The World Transformed

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WT2: Wealth Transformed Aug 11, 2011

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The World Transformed 2, Part 7 Throughout human history, material scarcity has been a constant driver of innovation and economic growth. Today the world knows material abundance far beyond what could have been imagined a few centuries ago, even while shortages, poverty and want remain a reality for many. But that may not always be the case. New technologies suggest that we may be near a turning point in our long struggle with scarcity. In the near future, technology may make it possible for any human being, anywhere, to have access to any materials good he or she might want or need. At the same time, automation is taking over an increasingly large set of tasks that once belonged to human workers. Historically, automation boosts productivity and reduces the need for human workers. Over the past four decades, our economy has made a massive shift to a highly automated, digitized substrate. As recently as a decade and a half or so ago, economists were still scratching their heads over when the big productivity gains would emerge from this shift. Then about five or six years ago, those productivity numbers started showing up, apparently at the expense of the total number of human beings needed to drive our economy. Will our future economy be post-employment, post-scarcity, both, or something else? Our Panelists Paul Fernhout Joseph Jackson Martin Ford

WT2 Reality Transformed Aug 04, 2011

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The World Transformed 2, Part 6 There are some who seriously ask whether the universe we live in is the real universe or merely a simulation of some kind -- something like the virtual world depicted in the Matrix. series of films. There are others who suggest that, even if we aren't living in a simulation now, it might just be a matter of time until we are. A panel of futurists discuss the nearly infinite possibilities to be found in worlds' that we create ourselves. Our Panelists Bruce Katz Natasha Vita-More Jim Elvidge

WT2: Intelligence Transformed Jul 28, 2011

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A few years back, a computer won a chess match against the world's most highly rated player. More recently, a computer beat a pair of highly skilled human competitors on the game show Jeopardy! IBM, the company responsible for building both of these remarkable machines, announced that Watson, the computer that won on Jeopardy!, is (in effect) going to medical school. Machine intelligence is evolving rapidly. The questions this raises are both simple and powerful: How long until machine intelligence reaches the level of human intelligence? How long, after that, before human / machine intelligence reaches a level far beyond anything seen or imagined before? A panel of futurists and AI experts join us to discuss the coming intelligence explosion. Ben Goertzel James Hughes Carl Shulman

WT2: Humanity Transformed Jul 21, 2011

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The World Transformed 2, Part 4 We can only imagine that, some 6 million years ago, when hominids began to stand upright, there was a tremendous controversy amongst the proto- australopithecines as to whether assuming this new posture was “natural.” Weren’t Lucy and her ilk simply violating their most basic nature? The debate has continued ever since, as humans have learned new skills and augmented their minds and bodies for reasons both aesthetic and practical. Today we live in an age of unprecedented human malleability — pacemakers, nose jobs, laser eye surgery, and other wonders. But that’s nothing compared to where we’re going next. We may soon be able to match the level of change that occurred in the six-million-year ascent from Australopithecus to modern human — only we’ll do it in a single human lifetime, or perhaps a matter of years, or maybe even faster than that. What might we become?A panel of futurists join us to discuss the prospects for an expanded and improved definition of humanity. Our Panel Sonia Arrison R. U. Sirius Geroge Dvorsky

WT2: The Material World Transformed Jul 14, 2011

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The digital age has fundamentally transformed humanity's relationship with information. Through the advent of personal computer, Internet, smart phone, and social media technology, we have access to knowledge, to transactions, and to interpersonal communication that far transcends what was possible a few decades ago. The digitization of information has radically transformed almost every aspect of society -- from education to careers, from entertainment to personal relationships, rom child rearing to high finance. And yet the truly radical digital transformation has yet to come. Information was made digital through systems that arrange and precisely order patterns of electrons. What are the implications of coming systems that can can arrange and precisely order patterns of molecules? Nanotechnology promises to migrate the benefits of the digital age from information to material goods. The possibilities raised by this migration are enormous -- both the benefits and risks. The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology says: --- The next Industrial Revolution is right around the corner. Fourth generation nanotechnology — molecular manufacturing — will radically transform the world, and the people, of the early 21st century. Although nanotechnology carries great promise, unwise or malicious use could seriously threaten the survival of the human race. --- A panel of nanotechnology experts outline the opportunities, benefits, and risks that nanotechnology represents. Our panel: Christine Peterson J. Storrs Hall

WT2: Mortality Transformed Jul 07, 2011

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The World Transformed 2, Part 2 Over the ages, humanity has faced its share of adversaries: ignorance, poverty, disease, predation to name just a few. No enemy has been more persistent than our own individual temporal finiteness. Our mortality has been such a relentless foe that many have attempted to make their peace, claiming that the temporary and transitory nature of our existence is what makes it truly meaningful. Death is a part of life, they explain. To which some of us reply: I think not. A panel of life extension experts explore the possibility of radically extending human lifespan. Are there alternatives to mortality as we have known it? Our Panelists: Aubrey de Grey Gregory Benford Maria Konovalenko Terry Grossman

WT2: Our Thinking Transformed Jun 30, 2011

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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

FastForward Radio -- The World Transformed 2 Preview Jun 23, 2011

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Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon set the stage for The World Transformed 2, beginning next week on FastForward radio. A series of panel discussions and individual interviews dedicated to the major transformations occurring in our world. One major transformation per week. Our Thinking Transformed, June 29 Mortality Transformed, July 6 The Material World Transformed, July 13 Humanity Transformed, July 20 Intelligence Transformed, July 27 Reality Transformed, August 3 Wealth Transformed, August 10 Our Fears Transformed, August 17 The Future Transformed, August 24 Human Destiny Transformed, August 31

FastForward Radio -- We Are Living in Awesome Times! Jun 16, 2011

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Has the news got you down? P.J. Manney, Michael Darling, and Stephen Gordon will talk about why, in spite of our problems, we are living in awesome times!

WT 1.5 Shaping the Future Jun 14, 2011

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Phil Bowermaster concludes his discussion of a 7-step process for making the future happen.

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