Email: julian@nearfuturelaboratory.com Socials: @darthjulian / @nearfuturelab / @omata Github: https://github.com/bleeckerj, https://github.com/omata, https://github.com/nearfuturelaboratory
20+ Years Experience Translating Futures and Strategic Visions Into Products, Services, Experiences, Software, and Systems.
I am an engineer, technologist, programmer, writer, and cultural researcher dedicated to making technology both legible and accountable to the public, both through civic engagement and commercial practice. My work bridges applied engineering, design, and storytelling to create software, hardware, and speculative artifacts that function as both practical tools and cultural probes—ways of engaging organizations and communities in imagining technology as a public good. With a Masters in Technical Communication from the University of Washington and a PhD from UC Santa Cruz on the cultural imaginaries of technology, I bring decades of entrepreneurial, academic, and engineering leadership experience. My track record includes founding and selling a hardware startup, publishing books and essays, producing a long-running podcast, and leading workshops and forums in civic, academic, and commercial contexts. My goal is to advance technology in the public interest by cultivating imagination as a public good, while grounding that imagination in the pragmatics and rigor of engineering execution — building and leading teams that design, build, and scale commercial hardware and software systems.
2004 Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz. History and Philosophy
Focus: Futures, Technology, Design, Culture and Society. Dissertation title: “The Reality Effect of Technoscience”, an investigation into way imagined, fictional and science-fictional future-facing technology can be understood to represent the social relations, human ambitions, cultural hierarchies, behavioral norms and learned biases of the technologist.
Advised by historian of science Prof. Donna Haraway, noted anthropologist Prof. James Clifford and professor, activist Prof. Angela Y. Davis.
1990 -1993 Master of Science in Engineering University of Washington, Seattle. Focus: Computer Interface Design, Computer Science, Science Politics.
1984 -1988 Bachelor of Science In Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca. Focus: Digital Signal Processing, Computer Science and Computer Architecture
The Near Future Laboratory is a futures design practice focused on cultivating future imaginaries to explore adjacent and future-facing opportunities. We create ‘products from the future’, with a focus on the use of Design Fiction to clarify present state today in order to better understand future possibilities. The NFL is also the platform for the Design Fiction Newsletter, the Near Future Laboratory Podcast, General Seminar, SuperSeminar, and the Near Future Laboratory Discord Community. We created TBD Catalog (2012) as one of the earliest exemplars of the practice of Design Fiction and the canonical representation of storytelling about possible futures in the form of an artifact from a future. Authored and published the definitive reference to this mode of futures storytelling through the canonical reference, The Manual of Design Fiction (2022).
Clients include Archer-Daniels-Midlands, Alphabet/ATAP, Amazon, Apple, Cranbrook Academy of Art, The Design Museum (London), Design Works (BMW), Dubai Future Foundation, Facebook/Meta, Google, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, IKEA, Logitech, Motional, Museum of the Future (Dubai), Netflix, Princeton University, Walmart, Warner Bros., and many more.
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com
Founder, CTO then CEO of a two-person start-up product design company focused on creating innovative, minimal digital impact devices. Successfully sold the company in October 2021. The core product, the Omata One is a GPS-based sports (cycling) computer with an analog movement. The Omata One was launched via a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016 and began shipping in Q2 2018. Responsibilities include all aspects of the product concept, prototyping, design execution, fundraising ($4.5MM) engineering design, patent writing, App development, manufacturing, logistics, sales, brand design and execution, photography/filmmaking, relationship management, co-run customer care, Ambassador program execution, marketing, advertising and associated executions. Etcetera.
Creative Technology Lead in Nokia’s Advanced Design studio. Responsibilities chiefly focused on defining future product visions through concept development, material prototyping, manufacturing and crafting design concepts as possible near future embodied fictions, collaborating on the conceptualization, design, construction and digital (programming and electrical design) implementation of physical product prototypes, presenting studio work throughout the Nokia organization. Defined, created and collaborated on building a team to perform in-house digital prototyping and build a rapid manufacturing facility to very quickly develop concepts into materialized functional devices. Collaborated with a two-studio, 52 person team on the crafting of product definitions, product industrial design and brand positioning for two outdoor active products within the “Everyday Adventure” studio — a sports tracker called “Tracks” and a digital camera called “Rebel”.
Consultant to Nokia’s Design Strategic Projects studio.
Consultant to Nokia’s Insight & Innovation studio.
Assistant Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Taught graduate level courses and ran the Mobile Lab which focused on mobile media, mobile game design and location-based gaming.
Mobile and Wireless Technologist. Designed and developed IVR-based telephony applications for Virgin Mobile US launch, using VXML, integrated with existing applications and data infrastructures, WAP, SMS-based games and content-delivery, ringtone delivery store, third-party ringtone integration, IVR content browsing, CCXML call control applications for games and stunts.
