The World Transformed

Latest Episodes:

How Memes Shape the Future, Best of TWT Jun 22, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen explore the wonderful world of memetics. If our world is increasingly made of data, is it possible to overestimate the importance of these sticky, self-reproducing ideas? The future is made out of our ideas about the future (our memes), our actions now, and how those actions interact with the world within the context of the current state of technology. Topics: Memes: idea viruses. President Obama's "Just Word's" speech. Memes: the lifeblood of politics Early memes gave us civilization: fire, animal domestication, agriculture, and beer! Songs -- "Don't worry, be Happy" The chain letter-- bait, a hook, and even negative consequences for not passing it on. Jokes show how memes can mutate and evolve over time. Urban legends -- see Snopes How Phil got so "infected by memes" at a Foresight Nanotech Vision weekend that he started the Speculist. Aubrey de Grey: radical life extension is a meme that will save millions of lives. [This show first aired September 9, 2008.]

Amazing Engineering Means Business Jun 22, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen review stories about big engineering breakthroughs -- and the big economic changes they may lead to. Engineer Creates Green Oasis by Growing Glaciers in the Desert Sonam Wangchuck is an engineer who lives in Ladakh: a village that sits 11,500 feet up in the southern Himalayas. This Startup Is Disrupting The Construction Industry With 3D-Printing Robots CEO and cofounder of Cazza, a 3D printing construction technology launched in 2016. A Google-backed warehouse farm just raised $20 million to build in cities across the US Indoor agriculture startup Bowery says it's creating the farm of the future. Revolutionary solar paint creates endless energy from water vapor Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne have created a revolutionary new solar paint that can be used to produce endless amounts of clean energy. The innovative paint draws moisture from the air and splits it into oxygen and hydrogen. As a result, hydrogen can be captured as a clean fuel source. Graphene-based computer would be 1,000 times faster than silicon-based, use 100th the power A future graphene-based transistor using spintronics could lead to tinier computers that are a thousand times faster and use a hundredth of the power of silicon-based computers. WT 316-625

Weathering Storms; The Power of Inclusiveness; The Future of Work Jun 22, 2017

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Weathering Storms; The Power of Inclusiveness; The Future of Work Phil, Stephen, and Michael S. discuss the future of civil rights, the future of technology in government, and the future of work.

The Multi-Dimensional Brain Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen explore some wacky and practical implications of research suggesting that our brains may operate in up to 11 dimensions. Human Brain Discovered to Operate in 11 Dimensions --"Multiverse-Like Structures a World We Never Imagined” Swiss Scientists studying the brain using an advanced mathematical system have discovered that it operates on up to 11 different dimensions, creating multiverse-like structures. The researchers were able to uncover architectural structures that appears when the brain has to process information, before they disintegrate into nothing. Parallel Realities, the Multiverse and Consciousness – My Theory We are unconsciously and consciously living in a multiverse of infinite parallel realities all the time; they are all around us. We don’t usually consciously experience them because what we call consciousness only allows us to experience one simulation at a time. Want a Lifetime of Better Brain Function? Science Says Stop Doing This (It's Not What You Think) Stop only doing what's easy and pleasant. If you're in a great routine at work, break out of it by adding new responsibilities. If you've got an effective workout that you can do without even giving it much thought, add some new elements or up the ante by making it longer and more intense. WT 315-624

Getting Reality Wrong Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss why “reality” is a trickier proposition than we think. A neuroscientist says your 'reality' could be entirely different from the person sitting next to you — and you'll never know how much The broader point that Eagleman is working towards here is that everyone's reality is subjective. We're all trapped in our own brains but laughably confident that we're experiencing the world as it truly is. A Theory of Reality as More Than the Sum of Its Parts Agency doesn’t exist among the atoms, and so reductionism suggests agents don’t exist at all....Hoel’s theory, called “causal emergence,” roundly rejects this reductionist assumption. The Impossible Mathematics of the Real World Near-miss math provides exact representations of almost-right answers. OTHER GEEK Audible Hack Old-school geeking with ham radio WT 314-623

Longshot Futures (Part 2), Best of TWT Jun 15, 2017

Show notes

Phil, Stephen, and Michael S. discuss MORE unlikely scenarios that will pay off big if they pan out. Topics discussed: Compressed air cars. Cognitive Enhancement -- all time smartest human within the next 20 years? Life Extension. Wireless transmission of power. Faster than light travel. Longshot futures are important because they open our eyes to possibilities, including possibilities for much more likely future developments. Also, it's important to remember that longshots DO pay off every once in a while. So these kinds of scenarios can help us to prepare for the surprises that the future almost certainly does have in store for us. [This show first aired August 25, 2008.]

