Best of Design Matters: C. Thi Nguyen

For over sixty years, Gloria Steinem has been at the center of American culture and political life, where she has been instrumental in shaping our ideas about feminism, humanity, and equal rights for all people. She joins to talk about her legendary career as an award-winning journalist, New York Times best-selling author, co-founder of one of the most significant magazines of the 21st century, and an activist whose work has impacted the place women and girls now have in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

C. Thi Nguyen—philosopher, professor, and author of Games: Agency as Art—joins to discuss his new book, The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game, and how metrics, from grades to likes, quietly reshape what we value and who we become. Together, they explore games as “libraries of agency,” the allure of scoring systems, and the vital question: Is this the game you really want to be playing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega reflects on her pioneering career, the artistry behind her storytelling, and the lasting cultural impact of songs like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.” She joins to discuss her new album, Flying with Angels, which poignantly captures the struggles and resilience of our time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lulu Miller is a Peabody Award–winning journalist, co-host of Radiolab, founder of the podcast Terrestrials, and author of the acclaimed book Why Fish Don’t Exist. She joins to discuss her career at the intersection of science, philosophy, and storytelling, inviting us to question how we understand the world and our place within it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Ferriss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, a legendary podcaster with over a billion downloads, a prolific angel investor, and a relentless experimenter. During his fourth visit to Design Matters, he shares the story behind Coyote, a new card game he’s quietly been crafting—and the mindset that brought it to life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quiara Alegría Hudes is a Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, composer, and novelist whose work has reshaped contemporary American theater. The co-creator of In the Heights and author of Water by the Spoonful, she has consistently explored identity, family, and belonging across theater, music, memoir, and now fiction in her new book, The White Hot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She joins to discuss her career as the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, her best-selling book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines, and her featured role in the acclaimed Netflix documentary Coded Bias. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Dyson is a visionary inventor, designer, educator, and founder of Dyson, a global company transforming ordinary household appliances into design and engineering marvels. He joins to discuss his iconic career, the role of failure in the creative process, and how good design can reshape the way we live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laverne Cox—best known for her groundbreaking role as Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black—is an Emmy-winning actor, producer, advocate, and one of the defining cultural figures of our time. She joins live at the Pride Book Fair in New York City to discuss her new memoir, Transcendent, reflecting on what it means to survive, heal, and become more fully yourself in a world determined to define you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer, designer, and publisher whose work is rooted in attention—to the roads he walks, the books he creates, and the ways technology shapes our experience of the world. He joins to discuss his memoir Things Become Other Things and how memory, loss, and the paths we travel, both literal and emotional, shape the stories we tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.