Lead Technologist and Programmer. Designing and implementing the technology architecture for a memorial website dedicated to documenting the events of 9/11
Senior Software Developer. Developed a Palm Pilot PDA application and corresponding Windows desktop tool for classroom testing program.
Consulting SVP of Technology, Mobile Design & Technology
Worked as a graduate research assistant in conjunction with graduate studies in Virtual Reality and Computer-Human Interface design.
Host of a popular podcast featuring discussions with leading thinkers, designers, and technologists on topics such as speculative design, futures thinking, and the intersection of technology and culture.
Contributed to a comprehensive exploration of methodologies for envisioning and shaping future scenarios. This work highlights the integration of speculative design and foresight practices to address complex challenges and opportunities. ISBN: 978-3-0356-2919-4
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/library/2024/11/practices-of-futurecasting/
Created a speculative Design Fiction artifact—a newspaper imagining a world where AI is seamlessly integrated into daily life. This project explored AI’s societal implications through speculative narratives and future artifacts, covering topics like AI-enabled rituals, emotional support intelligences, generative entertainment, and more. Designed, wrote, and produced the newspaper in a two-week sprint, serving as a stimulus for a London workshop on AI policy and strategy.
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/library/2024/12/applied-intelligence-issue-001/
Authored a thought-provoking book that redefines the role of imagination in shaping futures. Explores how speculative design and design fiction can empower individuals and organizations to navigate uncertainty and envision transformative possibilities. ISBN: 978-0-9905-6332-7
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/library/2023/04/its-time-to-imagine-harder/
Authored the definitive guide to Design Fiction, offering a comprehensive framework for using speculative storytelling to explore and shape future possibilities. This book serves as a key resource for practitioners and organizations aiming to integrate imagination into strategic foresight. 2022 ISBN: 978-0-9905-6331-0
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/library/2022/10/the-manual-of-design-fiction-hardcover/
Facilitated a public workshop at LA Design Week 2025, focusing on Design Fiction and futures thinking. Engaged participants in collaborative imagining with a rapid-prototyping approach in which they used AI (NotebookLM) to create a podcast from the future. August 2025 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2025/06/la-design-festival-imagine-harder-futuring-workshop/
A Design Fiction workshop on the future of aging held in person at SF Design Week 2025. Co-hosted with the consultancy AGE OF_, we facilitated a hands-on workshop that explored Design Fiction methodologies to envision the future of aging, purpose, participation, and the value of experience and expertise. Participants engaged in creative exercises to prototype future products, services, and narratives that challenge the status quo of aging. June 2025
Integrated a Design Fiction component into the Executive Seminar on Leadership, (De-)globalization, and the Quest for Common Values. Delivered a lecture and facilitated discussions on applying speculative thinking to executive decision-making processes. Spring 2025 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2025/04/aspen-institute-italia-executive-seminar/
Participated as facilitator and provided lecture for a 5-day workshop for the Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business, and Technology program. Focused on the future of work, leveraging design fiction to explore and communicate complex ideas. Shared insights on using speculative design to pitch OMATA through an “Annual Report from the Future” approach. Guided participants in reimagining work in an era shaped by automation, AI, biotechnology, and socio-economic shifts. Spring 2025 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2025/03/usc-iovine-young-academy-future-of-work/
Facilitated a design sprint as part of Atlassian’s Ascent Program. Focused on leveraging design fiction to explore future scenarios and develop innovative strategies for collaboration and productivity tools. Guided participants in creating speculative artifacts to envision transformative possibilities for work and technology. Spring 2025 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2025/02/atlassian-ascent-program-design-sprint/
Participated in a working group focused on the intersection of AI, policy, and governance. Facilitated discussions and workshops exploring speculative design approaches to address ethical, social, and political challenges posed by AI technologies. Contributed to the development of frameworks for responsible AI governance. Winter 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2024/12/ai-policy-and-governance-working-group/
A panel organized for South By Southwest 2024 with Avi Bar-Zeev (XR Guild and Reality Prime), and Andreea Ion Cojocaru. Austin, TX. March 2024
Co-organized and facilitated a workshop in Detroit focused on speculative design and futures thinking. Engaged participants in exploring imaginative approaches to envisioning transformative urban futures, addressing challenges in technology, culture, and community. Fall 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2024/10/detroit-imagines-harder-2024/
Led a workshop at Chapman University introducing design fiction as a method for exploring speculative futures. Guided participants in creating artifacts from the future to critically examine emerging technologies and their societal implications. Fall 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2024/10/chapman-university-design-fiction-workshop/
Co-facilitated a summit exploring the intersection of AI and speculative design. Engaged participants in collaborative sessions to prototype future AI-driven technologies and their societal implications. Delivered insights on leveraging design fiction to navigate complex technological landscapes. Fall 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2024/09/nfl-x-tech-concept-lab-ai-summit/
Co-led a design sprint in collaboration with Hyper Island and Ericsson, focusing on speculative design and innovation. Guided participants in creating design fiction artifacts to explore future scenarios in connectivity and technology. Spring 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2023/09/genai-futures-of-tv/
The Predicament of the Creative Consciousness. Delivered the annual Bensussen Lecture in the Arts Series at Chapman University. March 2024 https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/talks/2024/02/chapman-university-bensussen-lecture-in-the-arts/
Invited facilitator and co-organizer of a two-day workshop with Cranbrook Academy of Art A4D Design and The Henry Ford Museum. Bloomfield Hills, MI, Fall 2023.
