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We’re back! In this episode, Jason P Jason G get together to discuss the latest news in futurology. We had a great chat this week including the books we’d read since our last show, the effects of autonomous cars and the massive power of virtual reality.Book recommendationsThe Windup Girl - Paolo BacigalupiScrum - Jeff SutherlandLeviathon Wakes - James SA CoreyAvagadro Corp (and series) - William HertlingLinks discussed:5727: Uber CEO To Tesla: Sell Me Half A Million Autonomous Electric Cars In 2020(https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3cgd0w/uber_ceo_to_tesla_sell_me_half_a_million/) - /u/Arzu19825407: China sets up first unmanned factory. Workforced decreased from 650 to 60. As a result productivity has nearly tripled and product quality up by 20%. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3f394l/china_sets_up_first_unmanned_factory_workforced/) - /u/enl1l5339 Stephen hawking is doing an AMA Monday July 27 at 8am ET through Tuesday, August 4 (https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3egmjm/stephen_hawking_is_doing_an_ama_monday_july_27_at/) - ./u/Stark_Warg3630 Kepler-452b: Earth's Bigger, Older Cousin -- Briefing Materials (https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3ec5pb/kepler452b_earths_bigger_older_cousin_briefing/) /u/SomaPavamana111 (https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3g0tqp/how_virtual_reality_can_unleash_the_greatest_wave/) - /u/bostoniaa

/u/Blinkergoesleft, /u/Bostoniaa, and /u/captainmeta4 return for another installment of the Futurology Podcast. This month, rather than discuss top subreddit links, we teamed up with Ted Kupper and Jon Perry from Review the Futureto discuss the acceleration of technological progress, why it matters, and what it means to be living in a time of rapid technological development.Listen on:YouTubePodBeaniTunesreddit

Futurology Podcast - Episode 18/u/Blinkergoesleft, /u/Bostoniaa, and /u/captainmeta4 return for another installment of the Futurology Podcast, running down December's top posts and hashing out some futurist philosophy.Reading recommendations:A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge - /u/captainmeta4Top Links of December4353 - So this guy detected an exoplanet with household equipment, some plywood, an Arduino, and a normal digital camera that you can buy in a store. Then made a video explaining how he did it and distributed it across the globe at practically zero cost. Now tell me we don't live in the future. - /u/federicopistono3484 - Iowa to allow citizens to use a smartphone app as their official drivers license - /u/raldi2580 - Humans May Be Causing the Sixth Great Extinction in Half a Billion Years - /u/section431534 - Proof that The End of Moore’s Law is Not The End of The Singularity. The sixth paradigm that will provide exponential growth of computing will be to go from 2D integrated circuits to 3D integrated circuits.DiscussionThis question was sent to us by /u/Architect101:This is an idea/topic you might find interesting to discuss on the podcast.Similarities between the faith of a Religious person and the confidence in a better tomorrow of a Futurist.I recently spoke with a skeptical friend who saw my view of the future (including ideas of transhumanism, singularity, and general futurology) unlikely to come to fruition. He humorously compared my confidence in a better future to the faith of a Southern Baptist.Anyway, thanks for the work you do for the podcast, it is appreciated.P.S. I started reading "Rainbows End" by Vernor Vinge after hearing you guys talk about the fiction and nonfiction recommendations; "Abundance: the future is better than you think" is already sitting next to my Kurzweil books.Listen!YouTubePodBeaniTunes

Last week /u/Bostoniaa and /u/Blinkergoesleft ran down /r/Futurology's highest rated links. We also gave out two Futurist reading recommendations, Non-fiction and SciFi.Bostoniaa's Recommendations:Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You ThinkRainbows EndBlinker's Recommendations:The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the MindThe Transhumanist WagerThe links we covered are as follows:4525 - Elon Musk's SpaceX working on hundreds of advanced micro-satellites to bring 'unfettered' global internet access. Announcement in 2-3 months. - /u/EchoLogic3811 - Scientists reverse ageing process in mice; early human trials showing 'promising results' - /u/key952975 ‘Imagination gap’: We need more radical science fiction to inspire future technology - /u/xperia33101364 Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition - /u/DaveBowman1363 Are we on the brink of creating artificial life? Scientists digitise the brain of a WORM and place it inside a robot - /u/IntelligenceIsRealYou can listen on Podbean, YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. If you review us on iTunes, we'll quote you in the next episode.Send a Tweet or message to myself or Bostoniaa if you want to come on as a guest!

