The World Transformed

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Unexpected Futures Apr 04, 2013

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Think you have a handle on what's going to happen next? Well, think again. Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss 10 future developments you might not have considered, but that you might well live to see. (WT012)

The Great World Transformed Debate Mar 28, 2013

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The future is on its way. What will it be like? Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon debate some pivotal questions about what may unfold in the years to come. Resolved: The discovery of extraterrestrial life is inevitable, as is the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence. Resolved: Newly discovered oil reserves will go largely untapped; the future belongs to alternative sources of energy. Resolved: Within a decade, bitcoin -- or something like it -- will be one of the world's leading currencies. Resolved: Humanity's fate is summarized in the title of R. Buckminster Fuller's book: Utopia or Oblivion. One or the other is inevitable. (WT011)

Our Thinking Transformed -- Best of WT Mar 21, 2013

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Originally aired June 29, 2011: David Brin, P.J. Manney, and Thomas McCabe talk about how our thinking must change if we are to survive and thrive in a wolrd transformed. The World Transformed 2, Part 1 Some of it is evolutionary, some of it is cultural, and a small portion of it is original to us as individuals. It is our way of thinking. Our thinking is always subject to scrutiny and inspection, but perhaps never more urgently than now. If profound change truly is upon us… …what assumptions must we avoid? …what new ideas must we be ready to embrace? …what cherished “truths” must we be prepared to put away once and for all? Our panel will explore the role that education, imagination, and creativity have to play in coming to grips with a world in a state of transformation. Our Panelists David Brin P.J. Manney Thomas McCabe

Next Week in Science Mar 14, 2013

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Babies cured of HIV! Sharks with chainsaw jaws! Earth-Like planets closer then we thought! Ancient languages reconstructed! Rats with their brains wired together! Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review select items from popular web features dedicated to tracking weekly developments in science. Amazing breakhroughs are occurring all the time. What's coming next? Phil and Stephen provide some headlines they hope to see soon. (WT010)

Humanity and Transcendence Mar 07, 2013

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Futurists Samantha Atkins and PJ Manney join hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon to discuss whether there is anything truly new in the movement known as "transhumanism." Was there ever a time when humanity wasn't striving to transcend its current state? Perhaps we'll find that we have always lived in the future. If so -- how is the situation any different today? What exactly is the difference between a human and a "trans" human? Tune in and explore! About our Guests: Samantha Atkins is a software architect, a futurist, and a transhumanist. Much of her professional work is in the area of persistent and distributed systems. She is also is a budding entrepreneur currently bootstrapping a startup to make people effectively smarter. She has an avid interest in Artificial Intelligence, Longevity, and Intelligence Augmentation. Samantha also runs a transhumanist group in Second Life with weekly meetings on current technological trends and research in nanotech, biotech, energy, computation, cognitive science, economics and other current situation indicators and what can be done to move us toward the future we desire. She is especially focused on envisioning the future we wish to inhabit and on what it will take to manifest this future, especially in the critical nexus of the next few decades. PJ Manney is a writer and futurist. She is the former chair of the World Transhumanist Association -- an organization whose name she helped change. She has also been a frequent guest, sometimes host and the official hollywood correspondent for this program. (WT009)

Super Beings Feb 28, 2013

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What would you like to do...leap tall buildings in a single bound? Change the course of mighty rivers? Bend steel with your bare hands? Well hang on: the age of superpowers is here and it has only begun. Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss our superhuman future, including: The amazing powers we already possess The astounding abilities that will soon be available for anyone who wants them Ultimate feats: the capabilities we most hope one day to possess Join us. Your super-destiny awaits. (WT008)

Best of WT -- Reworking the Human Architecture Feb 21, 2013

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[Originally broadcast July 2009] Human evolution is well on its way to becoming a do-it-yourself project. Our panel of futurists discuss how and why people are going to be making major enhancements to themselves, and soon. We're all familiar with enhancements intended to make us stronger or to look younger or more beautiful, but those hardly scratch the surface. Are you ready for technologies that can make us truly younger, stronger, smarter? How about rebuilding the human machinery from the ground-up? Need longer legs? An extra hand? Eyes literally in the back of your head? Who wants feathers? Wings? Gills? Or maybe you're tired of having your computer do all the thinking for you. Are you ready to become the computer yourself? From the highly desirable to the downright disturbing, we explore arguments for and against, benefits and risks, and the inevitability of re-working the human architecture. About Our Guests RU Sirius is the man who shows us where cyberculture and counterculture meet. He is a writer, talk show host, musician, and the editor of H+ magazine. PJ Manney is a writer and futurist and a leading voice in the H+ movement. She has written extensively on H+ topics, having previously been involved in motion picture development and writing for television. Brian Wang is a futurist who blogs about all things future-related at NextBigFuture. He is the Director of Research for the Lifeboat Foundation and a member of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology Task Force.

How Good Can It Get? Feb 14, 2013

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Everybody agrees that things could be better than they are...but how much better? Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon talk about transforming the world into a better place. Is there an ultimate, optimal configuration of the universe? And if so -- how do we get there? Moreover within our own lives: how do we define and realize our own personal best-case scenarios? (WT007)

What Are You Scared Of? Feb 07, 2013

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An era of profound opportunity can't help but also be one of tremendous risks. Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss what there is to be worried about now -- and in the future. What worries you? More importantly, what are you doing about it? To get a preview of how scary things can get, check out Motherboard's The 150 Things the World's Smartest People Are Afraid Of. UPDATE: to be clear, that is Motherboard's summary of Edge Magazine's 2013: What Should We Be Worried About? Check that one out if you want full-blown explanations of these worries rather than just pithy summaries. (WT006)

I Want to be a Producer! Jan 31, 2013

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Our era of accelerating change creates unparalleled opportunity. We are all in a position to have more, do more, and be more than ever before. But we can’t even see, much less take advantage of, the tremendous opportunity around us until we change both our thinking and our strategic approach. Strategy guru Will Brown joins hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon to talk about how we can become producers -- not just of goods and services, but of all kinds of realized possibilities. You can make the future happen. Today is the day! About Our Guest: Will Brown is a US Navy veteran who served in the Far East during and after the Vietnam War, followed by employment in the Middle East and Europe. He has worked in a variety of fields (aviation maintenance and assembly, material management and distribution, EMT, security, commercial welder, manufacturing and others) and has found the principles and intellectual assumptions presented in Sun Tzu's The Art Of War to be relevant and beneficial over the course of his working and personal life. Now approaching age 60, Will looks forward to applying those principles to whatever opportunity life may yet present him. Will blogs at Where Theres A William.blogspot.com where his editorial viewpoint often reflects his interest in classical strategy and an unfortunate taste for low humor and bad puns. (WT005)

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