Near the end of 2007 I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Ursula Franklin regarding her political and religious beliefs, as well as her lifelong activism and social criticism. I first heard her speak in 1995 at a conference around community access to the information highway (oh what weird words we used back then). At the time I was just starting to look at critical perspectives on technology, and Ursula's work influenced me quite a bit. Her definition of technology as being "how we do things around here" helped me understand the cultural impact of technology where others tend to miss this crucial influence.

In this interview we cover quite a bit of ground, starting with the analysis of the rise of techno-fascism, and the destructive impact of a society that is driven by the machines of war, which we contrast to the role of feminism and pacifism in moving towards a more socially just society. This discussion was an extension of the ideas in her latest book, The Ursula Franklin Reader: Pacifism as a Map, which was published by Between The Lines.

I recently interviewed Professor Daniel A Bell, who teaches in the philosophy department at Tsinghua University in Beijing, regarding the revival of Confucianism in modern day China. As some of you know I've studied Chinese history for some time now, explicitly Chinese political theory, in part because I feel it is relevant and applicable to global geopolitics. In this interview, Prof Bell and I are able to really get into some substantive issues with regard to the way in which China is changing, and the role Confucian, and to a lesser extent Taoist thought is affecting contemporary society.

The following segment from 3D Dialogue is a great example of how the show combines politics, religion, sociology, and economics to cover a story in a unique way, especially when it comes to complex issues such as the recent protests in Burma. This interview with Bush Gulati, from the Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma, provides an overview of the role Buddhist Monks play in the struggle against the military dictatorship in Myanmar.

I quite enjoy the CBC sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie. I find it an excellent example of what Canadian television can achieve when given the proper funding and development environment. The show's creator and producer Zarqa Nawaz came on my show 3D Dialogue for an interview regarding where the show came from and the rationale behind its characters and context. Season 2 of the show will air on CBC this coming fall and I'm looking forward to see how it progresses.

Retired CBC foreign correspondent David Halton has been giving lectures and is writing a book about his experiences, and explicitly his time as the Washington correspondent for CBC News. David was in Washington during the rise of the religious right, and the ascendancy of the born-again Bush White House. It was with this in mind that I interviewed him for my show 3D Dialogue:

I recently had James Loney as a guest on 3D Dialogue to discuss the work and activism of the Christian Peacemaker Teams. James was taken hostage and held captive while in Iraq doing work for CPT. Nonetheless his commitment to the abolition of war has not been reduced, and he is as passionate about his activism as he as ever been.

We have a rather broad mandate on my show 3D Dialogue. While I only post a small sample of clips from the show on youtube and this site, we really do cover an incredible breadth and diversity of faiths and spiritual practices.

However this also includes people and philosophies that are critical of mainstream or traditional practices. An example of this is the following interview about Atheism with Philosophy Professor Ronald de Sousa from the University of Toronto.

Technology is something that shapes our experience, the tools we use have so much influence on how we do what we do. Which is why I feel an ethics of technology is so important. We require the critical capacity to evaluate and understand the potential impact of our technology. However so many stumble forward blindly, immersing themselves in, and ingesting wholesale the technology that surrounds them.

Taoism has always been a philosophy and practice that I've studied and explored. One concept, that is shared by many other eastern philosophies, is that of Self-Cultivation. Recently, on 3D Dialogue, I spoke with retired Trent University Professor Robert Carter about this idea, and the role it plays in the East, as well as how all of us can integrate the practice into our everyday activities. I was so enamored with Professor Carter during this interview, and I'm sure you'll also find the tone of his voice, and the wisdom of his words to be simultaneously inviting and inspiring. Check it out:

Filmmaker Robin Benger is someone I've grown quite close to in the past year. I admire both his work, and his general perspective, I hope to collaborate with him in the future on all sorts of projects.