Talks & Videos
41 videos spanning conference talks on AI and design, educational game demos from Playpower Labs, and documentary fieldwork from Mumbai and Bangalore (2007-2010).
New · Listen with aligned transcript
The Source Library: Beta Launch
Launching sourcelibrary.org at the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam — translating the Renaissance with AI, from Ficino to 15,000 books in 55 languages. A 54-minute talk with word-aligned audio: click any sentence to listen from there.
Vibe Coding Workshops
Since 2022, Derek has taught people to build real software with AI — no programming background required. The mission is to reach the people who stand to gain the most from these tools but are least likely to pick them up: women entrepreneurs, non-technical founders, and anyone who’s been told that coding isn’t for them. Who is writing code these days? Everyone.
Want a workshop for your community or organization? Get in touch →
AI & Cocktails
Recurring seriesEmbassy of the Free Mind · Amsterdam
The flagship vibe coding series — a relaxed evening where anyone, with or without programming experience, learns to build real software with AI. Hosted at Amsterdam's historic Embassy of the Free Mind, often alongside Jasha van der Wel and Michell Zappa (Envisioning).
Smartgirls
Women entrepreneursSmartgirls network (Ellen Joosten) · Netherlands
Hands-on vibe coding with the Smartgirls network — Ellen Joosten's community for women entrepreneurs growing their businesses. Co-taught with Emma Furia, members went from never having touched a terminal to building their own tools with Claude Code. The clearest example of the mission: putting AI-assisted building in the hands of people who'd benefit most but are least likely to be told it's for them.
AI & Experience Design — Masterclass
University masterclassTU Delft · Delft, Netherlands
A masterclass for designers on building with AI, taught within TU Delft's Industrial Design Engineering program, plus open vibe coding sessions on campus.
Vibe Coding Workshop
Invited, following an HCI talkIT University of Copenhagen · Copenhagen
A hands-on session for the HCI Design section: even with no coding background you can create amazing software with AI, and even seasoned developers now build with it daily.
AI Coaching
InvitedInternet Archive · San Francisco
AI and vibe coding coaching at the Internet Archive, helping non-programmers turn ideas into working tools.
AI for Social Transformation Design
InvitedThe Design Village & partner institutes · India
Workshops bringing AI-assisted building to design students and practitioners, exploring how vibe coding can serve social transformation.
Featured
IDE Master Class: AI in Experience Design
Two-day TU Delft IDE Master Class for working professionals on integrating AI into design practice.
Designing AI for Wellbeing
Talk at the AiTech Agora at TU Delft on designing AI systems that maximize human wellbeing.
AI and Experience Design with Dr. Derek Lomas
#Tellarthosts conversation on taking a human-centered approach to artificial intelligence.
Embassy of the Free Mind: All is One — Documentary
Documentary on the Embassy of the Free Mind / Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam, featuring Derek and the Source Library project.
3:46$10 Educational Computer
Shows some of the educational games that come with a $10 educational computer, for sale in India
Talks & Lectures
Conference talks, public lectures, and master classes.
Documentary
Documentary footage and short films — much of it from fieldwork in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pittsburgh between 2007 and 2010.
0:25Street Tattoo
Using a chain of Batteries, ladies will give you a really unhygenic tattoo on the streets of Bombay! This is at the Bandra Street Fair, for the Festival of Mount Mary.
0:56Sewing machine mobile phone charger
Using some random parts found around bombay, we hacked together a footpowered sewing machine so that it can charge a mobile phone. Since there are footpowered sewing machines in nearly every village in India, this setup might help people stay connected even when the power goes out for days at a time. More at www.revolv.in hack, india, mobile phones, electricity
1:14Real time lapse
A portable camera tower allows aerial capture of crowd movements at etech's Make Fest. The crowd was able to see a real-time time-lapse of their own activity at 10x speed.
2:01Commuting in Bombay Monsoon
Commuting to Work in Bombay is more exciting than any disney ride, guaranteed.
0:36Bombay Traffic in the Monsoon
Going to work is an adventure when it rains... Flooded roads
1:24Space Ganesh
This is footage from Ganpati, the festival for everyone's favorite elephant god, Ganesh.
0:48Heavy Metal in Mumbai
So heavy metal is the most popular genre of live music it seems. Here is a glammed up nagalander (boomerang) busting up the crowd. But first the crowd shouts some nasty hindi at him because the concert is late to start.
1:09Electronics Shopping in the Monsoon
We needed to find some specialized components for the Sewing Machine Mobile Phone Charger, so we headed down to Lamington Road, in Bombay, India. It was way more exciting than going to Radioshack.
1:20Krishna's Birthday
Shows the excellent use of glitter graphics on Hindu devotional television, Krishna's Birthday celebration, a truck that is probably exceeding the legal limit of occupants, and my first motorcycle ride in Bombay
0:33Pushing buttons in Dharavi
Found some kids playing video games in this little tiny arcade in Dharavi, which is supposedly Asia's largest slum
Educational Games & Demos
Demos of educational games and learning tools developed at Playpower Labs and during PhD research at CMU.
4:15Hanuman Quiz Adventure
Incomplete: included in the Playpower.org 3-in-1 cartridge
4:27Hanuman Typing Warrior: A Worked Example
4:06NumberPower Presents: Numbaland!
Come to Numbaland.com to try out all of our games and learn about the academic research that inspires them
8:42Mathify - Techstars Demo Day
1:57Hanuman Typing Warrior - Household BC
0:34Malaria Game
Incomplete, but found on the Playpower.org 3-in-1 demo game cartridge.
0:47Hanuman Typing Warrior - Household BL 2
0:58Hanuman Typing Warrior - Household BL
3:48Hanuman Typing Trimmed
2:17BrainBuilder on TV
1:37AIWritingHelper.com
Research
Research demos, study walkthroughs, and project pitches.
Creative & Art
Creative experiments, art projects, and visualizations.
2:48Super-Cute Breathalyzer Doggie
3:27Chemhound
2:12Sppssshh-by-number
2:39Big Red Balloon
2:20Visualization of Myspace
2:00Art Party
1:18Social Memory Boards
1:43FireLab Presents: FireNova
2:57Mike Kai and Phantom Drone
Other
Miscellaneous video work.
