A headset that picks the winning lottery number. A scuba mask for navigating a subaqueous Louisiana. A pair of biking goggles used to shame drivers of automobiles. And a sharpie that records dreams. These are just a few of the gadgets that may one day line the shelves at your local convenience store.
Like science fiction, “Design Fiction” aims to better prepare the generations of the present for the uncertainties of the future by conceptualizing— and actively creating— what we may expect to see in ten, fifty, one-hundred, or even a thousand years.
To expose the masses to the wonders and, yes, practical implications of Design Fiction, USC professors Jeff Watson and Jen Stein teamed up with the Situation Lab and the Extrapolation Factory for a day-long Visions & Voices event on September 20. After an introductory panel, Ampersand reporters Allyson Gronowitz and Jonathan Shifflett were on hand to discuss the art of dream manufacturing with the new “initiates.”
Audio segment produced, written and edited by Jonathan Shifflett with writer and editor, Allyson Gronowitz.
Article by Allyson Gronowitz.