invited workshop facilitator with key members of Amazon’s design organization to introduce and engage in design fiction at Amazon’s “Conflux” all-hands design gathering. Fall 2023.
Organized a two day deep immersive with leading practitioners in the space of “speculative design” and “design fiction” broadly conceived to formulate strategies and tactics for introducing the practice more broadly. Bloomfield Hills, MI, Fall 2023. https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/workshops/2023/09/imagine-harder-summit-2023/
Creating Future Possibilities with Design Fiction at the Dyson School of Design Engineering. Online lecture. London, UK. Fall 2022
Keynote address at the annual convention of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the professional organization for communication design, graphic design, interaction design, user experience, branding, typography, and identity. Seattle, Winter 2022. https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/talks/2022/10/aiga-keynote-2022/
Guest futurist for Vox Media produced Netflix series discussing how technology will affect the basic aspects of our lives in the future. Spring 2022. https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/talks/2022/06/netflix-the-future-of-show-2022/
Facilitated a seminar, discussion, and prototyping workshop for the development of insights, perspectives, and possibilities in the autonomous vehicle space for the pioneering autonomous vehicle company, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and auto supplier Aptiv. Spring 2022 - Spring 2023.
In collaboration with PR firm Edelman, workshopped and developed design fiction artifacts, concepts and products related to the future of food. Spring 2022 - Fall 2022.
Facilitated a design, technology, and culture workshop for the Futures Design team at the world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, to help the brand forecast the implications of emerging trends such as VR/AR, Metaverse, Web3, Blockchain and new forms of work, leisure and conviviality. Spring 2022 - Fall 2022.
Diegetic prototypes and the impactful role of storytelling in creating believable futures for Human-Computer Interaction Design. Fall 2017.
Diegetic prototypes and the impact of science fiction on real-world technology. Fall 2017.
A regular podcast featuring discussions with thoughtful and opinionated people in and around the topics of design, technology, foresight, trends, and related subjects.
A weekly email newsletter on design, technology and culture posted at https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/newsletters/
Host of a weekly gathering of design-technologists, creative technologists, and design-minded individuals for an open forum discussion on a variety of endemic topics.
Design Futures Lecture.
Confidential Design Fiction workshop.
Confidential “future of work” workshop.
Keynote address.
Keynote address at premiere event focused on Design Fiction.
“Ikea Catalog” project reprinted for exhibition in the Design Museum “Home Futures” show. Additionally produced 7 Design Fiction films for exhibition on the Design Museum’s Instagram feed.
Commissioned to develop future experiences for IKEA focused on innovating the in-store retail experience.
Keynote talk at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Winter Enrichment Program.
Invited participant to annual hardware maker conference.
Design Fiction workshop to create a catalog for IKEA from the near future.
Invited participant to annual hardware maker conference. Xerox PARC.
Organized panel on mind-control interfaces.
University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps School of Design. Organized and produced a Design Fiction workshop to create a catalog of products from the near future. In collaboration with University of Michigan and Near Future Laboratory. http://tobedesigned.nearfuturelaboratory.com
Arizona State University/Center for Science and the Imagination, Phoenix, AZ. Design Fiction workshop imagining quotidian futures, “Corner Convenience”.
Phoenix, AZ, Invited keynote: “How the practice of design can use fiction to create new things.”
Invited workshop leader “Design Fiction”, San Francisco, CA.
Invited participant to annual hardware maker conference. LAX. Los Angeles, CA.
Invited participant to annual hardware maker conference Rhode Island School of Design. Providence, RI.
Invited panel participant discussing the interplay of design and fiction in the production of scientific knowledge. Cleveland, OH.
Keynote lecture. University of Michigan. Ann-Arbor, MI.
Keynote lecture on Design Fiction. University of Calgary. Calgary, Canada.
Keynote lecture on Design Fiction. Basel, Switzerland.
