Blogs about Futures

photo caption: a concert in an arena. the stage is lit up in funky red shapes. hundreds of people in the audience are dancing along to the music. think of all the data we could …

How can we imagine the climate crisis in its full complexity, menace, and possibility? Answering this question is what climate fiction (never call it “cli-fi”) attempts to do. I’ve been exploring the field (some examples …

If you missed the Kickstarter this summer, I successfully crowdfunded a print run for a beautiful print and digital edition of 50 Years of Text Games. I’m getting ready to finalize the print run with …

I’ve frequently run into the quip that it is easier to imagine end of the world than the end of capitalism. It’s not going to be easy! Certainly, not as simple as flipping a switch …

What purposes do images of the future serve? How are images of the future most effectively communicated? How are images of the future constructed? Next month, the students, staff, alumni, and friends of the Houston …

The advances in AI this year have been staggering and impressive. Can you ever remember when a new technology burst onto the scene with such wild speed? I can – when the World Wide Web …

By Tracey Follows Is Identity the Issue of Our Age? How am I authenticated? What does my biology have in store for me? How can I explore alternative personas in a virtual game? Where does …

A new, giant species of trapdoor spider has been discovered in Queensland, Australia, which researchers are describing as “rare” and “secretive.” The species, Euoplos dignitas, was identified after four years of intensive fieldwork by researchers …

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation between two Hugo award-winning science fiction authors, Becky Chambers and Annalee Newitz. Known for challenging classic science fiction tropes such as war, violence, and colonialism, both authors create vivid …

Peter Turchin has some interesting theories of cycles of empires in history. I’ve puzzled over his suggestion that “elite overproduction” is consistently part of the fall of empires, and that we are seeing it today. …

Something a little bit different today. I’ll tie it in to progress, I promise. I keep noticing a particular epistemic pitfall (not exactly a “fallacy”), and a corresponding epistemic virtue that avoids it. I want …

World Futures Day Young Voices (WFD-YV) is here! Join the 24hours conversation about the future with Young Voices from around the world! The livestream started at 5pm (GMT +13) and will continue until 5pm (GMT …

The New York Times asked me (and others) to suggest some things our descendents might be embarrassed about in the future. Things we do now, that might make future generations cringe. Good question! My reply …