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| Week 12, Year 2026. We've got an Info Session coming up this Friday and Carl has been hard at work preparing us for that. There's snail-mail call — a Zine showed up in the mailbox! Our latest
sponsor has a message — and hardcover copies of the original printing of The Manual of Design Fiction that looks nice next to your copy of Rick's “The Creative Act” Let's go! Time to Imagine Harder! | |
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Professional Development Workshop
| Pitch Picture Prototype A workshop for clarifying your value and your story, before someone else defines them for you.
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| This Friday
Carl DiSalvo, Ph.D. and I are hosting an info session for our forthcoming workshop, Pitch, Picture, Prototype. The workshop is designed to help people who have a sense of what they want to do next, but are not yet sure how to make it real enough to be seen and recognized. We
start with the elevator pitch, but the point is to move beyond the pitch into artifacts, signals, and a prototype of the world you want to inhabit. This is not a workshop about networking for the sake of networking, or about learning how to perform a more polished version of yourself. It is a space for
articulating what you bring to the table — your value — so you can say it, understand it, sell it. This is profoundly relevant, especially at moments when things feel uncertain. Like today. And for many people right now, uncertainty is not abstract. It is in the air - we are breathing it everyday. We feel
this sense of ambiguity about what matters, a profound instability in the professional landscape, and a creeping confusion about what we are supposed to be doing, why we are doing it, and what any of it is for. This workshop is designed to create a bit of ground under your feet: a chance to reflect, name what
matters in your work, and find language for the perspective, experience, and capabilities you already have. Not to manufacture a new persona, but to clarify the one that is already there. If that sounds timely, join us for our info session. We'll be there to give you an overview of what we'll be doing
over the course of the one-day workshop in April. Info Session: This Friday, March 20th at 10am PT (UTC-7) / 1pm ET (UTC-4) / 6pm GMT (UTC+0)
| RSVP For The Info Sesh →
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| A Gen-Z-ine 🤷🏽♂️ Club: Luddite Club Well, well, well. This showed up in the mailbox somewhat unexpectedly but I guess I must've ordered it. You hear more and more about how Gen-Z is the "luddite generation" because of their
skepticism toward new technologies and preference for analog media. The Luddite Dispatch is a zine that embraces this ethos, offering a mix of essays, art, and cultural commentary that celebrates the analog and critiques the digital. It's a refreshing take on the world we live in, and a reminder that sometimes, less is more. I participated in a review of stuff for one of those Fortune 100 companies recently and one of the insights reported was that Gen-Z is markedly skeptical about screens and algorithms, which is a fascinating signal to wonder about. How does that trace into a possible future, I wonder? One thing to note is that “Luddite” is often thrown around a bit like a pejorative or slur of some sort. But the original Luddites were actually skilled artisans who protested against the mechanization of their craft in the early 19th century, which was a way to eliminate their sense of value and their way of exchaning that value for a wage / folding money (or whatever was the coin of the day). They weren't anti-technology per se, but rather concerned about how
technology was being used to exploit workers and undermine their livelihoods. In that sense, the term "Luddite" can be seen as a badge of honor for those who are critical of technology and its impact on society. To consider or assign or inhabit the meaning of “Luddite” isn't to be anti-technology which is
kinda like being, as I've said before, anti-breakfast. I mean..it's here, it exists, it's part of the world. (So, in case you though there was some sense of irony that the Luddite Club has a website...there is no irony there whatsoever.) To associate with Ludditism is more like having an aweareness of the the minute implication as if to say, I believe in the potential of, say, AI — I am quite critical and in opposition to it being used to eliminate meaningful jobs that humans previously or could engage in..which is also to ask you specifically: can you see into a world where AI exists but
not as a way to fast way to eliminate opportunities for humans to participate in value creation? Find Out More
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| Food For Thought
Section
| From the digest-this-🥓 Channel DEPARTMENT OF Futures | shared by Julian Bleecker, PhD I've been exploring the idea of 'dark forests' as a counterbalance to the pervasive reach of social media and public feeds. These are intimate, private online spaces that prioritize genuine interaction over viral reach. Unlike the vastness of the internet, dark forests offer a sanctuary for creative thought and community, free from the pressures of performance. As more people join, these spaces
evolve, allowing members to craft their own unique environments and even sustain them financially. It's a fascinating shift towards more meaningful online engagement. Read more →
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Join the Near Future Laboratory Discord Your support helps
| Near Future Laboratory Patreon Join the Discord, Support Office Hours, the Newsletter and More
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| The Near Future Laboratory is
supported by its community and members. Join us on Patreon to support our work, get access to exclusive content, and be part of our vibrant Discord community where we discuss design, technology, creativity, the future and do projects and support each others' work. I host weekly Office Hours for Patrons -- now for 289 weeks and running -- every Friday at 0900 (UTC-7 / California). It's a great way to connect, ask questions, and get feedback on your projects. Each week two people
from the community present a project, idea, or challenge and we discuss it together. It's a great way to get feedback, learn from others, and connect with like-minded people. All of this is done in a friendly, supportive, and welcoming environment. We have people from all over the world, from all walks of
life, and with all kinds of interests. It's a great way to meet new people, network, show what you can do, and learn from each other. In this time of rapid change and uncertainty, it's more important than ever to have a community of people who can support you, challenge you, and help you grow. The Near
Future Laboratory is that community. | Join →
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Limited Time Offer
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| The Manual of Design Fiction
| The only 60-minute Zoom call that comes with the 1st Edition Hardcover printing of
the book! Whether you are looking to integrate Design Fiction into your practice, learn how it can shape your strategy, research and product development, want to explore new creative methodologies, or seeking mentorship on your creative practice, or simply want to debate the finer points of diegetic prototypes, this session is your opportunity to see how Design Fiction can work for you.
The Manual of Design Fiction is the canonical reference manual and resource that clarifies and explains the
practice of Design Fiction. This book explores how futures-oriented practices like Strategic Foresight can benefit from augmenting their outcomes through the creation of artifacts that represent the consequences of strategic decision making. | Limited
Quantity. Limited Time. Get Yours Now →
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