The Perception Podcast

Today’s guest on the Perception Podcast is Steve "Tiger" Briones. Tiger has over two decades of distinguished service in the United States Air Force, where he built a career defined by innovation, strategic leadership, and mission impact. From commanding Detachment 24 to serving as Division Chief of Innovation and Technology—better known as “Digital Hammer”—he led pioneering initiatives that advanced the operational art and science of the military. Now, he continues that mission in the private sector, driving innovation in simulation and edge computing for government, defense, and enterprise organizations. With a focus on next-generation solutions, strong partnerships, and forward-leaning policy, he’s helping to shape the future of mission-critical technology. So strap in cause the Gforces are about to hit!

Paul Propster has spent over 25 years helping organizations turn complex ideas into stories that inspire action. From small startups to global enterprises in energy, tech, and aerospace, he guides teams to find what truly matters and communicate it in a way that connects, motivates, and drives results. He’s the Founder and former Chief Story Architect of StoryLab at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Lab’s first “story accelerator,” where he helped scientists and engineers translate cutting-edge science into narratives that engage, persuade, and spark support. An educator and speaker, Paul has lectured at Caltech, Cal State Northridge, and numerous HBCUs, sharing his insights on the power of storytelling in innovation, leadership, and change. Known for blending creativity with practical tools, he helps teams collaborate, clarify their message, and tell the right story to the right audience—every time. Based in Altadena, California, he balances his work with surfing, cycling, music, and film.

Today on the Perception Podcast, we're bringing on Chris Noessel, sci-fi interface expert and author. Chris is a veteran interaction designer whose career has been focused on design for AI for the past 8 years. He teaches, speaks about, and evangelizes design around the world. His spidey-sense goes off semi-randomly, leading him to investigate and speak about a range of things from interactive narrative to ethnographic user research, interaction design to generative randomness, and designing for the future. He is co-author of Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction (Rosenfeld Media, 2012), co-author of About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, 4th Edition (Wiley, 2015), keeper of the blog scifiinterfaces.com, and author of Designing Agentive Technology: AI That Works for People (Rosenfeld Media, 2017). He is currently writing a book about assistants that make users smarter for having used them, due fall 2025.

Today on The Perception Podcast, we’re joined by a true pioneer in the world of technology, storytelling, and future-forward thinking — Kevin Kelly. Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living, a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984 to 1990, Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers’ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kelly include: 1 The Inevitable, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2 Out of Control, his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3 The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4 What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology, and 5 Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia. He is best known for his radical optimism about the future. In this conversation, we dive into how stories influence innovation, how science fiction inspires real-world technology, and how our perception — of time, agency, and even reality — is evolving right alongside the tools we build. So let’s go deep with Kevin Kelly!

Today, we welcome a very special guest onto the podcast, Dr. Tom Chatfield, a British author, tech philosopher, and educator. Tom’s work focuses on the intersection of technology, culture, and human behavior. He’s the author of several books, including "Wise Animals," which explores the evolving relationship between humanity and technology, and the best-selling textbook "Critical Thinking," which is used widely in academic settings. Tom is also known for his debut novel, "This is Gomorrah," which was shortlisted for major thriller awards and won France’s 2020 Prix Douglas Kennedy for the year’s best foreign thriller. In addition to his writing, Tom is a thought leader on topics like AI ethics, digital literacy, and future skills. He collaborates with universities, business schools, and companies to improve our understanding of technology’s role in education, policy, and engagement. He’s spoken at global platforms like TED, the Cannes Lions Festival, and the Houses of Parliament, and regularly contributes to media outlets like the BBC. We're very excited to chat with Tom today and dive into his insights on technology and the future of our digital world.

Step inside "The Perception Lens" series, a special feature of the Perception Podcast where co-founders Jeremy Lasky and Danny Gonzalez dive deep into the expansive realms of design, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this series, we discuss how visionary concepts come to life and share insights into the processes that shape the future of design. Each episode is dedicated to exploring the dynamic interplay between business and creativity through the lens of our cutting-edge design studio. Take an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Perception as we pull back the curtain on the ideas and experiences driving our unique Science Fiction Thinking approach. This week, we delve into our creative inspirations and reflect on how they've influenced us over the years.

