The World Transformed

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Space Colonies Made Affordable May 19, 2017

Show notes

Brian Wang joins Phil and Stephen to talk about building relatively low-cost human settlements in low earth orbit. Spacex will begin deploying low cost mass produced internet satellites starting in 2019 SpaceX said it plans to launch thousands of satellites on Falcon 9 rockets beginning in 2019 to establish what would one day become a global broadband internet constellation. Towards an Economically Viable roadmap to large scale space colonization Al Globus and Joe Strout have an analysis that space settlements in low (~500 km) Earth equatorial orbits may not require any radiation shielding at all. This is based on a careful analysis of requirements and extensive simulation of radiation effects. This radically reduces system mass and has profound implications for space settlement, as extraterrestrial mining and manufacturing are no longer on the critical path to the first settlements, although they will be essential in later stages. It also means the first settlements can evolve from space stations, hotels, and retirement communities in relatively small steps. Why does settling space become more affordable in low earth orbit? How can we continue to drive the costs down? Tune in and explore! WT 304-613

Electricity, the Ultimate Flex Fuel, Best of TWT May 18, 2017

Show notes

Special guests Tobias Buckell and Suraya Yahaya Bowermaster join Phil and Stephen to discuss a variety of technology and future-related topics. Suraya Yahaya on how to avoid being ripped off when buying consumer electronics, and what to do if you ARE ripped off. Tobias Buckell on his novel, Sly Mongoose. Hellboy 2 Review Electric trucks and motorcycles PLUS: Astounding Science Facts! [This show first aired July 14, 2008.]

Coffee, Cheese, and VR Chickens: the Need for Something More May 17, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss hard-wired behavior -- including our efforts to make the world a better place. Cheese triggers same part of brain as hard drugs, study finds You actually would die without your coffee, research says Drinking three to five cups of coffee per day gives you a longer life, making you 15 percent less likely to die early, lowering your risk of dying from a heart attack or a stroke by 21 percent and slashing your risk for type 2 diabetes by 12 percent. Neuroscience confirms that to be truly happy, you will always need something more Neuroscientist Jaak Panskepp argues that of seven core instincts in the human brain (anger, fear, panic-grief, maternal care, pleasure/lust, play, and seeking), seeking is the most important. All mammals have this seeking system, says Panskepp, wherein dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to reward and pleasure, is also involved in coordinating planning activities. It's Happening: Scientists Can Now Reverse DNA Ageing in Mice Chemists Are One Step Closer to Manipulating All Matter The case for raising chickens in virtual reality WT 303-612

The Silent Singularity, Best of TWT May 16, 2017

Show notes

Phil, Stephen, and Michael D. discuss the the silent singularity and a wide range of other futuristic topics. The 100th anniversary of the Tunguska event.Movie reviews: Hancock and Wall-eBrian Wang's Mundane Singularity How much of some of the key goals of a transhuman singularity can be achieved without fullblown molecular nanotechnology, AGI or fusion ? Quite a bit. which is why the real deal with molecular nanotechnology, AGI and fusion will be really impressive. The mundane technological singularity shows the kinds of societal shifts that will be needed in order to fully take advantage of the upside. A lot of systems and processes have to be redesigned. The mundane singularity is 100 to 1000 times faster in terms of production and various capabilities. Phil's TakeDeclaration of SingularityElectric inflatable car!Terrance McKenna- Time WaveKurzweil's logarithmic paradigm shift chartMayan calander and the end of the world in 2012. [This show first aired July 7, 2008.]

Quantum Computers, AI Drug Discovery, and Desktop Deep Learning May 15, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss computing breakthroughs. Are new paradigms emerging? China adds a quantum computer to high-performance computing arsenal Quantum computers have already been built by companies like IBM and D-Wave, but Chinese researchers have taken a different approach. They are introducing quantum computing using multiple photons, which could provide a superior way to calculate compared to today's computers. The Chinese quantum computing architecture allows for five-photon sampling and entanglement. It's an improvement over previous experiments involving single-photon sourcing, up to 24,000 times faster, the researchers claimed. AI startup Neurala claims major breakthrough in deep learning Artificial intelligence startup Neurala Inc., a company that’s built a deep learning neural network used by NASA among other organizations, today announced a major new breakthrough that it claims will finally make the technology useful for consumers. The company says it has developed deep learning software capable of learning without the need for servers running in the cloud, enabling a new generation of smart cars, children’s toys and industrial machines. Drug Discovery AI Can Do in a Day What Currently Takes Months Last week, researchers published a paper detailing an artificial intelligence system made to help discover new drugs, and significantly shorten the amount of time and money it takes to do so. WT 302-611