Arizona State University/Center for Science and the Imagination. Design Fiction workshop, “Green Pages”. Phoenix, AZ
Organized and participated in the first panel on Design Fiction. Austin, TX.
https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/projects/en/sxsw-2010-design-fiction/
Invited keynote. San Francisco, CA. August 2010.
Invited keynote. Aberdeen, Scotland.
Invited workshop tutor.
http://medialab-prado.es/article/taller-seminario_interactivos09_ciencia_de_garaje
Invited artist’s talk. Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. February 15, 2008.
Invited speaker on panel “Digital Gets Physical” discussing the way the physical world and digital world are coming together to creating new hybrid experiences. Munich, Germany.
Invited organizer and keynote for a six-participant salon on Pervasive Games and Playful Interfaces. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Invited participant for a two-day summit focusing on critical research and scholarship issues related to the near-future of computing. Redmond Washington. July 15-18, 2007.
Invited talk titled “Human Interface” on the history and future of computer-human interfaces and near-future forms of computing based on new kinds of social interaction rituals. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited participant for “MobZombies” together with collaborators Will Carter and Aaron Meyers. San Francisco, California.
Peer-reviewed panel on “Pervasive Electronic Games” with Aaron Meyers, Kevin Slavin, Dennis Crowley. Austin Texas.
Invited Keynote, “How To Live In A Pervasively Networked World: When 1st Life Meets 2nd Life” Geneva Switzerland.
Invited Presenter. Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Why Games Matter?”. Irvine, California.
Invited talk on “Pervasive Electronic Games.” San Jose, California.
Lecture on Near-Future Mobile Technologies. Pasadena, California.
Invited lecture on Mobile Social Software: “What’s Your Social Doing In My Mobile?.” Irvine, California.
“RFID & The Internet of Things”, Invited Workshop Talk and Public Lecture. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Invited Workshop Co-Organizer, “Near-Field Interaction and the Internet of Things.” Oslo Norway.
Invited Workshop Co-Organizer, “Networked Objects 2.” Lausanne, Switzerland.
Keynote Address. Hollywood, CA.
Invited Workshop Participant, MobEA IV: Empowering the Mobile Web, “What’s Your Social Doing In My Mobile?”
Invited Participant. Redmond, Washington.
Conference Co-Organizer and Facilitator of “Place” panel on the social politics of geography and space. Annenberg Center for Communication, University of Southern California. Los Angeles, California.
Invited Co-Organizer of a workshop on “Networked Objects”, Geneva, Switzerland.
Presentation of work by Vis-à-vis Games (Bleecker/Brinson) at the November meeting of Dorkbot Southern California, (people doing strange things with electricity). Los Angeles, California.
Paper presentation, “Landscape as Interface: How Creative Uses of the Global Positioning System Enable Location Aware Media”, Los Angeles, California. October 2005.
Invited participant in a three day workshop on Urban Play and Locative Media. Seoul, South Korea.
Co-organizer, Peer-reviewed workshop, “Ubiquitous Computing, Entertainment and Games.” Tokyo, Japan. September 11-14, 2005.
Invited participant for experts’ workshop on “Pervasive Games”, Palo Alto.
Workshop presentation on location-based mobile games. Los Angeles, California.
Point-of-view presented at Los Angeles, California.
Location Based Services and Social Applications. Panel presentation. San Jose, California.
Panel presentation on the challenges of mobile and wireless community networks. Montreal, Canada.
Boston Cyberarts Festival. Presentation of current emerging technology projects in the area of mobile and wireless designed experiences. Boston, Massachusetts.
“Collaborate! In search for Intelligent Social Infrastructure.” Tokyo, Japan.
Presentation of past and current art-technology projects. New York City, New York.
Lecture on mobile and location-based media and projects. San Diego, California.
Presentation of R&D conducted during Artist Residency. New York City, New York.
Presentation of PDPal. New York City, New York.
“MobileDNA” paper delivered at the professional conference, on the invited panel “Making New Things”. New Orleans, LA.
Mobile Realities. Paper presents the technical and social history of mobile technology. Cambridge, MA.
Virtual Reality, Vision Culture, Technology: Re-Establishing Cultural Production.
Panel paper “Pictures from the Hyperworld: The Artist in Technoculture”
US-10053178-B2. Gauge type bicycle computer.* A cycling gage assembly comprises a housing, a dial gauge face, a first antenna, a second antenna, a motor assembly a printed circuit board and a battery.
US-D834977-S. Cyclocomputer. Design Patent.
US-2012233571-A1. Method and apparatus for providing quick access to media functions from a locked screen.
US-2013111579-A1. A method for operating an electronic device to display a user input, the method comprises if a writing utensil is within a predetermined proximity for a display panel of the electronic device.