Welcome back everybody, you’re listening to our BITESIZE segment, a small yet powerful dose of key takeaways and notable moments from each episode of The Perception Lens Series. This week, we pieced together some special highlights from our latest full-length episodes, Milestones and Turning Points Part 1 and 2.

You’re listening to our very first BITESIZE segment, a small yet powerful dose of key takeaways and highlights pulled from every full-length episode of The Perception Lens series. If you couldn’t catch our last episodes, Milestones and Turning Points Part 1 and 2, then tune into this week’s BITESIZE, where we recount our journey with Marvel Studios and the beginnings of our longstanding collaboration.

Step inside "The Perception Lens" series, a special feature of the Perception Podcast where co-founders Jeremy Lasky and Danny Gonzalez dive deep into the expansive realms of design, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this series, we discuss how visionary concepts come to life and share insights into the processes that shape the future of design. Each episode is dedicated to exploring the dynamic interplay between business and creativity through the lens of our cutting-edge design studio. Take an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Perception as we pull back the curtain on the ideas and experiences driving our unique Science Fiction Thinking approach. This week, we continue our journey through the evolution of Perception, delving into how we came to work on our first feature film for Marvel Studios: Iron Man 2.

Step inside "The Perception Lens" series, a special feature of the Perception Podcast where co-founders Jeremy Lasky and Danny Gonzalez dive deep into the expansive realms of design, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this series, we discuss how visionary concepts come to life and share insights into the processes that shape the future of design. Each episode is dedicated to exploring the dynamic interplay between business and creativity through the lens of our cutting-edge design studio. Take an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Perception as we pull back the curtain on the ideas and experiences driving our unique Science Fiction Thinking approach. To kick off our debut episode, we share the story of how Perception has evolved and how we navigated some major markers throughout the journey of growing our business into what it is today.

On this episode of the Perception Podcast, two worlds collide as our very own Danny Gonzalez chats with YouTube sensation, Danny Gonzalez. Hailing from Chicago, Danny Gonzalez began his rise to comedy and fame on Vine in 2014. Since then, Danny has established several successful YouTube channels, amassing over 6 million subscribers and 1.5 billion views on his main channel. Danny has won awards, toured the country, and now, he’s sitting down with us to see what parallels these Danny’s share in the Danny Gonzalez universe. Check out Danny Gonzalez on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Danny-Gonzalez

Today on the Perception Podcast is David Kirby, Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of the Science, Technology & Society Program at Cal Poly University. David Kirby was a practicing evolutionary geneticist before leaving bench science to explore science communication through entertainment media. His experiences as a member of the scientific community have informed his internationally recognized studies into the interactions between science, technology and fiction. His book, “Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists and Cinema” examines the historic collaborations between science consultants and the entertainment industry. He is currently writing a book titled, “Indecent Science: Religion, Science and Movie Censorship”, which will explore how movies served as a battle ground over science’s role in influencing morality. So let’s take a deep dive into the science of sci-fi cinema with David Kirby!

On this episode of the Perception Podcast, we're joined by Frankly Built, a connoisseur of 3D model printing and YouTube sensation. Frankly Built has almost 900,000 YouTube subscribers and he has built a community full of 3D printing enthusiasts looking to create their own incredible models and cosplays. Best known for his life size, wearable and self-created Iron Man suits, Frankly Built has 3D printed functional suits, props and costume pieces for superheroes, villains and video game characters from franchises worldwide. Power up your arc reactors, it’s time to learn what it takes to make the creations of Frankly Built.

Today on the Perception Podcast, we're chatting with Vince LaViolette, Vice President of Operations at Shelby American! Since joining Shelby American in 1999, Vince has been a staple in the process of automotive development, including research and development, product line management, and even vehicle development with longtime partner Carroll Shelby. From owning a racecar shop and racing in the Winston West NASCAR series, to customizing cars and test driving for Shelby, Vince is a mastermind when it comes to all things on the road. So, let’s get ready to take a deep dive into the automotive industry with Vince LaViolette.

This week on the Perception podcast, we're chatting with technology influencer, YouTuber and content creator, Austin Evans! Austin Evans has been a tech content creator since 2009 covering the latest news in technology and gaming on both his main channel, "Austin Evans", and secondary channel "This Is". Known for his friendly and approachable style, Austin excels at making the latest tech news exciting to both the layman and the hardcore enthusiast. Whether you’re wondering if that new gadget is worth it, looking for the coolest of retro and cutting edge tech, or shopping for the latest smartphone, you can find it on Austin’s channel. Let's get ready to take a deep dive into the worlds of technology, gaming, YouTube and even F1 racing with Austin!