Today Blinkergoesleft was once again joined by Futurology mods Bostoniaa and CaptainMeta4 for the monthly recap of links submitted to reddit.com/r/futurology.  The top three links are the highest voted and the last two were chosen by the mods.3848 - Elon Musk Is Right: Colonizing the Solar System Is Humankind's Insurance Policy Against Extinction - Mooraell 3422 - World’s First Airborne Wind Turbine to Bring Renewable Energy and WiFi to Alaska - dirk_bruere 3142 - American Schools Are Training Kids for a World That Doesn’t Exist - gari-soflo 68 - The Three Breakthroughs That Have Finally Unleashed AI on the World - OmegaBiT 3 - How Four Technologies Will Carry The Weight Of War - gari-sofloIf you'd like to be a guest please msg Blinkergoesleft on reddit or Twitter.  This podcast is also available on YouTube.

This month's guests included fellow futurology mods Bostoniaa and Captainmeta4. 5414- Over 100,000 people in Hong Kong downloaded FireChat, a messaging app that works even when internet or mobile coverage has been shut down... by bluetooth-spreading across nearby phones -Philipp4001- Human DNA belongs to no one - it shouldn't be patented -Djandgo3832- Google's self-driving cars are now allowed on all roads in California -theinternetism137- The assault rifle you can make at home: Inventor of 3D printed plastic gun reveals $1200 ‘ghost gunner’ milling machine -Saki1763- Oculus VR Unveils New Model of Rift ("Crescent Bay") -ninthwayYouTube mirrorhere, iTuneshere. If you want to come on the podcast, let me know.

This month we had special guest Jason Ganz aka Bostoniaa on the show to recap the top 5 links. We also talked about the journey this subreddit has taken and how it went from a few hundred subscribers to 1 million + in two years.  2724 - Nasa validates 'impossible' space drive (Wired UK) - czottmann 2511- Biohackers declare initial success in biologically extending the range of human vision into the near infrared - czottmann 2475 - If Schools Don't Change, Robots Will Bring On a 'Permanent Underclass'- ImLivingAmongYou 2281 - If driverless cars save lives, where will we get organs? It's a dark thought, and the sort of thing only a futurist would think of. - es-335 192 - Google's New A.I. Ethics Board Might Save Humanity From Extinction - eloncTo discuss these stories hit us up on reddit/r/futurology, and YouTube.  You can also follow Bostoniaa @jasnonaz or Blinkergoesleft @Regretful,

In this episode, Alex and Jason were joined by Tom (moderator Ion-Tom) to talk about his time at the Seattle Futurist meetup.  For those of you following nuclear fusion, this will be interesting.  As far as the top links go, here they are in order.  We took out a story about UBI (universal basic income) due to the fact that we'd like to have a full debate without the same old circle jerk.  We need one volunteer to represent the pros of UBI and one who is against it.  On the next podcast we'll hopefully get some solid points from each side.1823 - This Woman Invented a Way to Run 30 Lab Tests on Only One Drop of Blood - aeo10031448 - Mind-controlled robotic suit exoskeleton will allow a paralyzed teen to kick off the first ball in this year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil - _trendspotter 1269 - Michio Kaku blew everyone's minds on the Daily Show last night - creativeembassy 1142 - Power-Generating Nanoribbons Implanted on the Heart - bob_toe_nail 961 - Clerics Issue Fatwa: Muslims Can't Live On Mars - SimcuriousHosts:Blinkergoesleft - @RegretfulSpeakMouthWords - @SpeakMouthWordsIon-Tom - @TomRiecken

This week I spoke with William Hertling who is a programmer and the author of the singularity series which starts of with Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears David Ryan is the designer of ELOPe, an email language optimization program, that if successful, will make his career. But when the project is suddenly in danger of being canceled, David embeds a hidden directive in the software accidentally creating a runaway artificial intelligence. David and his team are initially thrilled when the project is allocated extra servers and programmers. But excitement turns to fear as the team realizes that they are being manipulated by an A.I. who is redirecting corporate funds, reassigning personnel and arming itself in pursuit of its own agenda. Avogadro Corp is followed by A.I. Apocalypse, and The Last Firewall. While we will get back to the top 5 format next month, I thought William would be a great guest to have on since his books cover a lot of what we discuss. Naturally AI is the main topic but his books also touch on the singularity and also topics like UBI (universal basic income). Have a listen right here, iTunes, or YouTube. If you would like to read more about William Hertling check out his site here.

