The Informed Life

Chris Aldrich has the most multi-disciplinary resume I’ve ever seen, with a background that includes biomedics, electrical engineering, entertainment, genetics, theoretical mathematics, and more. Chris describes himself as a modern-day cybernetician, and in this conversation we discuss cybernetics and communications, differences between oral and literary cultures, and indigenous traditions and mnemonics, among many other things.See full show notes at:https://theinformed.life/2024/05/05/episode-139-chris-aldrich/

Dave Gray describes himself as a possibilitarian. He focuses on helping people and teams realize their creative potential. Dave the author of several influential books, including Liminal Thinking and Gamestorming, which he co-authored with Sunni Brown and James Macanudo. He also founded the pioneering visual thinking company XPLANE. In this conversation, we discuss how to move beyond mental models that constrain us to open up new possibilities.Show notesDave GrayDave Gray - LinkedInThe Connected Company by Dave Gray and Thomas Vander WalGamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James MacanufoLiminal Thinking by Dave GrayRed Herring (magazine) - WikipediaXPLANATIONSXPLANEGreg Petroff - LinkedInDouglas Engelbart - WikipediaAndy MatuschakSchool of the PossibleSchool of the Possible Campfire CallsShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Nikki Anderson is an independent user research consultant, instructor, author, and speaker. Nikki uses her background in education and psychology to mentor people and organizations on the value of user research. And now, she’s written a book to help them build up their research operations. That’s the focus of our conversation today.Show notesNikki AndersonImpact: A complete guide to creating a user research practice at your organization by Nikki AndersonUser Research AcademyUser Research Academy SubstackHow To Run a Qualitative Usability Test by Nikki AndersonWrite Kick@ss User Research Goals by Nikki AndersonShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Michael Anton Dila describes himself as a “designer of conversation” and someone with a passion for starting things. Among the things he’s started are ventures in online learning, co-working, and mobile technology. He’s also held several leadership roles in an elite innovation unit in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, we discuss his latest initiative, Oslo for AI, which seeks to design better processes for governing artificial intelligence.Show notesMichael Anton DilaMichael Anton Dila - LinkedInOslo for AIU.S. Department of DefenseSystem 3OpenAIStone Soup - WikipediaStuart CandyOslo (film) - WikipediaOslo (play) - WikipediaThe Oslo Accords, 1993Inside OpenAI’s Crisis Over the Future of Artificial Intelligence - NY TimesComputing Machinery and Intelligence by Alan Turing (1950) - PDFProjects by IFSarah GoldNew Design Patterns for AI by Sarah GoldShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Dave Elfving is an experience designer and educator. He spent eleven years at apple, where his last role was as Head of Interactive Strategy. These days, he’s my colleague teaching interaction design at the California College of the Arts. He’s also co-chairperson at Gray Area, a San Francisco-based nonprofit interdisciplinary cultural incubator. Gray Area is fostering fascinating work, and I wanted to discuss it with Dave.Show notesDave Elfving - LinkedInaught.ioGray AreaRafael Lozano-HemmerProjection mapping - WikipediaArduinoTouchDesignerMadMapperRaspberry PiShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Joey deVilla describes himself as an experienced, engaging, accordion-playing, golden-voiced developer advocate looking for a new role. He’s had a long career in the technology space and writes about his experiences in two long-running blogs, The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the Twenty-First Century and Global Nerdy. Recently, Joey became one of the many people in tech who’s lost their job in the last couple of years. That is the subject of our conversation today.Show notes🪗 Joey (Accordion Guy) deVilla - LinkedInThe Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century - Joey deVilla’s Personal BlogGlobal Nerdy : Tampa Bay techie Joey deVilla on software, hardware, and everything in between.Laid off in 2024, part 1: The 15 worst minutes of 2024, followed by 15 more : Global NerdyWorld IA DayCory Doctorow - WikipediaUp in the Air (2009) - IMDbShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Elizabeth McGuane is a UX director at Shopify and the author of Design by Definition, a book about the impact of language in user experience. As you might imagine, that’s a subject I’m keenly interested in, so I was excited to speak with Elizabeth about it.Show notesElizabeth McGuane - LinkedInElizabeth McGuane – MediumDesign by Definition by Elizabeth McGuaneShopifyIntercomEames chairsShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Pierluigi Dalla Rosa is an interaction designer at Humane, the makers of the AI Pin. But that isn’t the focus of our conversation today. Instead, we discuss novel computer interfaces in general, and interactive environments in particular. This is a subject that’s near to my heart, as it points to exciting possibilities for future digital experiences.Show notespierdr - Pier’s websitePierluigi Dalla Rosa - LinkedInpier dr (@pierdr) - InstagramIxD Research (@ixdresearch) - InstagramHumaneCalifornia College of the ArtsJoshua Walton — Sensory.ccTramontanaEnrico Gueli (@ris8_allo_zen0) • Instagram photos and videosAn exploration in collective interfaces by Pierluigi Dalla Rosa et alDouglas EngelbartLoren and Rachel CarpenterMark WeiserMarshall McLuhanHot and cool media (McLuhan)DynamiclandWIRED 1.02: Gossip is Philosophy (Interview with Brian Eno)Apple Vision ProThe VoidMeow WolfShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.

Nathan Shedroff is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and educator. Like me, he teaches at the graduate interaction design program of the California College of the Arts. This conversation focuses on his new book, A Whole New Strategy, which teaches strategic thinking.Show notesNathan ShedroffDesign Strategy MBA - CCAA Whole New Strategy by Nathan ShedroffHenry MintzbergCharles EamesPorter’s five forces analysisSWOT analysisDouble Diamond (design process model) Regis McKennaAdobe DirectorStephen CoveyShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200

This episode is a compilation of conversations from 2023. It’s not meant as a best-of collection, but an opportunity to highlight some themes that emerged during our conversations throughout the year. The episode is also an experiment, with the themes being curated partly by an AI.Cover photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash.Show notesEpisode 107: Michael Becker on Knowledge WorkEpisode 108: Carrie Hane on Content ModelsEpisode 110: Nicole van der Hoeven on ObsidianEpisode 111: Andy Fitzgerald on Structured ContentEpisode 112: Jerry Michalski on Jerry’s BrainEpisode 114: Dan Russell on The Joy of SearchEpisode 115: Are Halland on The Core ModelEpisode 116: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 1Episode 117: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2Episode 118: Maggie Appleton on Digital GardeningEpisode 119: Aidan Helfant on PKM for LearningEpisode 120: Alex Wright on InformaticaEpisode 121: Chiara Ogan on Personal LibrariesEpisode 122: Sönke Ahrens on Smart NotesEpisode 125: Karl Voit on Org ModeEpisode 126: Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplinesShow notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200