The World Transformed

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The Future for Better or Worse Oct 06, 2017

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Phil and Stephen add a positive spin to some otherwise gloomy future scenarios. Richard Dawkins: A.I. Might Run the World Better Than Humans Do Will A.I. take us over, and one day look back on this time period as the dawn of their civilization? Richard Dawkins posits an interesting idea, or at the very least a premise to a good science-fiction novel. Is this the best possible time to be alive? Sounds ludicrous, right? Human civilization has made immense progress — but it may well have peaked, and now we’re staring into the abyss What we didn't get Most famously, the mid-20th century was full of visions of starships, interplanetary exploration and colonization, android servitors and flying cars, planet-busting laser cannons, energy too cheap to meter. So far we don't have any of that. As Peter Thiel - one of our modern cyberpunk arch-villains - so memorably put it, "We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." GEEKOUT Hoping to bring VR to the multiplex, AMC joins Spielberg in backing Culver City startup Dreamscape Immersive, the Culver City-based company co-founded by veteran producer Walter P‎arkes and financed in part by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, has raised $20 million from AMC Entertainment, the companies announced Tuesday, along with an additional $10 million from other parties. Plus: Orville vs. new Star Trek Also: Time to get excited about Blade Runner 2049? WT 354-663

Unexpected (and Amazing) Breakthroughs Oct 04, 2017

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Phil and Stephen review some truly surprising developments in science and technology. Google Brain chief: AI tops humans in computer vision, and healthcare will never be the same “In 2011 their error rate was 26 percent,” says Jeff Dean, chief of the Google Brain project, which along with other tech giants has helped lead a recent revolution in image recognition as well as speech recognition and self-driving cars. Now, he says, computers’ ability to view and analyze images (pictured) exceeds what human eyes can do. Scientists create world's first 'molecular robot' capable of building molecules Scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world's first 'molecular robot' that is capable of performing basic tasks including building other molecules. The tiny robots, which are a millionth of a millimetre in size, can be programmed to move and build molecular cargo, using a tiny robotic arm. Scientists Just Used Gene Editing to Remove a Fatal Blood Disorder From Human Embryos A team of researchers from Sun Yat-sen University have used gene editing to correct a potentially fatal blood condition. This world-first accomplishment represents the first step to a future where we literally edit disease out of our bodies. Elon Musk is aiming to land spaceships on Mars in 2022 Also see here The hard-charging tech mogul said his rocket company, SpaceX, aims to land at least two cargo ships on the Red Planet in 2022 in order to place power, mining and life support systems there for future flights. WT 353-662

Kids These Days? Social Overload Meets New Realities Oct 02, 2017

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Phil and Stephen look at growing unease about the impact of social media and the ever-widening chasm between the generations. I used to think social media was a force for good. Now the evidence says I was wrong it went from being a place for crowdsourcing and sharing, during the initial wave of demonstrations against the Egyptian regime, to a fractious battleground full of “echo chambers” and “hate speech”: “The same tool that united us to topple dictators eventually tore us apart.” Ghonim saw social media polarising people into angry opposing camps – army supporters and Islamists – leaving centrists such as himself stuck in the middle, powerless. Coping With Photo Overload on Social Media Yes, you are oversharing photos. Here’s how to show your favorite moments to friends and family without alienating everyone. Cheap Sex and the Decline of Marriage Why is marriage in retreat among young Americans? Because it is now much easier for men to find sexual satisfaction outside marriage, argues Mark Regnerus A 40-year study of teens finds Generation Z is unlike any past generation — here’s what they’re all about Contrary to teenagers of past generations, Generation Z — broadly defined as people born between 1995 and the mid-2000s — aren’t drinking alcohol, having sex, driving, or going out without their parents nearly as much. WT 352-661

Don't Fear Technology Sep 29, 2017

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We conclude our three-part interview with novelist and futurist PJ Manney discussing her new book, (ID)entity. Here's part 1.Here's part 2. Topics include: Why a fearful approach is the worst approach to take -- even to dangerous technologies.How the influence of Alexandre Dumas can be seen in the first two novels in the Phoenix Horizon seriesA few thoughts on the final book in the trilogy, (CON)scienceWhether one should read the books as they come out or wait and binge on the whole series Plus a very special GEEKOUT Why Wonder Woman is so damn goodWhy the TV series from the 70's is also pretty good WT 351-660

Attack of the Fembots! Sep 27, 2017

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Phil and Stephen continue their discussion with bestselling author PJ Manney about her new book (ID)entity. (Listen to Part 1 here.) Topics include: Equifax and security Would anyone believe this story if it were fiction? What consideration can we expect when we are the product? What will security issues look like when we begin connecting our brains to the internet? More on how adult entertainment drives technological change. The world's first robot brothel has opened in Spain. China cracks down on rental sexbots. The coming era of robo-weapons. How the definition of "robot" is changing. How our feelings about robots are changing. Laughing at robots. Plus -- what comes after the current (R)evolution / (ID)entity / (CON)science trilogy is complete? About PJ: PJ Manney is the author of the bestselling and Philip K. Dick Award nominated (R)EVOLUTION, book 1 in the Phoenix Horizon series. She is a former chairperson of Humanity+, the author of “Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy,” and a frequent guest host and guest on podcasts including the World Transformed. PJ is a culture vulture and SF geek, and the daughter and mother of them, too. When not contemplating the future of humanity, she is a mother, wife, and education activist in California. WT 350-659