US-2013111377-A1. A portable electronic device with first and second modes, the first mode, associated with allowing for the availability of one or more of a first level of power consumption and processor activity for the portable electronic device, and allowing general unlocked user interaction with the user interface of the portable electronic device; the second mode, associated with allowing for the availability of one or more of a second level of power consumption or processor activity, and allowing locked user interaction with the user interface
US-2013111415-A1. Portable electronic device, associated apparatus and methods
US-2007259718-A1. A method and system is disclosed for interacting in a game or entertainment experience in which participants in the game are located in the same physical space and use telecommunications networks and telephones. The game consists of actions initiated by game participants through their pressing numerical or symbolic keys on their telephones, or speaking into their telephones, so as to control or initiate action within the game.
US-2013111345-A1. Portable electronic device, associated apparatus and methods
US-9507445-B2. A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to facilitate the display of data in conjunction with an image. In the context of a method, an image is caused to be presented and input is received via a rotatable dial wheel while the image is presented. The method also includes determining data to be presented based upon the input. In this regard, the method modifies the data to be presented in response so the rotation of the dial wheel. Further, the method causes the data that is determined based on the input to be presented concurrent with the image.
US-2016134793-A1. Interchangeable User Input Control Components. In one example, a controller of a camera is configured to detect a mechanical connection of an accessory for the camera through data received by a sensor. The accessory includes a physical component that performs a function for the camera. The function may replace an existing function of the camera or supplement an existing function of the camera. The controller identifies one or more identification marks on the accessory to determine an existence of the accessory or a position of the accessory. The controller may disable an existing function of the camera or modify a configuration of the camera based on the identification marks.
US-2013111378-A1. Portable electronic device, associated apparatus and methods
US-9429818-B2. Accessory identification and configuration and corresponding accessory. An accessory includes a body including a dial having a surface and multiple sets of optically-recognizable identification marks formed as part of the surface. The identification marks for each set are formed to be recognizable by a sensor having a two dimensional array of pixels.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2008.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences. Graduate studio seminar on designing experiences for a class-constructed mobile device that records encounters with wireless radio signals.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2008.
Experimental Game Topics. Seminar focusing on designing unique physical interfaces for digital play experiences.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2007.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences. Graduate seminar in mobile media, technology and designed experiences, focusing on VXML, SMS and Java for mobile devices.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2007.
Workshop on Physical Computing. Open courseware workshop on design technology for physical computing using the Arduino hardware sketching and prototyping board.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Fall 2006.
Design for Interactive Media. Introduction to fundamental design concepts for games, immersive and mobile media. Co-taught with Interactive Media Division faculty. Instructed lab component focussed on the Processing programming language and Arduino hardware prototyping board, networked object design, “device-art” concepts, construction and design.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2006.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Fall 2005.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences. Graduate seminar focusing on location-based mobile media, technology and designed experiences.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Spring 2005.
Design for Interactive Media. Graduate-level introductory seminar on topics from Interactive Media, including games, immersive and mobile media.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Fall 2004.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences.
University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division. Fall 2004.
Survey of Interactive Media. Graduate lecture in surveying forms of interaction and interactivity in the age of electronic media.
Parsons School of Design. Spring 2003.
Design Technology for Mobile Experiences. Collaborative design studio in focusing on mobile technology
Simon’s Rock of Bard College. Fall 1996.
Ideologies of Technology. Introductory survey course on the history and philosophy of technology.
Simon’s Rock of Bard College. Fall 1996.
Computer Gaming and Simulation. Hands-on and seminar course interrogating the nature of computer-based gaming and simulation techniques.
Networked Publics Fellowship, Annenberg Center, University of Southern California, 2005-2006.
Vectors Fellowship, Annenberg Center’s Institute for Media Literacy, University of Southern California, 2004.
Engineer-in-Residence, Eyebeam Atelier, 2003.
Knowledge Maps Fellowship from the Minneapolis Design Institute for PDPal collaboration, 2003
Emerging Artist/Emergent Medium commission from Walker Art Center for PDPal collaboration, 2003
USC Provost’s Office’s Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences Grant for research study on “Interdisciplinary Knowledge Production In Collaborative Research Between Artistic and Engineering Practices”. 2007-2008. $24,520
Microsoft Research, Research Gift. Spring 2007. $1300
Rhizome Net Art Commission for “Slow Mail” Project. Winter 2006/Spring 2007. 1 Year. $3000
Annenberg Center for Communication “Networked Publics” Faculty Fellowship. Academic Year 2005/2006, 50% salary support and course relief.
Annenberg Center for Communication, Research Grant. 2005-2006. $25,000
Banff New Media Institute, Co-Production Grant and Residency for Mobile Scout. Fall 2004, 1 week. $2500.
