History has its eyes on you! Tom Lin urges you to understand and search for the role you and your environment have in the endless stream of history. Tom Lin is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Davis. His scholarly research investigates the role of science fiction and popular culture in the shaping of large technical systems, such as the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile, using a hybrid approach that draws from the intersection of the history of technology and literary studies. His debut novel, THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU, reimagines the traditional Western, following a Chinese American assassin in the last days of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. It won the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award and the Northern California Book Reviewers’ Award in Fiction. His current projects include a new novel, forthcoming in 2026, as well as an exploration of American nuclear tourism. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx