The World Transformed

Latest Episodes:

FastForward Radio -- Signs of the Times Apr 14, 2010

Show notes

In California, garages are being converetd into more or less permanent housing, while "temporary" restaurants (and other establishments) are popping up and disappearing at an astounding rate. Meanwhile, the Dow once has again topped 11,000 in spite of scant good news in the jobs market. What's going on? Can today's trends tell us much about tomorrow's reality? It's not just the economy: what can data points about life expectancy, personal income, costs of goods, rates of miniaturization of technology, and deforestation/reforestation tell us about the world we'll soon be living in?

Fast Forward Radio -- Plastic Brains, Roboticized Jobs, Nano Doctors Apr 07, 2010

Show notes

In the future, you may lose your job to a robot but at least if you get sick there will be other tiny robots who have taken over the doctor's job and who will swim into your bloodstream curing you of all that ails you. And don't worry -- if the robots are not up to the task and they lose you, you can encase your brain in plastic and sleep through a few decades or centuries until the little robots are ready to fix you up. These and other topics in this edition of FastForward radio. If you listen live you can contribute to the show by joining the text chat. Our chat host Sally Morem will be on hand to lead the discussion. Get all the details on listening live at our audio host, Blog Talk Radio. The show starts at: 10:00 Eastern/9:00 Central/8:00 Mountain/7:00 Pacific.

FastForward Radio -- Utopias and Dystopias Mar 31, 2010

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Phil and Stephen discuss utopias and dystopias -- images of the world gone completely right, or horribly wrong. We find these ideas in fiction and in political discourse, among other places. Are they helpful? What can they really tell us about the future?

FastForward Radio -- Looking Forward Mar 17, 2010

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Phil and Stephen talk about what it means to look ahead. Why are we looking forward? And what are we looking forward to?

FastForward Radio -- The New Economy, Part 3 Mar 03, 2010

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Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review the contrasting views of our economic future laid out over the past two shows and offer their own scenarios for an abundant, automation-driven future.

FastForward Radio -- with Special Guest Cory Doctorow Feb 24, 2010

Show notes

In Part 2 of our three-part series on the new economy, Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome New York Times bestselling author and Forbes.com Web Celeb Cory Doctorow to FastForward Radio to discuss his novel Makers. Set in a highly plausible near future, Makers is the story of the next great economic boom and bust cycle -- empowered by 3D printers, useful refuse, and the unstoppable hacker urge to get out there and make something cool. Is this our future? How will the ongoing (and closely related) trends of increased productivity and increased individual control of production impact our economy? Are we heading for a world in which, as we discussed in Part 1, robots take all our jobs away? If so, how much of that damage will be offset by technology that let's us "print" the stuff we need -- including housing? What does the future hold in store for us -- the consumer welfare state? The luxury shanty town? Or something else altogether? Tune in and find out. Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger. He is a co-editor of Boing Boing. He also blogs at craphound.com. He is a contributor to Wired, Popular Science, Make, the New York Times, as well as a number of other newspapers, magazines and websites. Cory's bestselling novel Little Brother was nominated for the 2008 Hugo, Nebula, Sunburst and Locus Awards. His current novel is called Makers and it's available in bookstores now.

FastForward Radio -- With Special Guest Martin Ford Feb 17, 2010

Show notes

How long before a robot gets your job? Phil and Stephen begin a three part series on the New Economy with Special Guest martin Ford. Ford's new book, The Lights in the Tunnel, takes an in depth look at current trends in technology and globalization and examines what the likely economic impact will be in the coming years and decades. Globalization. Collaboration. Telecommuting. Are these the forces that will shape the workplaces of the future? Or is there something bigger lurking? How will job automation impact the economy in the future? How will the offshore outsourcing trend evolve in the coming years? What impact will technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence have on the job market? And most importantly, what should we do next? Tune in and find out! About Our Guest Martin Ford is the founder of a Silicon Valley-based software development firm. He has over 25 years experience in the fields of computer design and software development. He holds a computer engineering degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a graduate business degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

FastForward Radio -- The Essentials Revisited Feb 10, 2010

Show notes

What is it that throws the Speculist Switch? Phil and Stephen review and update the Speculist Essentials -- key influences towards developing a FastForward-friendly view of the universe, including:Movie or TV show Fiction book Nonfiction book Website Event Person If you listen live you can contribute to the show by joining the text chat. Our chat host Sally Morem will be on hand to lead the discussion.

FastForward Radio -- Groundhog Day 2010 Feb 03, 2010

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In honor of the prognosticating rodent, Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon give their own thoughts on when Spring will arrive, along with other upcoming positive developments.

FastForward Radio -- Making the Future Happen Jan 20, 2010

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How does the future happen? How do we get one future vs. a different future? Phil Bowermaster and guest co-host Michael Darling discuss.