David Byrne's "Bicycle Diaries" offers a unique perspective on urban landscapes and cultures through the lens of cycling. Byrne, the lead singer of Talking Heads, details his experiences riding his bike in various cities worldwide, including New York City. The book explores how urban design influences interactions and shapes cultural experiences. Byrne contrasts the perspectives of cyclists and car drivers, highlighting the differences in their perceptions of the city. The book is a blend of personal anecdotes, observations, and reflections on urban planning and its impact on daily life.
Assembling Tomorrow explores how well-intentioned innovations can have unforeseen consequences, such as those from social media, AI, and climate change. The book offers practical tools and speculative fiction to help readers create a more positive future. It is part of the Stanford d.school series, providing insights into design and innovation.
In 'The Light Eaters,' Zoë Schlanger delves into the world of plant intelligence, challenging our understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. The book takes readers on a global journey, highlighting the remarkable abilities of plants, such as their adaptive techniques, communicative abilities, and social behaviors. Schlanger works closely with scientists to uncover the latest epiphanies in botanical research, revealing how plants have formed a parallel system of intelligence that is distinct from human and animal intelligence. The book is a blend of science journalism, travelogue, and introspective journey, offering a fresh and transformative understanding of plants and their essential role in the ecosystem.
In the second episode of this season of the AIGA Design Podcast, hosts Lee-Sean Huang and Giulia Donatello interview Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter, professors at the Stanford d.school, discussing their career and their new book Assembling Tomorrow.
Their motivation to write the book came from the feeling of how unsettling they believe the world is right now and the belief we can craft a better tomorrow. Carissa believes Design is not just about the products we create but the experiences that create and the system that we live in.
In the book, they introduce the concept of Runaway Design and the unpredictability of technology's evolution. They delve into our interactions with materials, physical and digital, and explore the implications that might arise from it.
Their book navigates in a fiction and non-fiction space and tackles speculative design methods. Scott and Carissa argue that design begins as fiction since everything is imagined before it’s created. Scott reflects on the fact that society is changing things but challenges listeners by asking: What do we actually want to change?
The conversation also touches on their evolving relationships with AI tools and how this is part of their creative process in an exploratory way. They share how some of their students are exploring AI’s limitations in the physical world and reflecting on how this highlights the depth of human knowledge. They believe their work is bringing visibility to the invisibility brought by technology.
What about you? How are you shaping the future you believe in?
Assembling Tomorrow: https://amzn.to/3P3QzP7
Watch the video version of the AIGA Design Podcast on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBsiKvJPy6IEKSanoWtz2-xFggU0ncuBM
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