Fireside Chats with Empathic Futures Lab

Fireside Chats with Empathic Futures Lab episodes:

• 07.03.2019

  Episode 34: Value Engineering w/ Alex Bahr

  In this episode, Christian and Colter sit down with architect Alex Bahr in the lobby of UIC’s Gallery 400 to discuss speculative architecture, subversive detailing, and alternative means of shaping the built environment. Bahr’s thesis project, the Play of Parts...

  
• 06.03.2019

  Episode 33: Dumb AI

  This episode’s home base is “AI” or rather...the current iteration of AI which attempts to pass as Intelligent. The idea behind the conversation is really that AI is at the cusp of being quite useful but it still is flopping...

  
• 05.13.2019

  Episode 32: Deep Dive on Heritage

  Welcome to another episode of Empathic Futures Lab. This one features a guest appearance by Souyma Dasgupta. It's a pretty intellectual episode (after 5 minutes of fun/goofy introduction anyways) so buckle up. It was a really good discussion if you like...

  
• 05.06.2019

  Episode 31: The Many faces of Interfaces

  We are trying this new thing where we come up with a topic and then just riff on ideas that come from that topic. This episode’s discussion was nominally about “interfaces.” That was our jumping off point, our “home plate”...

  
• 04.02.2019

  Episode 30: [AR]chitecture

  This discussion is our follow-up to our last discussion on Mirror World’s. This time, we have Colter on with us as well.   We start by discussing different ideas for mirror worlds such as how we might simulate feelings or very large...

  
• 02.20.2019

  Episode 29: Mirror Worlds - or why the future is Green

  This episode was inspired by Kevin Kelly's MirrorWorld article for Wired. Here is the link: https://www.wired.com/story/mirrorworld-ar-next-big-tech-platform/ Our conversation starts with summing up the article and describing what a Mirror World actually is as an augmented reality future. While doing this, we...

  
• 02.13.2019

  Episode 28: Disconnecting - find your premium

  At Empathic Futures Lab, we often put technology on a pedestal. This episode's discussion is about stepping back and trying to figure out how to get away from technology when we feel the need to. Colter is back with us...

  
• 02.05.2019

  Episode 27: What AirBnB's Backyard project might mean and other tangential topics

  Christian and Chris step back into the news cycle (or at least the news cycle at the time that this was recorded rather than the time of release) to discuss AirBnB's recent announcement of their Project Backyard. Not much new...

  
• 01.25.2019

  Episode 26: Digital Environments - Picnics or otherwise

  This episode features a special guest: Colter Wehmeier. Christian and Colter took on the final design and construction of the Digital Picnic and absolutely killed it. It looked great while it was up. Colter is a fascinating and very intelligent...

  
• 12.07.2018

  Episode 25: Edges, Interfaces, the Formalization of the Digital

  Christian and Chris delve discuss the how the digital world is formalized in the physical world through interface design. They discuss how our interfaces and interactions with digital environments have evolved over time.  How have physical forms of digital entities...

  
• 10.19.2018

  Episode 24: Big Bias, Big Data, Blockchain and other Topics

  This week, we started out discussing biases in our media, machine learning, and our world in general. This lead to a discussion revolving around how do you temper the bias in Artificial Intelligences, looking specifically at Amazon's intelligent resume filter. ...

  
• 10.09.2018

  Episode 23: Why Media is so Broken (and other clickbaity titles)

  This week, Chris and Christian discuss advertising and the media. They begin by trying to define a basis for what media is.  They then contrast the human focused characteristics of media with that of more  natural landscapes.  Following this they...

  
• 10.09.2018

  Why Media is so Broken ( and other clickbaity titles)

  This week, Chris and Christian discuss advertising and the media. In particular, we try to understand why things seem so broken here and throw around some ideas for how things might be different.  [Show notes to come]

  
• 10.02.2018

  Episode 22: Season 2 Kick-off Event

  We're Back! Season 2 is finally kicking off after a long layoff. We hope to have a good season for you all.  In this episode, we recap what we did with our Summer. Go over what we have done this fall...

  
• 06.05.2018

  Episode 20: Trust Us, Reputation is the Future!

  In this 20th episode we discuss the role that reputation will play in the future.  We worked from a poignant article written in Fast Company by Gloria Origgi, an Italian philosopher.  In this piece she dissects how she believs that...

  
• 05.25.2018

  Episode 19: Why do we detail?

  In this episode Chris and Christian discuss the architectural detail.  How its meaning has evolved over time, and what its significant might be in today's archtectural landscape.  Using Edward Ford's The Architectural Detail as the primary conversation vehicle, we start by...

  
• 05.11.2018

  Episode 18: A Design Language

  This week we got the conversation kicked off with a segway from Molly Wright Steenson's Architectural Intelligence.  Here she introduced both of us to a fresh take on the work of Christopher Alexander, and because of this we decided to dedicate...