Eyebeam Atelier, Research & Development Fellowship for WiFi Projects. Spring 2003, 4 months. $5000
Walker Art Museum, Co-Production Grant for PDPal. Fall 2002/Winter 2003, 6 months. $6000
Minneapolis Design Institute, Project Commission for PDPal Map (“Write Your Own City: A Palimpsest of Personal Geographies”). Winter 2003. $3000
Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology Department, Co-Production Grant. Winter 2003, 6 months. $10,000
Eyebeam Atelier, Co-Production Grant for PDPal. Fall 2002, 4 months. $1500
University of California Humanities Research Institute Graduate Student Fellowship, Summer/Fall/Spring 1996. Full tuition support and stipend.
Digital Blur: Creative Practices at the Boundaries of Architecture, Design and Art. Contributed essay with Professor John Marshall. ISBN: 1907471014. April 2010
MobZombies: A Wearable Sensor For A Playground Style Electronic Game. Wearable Computers, 2007. ISWC 2007. 11th International Symposium on Wearable Computers.
A Brief Bibliography And Taxonomy Of GPS-Enabled Locative Media. Leonardo Electronic Almanac, v. 14, no. 3. (co-authored with Jeff Knowlton).http://tinyurl.com/yu67tj
WiFi.Bedouin. In Vectors Journal of Culture and Technology in a Dynamic Vernacular, Issue 2, Fall 2005. http://tinyurl.com/2dzy5l
The Race for Cyberspace: Information Technology in the Black Diaspora. With Ron Eglash, Science as Culture, Volume 10, Number 3, September 1, 2001, pp. 353-374 (22).
Cybertypes. February 2003. A book review of Lisa Nakamura’s book on the politics of identity in the context of the internet. Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies. http://tinyurl.com/ynl4zp
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: An Analysis of the Artificial Psyche. 2023. An Design Fiction artifact repositioning P.K. Dick’s classic “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” into an adjacent world in which Androids are prevalent and amongst us and as fearsome and perplexing as a smart phone or smart television. https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com/products/androids-dream-of-electric-sheep
Fashion Fictions. 2023. Lead essay contributed to the printed exhibition catalog for Vancouver Art Gallery international exhibition surveying the increasing influence of research-based, materially driven, and experimental design practices that exist at the intersection of fashion and other modes of cultural production. https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/fashion-fictions
The Reader’s Guide to The Manual of Design Fiction (It’s Time To Imagine Harder). 2023. The definitive reflection on the practice of Design Fiction and why it is crucial that we re-introduce imagination and speculation into the technology development cycle.
The Manual of Design Fiction. 2022. The definitive reference on the technique of design fiction and how it has been and can be applied to the practice of clarifying and representing futures.
TBD Catalog. 2014. A catalog of products from the near future, as developed during a four day Design Fiction workshop. https:// tbdcatalog.com
Volume Quarterly. Fall 2010. “Designing Fiction” essay in collaboration with Edwin Gardner
01SJ2010 Invited essay 2010
Design Fiction: A short essay on design, science, fact and fiction. https://bit.ly/DesignFictionShortEssay
VISP Project - MACHFELD. Artist review at https://tinyurl.com/2h5fvm
A Manifesto for Networked Objects — Cohabitating with Pigeons, Arphids and Aibos In The Internet of Things. February 2006. A point of view essay on design approaches within the idioms of pervasive networks, networked-based sensor platforms and the “Internet of Things.” Published on my research blog at //tinyurl.com/2xqmmk
A Design Approach for the Geospatial Web. June 2005. A point of view article on design for Location Based Services and geo-tagging for the Geospatial Web, published on the O’Reilly Network web site. //tinyurl.com/28hwt4
Urban Crisis: Past, Present, and Virtual. Winter 1995. An analysis of the computer simulation game, SimCity2000 informed by race theory and cultural studies. Socialist Review, Winter 1994-95, v. 24, no. 1-2.
External reviewer for M-Arch final projects. University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. June 2012.
SK/Telecom and Art Center Nabi “Mobile Asia” Mobile Art-Technology Project Competition Jurist, 2007.
Israel Science Foundation, Grants Reviewer, 2007 Granting Cycle.
Ubicomp 2007, 9th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, Insbruck Austria. Papers reviewer.
ACM SIGGRAPH 2007. Papers reviewer.
ACM SIGCHI CHI 2007 Notes. Notes reviewer.
ACM SIGCHI Student Design Competition Jurist, 2005, 2006.
Technical Program Committee of the Sensor Networks and Ubiquitous Computing Track of the 2007 International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS-27). Papers reviewer.
Lift Conference 2007, Geneva. Conference on Technology and Society, Geneva Switzerland, Advisory Board Member.
