex problems for people in elegant, and hopefully simpler ways...
Last Week from the Near Future N°007 - Week 49/2023
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 La...
Last Week from the Near Future N°006 - Week 48/2023
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wa...
MINISODE: SuperSeminar 005 Sneak Peek with Hassan Ragab
02 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SuperSeminar 005 is our second session on Speculative Architecture and Generative AI. Here's a sneak peek with Hassan Ragab where we get some insi...
Last Week from the Near Future N°005
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 e...
MINISODE - SuperSeminar 004 Sneak Peek with Drew Wiberg
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
N°080 - Soil Futures & Tarot Decks with Gabby Morris
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gabby Morris has soil questions — and a tarot deck to help think through those questions. Check out the Grounded Wisdom Tarot Deck on Kickstarter:...
N°079 - The Future Will Happen To You with Scott Smith and Susan Cox-Smith
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scott and Susan's new book, Future Cultures, focuses on integrating futures thinking into existing organizational contexts rather than forcing ent...
N°078 - Circular Economy Futures, a Digest of General Seminar S04E04
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 tangi...
N°077 - Gemma Jones & School of Critical Design
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Gemma Jones from School of Critical Design. Check out the Near Future Laboratory's latest drop - 'Androids Dream of Elect...
Last Week from the Near Future E002
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Laborato...
N°076 - Food (In)Security Design Fiction Futures
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 076 is a discussion with Jan Rod and Kenta Kondo from IDEO Tokyo sharing their Project Inari in which created a sushi box as Design Fiction ar...
Last Week from the Near Future Minisode E001
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new show. Last Week from the Near Future — a summary of some interesting things that came through and around the Near Future Laboratory Discord. ...
N°075 - Artificially Artfifully Enhanced Rebroadcast
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This Episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 030 with Tony Dunne and Fiona Raby, preceded and amended with various explications and questions posed to the...
N°074 - Sascha Pohflepp
05 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sascha Poflepp was a German artist, collaborator, and friend. We dedicated The Manual of Design Fiction to him. It's important not to forget his c...
N°073 - Lila Feldman Emerging Creative Consciousness
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lila Feldman is a designer based in NYC. She received her BA in 3D Design: Product + Furniture from Northumbria University and her MFA in Design + Tec...
N°072 - Che-Wei Wang CW&T
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're curious to hear about what it takes to dream into, create, build, grow, maintain an independent creative studio and practice, you'll...
N°071 - Geoff Manaugh (CGI Ghosts and Defensive Grappling In Zero G)
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a conversation with writer and noted architecture critic Geoff Manaugh, who has written for the The New York Times Magazine, The Atlan...
N°070 - Juliana Schneider — More.Than.Human-Centered Design
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Juliana Schneider is a trend researcher, futures designer and creative strategist with diverse and extensive experience in the creative industry. She ...
N°069 - Dr. Delfina Fantini van Ditmar — A Not Too Comfortable Future
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Delfina Fantini van Ditmar is a biologist, design researcher and Senior Lecturer. Her practice is concerned with ecological thinking, reflective pr...
N°068 - Futures of Fashion, a Digest of General Seminar S04E01 (29)
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, a...
N°067 - Tucker Viemeister (The Last Industrial Designer)
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tucker Viemeister is an American industrial designer, and founder of Viemeister Industries in New York City. Please consider supporting this podcas...
N°066 - Your Daily Design Fiction Exercise Regimen
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My special guest Dré Labre, proprietor over at https://www.designfictiondaily.com/ discusses how he has been training for the Imagine Harder marathon...
N°065 - A Magazine from the Autonomous Future, A Design Fiction Project Debrief
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does Design Fiction do the work of reporting on the future? Most futures reports are heavily analytic, styled to be read analytically and interpre...
N°064 - From Collectors to Creators: A Design Fiction Debrief with Thomas Euyang
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a Episode 64 of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast, a Design Fiction Debrief with Thomas Euyang, where we breakdown his Design Fiction project...