  
• 05.01.2018

  Episode 17: Re-Installing Architecture

  Are installations the key to unlocking the future of architecture? The small scale at which they operate allows them the flexibility to explore a wider range of ideas and potential solutions. If approached as part of a larger framework of...

  
• 04.23.2018

  Episode 16: What does Experience Mean?

  This episode was a sort of rambling discussion on what we mean when we discuss experience. We really just ask how we can nail down an experience and add a little context to what we mean when we discuss experience....

  
• 04.15.2018

  Episode 15: Authenticity in Fiction

  We kicked this episode off with a brief history of fiction and the speculative design. Beginning in the 60s looking at Archigram, Ant Farm, Superstudio, and Buckminster Fuller.  We briefly explored how these groups approached speculative futures and discussed the...

  
• 04.05.2018

  Episode 14: Future Business

  In this episode, we delve into some ideas for the future of the business of architecture. As technology and culture progress towards this world of shared experiences and minimal costs to distribution and manufacturing, how does the nature of space,...

  
• 03.29.2018

  Episode 13: Empathic inJustice

  In this episode, we have James Addison and Olivia Huang with us to discuss their joint MArch thesis from MIT. There work can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ss4e9ap92ckefq3/Spaces%20of%20Justice.pdf?dl=0 Their thesis is entitled "Spaces of Justice" and aims to address the more political/social/economic fringes of...

  
• 02.24.2018

  Episode 12: Sensors Save Us?

  Sensors Save Us? features a lively discussion regarding the impact that sensors and information collection may have on the police forces of the near future.   We start by considering how officers deal with information being collected about them and the...

  
• 02.13.2018

  Episode 11: Filters are Us

  This episode is our last installment in our mini-series on Kevin Kelly's book: "The Inevitable." We discuss his chapter on filters. The basic premise of the chapter is that as society creates an increasing amount of content and data, it becomes...

  
• 02.05.2018

  Episode 10: The Infrastructure of US

  This week we are excited to welcome Robert Prochaska to our 10th episode of Empathic Futures Lab. It was recorded with all 3 of us together in Champaign, Illinois. We would like to thank him for taking the time to...

  
• 02.01.2018

  Episode 9: Design in the Relationships

  We are excited to announce our first guest on the show: Marco Fabrega. Definitely give it a listen. It was our longest podcast to date but that is only because we have so much fun in the end.  Marco is a...

  
• 01.24.2018

  Episode 8: Flowing Environments

  This is the second episode in a series where we discuss some of the key trends in Kevin Kelly's book: The Inevitable. The trend for this episode is "Flowing." The idea is that as society progresses, we go from consumer rare,...

  
• 01.20.2018

  Episode 7: Becoming a Protopia

  This  episode starts off a series in which we will be discussing Kevin Kelly's "The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future." In this first episode of the series, we discuss the chapter entitled "Becoming." The...

  
• 01.07.2018

  Episode 6: Design Trends for 2018, part 2

  With the end of 2017 and the start of 2018, we are discussing design trends for the future. The design trends we are discussing come from the following article from Fast Company: https://www.fastcodesign.com/90153796/the-9-big-design-trends-that-will-shape-2018 5) We'll finally move beyond Flat Design 6) We'll eat our...

  
• 12.28.2017

  Episode 5: Design Trends for 2018, part 1

  Show notes:  With the end of 2017 and the start of 2018, we are discussing design trends for the future. The design trends we are discussing come from the following article from Fast Company: https://www.fastcodesign.com/90153796/the-9-big-design-trends-that-will-shape-2018 1) A Revolution in User-Friendly Politics is Coming 2)...

  
• 12.14.2017

  Episode 4: Data and Identity

  In this episode, we discuss the ramifications that ML/AI has on the privacy and identity. In particular, what design implications and solutions are incurred. The following topics come up during this discussion.  We discuss this great article in the NY Times...

  
• 12.05.2017

  Episode 3: Standards vs. Customization

  In this episode, we discuss the differences between Standards and Mass Customization: where is there value in each and how/should we go towards Mass Customization?  Show Notes: What do we mean by Standards and Mass Customization/Individualization? How did Corbu and the Modernists define...

  
• 11.30.2017

  Episode 2: Post Thanksgiving Lightning Round

  This week, with the holiday weekend interfering with our usual Sunday Night recording, we decided to keep this episode light and fun rather than on topic. We will resume next week with our Mass Customization vs Standardization topic.  Show Notes:  Robots -...

  
• 11.22.2017

  Episode 1: Home

  In this episode, we discuss what home is and where the future of home is going. We discuss how things will change in terms of how we relate to our homes as our homes become "smarter" and more technologically advanced.  Please...