The World Transformed

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World Transformed Year in Review: Best Stories of 2016 Dec 21, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon recap the best fure-related news stories of 2016. Alien Megastructures The world's first artificially intelligent lawyer was just hired at a law firm The Zuckerberg's Plan to End All Diseases Scientists Grow Full-Sized, Human Beating Hearts from Stem Cells Scientists reverse ageing in mammals and predict human trials within 10 years Elon Musk Announces His Plan to Colonize Mars Pittsburgh, your Self-Driving Uber is arriving now Test of 'Impossible' EmDrive Space Engine Passes Peer Review Barack Obama: Now Is the Greatest Time to Be Alive WT 247-556

Signs of the Times 3: We’re Living in A Sci-Fi Story! Dec 17, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon explore news items that PROVE we're living in science fiction. Jurassic Park First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber The tail of a 99-million-year-old dinosaur, including bones, soft tissue, and even feathers, has been found preserved in amber, according to a report published today in the journal Current Biology. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream / It’s a Good Life This AI’s attempt to write a Christmas carol is absolutely bone-chilling Now, researchers in Toronto have used a technology called “neural karaoke” to teach a computer to write a song after looking at a photo, and the little carol it penned after viewing a festive Christmas tree is an absolutely horrifying display of what these things think of us. Contact Humans and Supernova-Born Neutron Stars Have Similar Structures, Discover Scientists WT 246-555

Signs of the Times 2: The Amazing Future Starts Now Dec 15, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review more news stories indicating that high-concept future scenarios are coming true. Limitless Energy Star in a Jar' Fusion Reactor Works and Promises Infinite Energy Related: News from 2013 AI Ascendance / Life Extension The AI that could uncover the secret of eternal youth: Russian researchers reveal new tool to find life-extending drugs - and say it has already uncovered ten potential therapies First Contact NASA's Kepler Mission Discoveries Transform Drake's Equation --"Humans Not the First Technological Civilization in the Universe" A new study shows that the recent discoveries of exoplanets combined with a broader approach to the question makes it possible to assign a new empirically valid probability to whether any other advanced technological civilizations have ever existed. WT 245-554

Signs of the Times 1: Future Scenarios Coming True Dec 13, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review current news stories indicating that high-concept future scenarios are coming true. But First... John Glenn, American Hero of the Space Age, Dies at 95 John always had the right stuff,” President Obama said in a statement on Thursday, “inspiring generations of scientists, engineers and astronauts who will take us to Mars and beyond — not just to visit, but to stay.” Post-Scarcity Phil relays story of being unable to give a table away. Stephen talks about the death of repair as an industry. Regenerative Medicine First paralyzed human treated with stem cells has now regained his upper body movement Kris recovered two spinal chord levels which made a huge difference in his movement abilities. It was the difference between minimal movement or none at all and being able to function on his own. Kris regained the incredibly important aspect of independence. Post-Employment SILICON VALLEY CEO: People are 'lashing out' because technology is destroying more and more jobs Join us! WT 244-553

Global Solutions...the Elon Musk Way! Dec 10, 2016

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Elon Musk: We Can Power America by Covering Small Corner of Utah With Solar The Race to Wrap the Earth in Internet Is Heating Up SpaceX just asked permission to launch 4,425 satellites — more than orbit Earth today How feasible are Elon Musk’s plans to settle on Mars? A planetary scientist explains OTHER GEEK Terraforming Mars. Currently 5th on the hot new games list. In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process. WT 243-552

Amazing Augmentations and Augmentation Controversies Dec 08, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review breakthroughs in human augmentation technologies and the controversies that surround these technologies. China used CRISPR to fight cancer in a real live human Buzz Aldrin Had To Be Evacuated From Antarctica Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin recovering well after Antarctic evacuation Aging Is a Disease and It's Time to Cure It A Dose of a Hallucinogen From a ‘Magic Mushroom,’ and Then Lasting Peace Man 'cured' of prostate cancer after doctors shock tumour to death with testosterone IBM Creates a Molecule that Could Destroy All Viruses Join us! WT 242-551

The Speculist Perspective: Watching the Future and Watching the Watchers Dec 07, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review a code of ethics for human augmentation and discuss the role of the "speculist" (the observer) both in making sense of issues related to privacy and in making sense of the future as it unfolds.How do we best track where things are going? And how do we best understand our role as both the watcher and the watched? Code of Ethics on Human Augmentation: the three ‘Laws’ New Brain-Like Chip Uses Light to Go Blazingly Fast Algorithmic Bias: How the Clinton Campaign May Have Lost the Presidency or Why You Should Care This 3D-Printed Dog Nose Sniffs Out Explosives Join us! WT 241-550

Future Values: How Technology Can Help Us Become Better People Dec 03, 2016

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Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon explore ways technology can improve our efforts to improve ourselves as individuals and as a society as a whole. Rediscovering the Value of “Old” From Mark Zuckerberg saying that young people are “smarter” to so many Silicon Valley companies wearing their discriminatory hiring practices as a badge of honor (“We’re a young company!”), ageism has a lot of social and institutional support. Reinforcing Novelty As we get older, it’s a good idea to continue to try new things. We need to meet new people, read new books and new kinds of books, listen to new kinds of music, acquire and use new skills. There should be an app that reminds us to try new things and tracks our new experiences. Reinforcing Empathy We all need help and encouragement in showing empathy towards others, in particular towards those for whom we may be least inclined to give it. How about an empathy app? Numbers-Driven Improvements via Benchmarks We need a site that pools benchmarks for everything that people attempt in this life. Random Social Encouragement How about a social site / service wherein people state their goals and aspirations and ask for encouragement from others in carrying them out. Not help. Not advice. Just encouragement. In return, those asking for encouragement will agree to give it to others in the network. OTHER GEEK The Great Indoors Tower of Babylon The Menagerie WT 240-549

Reality...We Can Do Better Than That! Dec 02, 2016

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon make the case for Reality 2.0 Redefining Real. The phrase "virtual reality" is a problem. Although it credits VR as being just as good as “real” reality, it simultaneously declares that virtual reality is something other than reality. We need a new idea – reality 2.0. Total Empowerment. The reason to adopt reality 2.0 is that it is the fastest path for humanity to total empowerment. Smart Migration. Moving to reality 2.0 will require developing an optimum migration strategy. We must embrace the advantages of reality 2.0 while holding onto the original layer of reality. It is the inspiration for reality 2.0 as well as being its source of power and its biggest existential threat. Brain Life Extension. Moving to reality 2.0 will not bring efforts to extend human lifespan to an end – far from it. Rather, it will focus those efforts. In reality 1.0, in order to live longer we need our entire bodies to live longer. In reality 2.0, in order to live longer, we simply need our brains to live longer.This gives life extension efforts a new focus and allows researchers to get very specific about what they need to achieve. The Vat Life. We may find that the best way to keep our brains going in reality 2.0 will be in an artificial environment (a vat!) with no body at all. The idea of not having a body will seem bizarre to many, but in reality 2.0 we can have any body we like, and these bodies will feel as real to us as the one we have left behind. WT 239-548

Amazing Infrastructure: When Will We Have It? Dec 01, 2016

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss high-concept future engineering projects 10-mile high skyscrapers. Is there any reason to build skyscrapers a mile high, much less 10 miles high? Under-Ocean Highways. We have talked about floating highways that extend across the oceans, and also about underwater cities and possibly underwater highways, but what about highways that run completely underground under the ocean? Airplane Cities. We have talked about the idea of airplanes large enough to serve as hotels, but how about a little bit bigger than that? Or maybe even a lot bigger? How about airplanes that are essentially flying cities? Could such large structures be built? Domed Underwater Cities. In addition to floating islands that become cities and that are joined ultimately buy floating highways that connect the continents across the oceans, how about cities located underwater? Cities covered with an enormous dome. There are a few challenges related to such cities. (Related) Iceberg Houses Why not build houseboats -- or for that matter, entire building-boats -- to emulate icebergs? About 10% of the boat would be above the waterline, with the other 90% submerged. Such structures would be inherently stable and much roomier than standard boat designs. Treehouse Subdivisions. In another scenario we look at the idea of growing entire cities using highly genetically modified trees and other plants. But may be a good way to start such an ambitious plan would be simply to grow the suburbs of the city. And maybe the best way to start having trees serve as housing would be to start out with tree houses. WT 238-547

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