Wonderland Podcast with Steven Johnson

Wonderland Podcast with Steven Johnson

A series about the past and future of play and innovation, hosted by Steven Johnson, bestselling author and co-creator of the PBS series How We Got To Now. Necessity isn't always the mother of invention; some of our most important ideas arise out of moments of playful exploration. Inspired by Johnson's new book, Wonderland: How Play Made The Modern World, the podcast features conversations about creativity and invention with leading contemporary scientists, programmers, musicians, and more. More info at wonderland.audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

August 16, 2016 18 mins
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 the uncanny world of emotional robotics. What if the dystopian future turns out to be one where the robots conquer humanity with their cuteness?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Mark as Played
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 Russell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
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, with special guests Brian Eno, Alex Ross, Caroline Shaw, Carla Scaletti, and Antenes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
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 Gopnik, professor at Berkeley and author of The Gardener and the Carpenter, Youngna Park, head of product at Tinybop, Clive Thompson, journalist and author of Smarter Than You Think, and Ian Bogost, philosopher and video game designer....

Mark as Played
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 voters in the 2016 presidential campaign. Special guests: Jane McGonigal, Mary Pilon, and Asi Burak.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
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 how playful spices remade the map of the world with special guests Filipe Vieira de Castro and Patricia Rain.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played
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. With special guests Matt Haughey of Slack and MetaFilter, Audrea Hooper of Zappos, and Andrew Sinkov and the conference rooms of Etsy HQ.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Mark as Played
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 software programs, the ball has played a surprisingly transformative role in society. Special guests: John Fox, author of The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game, and Melissa Coleman of Hackaball.

Mark as Played
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 of the MIT Media Lab, and Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, a Ph.D. at the Media Lab working on the DuoSkin project in collaboration with Microsoft Research.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.