Constellation: Making the Graphic Novel

Latest Episodes:

071: Robin Hanson on “What Does a Future of Emulated Minds Look Like?” Jun 03, 2016

Show notes

We’re back! After a prolonged hiatus, Ted and Jon return joined by guest Robin Hanson, the economics professor and blogger at Overcoming Bias, who discusses the central concept of his new book, The Age of Em: Work, Love and Life when Robots Rule the Earth. We discuss his assumption that whole brain emulations will emerge before theoretically-driven AGI, […]

070: Review of BLACK MIRROR: WHITE CHRISTMAS Feb 03, 2016

Show notes

In today’s podcast, we review an episode of the British television series Black Mirror. Black Mirror is an anthology show that presents a dark spin on our relationship with technology. The series, despite its flaws, is highly entertaining and full of interesting thought experiments. Today we are focusing on the Christmas special, a longer episode […]

069: What are the Possibilities of Augmented Reality? Jan 13, 2016

Show notes

In today’s podcast we offer a broad survey of augmented reality. How will the social and economic aspects of our lives be different in a world where computers are constantly altering our vision? What are the main benefits that AR has over VR? How does one even define augmented reality anyway? Relevant Links Images from Magic Leap Patent Application Analysis of Potential AR/VR […]

068: Does Life Have Meaning in a World Without Work? Dec 15, 2015

Show notes

In today’s podcast we get philosophical about work and the meaning of life. Repeat guest John Danaher steers us away from the traditional arguments surrounding technological unemployment and towards a different set of questions: Is it possible for humans to have a meaningful existence in a world where they’ve been completely sidelined by machines? Is a life […]

067: Should You Sign Up for Cryonics? Oct 22, 2015

Show notes

In today’s podcast, we discuss cryonics, a topic we only recently became interested in. After a general overview of what cryonics is and where it comes from, we try to determine whether or not cryonics is a service we would sign up for. The rational arguments in favor of cryonics seem to be very strong, and the cost of […]

066: George Dvorsky on “What is the Future of Human Advancement?” Oct 07, 2015

Show notes

In today’s podcast, Jon talks with futurist and bioethicist George Dvorsky about the future of human enhancement. Topics covered include radical life extension, editing the human germline, multiplex parenting, artificial wombs, intelligence augmentation, moral enhancement, and more. What enhancements are just around the corner, and how cautious should we be when it comes to […]

065: What is the Future of Virtual Assistants? Sep 21, 2015

Show notes

In today’s podcast, we discuss the future of virtual assistant software. A long list of major companies and startups are racing to develop voice activated software that can help organize your life. Today’s assistant apps are still incredibly primitive, but it appears they may get considerably better in the near future. We identify and analyze three major […]

064: Calum Chace on “Is it Time to Start Worrying About AI?” Sep 09, 2015

Show notes

In today’s episode, Jon speaks with Calum Chace, author of the new nonfiction book Surviving AI. The potential risk posed by superintelligent AI has recently gained unprecedented coverage in the mainstream press, thanks to the release of Nick Bostrom’s book Superintelligence and public statements by the likes of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking. In our […]

063: Bonus Episode: Kickstarter Launch, Social VR, and ADVANTAGEOUS Review Aug 31, 2015

Show notes

Our Kickstarter is LIVE! In this bonus mini-episode, we discuss our sci fi graphic novel project LET GO, and how you can help. We also respond to some listener questions about social networking in virtual reality. To what extent will modern day websites be replaced by virtual counterparts? Finally, Jon gives a short review of the indie sci fi film ADVANTAGEOUS. Relevant […]

062: What is the Future of Brain-Computer Interfaces? Aug 26, 2015

Show notes

In today’s episode we talk about brain-computer interfaces. We discuss the range of available invasive and non-invasive sensor options, the difficulties of processing brain signals, and the wide variety of ways computers might use realtime brain data. While it’s clear that BCIs promise incredible benefits to people who are paralyzed, it’s less clear how extensively BCIs will benefit […]

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