N°063 - Imagining the Future of the Imagination Academy with Will Richardson
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Will 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 ...
N°061 - The Machines Make The Spoons with Simone & Matteo
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simone Rebaudengo and Matteo Loglio are founders of the fun, eclectic, speculative design studio OiO. We had a fun chat about their latest conjuring, ...
N°060 - ChatGPT Futures, a Digest of General Seminar S03 E26
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This 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 artifac...
N°059 - The Year In The Rear View
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Got 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 r...
N°058 - We Are Hypercollaborative with Toby Barnes
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Toby Barnes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobybarnes/) is a design strategist with a range of experiences and interests, including at AKQA, Nike, and n...
N°057 - Design Fiction with Domus Academy & Speculative Futures Milan
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to Gabriele Ferri, the staff and students who participated from Domus Academy and Speculative Futures Milan, especially Silvio Cioni for org...
N°056 - The Manual of Design Fiction with Patrick Pittman and Chris Frey
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Patrick Pittman and Chris Frey who are collectively https://no-media.co/who are the folks who shepherded us through the design, wr...
N°055 - The Manual of Design Fiction with Nicolas Nova
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A 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: ...
N°053 - Design Fiction for the Master of Business Administration with Mathieu Aguesse
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mathieu Aguesse is a French entrepreneur, dedicated to innovation and education on impact-driven topics. He successfully launched the first open innov...
N°052 - Speculative Futures as a Design Approach with Johanna Hoffman
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My guest this episode is Johanna Hoffman, who's book 'Speculative Futures: Approaches to Navigate Change, Foster Resilience, and Co-Create the Cities ...
N°051 - After Action Report / ASU's Design Fiction as Science Fiction Panel
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a lightly edited after action report we did reflecting back on the ASU Applied Science Fiction panel (https://csi.asu.edu/calendar/events/desi...
N°050 - A 21st Century Enlightenment with Joe Lindley Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 05
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Lindley runs Design Research Works, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship which aims to understand, gather evidence about, and promote leadership for D...
N°049 - Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 04 with Paulina Yurman: The Design Innovators' Design Dilemma
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Paulina Yurman, Ph.D. is a a designer, researcher and lecturer who works in design research, and has a background in engineering and industrial design...
N°048 - Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 03 with Alan Hook: Designing Augmented Alternate Reality When Every Community Is Its Own Private QAnon
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This 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 Uni...
N°47 — The 'Third Space Conversation' Windermere Tapes Box 050 Tape 02 with Futures Designer Laura Dudek
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alt-Academia, Alt-Industry, Alt-R&D with Laura Dudek at the Design Research Works Jamboree, Brathay Hall, Windermere, UK https://2021.rca.ac.uk/st...
N°46 — 1.5° Futures, Windermere Tapes Box 050, Tape 01 with Tobias Revell
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tobias Revell in conversation with Julian Bleecker at Research Through Design 2022 at Brathay Hall, Windermere UK on or about August 2022. https://tob...
N°45 — Design Fiction and The Generalist with Joe Lindley & Paul Coulton
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Joe Lindley PhD and Paul Coulton PhD about the role of The Generalist and Design Fiction to see the unanticipated and unexpected p...
N°44 — Meow Wolf, Public Policy, and Design Fiction with SRG Bennett
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Stephen Bennett and his work at the UK's Policy Lab where design fiction, experiential design, speculative design meets the techno...
N°43 — Computer Art Pioneer Herbert W. Franke & Susanne Paech
16 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Back 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...
N°42 — Sci-Fi, Museum of the Future, & Blade Runner with Fred Scharmen
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation is with Fred Scharmen. Fred teaches architecture and urban design at Morgan State University's School of Architecture and Planning. ...