UbiComp 2006, 8th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, Irvine, CA. Demonstrations Co-Chair.
ISEA 2006, Symposium Jurist, 2006.
ISEA 2006, Interactive City Organizing Committee and Interactive City Theme Jurist, 2006.
SK/Telecom Sponsored “Mobile Asia” Mobile Art-Technology Project Competition Jurist, 2006.
IEEE Computer, Special Issue on Urban Computing, September 206. Papers reviewer.
ISEA 2006 Art-Technology Festival “People’s Choice” award for “WiFi.ArtCache”, 2006.
62nd Annual Peabody Award for The Sonic Memorial Project commemorating September 11, in collaboration with The Kitchen Sisters, Picture Projects and Dotsperinch, 2003.
Macromedia Site of the Day for the National Building Museum web archive, 2001.
LABoral Centro de Arte y Creacion Industrial. Commission for design-technology project, “An Apparatus for Capturing Other Points of View. 2010.
Art Center Nabi Seoul, South Korea, 2006: In collaboration with Jed Berk, ALAVs (Autonomous Lighter than Air Vehicles).
ISEA 2006, San Jose, California, 2006: WiFi ArtCache.” Winner of “People’s Choice” award.
Zemos98, Reclaim the Spectrum, Seville, Spain, 2006: “WiFi Bedouin”
Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria, 2005: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, “Pussy Weevil.”
Conflux Festival, New York City, 2004: “WiFiKu.”
Walter Philips Gallery, “Database Imaginary”, group show, Banff, Canada, 2004: “Mobile Scout”
FACT Gallery, Liverpool, 2004-2005: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, “Pussy Weevil.”
The Kitchen, New York, 2004: Technologist for Marina Zurkow’s “Little No.”
bitforms gallery, 2 person show, New York, 2003: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, “Pussy Weevil”
American Museum of the Moving Image, “Alt.Digital”, group show, New York, 2003-2004: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, “Pussy Weevil”
Art Interactive, “Engaging Characters”, group show, Cambridge, MA, 2003: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, “Pussy Weevil”
Walker Art Center, physical installation, Minneapolis, MN, 2003-2004: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow and Scott Paterson, “PDPal”
Times Square, physical installation, Panavision video, New York, NY 2003: In collaboration with Marina Zurkow and Scott Paterson, “PDPal”
Eyebeam Atelier, “Beta Launch” group show, New York, 2003: “ArtCache”
“Me and My Katamari” 2007. Modified Sony PSP portable game device and installed game “Me and My Katamari” with wearable sensor that forces the player to run and turn in order to control the game avatar to pursue the game goals.
“PSX” 2007. Game controller modification for the Sony Playstation 2 that requires the player to “power-up” the controller for use by taking the controller for physical exercise.
“Slow Messenger” 2006-07. Mobile instant messenger device that delivers its message slowly, over many hours or even days, based on the level of physical activity of the recipient.
“MobZombies” 2004-07. Electronic game and wearable sensor that uses the player’s physical body movement to control the game character, the last human alive, being chased by a horde of voracious zombies. In collaboration with Will Carter and Aaron Meyers.
“Slow Mail” 2006-07. Slow Mail is an email service that deliberately slows down the pace of electronic correspondence, offering a richer, creative, more writerly character to email. Collaboration with Carolyn Strauss / SlowLab. Competitively juried commission granted by Rhizome art-technology foundation.
“Battleship: Google Earth” 2006. Documented experiment to develop concepts around using Google Earth as a platform and game engine for realtime mobile gaming. Public exhibition online.
“Viewmaster” 2006. Re-working of the canonical children’s stereo viewer using stereoscopic digital images and an interface that responds to orientation and point-of-view.
“Geotagthings” 2006. Technology designed to facilitate a short click-path usage scenario for tagging arbitrary networked resources. Public exhibition online.
“Vis-a-Vis” 2005. Orientation sensing first-person game interface using a flat-screen tablet-style PC in which the point-of-view of the player is altered by panning and tilting the tablet. In collaboration with Peter Brinson.
“Tell Bush.org” 2005. Telephone “hotline” that captures opinions about President Bush on the eve of his second inauguration and then emails the President an audio file containing the spoken opinion, as well as providing an online repository of those spoken opinions. Public exhibition online.
“WiFi.Bedouin” 2004. A proximity-constrained wireless access point, designed as a platform for experimenting with mobile networking and usage scenarios for micro local internets that are disconnected from the canonical Internet. Eyebeam Atelier, NYC, MoCA, LA, Zemos98, Seville Spain.
“Little No” 2004. Technology design for Marina Zurkow. Seven channel interactive DVD installation interpreting the Tibetan Wheel of Life. The Kitchen, NYC.
