Meeting in the Weitzman School of Design, we’ll review each group’s short film; the culmination of their semester’s efforts. Each film is composed of three chapters: An investigation of a chosen “natural” disaster, a resultant conspiracy theory (either existing or fabricated for the purposes of this course), and a speculative design proposal for a future institution arising from the group’s constructed context.

HarvardXR’s goal is to provide a platform for students, researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs to discuss how XR is shaping the future across different industries. I will be speaking at 2:20pm this afernoon in Room A: 1.321 as part of the Immersive Reality session, anchored by the legendary creative technologist, Bradley Munkowitz (AKA “GMUNK”). See the complete Speakers list.

His answer? Roast that pumpkin, wrap it in a soft taco, and top it with homemade mole sauce, of course! Because everything can be a taco if you dream hard enough.

It was a fairly dark autumn in America, with the presidential election contest between democracy and fascism looming against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which had so abruptly turned the country upside down half a year earlier. (Not to mention climate change; the hottest summer and autumn on record to date.) Revisiting this old animation idea was a pleasant break from the reality around us—and served as a birthday present of sorts for Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood who share my birth month of October; the best month.

Read more about the Black Swan music video here, or visit and execute the animation here.

I was lucky to receive an introduction to SXSW Pitch event producer, Chris Valentine, via prolific strategy prodigy, Cindy Mallory. (Cindy has served on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board for some time, and is also New York Chapter President for the VR/AR Association.) Chris felt I was a good fit for the board, and soon afterward I was put to work seeking new startups to submit their pitches—and excited to participate in the first (pre-SXSW) round of judging. It’s been a fun experience so far, and a fun way to reconnect with SXSW.

You can read all about it here.

Transfr first entered my radar in early 2021 when their Chief People Officer, Jessa Vatistas, reached out concerning an interesting opportunity that might be of interest to me or someone in my orbit. That began a conversation longer than perhaps either of us had expected; swapping stories about the evolving nature of recruiting in the virtual reality space. The idea of making the jump from Amazon Web Services to a peppy startup in my own New York backyard did sound tempting. (And I must stress that the people at Transfr are lovely—and a good group of sharp folks is always a big draw.) But I was both making a play for a more serious role in quantum computing as well as rekindling a friendship with my old Unity family. Although the context wasn’t quite right for me to pursue a formal relationship with Transfr, I have remained a big fan of their work. I was delighted to be invited back to hang with Marc Herbert (VP of Engineering), Shelley Hu (Senior Producer, VR Studios), and Evan Harper (Architect).

Over this present academic year I’ll be collaborating with Yale students, faculty, and researchers associated with the Yale Quantum Institute (YQI) to create quantum-inspired artworks. This program is organized by YQI manager (and official rocket scientist!), Florian Carle, who created the artist residency role. I’ve impossible shoes to fill, with past residents such as Martha W Lewis and Spencer Topel. An exciting adventure to set forth on, to be sure.