Economic policy can seem abstract and distant, but it manifests the physical world – affecting us all. Our economic stories shape our systems, and they in turn shape us. What myths continue to constrain us, and how might new stories emerge to scaffold the future? This talk will explore concepts we often take as gospel: […]

This year’s LOST LANDSCAPES (the 18th!) sets the Bay in motion, revolving around the myriad mobilities and means of communication that have kept Californians in touch with each other. Casting an archival gaze on San Francisco and its surrounding areas, the film revels in the textures and activities of everyday life, work and celebration, replaying

As authoritarianism continues to rise around the world, the stories we tell ourselves about our collective history become a battleground for competing visions of the future. Drawing extensively from Russian history in the 20th century, Rumsey offers a framework to discuss our current social and political tensions and how our increasing polarization could shape our

Author & Professor Henry Farrell makes the case that higher-intensity disagreements from both sides results in higher-quality arguments for both sides. From the Long Now Talk, “The Complex Aftermath of Globalization” by Henry Farrell. Watch the full talk here: https://youtu.be/myqaV18RDfM Over the last two years, the US government has started thinking about the future of

Over the last two years, the US government has started thinking about the future of the world in a very different way. Across speeches and policy papers, a vision of world politics has emerged which breaks sharply both with the old logic of the Cold War and the newer politics of globalization. The globalization bet

Data Scientist & Writer Coco Krumme shares an excerpt from her book, showing how the supply chain’s circulatory system pulses to a rhythm coded by computer. From the Long Now Seminar, “The False Promise of Optimization” by Coco Krumme. Watch the full talk here: https://youtu.be/yWPUFPIRCfY Coco Krumme traces the fascinating history of optimization from its

Coco Krumme traces the fascinating history of optimization from its roots in America’s founding principles, to its dominance as the driving principle of our modern world. Optimized models underlie everything and are deeply embedded in the technologies and assumptions that have come to comprise not only our material reality, but what we make of it.

Big trees, old trees, and especially big old trees have always been objects of reverence. From Athena’s sacred olive on the Acropolis to the unmistakable ginkgo leaf prevalent in Japanese art and fashion during the Edo period, our profound admiration for slow plants spans time and place as well as cultures and religions. At the

Our bodies, our houses, our land, our space — we humans don’t always like to share. Author Bette Adriaanse talks with Chelsea T. Hicks, and virtual guests Brian Eno, Margaret Levi, and Aqui Thami, about property, sharing, and how to make a lasting positive change in the way we share the world with each other.