The World Transformed

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WT Archives: Reworking the Human Architecture Dec 05, 2010

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Part 5 in our landmark special series, The World Transformed, with additional commentary from Phil Bowermaster.Original description follows The World Transformed, Part 4 Humanity...Enhanced! 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.

FastForward Radio -- The 200 Year Lifespan Dec 02, 2010

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Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss the possibility of average life expectancy jumping up to 100, 200, or 500 -- or even older! Crazy pipedream or soon-to-be-realized scenario? Tune in and find out!

FastForward Archives #4 -- Rating Nanotechnology Developments Nov 30, 2010

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Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss some of the latest developments in nanotech. Originally aired October 21, 2007

WT Archives: The Nanotechnology Revolution Nov 28, 2010

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This show first aired July 7, 2009. Rebroadcast here with additional commentary from Phil Bowermaster. Original Description The World Transformed, Part 3 Nanotechnology promises to change our world in ways that are difficult to predict, or even imagine. Are you ready for... ...Star Trek style replicators that would allow you to make anything, ANYTHING, you wanted? ...artificial robotic blood cells that will turn an Average Joe into a world-class athlete, or allow you to hold your breath under water for an hour at a time? ...programmable "smart" matter than can take whatever form you want? It's a suitcase. No, a bicycle! No, a TV! No, a puppy! Nanotechnology promises all of this plus a lot more. We're joined by a distinguished panel of guests who will help us understand the benefits, and risks, of this technology that will be with us sooner than most of us expect. J. Storrs Hall is a scientist, visionary, entrepreneur, and the president of the Foresight Institute. Mike Treder is the Executive Director of Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, and one of the most popular and well-received professional speakers on nanotechnology. Christine Peterson writes, lectures, and briefs the media on coming powerful technologies, especially nanotechnology. She is the co- founder and Vice President of Foresight Institute.

FastForward Radio -- The Attitude of Gratitude Nov 24, 2010

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This week the US celebrates Thanksgiving, our annual festival of football, family togetherness, overeating, and attempting to blow ourselves up with turkey fryers. Thanksgiving is also a time when people take a moment to reflect on what they have to be grateful for. In that spirit, Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon present the Extremely Good News checklist and talk about the progress that we are making against it.

WT Archives: The Era of Indefinite Lifespan Nov 21, 2010

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Part 2 of our landmark 10-part series, which originally aired Jul1 1, 2009 featured two of the world's leading authorities on fighting aging with an outline of what needs to happen to transform human mortality. PLUS: Phil provides thoughts on how we need to address the end of aging in our new special series, The World Transformed 2, staring in early 2011. Original Description: The World Transformed, Part 2 "How long have I got, Doc?" "Oh, about 1000 years..." Visionary aging researchers and best-selling authors Aubrey de Grey (Ending Aging) and Terry Grossman (The Baby-Boomer's Guide to Living Forever, Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever) explain how indefinite healthy extension of human lifespan is not only possible, but may well soon be within our grasp. Aubrey de Grey Ph.D. is a biogerontologist, creator of the Methuselah Mouse prize, and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation. Terry Grossman, MD is a leading expert on anti-aging and life extension therapies, and the founder and medical director of Frontier Medical Institute in Denver, Colorado.

FastForward Radio -- Future Focus Nov 18, 2010

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Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon talk about new ideas and developments that are bringing the future into clearer focus.

FastForward Archives #003, Predicting the Future 10/14/2007 Nov 16, 2010

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Stephen Gordon and Phil Bowermaster talk about predicting the future and some of the challenges we face in getting a clear idea of what's coming next. PLUS: Three years later, Phil takes a look at how well those predictions panned out.

WT Archives: Imagination, Creativity, and a World Transformed Nov 14, 2010

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The first show in our 10-part series explores how our thinking must change in order to prepare for the massive changes which are heading our way. Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome Futurists Natasha Vita-More, Reichart Von Wolfsheild, ad Alvis brigis to discuss the need for a new kind of thinking in the face of accelerating change. Together they will explore the role that education, imagination, and creativity have to play in coming to grips with a world in a state of transformation. Phil provides additional commentary on how these issues will be addressed in the World Transformed 2.

FastForward Radio -- Alex Lightman and the 2010 Innovation Awards Nov 11, 2010

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Phil and Stephen welcome author and futurist Alex Lightman back to FastForward Radio. Alex is one of the recipients of the Economist's 2010 Innovation Awards. About our guest: Alex Lightman is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist, who has made significant contributions to the adoption of IPv6, 4G wireless broadband, wearable computers, and augmented reality. He has authored several books on technology and society. His book 'Brave New Unwired World: The Digital Big Bang and the Infinite Internet' was the first ever published on the subject of 4G wireless technology. In the last three weeks, he published "Reconciliation: 78 Reasons to End the US Embargo of Cuba" and, on Oct. 21, received the first Economist magazine Reader's Award, given for "the innovation that will most radically impact the world over the next decade 2010-to-2020", based on five months of voting in over 200 countries and a panel of 32 judges, in recognition of his innovation of 4G wireless.

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