The Return of Moore’s Law (and Other Amazing Developments) Jun 14, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss recent positive breakthroughs from a number of fields New Cancer Drug Is So Effective Against Tumors, the FDA Approved It Immediately A small but significant new study is blowing experts away after it found that a particular cancer drug overwhelmingly helped shrink or eradicate tumors in patients whose cancer had resisted every other form of treatment. An IBM Breakthrough Ensures Silicon Will Keep Shrinking Today, an IBM-led group of researchers have detailed a breakthrough transistor design, one that will enable processors to continue their Moore’s Law march toward smaller, more affordable iterations. New “Instantly Rechargeable” Battery Deals a Fatal Blow to Fossil Fuels Purdue researchers have developed technology for an “instantly rechargeable” battery that is affordable, environmentally friendly, and safe. Currently, electric vehicles need charging ports in convenient locations to be viable, but this battery technology would allow drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles to charge up much like drivers of conventional cars refill quickly and easily at gas stations. AI Learns How to Create Human Faces From Scratch There’s nothing more popular in the science and technology world today than artificial intelligence (AI). With companies like Google now pushing an “AI-first” policy, not to mention AlphaGo’s show of dominance against the best Go players we humans could come up with, it’s pretty clear that AI is here to stay – and rise. WT 313-622

Longshot Futures (Part 1), Best of TWT Jun 13, 2017

Show notes

Phil, Stephen, and Michael D discuss unlikely scenarios that will pay off big if they pan out. Using alpha lipoic acid (APA) as a weight maintenance tool. Blacklight Power -- electricity straight from water. Since this show aired, they became Brilliant Light Power and added dark matter to their pitch! They still aren't producing massive quantities of energy from water, unfortunately Bussard's fusion reactor Plus: Human augmentation to make us all Olympics stars Interstellar travel [This show first aired August 18, 2008.]

A Cure for Multiple Sclerosis? Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss recent positive developments in science and technology. Chinese Experiment Reaches Space Station in Historic First A Chinese experiment is now on the International Space Station (ISS), having reached the orbiting lab Monday (June 5) aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. ____ Superantibiotic is 25,000 times more potent than its predecessor The world’s last line of defense against disease-causing bacteria just got a new warrior: vancomycin 3.0. Its predecessor—vancomycin 1.0—has been used since 1958 to combat dangerous infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. But as the rise of resistant bacteria has blunted its effectiveness, scientists have engineered more potent versions of the drug—vancomycin 2.0. Now, version 3.0 has a unique three-pronged approach to killing bacteria that could give doctors a powerful new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria and help researchers engineer more durable antibiotics. ____ In Switzerland, a giant new machine is sucking carbon directly from the air The world's first commercial plant for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air opened yesterday, refueling a debate about whether the technology can truly play a significant role in removing greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. ____ Brit scientist could be about to CURE multiple sclerosis and provide hope for millions A British scientist could have made one of the most important medical breakthroughs of recent years. WT 312-621

Universes Colliding (and Other Stories) Jun 09, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen review review a variety of future-related news items Could cold spot in the sky be a bruise from a collision with a parallel universe? Universal cancer test that detects tumours 10 years before they become dangerous is being developed Moore Law is Dead but GPU will get 1000X faster by 2025 Instead of Retiring, He Decided to Keep Working and Save the Planet Amsterdam and Paris could be connected by Hyperloop by 2021 OTHER GEEK Peeking into the Fanboy Brain Restaurants for Mordor WT 311-620

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