We're back with another installment of Futurology's top 5 links of the month.  We also through in a self post which we may start doing more based on the discussions they generate.2105 - Physicists have discovered a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality. - marrek2034 - A ‘normal’ working week of 21 hours could help to address a range of urgent, interlinked problems: overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, entrenched inequalities, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life. - erwgv3g341417 - The march of progress in solar continues - World record solar cell with 44.7% efficiency - Buck-Nasty1214 - Is the general populace oblivious to the tremendous scientific and technological changes that are happening, and are about to happen? - Halcyon_Red1029 - $6 Billion Floating City “Freedom” to Dwarf World’s Largest Ships Ever Built - SmileLouder

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing the inventor, designer, and CEO of the Samson Motorworks Switchblade Flying Car.  This interview was done AMA style.  In other words, I asked questions that were presented by reddit's futurology community.  That thread can be seen here.  YouTube version of this podcast is here.

Greetings Futurists, Today Alex returned and we were able to crank another top 5 format podcast. We also noted a few stories. One being Glen Beck's rant on the ethics of transhumanism. We also mentioned Ben Goertzel's AMA and last but not least, ask your questions here about the Switchblade Flying Car. 949 - Remember the super hydrophobic coating that we all heard about couple years ago? Well it's finally hitting the shelves! And it's only $20! - uxl 862 - 10 mindblowingly futuristic technologies that will appear by the 2030s - Trickish 716 - Cost Of Solar Panels To Drop To $0.36 Per Watt By 2017. - A 1,000 watt panel to cost $360 (not counting installation), but last about 6 times longer than batteries. ... "Suddenly, that $360 sounds good." - aluminio 649 - Scientists use new engineered virus to restore sight: `we have now created a virus that you just inject into the liquid vitreous humor inside the eye and it delivers genes to a very difficult-to-reach population of delicate cells. It's a 15-minute procedure, and you can likely go home that day` - pateras 558 - Marijuana vending machines are the future of recreational drug use - troglozyte

Instead of running through the top 5 links, this episode is dedicated to interviewing Nikola Danaylov. His site (singularityweblog.com) is periodically discussed here and his podcast has featured some of the biggest names in technology.  Nikola has also studied at the Singularity University.  He now makes his living by blogging, podcasting, and attending singularity related events around the world.

This episode of The Futurology podcast was recorded on April 22nd.  Daniel Yount joins Alex and Jason once again for a look at the futurology community's most popular links. 2312 - NASA is looking to place an ad in front of the new Star Trek movie to drum up more interest and support for space programs. They need our help! - Alonsonater 1586 - White House announces $100 million in funding to help map the human brain - c-r-u-x 1397 - Most Americans don't think robots will be fighting wars or driving cars by 2030, even though they already do. - cosmicreggae 1066 - Russian billionaire plans to make humans immortal by 2045. A Russian billionaire has unveiled plans to make humans immortal by converting them into 'Terminator-style' cyborgs - a creature that's part human and part machine. - malilla 950 - The Solar Cell That Turns 1 Photon into 2 Electrons: Scientific American - MIT researchers develop an organic solar cell that breaks 100 percent quantum efficiency - Buck-Nasty

Greetings fellow futurists, This monthAlex and myself made room for 17-year-old composer, futurist, and techno-optomist Daniel Yount. Daniel is also a member of reddit's futurology community and he helped us count down the top 5 links of the month. (830 Upvotes) 3d printing is going to radically change our world in the coming decades - AthiestBroker (800 Upvotes) More Good News About The 'Scientific Accident That May Change The World' Science ReWire - the-pervert (789 Upvotes) Would you swap a healthy eye for a bionic one with additional functionality? - Entrarchy (757 Upvotes) Its official, we can realisticly generate people - Astonishingly real Audrey Hepburn shills chocolate in new commercial - Trickish (640 Upvotes) 15-year old invents new method for diagnosing cancer which is 168 faster, 26000 times cheaper and 400% more reliable than common methods. He did most of his research via Google. - erdbeertee If you'd like to discuss futurology with the crew, join us at http://reddit.com/r/futurology

