Strange New Work Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/strange-new-work Lots of people are talking about the future of work today: remote work, artificial intelligence, white-collar unions, robots, 4-day workweeks... But those things are either here already or will be soon. What about the far future of work? What alien advancements await the office of the future? This podcast wants to boldly go where no other future-of-work podcast has gone. Host Tara McMullin (What Works) brings this limited series about how speculative fiction can help us imagine strange new ways of working and understanding ourselves. We'll explore questions about how we can transform work to be more humane and inclusive. We'll imagine new ways of working together, managing the economy, and providing for others. © 2023 What Works 893ac4de-c32b-5745-ab63-aaa6fc9d0247 no en Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:07:15 -0800 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:36:12 -0800 http://whatworks.fyi https://img.transistor.fm/ANPx1xBultdubwIxb25QOlw1kdu-KuWR7dozUSKgspY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQ0ODQ0LzE2OTQx/MTE3MzItYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg Strange New Work http://whatworks.fyi serial Tara McMullin Lots of people are talking about the future of work today: remote work, artificial intelligence, white-collar unions, robots, 4-day workweeks... But those things are either here already or will be soon. What about the far future of work? What alien advancements await the office of the future? This podcast wants to boldly go where no other future-of-work podcast has gone. Host Tara McMullin (What Works) brings this limited series about how speculative fiction can help us imagine strange new ways of working and understanding ourselves. We'll explore questions about how we can transform work to be more humane and inclusive. We'll imagine new ways of working together, managing the economy, and providing for others. Lots of people are talking about the future of work today: remote work, artificial intelligence, white-collar unions, robots, 4-day workweeks... science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism Tara McMullin No No Introducing Strange New Work from What Works 1 1 Introducing Strange New Work from What Works full 2b76017f-2b9e-4760-a98c-2d3068baa8ef https://share.transistor.fm/s/43b7df25 Join Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment.

The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14!

Support the show at: whatworks.fyi

Strange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media.

]]> Join Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment.

The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14!

Support the show at: whatworks.fyi

Strange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media.

]]> Thu, 07 Sep 2023 11:39:21 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 166 Join Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment.

The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14!

Support the show at: whatworks.fyi

Strange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media.

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No Imagining a Radically Different World of Work 2 2 Imagining a Radically Different World of Work full b4add27a-2033-446f-b860-e3447e038af2 https://www.whatworks.fyi/p/imagining-a-radically-different-world The future of work doesn't have to be an extension of today's reality.

This is the first installment in Strange New Work, a new series from What Works about imagining radically different ways of working and doing business.

In this episode, I take a closer look at speculative fiction and its role in the collective imaginary. Is science fiction all space operas and apocalyptic battles? Not hardly. Science fiction isn't really about the future. It's a commentary on and reimagining of the present.

Footnotes:

Each installment in Strange New Work is published in essay form at WhatWorks.FYI

Love What Works? Support the show and my work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more!

]]> The future of work doesn't have to be an extension of today's reality.

This is the first installment in Strange New Work, a new series from What Works about imagining radically different ways of working and doing business.

In this episode, I take a closer look at speculative fiction and its role in the collective imaginary. Is science fiction all space operas and apocalyptic battles? Not hardly. Science fiction isn't really about the future. It's a commentary on and reimagining of the present.

Footnotes:

Each installment in Strange New Work is published in essay form at WhatWorks.FYI

Love What Works? Support the show and my work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more!

]]> Thu, 14 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 1650 The future of work doesn't have to be an extension of today's reality.

This is the first installment in Strange New Work, a new series from What Works about imagining radically different ways of working and doing business.

In this episode, I take a closer look at speculative fiction and its role in the collective imaginary. Is science fiction all space operas and apocalyptic battles? Not hardly. Science fiction isn't really about the future. It's a commentary on and reimagining of the present.

Footnotes:

Each installment in Strange New Work is published in essay form at WhatWorks.FYI

Love What Works? Support the show and my work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more!

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No World-Building a More Sustainable Work Environment with Morgan Harper Nichols 3 3 World-Building a More Sustainable Work Environment with Morgan Harper Nichols full d4f326cb-fd86-4fbc-982c-4bfd5502f063 https://www.whatworks.fyi/p/world-building-morgan-harper-nichols Artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.