PJ Manney and (ID)entity Sep 25, 2017

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Bestselling author PJ Manney joins Phil and Stephen for part one of a three-part interview discussing her new novel (ID)entity. In the guise of political revolutionary Thomas Paine, bioengineer Peter Bernhardt brought down the corrupt and powerful Phoenix Club—and then turned revolution into evolution by becoming the first artificial human intelligence: Major Tom. In the two years since Major Tom revealed his digital existence and spread his freedom manifesto, he has been revered as a god and vilified as a demon. The United States and Europe have splintered into ideologically independent regions. Russia and China prepare to expand their empires. In the midst of the chaos, pirates attack a seastead in the Pacific Ocean, capturing one of Major Tom’s allies. A mysterious and powerful group wages a secret war. To rescue his ally, Major Tom must first regain his own humanity and somehow save a species he no longer identifies with, and which seems determined to destroy itself. About PJ: PJ Manney headPJ Manney is the author of the bestselling and Philip K. Dick Award nominated (R)EVOLUTION, book 1 in the Phoenix Horizon series. She is a former chairperson of Humanity+, the author of “Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy,” and a frequent guest host and guest on podcasts including the World Transformed. PJ is a culture vulture and SF geek, and the daughter and mother of them, too. When not contemplating the future of humanity, she is a mother, wife, and education activist in California.

Older than the Universe: Mega Mysteries Sep 15, 2017

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Phil and Stephen discuss mysteries both cosmic and small-scale. The Greatest Cosmic Puzzle: Astronomers Find Stars That Appear Older Than The Universe The oldest stars we've found in the Universe are nearly pristine, where almost 100% of what makes them up is the hydrogen and helium left over from the Big Bang. They come in at over 13 billion years old, with the oldest at 14.5 billion. And this is a big problem, because the Universe itself is only 13.8 billion years old. Do we have the age of the universe wrong or the age of these stars wrong? Any other possible explanation? Tasmanian tiger: Trio release footage they claim is sighting of thylacine Footage of a purported Tasmanian tiger sighting has been released, but the experts are yet to agree the species is back from the dead. Key points: Three Tasmanian men believe an animal they filmed last November is a thylacine Wildlife expert Nick Mooney says the animal is most likely a spotted quoll But Mr Mooney concedes there is a 20 per cent chance the animal is a Tassie tiger The vision was recorded last November and was shown at a press conference by a group called the Booth Richardson Tiger Team (BRTT), which has been trying to track a thylacine. The team said they had 14 cameras in an area within 50 kilometres of Maydena, changing the sites every fortnight. What Really Happened to Russia's Lost Cosmonauts? Examining the mysterious theories behind Russia's Lost Cosmonauts GEEK OUT The Orville -- Hit or Miss? WT 348-657

Becoming the Gods We Once Feared Sep 13, 2017

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What's next for humanity and artificial intelligence? Will we be the AI, and effective cogs in a machine? Will we be the owners of the intelligence -- which won’t exactly be us? Or will we become something far different? What would happen if we upload our brains to computers? Robin Hanson discusses his book, The Age of Em. Will our progeny be uploaded copies of human minds -- worker bees of a vast new economy? Is this the next stage in evolution or is it a nightmare slavery scenario? And if the latter, did our smartphones somehow lead us down this path? AI Will Colonize the Galaxy by the 2050s, According to the “Father of Deep Learning Jürgen Schmidhuber asserts that, by 2050, there will be trillions of self-replicating robot factories on the asteroid belt. In a few million years, robots will naturally explore the galaxy out of curiosity, setting their own goals without much human interaction. In the Year 2100 We Will Become the Gods We Once Feared Michio Kaku says that, like Zeus, we will control the physical universe with our minds. Like Venus we will have perfect, ageless bodies. Seems that he has caught on to the idea of Sexy Immortal Billionaires with Superpowers! More here. Interestingly, this scenario is not incompatible with Robin Hanson’s view that all the actual humans will be retired in the Em scenario. WT 347-656

The Smartphone and Beyond Sep 12, 2017

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Phil and Stephen discuss the near, not-so-near, and distant future of the smartphone The smartphone is eventually going to die, and then things are going to get really crazy Related: No beer goggles required: Brewer turns to AR tech in label to set itself apart in crowded market What would happen if we upload our brains to computers? Photo by Charlz Gutiérrez De Piñeres on Unsplash WT 346-655

Where No Fanboy Has Gone Before Sep 07, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen present a full Geek Out! show discussing the current state of big space and superhero movie franchises. What should we see from upcoming Star Wars, Star Trek, superhero and other geeky film series? Star Trek -- Time to wrap up the current film series? Phil explains how. Is anybody going to watch the new TV show? Orville -- the Galaxy Quest series we've all been waiting for? Han Solo -- Did the change of directors represent preserving a beloved character or tyrannical studio suits stepping in to protect the sensibilities of even more tyrannical fanchildren? Superhero movies in general -- More like Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Fewer like Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Superman -- Cheer up already! Sheesh. Blade Runner 2049 -- Not looking great. WT 345-654

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