The Stage at C3

This week’s talk is an invitation to savor ordinary pleasures, take our desires seriously, and give the “yes” within us room to breathe.

What do you really, really want? For many of us, somewhere beneath the goals, plans, and ambitions is a simple hope: we all would like to be happier.

What do you want? And how do you even know?

In our final Empire of Screens talk, Brad puts on his futurist hat and looks ahead to offer some informed predictions about what might come next.

*This is a partial recording due to live cast issues.

Guest Teacher Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Leo joins us for  the first time to share his expertise in computer science in a continuation of the series, Empire of Screens Part II.

Core Teacher Michael DeWilde is back this week as we continue the series Empire of Screens Part II.

We’ll look at some of the arguments – and evidence – for and against the notion that certain AI systems could be, or become, “conscious.”  How might that even be possible?  What would it look like? What would the implications of a “conscious” AI be?

This week in Empire of Screens, we’ll look at the uneasy space between hype and outright distrust. From AI-generated research slipping through peer review to systems that can ace difficult tests and still stumble over basic context, we’ll examine AI terms like "jagged intelligence," hallucinations, and the widening verification gap.

This opening talk offers a plain-language explanation of what AI is, what it isn’t, and why it matters even to people who never plan to chat with a bot. We’ll trace the shift from hidden algorithms that sort our lives to generative tools that make things alongside us.

Reverend Ginny Mikita returns to C3 this week to share her insights on pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is supposed to be about finding your way. But some of its greatest gifts come from getting a little lost.

Celebrate unhurried attention, simple pleasures, and idle moments that don’t need to justify their existence.