Anti-Aging Gets Real May 12, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss encouraging trends in developing treatments to combat aging One of China's Top Investors Just Put $25 Million Into a US Anti-Aging Company ChromaDex, the natural products company behind an anti-aging compound named the Most Promising Ingredient of the Year in 2012, just came into a ton of cash from one of the world’s top investors. On Friday, billionaire Li Ka-shing—who is the richest man in Hong Kong—purchased $25 million in common stock of the publicly traded California-based company through his venture capital firm Horizon Ventures. This adds to an impressive list of investments for the group, which has backed over 40 disruptive global giants including Facebook, Spotify, Siri, Impossible Foods and DeepMind. OTHER GEEK The Thing is becoming a board game — get a first look WT 302-611

The Future of Fit, Best of TWT May 11, 2017

Show notes

Panelists Brian Wang, PJ Manney, and Shawn Phillips discuss the future of fitness The future of nutrition: vertical farming, genetically modified foods, vat meat, and a computerized nutritionists that resides "onboard" "Nutraceuticals" - food as medicine.Smoking: getting the information out about how smoking harms health helped reduce smoking. But the social stigma may have moved done more. A tiered system of nutrition? The disconnect between our buff entertainers and our fat butts. Related documentary: "Bigger, Stronger, Faster."The promise of Myostatin inhibition.People that are out of shape don't realize how bad they feel. Feeling bad becomes the new normal.The crappy beta versions of human enhancement that some people are experimenting with today, often to their detriment. When will better enhancements be available?Maybe we need a drug to make us take as much joy out of activity as a five-year-old. For them it's not exercise... it's play. [This show first aired June 30, 2008.]

CRISPR and the New Biotech Revolution May 10, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss medical breakthroughs enabled by the new gene "word processor,' CRISPR CRISPR and the Dawn of the New Biotech Revolution CRISPR genome editing will transform biotechnology and our lives in the next decade making possible (and cheap*) all kinds of new cures, new crops, new livestock, new industrial processes, and new ways to manage the environmental commons. With regard to new cures, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh have just published results in which they used CRISPR to almost entirely eliminate HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from living experimental animals. More Even though the virus starts as a simple infection, once it becomes part of a person’s chromosome, it essentially becomes a genetic disease. Imagine a world where, instead of removing her breasts, Angelina Jolie could instead have taken a dose of genes that snip away the BRCA2 genes that threatened her with cancer. That’s the difference between a treatment and a cure. WT 301-610

The Future of Fun, Best of TWT May 09, 2017

Show notes

Phil, Stephen, and Michael D. talk about the future of fun. Will our fun future be jeopardized by peak oil?Will we allow ourselves to enjoy the great future once it gets here? Or will we obsess more and more about less and less serious problems?How much time will we spend in virtual reality?Is the notion that we would get bored with an indefinite lifespan just a new iteration of the Tithonus Error? Maybe we won't get bored because - in addition to remaining biologically young - we'll also be getting smarter. This is part of Eliezer Yudkowsky's Theory of Fun (MP3 of the speech and transcript is at the link). According to his theory, "fun space" is a function of intelligence. The more intelligent we are, the more possibilities of fun we have.Things we can't grasp today will be fun (and funny) to us when we're smarter. Consider the Simpson's episode "Bart the Genius." [This show first aired 06/23/2008.]

Airships to Orbit May 08, 2017

Show notes

Phil and Stephen discuss sending lighter than air craft into orbit via slow acceleration Can Giant Airships Accelerate To Orbit (JP Aerospace's Idea)? Their airships would be constructed and inflated at an altitude of 140,000 feet on a high altitude platform, his "Dark Sky Station" so called because it is so high in the atmosphere that the sky there is dark, just as it is when seen from space, even at midday. They would be far too flimsy to survive at ground level, but would be fine for flight at that height above all the weather in our atmosphere. Passengers would travel up to this platform in a more conventional stratospheric airship, then transfer to the orbital airship for the final stage of their journey. They then slowly accelerate to orbit over a time period of several days. The Controversy He can't get enough power to accelerate all the way to orbital velocity. He won't be able to generate aerodynamic lift above the conventional "Karman line" The Dark Sky Station would be too heavy to be buoyant at 240,000 feet, or else would be too fragile to last long Will it work? What are the advantages of this approach over rockets? What are the advantages of this approach vs. Space elevator? Tune in and explore! WT 300-609

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