Wonderland Podcast with Steven Johnson Podcast
1) Episode 10: For the Fun of It (Or, the Play in Great Work)
In the final episode of the season, we explore ornamentation, the non-medical application of a device made with gold leaf, and how the MIT Media Lab stays creative. Special guests: Joi Ito, Director o...Show More
2) Episode 9: Sphere of Life (Or, Why Humans Are So Obsessed With a Bouncing Ball)
An investigation into one of humanity's oldest and most ubiquitous inventions: the ball. From Egyptian rituals to the birth of the rubber industry to new digital balls that can be controlled by softwa...Show More
Episode 9: Sphere of Life (Or, Why Humans Are So Obsessed With a Bouncing Ball)
13:51 | Jan 11th, 2017
3) Episode 8: Party in the Front (Or, How We Incorporate Play into Work)
An exploration of the cultural shift that began with a leisure space of idle chatter and led to some of our most productive modern work environments being deliberately designed to make space for play....Show More
4) Episode 7: In Pursuit of Condiments (Or, How the Spice Trade Changed Our Palates)
From the thrilling story of the Pepper Wreck and its salvage to the strange tale of a 12 year old slave who solved the riddle that changed the global footprint of the vanilla trade forever, a look at ...Show More
Episode 7: In Pursuit of Condiments (Or, How the Spice Trade Changed Our Palates)
17:04 | Nov 30th, 2016
5) Episode 6: Clever Like a Fox (Or, What Happens Inside Our Brains When We Play?)
A look into how games and childhood play encourage the kind of adaptive, flexible thinking we need to navigate a complex world. Special guests: Alison Gopnik, Shawn Green, Daniel Chao, and Asi Burak.
Episode 6: Clever Like a Fox (Or, What Happens Inside Our Brains When We Play?)
18:59 | Nov 2nd, 2016
6) Episode 5: Greater Than Zero (Or, the Politics of Serious Games)
An investigation into the surprising history of games designed to change our political values, from the radical origins of Monopoly to a brand-new spin on Pokémon GO created to mobilize swing state vo...Show More
7) Episode 4: Airplanes, Zoos, and Infinite Chickens (Or, Why Do Humans Like To Play?)
An exploration of the power of play, from screen-based games like Pokemon Go or Minecraft, to the imaginative worlds of children inventing playgrounds out of everyday life, with special guests Alison ...Show More
8) Episode 3: Strange Loops and Circuit Benders (Or, How New Music Comes from Broken Machines)
A mysterious stranger in San Francisco's Union Square helps jumpstart a sonic revolution with a malfunctioning tape recorder. The story of how experimental sounds become part of the musical mainstream...Show More
9) Episode 2: 32 Dots Per Spaceship (Or, the Video Game That Changed Tech History)
A look back at the origins of Spacewar!, the first original video game and one of the most influential pieces of software ever written. With special guests Stewart Brand and Spacewar! creator Steve Ru...Show More
Episode 2: 32 Dots Per Spaceship (Or, the Video Game That Changed Tech History)
17:26 | Sep 7th, 2016
10) Episode 1: Babbage and the Dancer (Or, Can You Fall in Love With a Robot?)
An eight-year-old boy's encounter with a robotic toy doll ends up changing the course of technological history. Steven Johnson talks with special guests Ken Goldberg and Kate Darling, as we look at th...Show More
Episode 1: Babbage and the Dancer (Or, Can You Fall in Love With a Robot?)
18:53 | Aug 16th, 2016