N°100 - N O R M A L S Futures Are Boring
About this episode
The episode discusses the repetitive nature of future imaginings and proposes a shift towards modular, remixable futures.
Please support the podcast over on Patreon. https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory We don’t suffer from a lack of imagination about the future. We suffer from too much of the same imagination. Every deck, every keynote, every speculative prototype—still echoing the same tropes: chrome cities, self-driving pods, dystopian biotech. A future flattened by repetition. Familiar. Market-tested. Boring. In episode 100 of the podcast, I caught up (again) with the gang at N O R M A L S. We found ourselves circling this question: Why do so many futures feel interchangeable? And what would it take to build ones that aren’t? Their proposal: Near future archetypes—modular, remixable worlds that aren’t just provocations but tools. Not just imagined futures, but working assets for innovation, policy, and design. Think less “trend report,” more “playable terrain.” It’s a shift from one-off spectacle to living systems. Instead of discarding scenarios each year, why not iterate them? Build them out like open-source lore. Let them gain rules, friction, culture. Let them become strange enough to surprise us. Because here’s the quiet truth: people don’t just adopt futures because they’re rationally…
More episodes of Near Future Laboratory Podcast
- N°105 - Small Stuff with Ian Bogost
- N°104 - Marina Zurkow & Sarah Rothberg
- N°103 - Tom Guarriello The Meaning of Branded Objects
- N°102 - The Art of Possible with Dave Gray
- N°101 - Kirby Ferguson Infinite Remix
- N°099 - Outgoing
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Near Future Laboratory Podcast podcast page.