Footnotes:


Every episode of What Works is also shared as an essay at whatworks.fyi—become a free subscriber to get weekly posts delivered to your inbox or upgrade to a premium subscription for access to bonus content and quarterly workshops for just $7 per month!


All of the books I mention in this series are in the Strange New Work Bookshop list.

Strange New Work is a special series of What Works and hosted by Tara McMullin.

]]> Artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.

Footnotes:


Every episode of What Works is also shared as an essay at whatworks.fyi—become a free subscriber to get weekly posts delivered to your inbox or upgrade to a premium subscription for access to bonus content and quarterly workshops for just $7 per month!


All of the books I mention in this series are in the Strange New Work Bookshop list.

Strange New Work is a special series of What Works and hosted by Tara McMullin.

]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 1722 Artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.

Footnotes:


Every episode of What Works is also shared as an essay at whatworks.fyi—become a free subscriber to get weekly posts delivered to your inbox or upgrade to a premium subscription for access to bonus content and quarterly workshops for just $7 per month!


All of the books I mention in this series are in the Strange New Work Bookshop list.

Strange New Work is a special series of What Works and hosted by Tara McMullin.

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No The Time to Change with Jordan Maney and Joanna L. Cea 4 4 The Time to Change with Jordan Maney and Joanna L. Cea full e7fd7ac9-172e-4a7a-9f76-311ac63061a8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0da96951 Today's work happens in tiny slivers of time. And we try to optimize each minute or hour for all its worth. But remarkable work? Well, that takes time. And lots of it. The kinds of work that are central to our evolving economy—care work, maintenance work, creative work—require more time rather than more optimization. In this episode, I consider how viewing work through the long-term lens can help us reimagine projects and systems in a way that's more just, equitable, and beneficial for all involved.

Footnotes:

What Works is a podcast hosted by Tara McMullin that explores how to navigate the 21st-century economy without losing your humanity. 

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Today's work happens in tiny slivers of time. And we try to optimize each minute or hour for all its worth. But remarkable work? Well, that takes time. And lots of it. The kinds of work that are central to our evolving economy—care work, maintenance work, creative work—require more time rather than more optimization. In this episode, I consider how viewing work through the long-term lens can help us reimagine projects and systems in a way that's more just, equitable, and beneficial for all involved.

Footnotes:

What Works is a podcast hosted by Tara McMullin that explores how to navigate the 21st-century economy without losing your humanity. 

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Thu, 28 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 2082 Today's work happens in tiny slivers of time. And we try to optimize each minute or hour for all its worth. But remarkable work? Well, that takes time. And lots of it. The kinds of work that are central to our evolving economy—care work, maintenance work, creative work—require more time rather than more optimization. In this episode, I consider how viewing work through the long-term lens can help us reimagine projects and systems in a way that's more just, equitable, and beneficial for all involved.

Footnotes:

What Works is a podcast hosted by Tara McMullin that explores how to navigate the 21st-century economy without losing your humanity. 

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No You Will Be Assimilated with Charlie Gilkey 5 5 You Will Be Assimilated with Charlie Gilkey full 4c4bd43c-e04d-4c38-b7f8-303ce910e33a https://share.transistor.fm/s/dd1ff8b8 Social and professional norms aren't natural or innate. They're political. Those in power exert their preferences on those who aren't, and throughout history, have exerted social, cultural, and physical violence to either force subjugated people to assimilate or drive them out of society altogether.

Speculative fiction is rife with tales of imperial conquest and colonization. And it's helpful for identifying the kinds of control and domination that we deal with daily, even though many of us never notice it. Speculative fiction can help us see harm for what it is, recognize the damage done by colonizers, and imagine forms of resistance.

In today's episode, I dive into the harms of imperialism, how supremacy culture forms the basis of professionalism, how Indigenous futurism gives us a way to "imagine otherwise," and what coach and author Charlie Gilkey recommends for creating a culture of belonging at work through team habits.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

Strange New Work is a special series from What Works that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine new ways of working.

]]> Social and professional norms aren't natural or innate. They're political. Those in power exert their preferences on those who aren't, and throughout history, have exerted social, cultural, and physical violence to either force subjugated people to assimilate or drive them out of society altogether.

