Over the years, I have given talks at several events and conferences. Most of them revolve around science fiction, futurism, and culture. Most of the theoretical background for these talks can be traced back to leftists, post-modern, and radical philosophy and I try to make each of my talks as radical and non-complacent as possible.
I thought it would be useful to collect all of these talks, where they were recorded, in one page. Enjoy!
In my most recent talk, I spoke about metal's vision of the future and the destruction that humans are afflicting on our planet. On the way, I touched on the idea of "no exit", fascism, our response to disaster, and what we might learn from this extreme style of music.
In 2019 I was also part of the excellent ISVIS - a conference focused on data visualization. I love attending this conference because it's well outside of my comfort zone, challenging me to rethink how I give talks and what I talk about. This year, I spoke about how data visualization in Star Trek shows us the colonizing, imperialist assumptions of the show and the supposed "good guys" of it, the Federation.
I've given this talk, in multiple versions, several times but this is the only recorded one online. I love this talk; it really cuts to the core of why I find science fiction both useful and interesting, also melding it with my other great passion, history. During this talk, I look at historical precedents for colonization and exploration and how we might use science fiction to think outside them.
My 2018 re:publica talk was all about digital art, memes, loneliness, empathy, and hate online. It includes some of my favorite online art and some thoughts on the future, coping with loss and loneliness.
My first talk at re:publica was also one of my first talks on a big stage, ever! I was excited and I think it shows. I still like this talk but I'd like to revisit it one day and give a tighter, more accurate version of what I was trying to say here. It was mostly about how science fiction can help us revisit our ideas of urbanity and the spaces we occupy as people within them.
My first ISVIS talk was all about the graphic tool of the timeline and the ideas about time, meaning, and progress which it folds inside of it. Along the way, I cite some famous time travel stories, how they embody the tyranny of "linear time" and talk a bit about the post-modern conception of data visualization.
A really cool panel I was on during my second attendance at re:publica. Discussion revolves around curating science fiction in conferences and museums, alongside general commentary about the genre and its meaning.
Another amazing panel I was (more briefly, near the end) a part of. Some truly excellent people and friends on the stage talking about how they use science fiction as a method to develop their art and challenge themselves.
A talk in Hebrew (sorry!) about flirtation, empathy, and seduction in computer games. I talk about examples of simplicity and shallowness in the area first and then explore some better, and more nuanced examples of how we can do better. Hopefully I can give this talk in English soon, in some context or other. Also, please play Disco Elysium.