Today on the futurology podcast we were back to business, counting down the top 5 links of the month.  We also went in to the possibility of simulation theory which was a link posted by InfiniteSource. (1025 upvotes) A new asteroid-mining company, Deep Space Industries, Inc., launches Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks. It plans to launch a fleet of prospecting spacecraft  in 2015. (x-post from r/worldnews) - tikki_rox (733 upvotes) Discovery of alien life in next 10 years is one of five "X Factors" that world leaders have been advised to prepare for - Pemboification (714 upvotes) Google's Driverless Car: Sooner than you think. - PeopleAreStaring (642) Scientists win 2 billion euros to fight brain disease, study graphene Reuters - uxl (600 upvotes) 7 Best-Case Scenarios for the Future of Humanity - Trickish

This week we interviewed Alex aka SpeakMouthWords.  Alex runs a popular YouTube Channel which exploded after he started a monthly series called "nobodypayingattention."  Alex has a degree in physics and weighs in on several interesting topics including the singularity, the venus project, AI, and the collapse debate.  You can message speakmouthwords on reddit, or subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Episode 3: What can /r/futurology do as a community? This month we discuss a thread in which redditors discussed which big projects /r/futurology should try to tackle as a community. 5. 431 upvotes - They made a 3D drug printer! by - Tobislu 4. 454 upvotes - UCLA develops transparent solar cells that can be used for windows and potentially sprayed onto entire buildings, mobile devices, and more Submitted by - psYberspRe4Dd 3. 436 upvotes - Scientists from WSU have collaborated with NASA to study if astronauts could use a 3D printer plus regolith to create objects whilst on the Moon. Conclusion; 'It sounds like science fiction, but now it's really possible'. Think of the potential! Submitted by - purkinje-what 2.  804 upvotes - Elon Musk Wants to Build 80,000-Person Mars Colony Submitted by - neondemon 1. 1598 upvotes - If you put a tiny chip in your brain which is 1000 times more powerful cognitively than your biological brain, will "you" still still be "you"? Submitted by - Mastermind9876

Episode 2 Self Driving cars In this week's episode we discuss self driving cars, same day delivery, law enforcement, and possible security risks. 5. 422 upvotes - We have a working graphene battery prototype that lasts just as long as a lithium-ion battery, but charges in 15 minutes. Now, we just need to get the cost down. Submitted by - ocealot 4. 432 upvotes - Google wants to fund life extension research startups Submitted by - mn108 3. 497 upvotes - Complex Body Parts Could Soon Be Lab-Grown. Within a generation, there may be no limit to the kinds of organs and body parts that can be created from scratch. Submitted by - GraybackPH 2.  503 upvotes - The World's First Commercial Vertical Farm Opens in Singapore Submitted by - Cavedave 1. 712 upvotes - Oh man, already? 3D Printer DRM Patent To Stop People Downloading a Car Submitted by - blinkergoesleft What are your thoughts on self driving cars?

Douglas Souza and Jason Peffley discuss how they got started in /r/futurology and what it means to them.  We also discuss the top 5 links of the month. 5. 374 upvotes - A fertility treatment which eliminates hereditary disease by engineering babies to carry healthy DNA from a third biological parent could be legalised next year Submitted by - contrarianism 4. 371 upvotes - After collecting over $2.4 million in Kickstarter funding and catching the attention of tons of big-name game developers, the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Developer Kit is finally up for preorder. Here's a video demonstration of it in action. Submitted by - NuckyThompson 3. California Governor Brown signs bill clearing use of driverless cars on public roads 2. 604 upvotes - Richard Branson on space travel: "I'm determined to start a population on Mars" Submitted by - Donnerholz 1. 684 upvotes - The Light Bulb Reinvented Submitted by - Gooflactus