Speculative fiction is rife with tales of imperial conquest and colonization. And it's helpful for identifying the kinds of control and domination that we deal with daily, even though many of us never notice it. Speculative fiction can help us see harm for what it is, recognize the damage done by colonizers, and imagine forms of resistance.

In today's episode, I dive into the harms of imperialism, how supremacy culture forms the basis of professionalism, how Indigenous futurism gives us a way to "imagine otherwise," and what coach and author Charlie Gilkey recommends for creating a culture of belonging at work through team habits.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

Strange New Work is a special series from What Works that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine new ways of working.

]]> Thu, 05 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 1936 Social and professional norms aren't natural or innate. They're political. Those in power exert their preferences on those who aren't, and throughout history, have exerted social, cultural, and physical violence to either force subjugated people to assimilate or drive them out of society altogether.

Speculative fiction is rife with tales of imperial conquest and colonization. And it's helpful for identifying the kinds of control and domination that we deal with daily, even though many of us never notice it. Speculative fiction can help us see harm for what it is, recognize the damage done by colonizers, and imagine forms of resistance.

In today's episode, I dive into the harms of imperialism, how supremacy culture forms the basis of professionalism, how Indigenous futurism gives us a way to "imagine otherwise," and what coach and author Charlie Gilkey recommends for creating a culture of belonging at work through team habits.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

Strange New Work is a special series from What Works that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine new ways of working.

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No Disrupting Housework (Without Robots or Replicators) 6 6 Disrupting Housework (Without Robots or Replicators) full a7b208e1-ac71-4d19-a7ad-47a9b5c51230 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dd80077b Think the future of housework looks like Rosey the Robot from The Jetsons? Or maybe just a fleet of Roombas keeping every inch of a house free of dust or dirt?

Think again. Housework is ready for a much, much bigger disruption. Of course, housework is rarely portrayed in pop culture space cowboy science fiction. And when it is, it's all about the high-tech solutions to trivial issues like making dinner or scrubbing dishes. But many quieter (and more constructive) speculative stories do consider how housework might evolve in a completely different direction.

How we restructure housework—domestic and reproductive labor—is key to rethinking how we approach the future of all kinds of work. How we live impacts how we work. And how we work impacts how we live. And this episode is going there.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Think the future of housework looks like Rosey the Robot from The Jetsons? Or maybe just a fleet of Roombas keeping every inch of a house free of dust or dirt?

Think again. Housework is ready for a much, much bigger disruption. Of course, housework is rarely portrayed in pop culture space cowboy science fiction. And when it is, it's all about the high-tech solutions to trivial issues like making dinner or scrubbing dishes. But many quieter (and more constructive) speculative stories do consider how housework might evolve in a completely different direction.

How we restructure housework—domestic and reproductive labor—is key to rethinking how we approach the future of all kinds of work. How we live impacts how we work. And how we work impacts how we live. And this episode is going there.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Thu, 12 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 2049 Think the future of housework looks like Rosey the Robot from The Jetsons? Or maybe just a fleet of Roombas keeping every inch of a house free of dust or dirt?

Think again. Housework is ready for a much, much bigger disruption. Of course, housework is rarely portrayed in pop culture space cowboy science fiction. And when it is, it's all about the high-tech solutions to trivial issues like making dinner or scrubbing dishes. But many quieter (and more constructive) speculative stories do consider how housework might evolve in a completely different direction.

How we restructure housework—domestic and reproductive labor—is key to rethinking how we approach the future of all kinds of work. How we live impacts how we work. And how we work impacts how we live. And this episode is going there.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No Made for Work 7 7 Made for Work full 7807cd58-c865-42ab-b1b8-26541ea76ac8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e7e9f83a Find the work you were born to do. Do what you were meant to do. Discover the work that makes you feel alive.

We've all heard these messages. Crack open any career, self-help, or personal development book on your shelf, and you're sure to find a similar message. It seems pretty convenient that our "purpose" in life is work, doesn't it?

In this episode, I unpack the "made for work" message, take it to its logical sci-fi ends, and draw on a key idea in the sociology of work to consider how we might shape the next 40 years into something more humane.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Find the work you were born to do. Do what you were meant to do. Discover the work that makes you feel alive.

