The World Transformed

Latest Episodes:

FastForward Radio -- How Real Is the Real World? Jan 13, 2010

Show notes

Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome author (The Universe: Solved!) and futurist Jim Elvidge back to FastForward Radio. Elvidge is a Cornell-educated entrepreneur and inventor who holds four patents in digital signal processing. His love of music inspired him to develop one of the first PC-based digital music samplers and to co-found RadioAMP, which was the first private-label online streaming radio company. In recent years he has turned his attention to the ultimate question of existence and, drawing on a broad and eclectic base of knowledge and interests, has come up with a unique explanation for...pretty much everything. The Universe: Solved!, covers a lot of scientific and philosophical ground, including the idea that we live in a computer simulation. If so, are there Easter Eggs in the cosmos?

FastForward Radio -- New Year Special Jan 06, 2010

Show notes

Phil and Stephen welcome writer and futurist P. J. Manney back to FastForward Radio to talk about major developments of 2009 and to look forward to the new year. BONUS: a special holiday edition of "Tales of the Paranormal." About Our Guest As a frequent guest and occasional co-host -- not to mention our official Hollywood correspondent -- PJ Manney brings a unique perspective to FastForward Radio. She is a writer and futurist, and a leading voice in the Humanity+ movement. She has written extensively on H+ topics, having previously been involved in motion picture development (Hook, It Could Happen to You, Universal Soldier) and writing for television (Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess).

FastForward Radio -- Countdown to Foresight 2010 (Part 3) Dec 30, 2009

Show notes

Futurist J. Storrs Hall joins us as we continue our special series leading up Foresight 2010. The conference, January 16-17 in Palo Alto, California, provides a unique opportunity to explore the convergence of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Foresight Institute. Join us as we catch up the progress of the Foresight Institute and get a sneak preview of topics to be covered at the conference. About Our Guest: J. Storrs Hall is a scientist, visionary, entrepreneur, and the president of the Foresight Institute.

FastForward Radio -- Countdown to Foresight 2010 (Part 2) Dec 23, 2009

Show notes

Economist Robin Hanson and futurist Brian Wang join us as we continue our special series leading up Foresight 2010. The conference, January 16-17 in Palo Alto, California, provides a unique opportunity to explore the convergence of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Foresight Institute. Robin Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University, a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University, and chief scientist at Consensus Point. Robin is a pioneer in the field of prediction markets, also known as information markets or idea futures. He was a principal architect of the first internal corporate markets, as well as the Foresight Exchange beginning in 1994, and of DARPA's Policy Analysis Market, from 2001 to 2003. Robin has diverse research interests everything from health incentive contracts, to Bayesian classification, agreeing to disagree, self-deception in disagreement, to growth given machine intelligence, and interstellar colonization. He blogs at Overcoming Bias. 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 -- Countdown to Foresight 2010 (Part 1) Dec 16, 2009

Show notes

Futurist Michael Anissimov and nanotechnologist Ralph Merkle us as we begin a special series leading up Foresight 2010. The conference, January 16-17 in Palo Alto, California, provides a unique opportunity to explore the convergence of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Foresight Institute. About our guests: Michael Anissimov is a science/technology writer and consultant. He is the creative force behind one of the leading futurist blogs, Accelerating Future. He is a co-founder of the Immortality Institute and the Media Director for the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Ralph Merkle is the co-inventor of public key encryption and a pioneering reseracher in the field of nanotechnlogy. He is a Director of Alcor, on the faculty at Singularity University, a co-founder of the Nanofactory Collaboration and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. He was co-recipient of the 1998 Feynman Prize for Nanotechnology for theory, the ACM's Kanellakis Award for Theory and Practice, the IEEE Kobayashi Award and the 2000 RSA Award in Mathematics.

FastForward Radio -- Nanotechnology in Three Easy Steps! (Part 2) Dec 07, 2009

Show notes

Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon continue their discussion of the milestones that must be achieved before to enable the nanotechnology revolution. In Part 2, they conclude their review of K. Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation and discuss the various scenarios that might get us from our current level of technology to a thoroughly nano-powered world. Our current focus on nanotechnology continues the discussion we began last summer durig our special series The World Transformed As we noted then... 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. In order to take advantage of that promise, we need to understand and prepare for this coming revolution in how we interact with the material world.

FastForward Radio -- Nanotechnology in Three Easy Steps! (Part 1) Nov 30, 2009

Show notes

Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon begin a two-part series on nanotechnology. In Part 1, they will explore the origin of the concept of nanotechnology and will talk through the basic concepts as outlined in K. Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation. The entire book is available online for free here. We last spent time on this topic during our special series The World Transformed As we noted then... 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. In order to take advantage of that promise, we need to understand and prepare for this coming revolution in how we interact with the material world.

More on Sub-Human to Post-Human Nov 25, 2009

Show notes

Phil and Stephen continue their discussion of the steps required to get us from a world of sub-human machine intelligence to a world of post-human intelligence.

FastForward Radio -- Sub-Human to Post-Human in Three Easy Steps! Nov 19, 2009

Show notes

Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discuss the future of human and machine evolution: 1. What challenges are involved in trying to develop a human-level artificial intelligence? 2. When do humans stop being human? 3. What will be the relationship between humanity and post-human artificial intelligence? Daunting questions with some potentially surprising answers!

FastForward Radio -- Three Words Nov 11, 2009

Show notes

Futurists Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon have three words for you about the future: Don't Miss It. Possibilities are open to us as individuals, as a nation, and as a civilization that are unprecedented in all of human history. The only thing standing between each of us and an extraordinary future is the choices we make today and tomorrow. There's a wonderful future waiting for you out there. Whatever you do -- don't miss it. Show notes here.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected