The World Transformed

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WT 100: Transforming the World One Podcast at a Time Dec 05, 2014

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon have done more than 400 podcasts over the years. Tonight marks the 100th show since this program changed its name from FastForward radio to The World Transformed. So, 100 shows in, how are we doing at transforming the world? The guys review some of their favorite shows and topics from the past two years, review subjects that require further exploration, and give some thoughts on where the next 100 shows might take us. Join us for our 100th trip into the future as The World Transformed.

Modern Problems: On Comet Landings and Battery Life Nov 14, 2014

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss the triumph that is this week's historic landing of the Philae space probe on comet 67P, and the odd circumstances by which unwanted shade and low battery life might cut the mission short. In an oddly related story, the Hubble Telescope has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. In other news, scientists are doing creepy mind-control experiments that really work (and that perhaps aren't all that creepy -- or technically even "mind control," come to think of it.) PLUS -- will it soon be possible for anyone to have a young mind -- no matter how old they are? Join us.

The End of Space Tourism (or not yet the Beginning?) Nov 07, 2014

Show notes

In light of the recent Spaceship 2 disaster, hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss the past and future of space toursim. The discovery of the oldest map of the cosmos is a reminder that we have been pursuing the great Out There for a very long time. Some are now asking whether space tourism can survive. Have we reached the end, or have we even made it to the beginning yet? PLUS: Who is really going to steal your job? (Maybe not a robot.) And on a completely unrelated topic (or is it?) can you ever really know an extraterrestrial? Bonus topic, time permitting: Do we need more big data hype?

The Hoverboard Imperative: Why Some Technologies Insist on Coming into Being Oct 31, 2014

Show notes

What do the Back to the Future movies tell us about the year 2015? They tell us that we will still be using fax machines, that we will have desktop fusion devices, that movies will be full 3-D and immersive with no need for glasses, and -- most importantly -- that the skateboard will have evolved into a the magical, amazing Hoverboard. One item on the list has captured the popular imagination. And people are working on making it happen. What is it that makes some far-fetched-sounding ideas about the future achievable goals, while others remain interesting, but remote, possibilities? Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon explore this question, and apply it to such widely divergent future technologies as: Human Cyborgs (also here) -- do you want to be Robocop or the Six Million Dollar Man? The ever-popular flying car -- a technology that keeps being "invented," and yet somehow remains elusive. The ambulance drone -- who saw that one coming? ...as well as other technologies. Which of these will capture the imagination the way the hoverboard has? And which will remain elusive and remote possibilities? Tune in and explore.

The Philosophy of Mind Uploading Oct 24, 2014

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome author Keith Wiley to discuss his book: A Taxonomy and Metaphysics of Mind Uploading. One day soon we may be able to transfer human minds to computers. But for that to be possible, there is a good deal that we will need to understand about the process of transferring minds, as well as about minds themselves. Keith Wiley explains some of the major philosophical challenges that thus topic raises, along with his responses to each About our guest: Keith Wiley has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of New Mexico and was one of the original members of MURG, the Mind Uploading Research Group, an online community dating to the mid-90s that discussed issues of consciousness with an aim toward mind-uploading. He has written multiple book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and magazine articles, in addition to several essays on a broad array of topics, available on his website. Keith is also an avid rock-climber and a prolific classical piano composer.

Is Technology Just Using Us? (With PJ Manney) Oct 17, 2014

Show notes

From a recent TechCrunch piece by Christian Cantrell: This is only one example of how technology has a tendency to self-propagate; to use humans as a vector to create copies and mutations and derivatives of itself; to recursively generate demand for itself in order to not only ensure its own survival, but its constant and even exponential proliferation. The relationship between humans and technology is becoming increasingly enmeshed, and in some cases, even ambiguous. So what's the deal, here? Do we have a respectful and mutually nurturing relationship with technology, or are the machines just telling us what we want to hear until they get what they want? Special guest P J Manney joins hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon to explore this increasingly complex relationship. PLUS: what's new with PJ? Potentially some very exciting stuff!

The Little Blue Light that Changed the World Oct 10, 2014

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Hosts Stephen Gordon and Phil Bowermaster discuss a wide variety of topics that show just how quickly, and completely botht he world and our understanding of it are changing. Why the inventors of the LED deserved a Nobel prize. Howtransparent solar cells will redefine what we do with windows. Why NASA is researching ways to make people sleep for a long time. How a berry discoverd in Autralia might be the cure for cancer. Why we care about skinny worms on a high-sugar diet. How a spacecraft and a lunar highway were discovered in a 1968 moon photo. Why Peter Thiel is wrong about the future. There's something there for everybody, we believe. Tune in and explore!

Fountain of Youth: Right in Front of Us? Oct 03, 2014

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss the possibility of achieving singnifcant human life extension via existing, commonplace drugs. What if the cure for aging was right in front of us all along? And even if it isn't, what are the chances that we're going to find it soon? And are we really closing in on learning the programming language of aging? PLUS: What's that huge thing in Titan's ocean? A storm? A school of fish? A tanker ship? Tune in and explore. Mysterious feature in Titan Sea http://phys.org/news/2014-09-cassini-mysterious-feature-evolve-titan.html

Flipping the Switch -- On Aging, Happiness, Space Travel, and Humanity Itself Sep 26, 2014

Show notes

Maybe transforming the world doesn't have to be so much work. Maybe we can make some of the biggest and most sweeping changes with the flip of a switch. Is India flipping the switch on space travel with its on-the-cheap Mars mission? Can we flip a switch and do away with unhappiness? Is there a switch we can flip to turn off the aging process? And the big one, can we flip the switch on ourselves as a species? Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon explore a future that may just be one flip of the switch away. Join us.

The Ghosts of Evolution Sep 19, 2014

Show notes

Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon examine the mysteries of time encoded in living beings all around us. What do present-day species tell us about life in the distant past? And there may be deeper implications. Could the presence of evolutionary ghosts hint at unexpected truths about the origins not just of life, but the universe itself? Plus: Permits for self-driving cars -- does this mean the self-driving future is inevitable?The abundance of telemetry and natural disasters: how are fitness apps helping us to track earthquakes? Education: are robots on the verge of creating a permanent underclass?NASA partnering with the private sector to take astronauts to space Tune in and explore.

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