“WiFi.ArtCache” 2003-2004. Proximity Area Network device that uses the location-constrained characteristic of 802.11 WiFi to serve a repository of ephemeral digital media that can be browsed by nearby visitors as if it were a digital gallery. Eyebeam Atelier, NYC, ISEA 2006, San Jose, CA.
“WiFiKu” 2004. Psychogeographic experience that captures the SSID “names” of anonymous WiFi nodes while walking in urban neighborhoods, forming Haiku from these captured names. Conflux Festival, NYC.
“Mobile Scout” 2004. In collaboration with Marina Zurkow and Scott Paterson. 1-800 telephone-based interactive experience design that records individual and personal narratives, catalogs these recordings according to various psychogeographic idioms, and then uploads the recordings to a gallery accessible via a web browser. Walter Philips Gallery, Banff Canada.
“Pussy Weevil” 2003. In collaboration with Marina Zurkow. An animated, sensor-based, reactive character installation. Ars Electronica, Linz, FACT Gallery, Liverpool, Bitforms Gallery, NYC, Museum of the Moving Image, NYC.
“PDPal” 2003. In collaboration with Marina Zurkow, Scott Paterson, and Adam Chapman. Hybrid character-based PDA and Web experience diary to explore ways to diary and record personal experiences in geographic space. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Times Square Panavision, NYC,
Sonic Memorial Project 2001-2002. Lead Technologist on a web-based audio memorial to the events of September 11th, 2001. Winner of the 62nd Annual Peabody Award. http://www.sonicmemorial.org
Broadcast From Later. Podcast. “Dad Band Futures Fest w/ Julian Bleecker”. https://player.fm/series/broadcast-from-later/dad-band-futures-fest-w-julian-bleecker October 2023.
The Futurist. Podcast. “Design Fiction with Julian Bleecker”. https://www.thefuturists.com/episodes/design-fiction September 2023.
Hinman, Rachel. Book interview in “The Mobile Frontier”. June 2012. ISBN 1933820551.
Brogan, Daniel. Interview in “The Setup”. March 2012. http://julian.bleecker.usesthis.com/
Holmes, Kevin. “Talking to the Future Humans, an Interview with Julian Bleecker”. Vice. November 2011. http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/talking-to-the-future-humans-julian-bleecker
Willis, Holly.”Written Design Provocation.” Artist interview. Blur + Sharpen blog, March 24, 2009. http://kcet.org/local/blogs/blur_sharpen/2009/03/written-design-provocation.html
Pohflepp, Sascha. “Interview with Julian Bleecker”. Berlin, 2007. Ed. Regine Debatty. March 18, 2007 2007. http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2007/03/interview-with-14.php.
Willis, Holly. “Connecting Things: Julian Bleecker.” Artist interview. Res Magazine. July/August 2006: 16-17.
Editors. “Kartenkunde.” Book article in “Else/Where Mapping—New Cartographies of Networks and Territories.” containing documentation and description of PDPal. Page March 2006. ISBN 0972969624
Willis, Holly. “Digital Universe with L.A. At Its Center.” Artist interview. LA Weekly October 27, 2005 2005.
Rushkoff, Douglas. “Honey, I Geotagged the Kids”. 2005. The Feature. Art project review of PDPal. Nokia. April 7 2007. http://www.thefeaturearchives.com/101490.html.
Rushkoff, Douglas. “Tinseltown 2.0”. 2005. The Feature. Interview and discussion of entertainment and mobile technology. Nokia. April 7 2007. http://www.rushkoff.com/TheFeatureArchive/uscfilmwireless.html.
Rushkoff, Douglas. “Networks without the Net”. 2004. The Feature. Art project review of WiFi.Bedouin. Nokia. April 7 2007. http://www.rushkoff.com/TheFeatureArchive/withoutnet.html.
Lovejoy, Margot. Digital Currents: Art in the Electronic Age. New York: Routledge, 2004 PDPal project description included in chapter on art as interactive communcation.
Editors. “The Wireless Artist”. 2004. Web. Project review and artist interview about WiFi.Bedouin. WiFi Planet. May 6, 2004 2004. http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/columns/article.php/3350451.
Sweetingham, Lisa. “Picks and Plans: Rebuild Times Square, Block by Block, on Your Pda.” Rev. of Review of Times Square exhibition of PDPal art-technology project. Time Out New York November 13-20, 2003 2003: 172.
Dietz, Steve. “State of the Art: Maps, Stories, Games and Algorithms from Minnesota”. Minneapolis, 2003. Curitorial statement on PDPal project commission and artists’ interview. Minnesota Artists. April 7 2007. http://www.mnartists.org/tourItemDetail.do?action=detail&tourItemId=29021&rid=28921.