VIDEO
Here is a selection of my appearances on television or video or cybertubes.
I wave my arms a lot.
2024
TED TALK: how fantasy worlds can spark real change
My TED talk is about the way escapist stories can help us build new relationships with the real world and our communities. I delivered it in Paris in late 2023, and it popped up online in 2024!
2022
Future of Transportation with Pete Buttigieg
For this New America Foundation event, I joined a panel with Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to discuss the future of transit. Here are some highlights.
2021
Amanpour Show on CNN and PBS
I talked to host Christiane Amanpour about how an ancient Roman disaster relief program has a lot to teach us about the long-term effects of Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
2020
SCI-Arc Channel’s FUTURES
A discussion of my recent work in the context of architecture and urban design.
“we love bookstores” Conversation Series
A conversation about science journalism, animals, and more with Rebecca Skloot and Ed Yong.
2019
Long Now Salon Series at The Interval
“We’re in the Wrong Timeline,” a discussion of researching my novel The Future of Another Timeline.
UC San Diego
“San Diego 2049: Your Dystopia Has Been Cancelled,” a lecture on getting out of the dystopia/utopia binary.
ars technica live (video series from 2016-2019)
This is a monthly interview series that I ran with my Ars Technica colleague Cyrus Farivar. Filmed before a live audience in Oakland, CA, the series ran from October 2016 to January 2019, and featured guests from the cutting edge of technology, science, culture, and the law. (Watch all the episodes.)
Ars Technica Live with guest Elizabeth Joh, a law professor who researches high tech surveillance and policing.
2018
Long Now Salon Series at The Interval
“Science Needs Fiction” a discussion of the science that goes into my science fiction, 2018.
AMC
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction, Interviews, 2018.
I’m thinking about the history of science fiction while sitting in front of a vague background!
2017
National geographic
Year Million, Interview.
TwIT
The Humans Behind Google's Algorithm, Interview.
2016
viceland
Cyberwar: The Ashley Madison Hack, Interview, 2016
santa fe institute lecture series
This talk is partly based on research for my book Four Lost Cities.
2013
NYU's science journalism series "Inside out"
The legendary science journalist Lee Hotz interviewed me about founding and running io9, as well as other highlights of my long and weird career as a writer.
Authors @Google
While on tour for my 2013 book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember, I had a chance to discuss my work at Google for their Authors @Google series.
wheeler centre series
I visited Melbourne, Australia and journalist Tanya Ha interviewed me about my research on mass extinction and why humans might survive it.
2012
VIDEO SERIES: We Come from the Future
I co-hosted io9's weekly show with Esther Inglis-Arkell, in collaboration with Revision 3. In each episode, we talked about science and science fiction news, did science experiments (including the ever-popular smoke bomb), and even learned to sword fight. (Watch all the episodes.)