This week on the Perception podcast, finally, after a lifetime of anticipation, Jeremy Lasky of Perception meets THE Jeremy Lasky of Pixar Animation Studios. Lasky began his film career at Pixar in 1997 as a layout artist on “A Bug’s Life.” He then worked in the layout department on “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.” Lasky served as director of photography on the Academy Award®-winning films “Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E” and “Toy Story 3,” Golden Globe®-winning feature, “Cars” as well as “Cars 2,” “Finding Dory,” and “Cars 3.” Currently, Lasky is working as director of photography on Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Lightyear,” set to release June 17, 2022. That film is going to be HUGE! SO teleport with us now, on the ultimate Perception mind trip, as we step into the Jeremy Lasky Multiverse ...

Today on the Perception Podcast we have an awesome treat for all our listeners. Our special guest is Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire, which holds the ranking of the best automotive podcast on the planet that he Co hosts with his long time confidant Zack Klapman. Matt is also well known on Youtube for his reviews and thrill rides of hundreds of cars through the canyons on the West Coast, tracks across the globe and other exciting venues . He’s driven everything from Electric vehicles to the mighty gas guzzlers. He also founded Westside Collector Car Storage and has a beautiful personal collection of vehicles including his childhood favorite - the 1988 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV. So lets get ready to hear some straight talk about a variety of automotive topics with Matt Farah.

Today on The Perception Podcast our special guest is James Hobson - better known as the youtube sensation The Hacksmith! James is a 29 year old inventor-turned-YouTube star who has built an engineering R&D company from the ground up by taking fictional ideas from comic book movies and video games, and making real working prototypes. His videos of building these real, Science Fiction prototypes are watched by his 7 million plus subscriber audience base on YouTube! With over a dozen employees and a new 13,000 square foot facility, he's taking the first steps to building a real life Stark Industries. So lets get ready to talk shop with The Hacksmith and see what he’s got cooking in the hacksmith lair.

Our conversation with David McCall. David is a senior designer at Audi working on some of the most cutting edge projects. He studied Industrial design at both Savannah college of art & design and North Carolina State University. After graduating he took his skills to Husqvarna were he was tasked with making lawn mowers look cool. He spent most of his time at Ford where he quickly moved up the ranks to Lead Interior designer. His most cherished project at Ford was being selected as part of an elite unit that was very small and super top secret to build the 2017 Ford GT. The GT program took the automotive industry by storm because of its raw power and beautiful design! It graced car magazine covers and websites across the globe. Dave moved on from Ford to a start up called Faraday Future where he met a colleague that later asked him to join a secret division at Audi in Malibu, California. We got to work with Dave and the elite team at Ford on the GT. Not only was it a dream project but the Ford team were an awesome group of people! Lets get the scoop from interior designer David McCall!

Professor Ben Saunders believes that reading comics makes you smarter. He founded and directs the Undergraduate Minor in Comics Studies at the University of Oregon, the first undergraduate minor of its kind in the world. He is the author of Desiring Donne: Poetry, Sexuality, Interpretation (Harvard, 2006)—and Do The Gods Wear Capes: Spirituality, Fantasy, and Superheroes (Continuum, 2011)—described as “the best critical work on the meaning and impact of super-heroes that has ever been written.” He is also co-editor (with Charles Hatfield) of Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby (IDW, 2015). Professor Saunders has spoken on comics-related topics at universities and conventions across the United States and internationally, and appears as an academic expert in the History Channel documentary, Superheroes Decoded. He has also curated several exhibitions of original comic art, and recently served as Chief Curator for “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes”—the largest and most comprehensive museum exhibition ever devoted to Marvel Comics. The show opened to record-breaking numbers at The Museum of Pop-Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle in 2018, and is currently touring throughout North America. So put on your cape, grab your shield, and suit up - let's geek out with Professor Ben Saunders… You can reach Professor Saunders at ben@uoregon.edu https://english.uoregon.edu/profile/ben Get his books here: https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Saunders/e/B001JSFE5I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 And check out the incredible exhibit Marvel Universe of Super Heroes at a city near you! Next stop, Detroit! https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/marvel-universe-of-super-heroes/