N°41 — Design Fiction with Elliott P. Montgomery
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elliott and I discuss some meta topics related to speculative design generally speaking and design fiction, the way its practiced, taught, and receive...
N°40 — Speculative Design with Kontrapunkt
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Jonas Schmidt and Philip Linnemann from the design agency Kontrapunkt. We discuss the state of play around the broad collection of...
N°39 — Simone Rebaudengo Futures Designer
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simone Rebaudengo describes himself as "a designer?" He works at the intersection of tradition and unanticipated possibilities that are implicated in ...
N°38 — Julian Montague
05 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Julian Montague is an artist, designer, and illustrator. I first came across his work through his Instagram feed, where he occasionally features 'faux...
N°37 — Life On Mars with Camille MacRae
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This 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 educ...
N°36 — Andrew Dana Hudson Post Normal Fiction
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Dana Hudson is an speculative fiction writer, researcher, futurist who's novel 'Our Shared Storm: A Novel of Five Climate Futures' was just pub...
N°35 — General Seminar 20 "METALABELS WTF!?"
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 thi...
N°34 — Genevieve Bell from Cybernetics to Meta(verse)
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My guest Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell, AO FAHA FTSE is an Australian anthropologist best known for her work at the intersection of cultural ...
N°33 - Special Bulletin on the NFT Marketplace with Michelle Kasprzak
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Please 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 ...
N°32 — Yancey Strickler & METALABEL
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Originally 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 r...
N°31 — J. Paul Neeley (Futurists Talking To Futurists)
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second in a series of conversations with people operating in the foresight/futures arena — Futurists Talking To Futurists. J. Paul...
N°30 — Dunne & Raby
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My guests in this episode are the design practice known as Dunne & Raby, Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby. They continue to be pioneers at the vanguar...
N°29 — General Seminar 17 "Solarpunk"
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
N°28 — Radha Mistry (Futurists Talking To Futurists)
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Tal...
N°27 — General Seminar 16 "The Generalist"
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
N°26 — Ed Finn, Solarpunk, Design Fiction & ASU Center for Science and the Imagination
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Finn is Director at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination and Associate Professor at the School for the Future of Innov...
N°25 — Katie McCrory
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Katie 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 int...
N°24 — 0xDEAFBEEF
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The 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. ...
N°23 — General Seminar N°14 WEB3WTF!?
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
N°22 — Jaymo
26 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jaymo a/k/a Jay Springett is a writer, podcaster, strategist, currently specializing in the distributed web, metaverse, and world running. He works wi...
N°21 — Mieke Marple & Medusa Collection
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mieke 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 scal...
N°20 — Nick Foster
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A 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...
N°19 — Parsons and Charlesworth
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I 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 p...
N°18 — General Seminar N°10 CRYPTO GAMING (Something unsettling happened.)
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — an annotated highlight reel from our General Seminar N°10 — a discussion o...
N°17 — Blockchain Artist Sarah Friend
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah 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 kin...
N°16 — General Seminar N°9 — Synthetic Brands / Synthetic Media
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special episode of the Near Future Laboratory Podcast — a highlight reel from our General Seminar N°9 — a discussion on Synthetic ...
N°15 — What is it to be a Generalist? with Patrick Tanguay
29 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Tanguay is a Generalist, Synthesist, and Curator. He explores tech in society, signals of change, & prospective futures in his fantastic w...
N°14 - Speculative Design, IOT & Cultures of Innovation with Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino is an author, consultant, public speaker, entrepreneur and designer living in London. She is the author of Creating a Cult...
N°13 - Tina He on DAOs, Calvino and Blockchain Social Mechanics
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tina He is a writer, designer, and investor dedicated to creating technology that fosters creativity, growth, and knowledge. Her essay "The New F...
N°12 - NFTs, Blockchain, Social Tokens with Sean Bonner
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion about the social futures and social dynamics inherent in NFTs and Blockchain, with Sean Bonner. See his https://nftart.lol which compare...