We've all heard these messages. Crack open any career, self-help, or personal development book on your shelf, and you're sure to find a similar message. It seems pretty convenient that our "purpose" in life is work, doesn't it?

In this episode, I unpack the "made for work" message, take it to its logical sci-fi ends, and draw on a key idea in the sociology of work to consider how we might shape the next 40 years into something more humane.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Thu, 19 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 1667 Find the work you were born to do. Do what you were meant to do. Discover the work that makes you feel alive.

We've all heard these messages. Crack open any career, self-help, or personal development book on your shelf, and you're sure to find a similar message. It seems pretty convenient that our "purpose" in life is work, doesn't it?

In this episode, I unpack the "made for work" message, take it to its logical sci-fi ends, and draw on a key idea in the sociology of work to consider how we might shape the next 40 years into something more humane.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No The Most Undervalued Skill of the 21st-Century Economy 8 8 The Most Undervalued Skill of the 21st-Century Economy full 84c6c1e5-187b-47fe-a60a-97fbbe5c2718 https://share.transistor.fm/s/47cee0c1 What's the most undervalued skill of the 21st-century economy? Moderation.

I very well might be forgetting something. But with more of our lives and work showing up online every day, the way our feeds, data, and connections are moderated is critical to our daily lives. Moderation can be many things—it's how platforms are designed, how content is incentivized or de-incentivized, and how communication between people is mediated. Some moderation is done structurally, some is done with code, but lots of moderation is done by real people all over the world.

In this episode, I take a close look at the skill of moderation, its role in our evolving tech futures, and the politics that complicate this essential work.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> What's the most undervalued skill of the 21st-century economy? Moderation.

I very well might be forgetting something. But with more of our lives and work showing up online every day, the way our feeds, data, and connections are moderated is critical to our daily lives. Moderation can be many things—it's how platforms are designed, how content is incentivized or de-incentivized, and how communication between people is mediated. Some moderation is done structurally, some is done with code, but lots of moderation is done by real people all over the world.

In this episode, I take a close look at the skill of moderation, its role in our evolving tech futures, and the politics that complicate this essential work.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:59:24 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 2118 What's the most undervalued skill of the 21st-century economy? Moderation.

I very well might be forgetting something. But with more of our lives and work showing up online every day, the way our feeds, data, and connections are moderated is critical to our daily lives. Moderation can be many things—it's how platforms are designed, how content is incentivized or de-incentivized, and how communication between people is mediated. Some moderation is done structurally, some is done with code, but lots of moderation is done by real people all over the world.

In this episode, I take a close look at the skill of moderation, its role in our evolving tech futures, and the politics that complicate this essential work.

Footnotes:

Love What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits!

]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No The Will to Share Power with Tania Luna 9 9 The Will to Share Power with Tania Luna full 74fa2b1d-4c91-41ac-82ce-b1b02750be73 https://share.transistor.fm/s/04c7b630 Power. Some fear it. Others hoard it. Some with power speak softly. Others carry a big stick. Power is charisma, or coercion, or violence. Power is name recognition, or money, or computer code.

Regardless of your definition or perceptions of it, power plays a critical role in how we work.

Today, we explore power—what we can do with it, how we can grow it, and, critically, how we can share it—because power in the future of work will look very different than it does today.

Footnotes:


]]> Power. Some fear it. Others hoard it. Some with power speak softly. Others carry a big stick. Power is charisma, or coercion, or violence. Power is name recognition, or money, or computer code.

Regardless of your definition or perceptions of it, power plays a critical role in how we work.

Today, we explore power—what we can do with it, how we can grow it, and, critically, how we can share it—because power in the future of work will look very different than it does today.

Footnotes:


]]> Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:48:43 -0700 Tara McMullin Tara McMullin 2007 Power. Some fear it. Others hoard it. Some with power speak softly. Others carry a big stick. Power is charisma, or coercion, or violence. Power is name recognition, or money, or computer code.

Regardless of your definition or perceptions of it, power plays a critical role in how we work.

Today, we explore power—what we can do with it, how we can grow it, and, critically, how we can share it—because power in the future of work will look very different than it does today.

Footnotes:


]]> science fiction, career, management, labor, books, philosophy, literary criticism, economics, progressivism, anti-capitalism, feminism No