Exploring Possibilities

Foresight Visions, Part 1 — Existential Hope

Phil, Stephen, and PJ welcome Christine Peterson and Allison Duettmann for a two-part discussion on what’s new with the Foresight Institute and what’s going to be happening at the upcoming Foresight Vision Weekend  December 2-3. […]

Exploring Possibilities

Visitors and Messages from the Stars

Phil and Stephen discuss remarkable recent discoveries related to space. Citizen scientist spots comet tails streaking past distant star Citizen scientist Thomas Jacobs was the first to spot tell-tale signs that a comet was orbiting […]

Exploring Possibilities

IQ 10,000

Following up on Monday’s show, Phil and Stephen explore the possibilities embedded in this recent prediction: Billionaire CEO of SoftBank: Robots will have an IQ of 10,000 in 30 years https://goo.gl/D5xeSS In about 30 years, […]

Exploring Possibilities

Better than You Think? Part 2: Healthcare

Continuing their discussion of unexpected and often unnoticed positive change, Phil and Stephen, discuss recent encouraging developments related to health care. The starting point for this series is a recent article by Peter Diamandis: Why […]

Exploring Possibilities

Cities of the Future

Futurist Thomas Frey joins Stephen Gordon in a discussion of the future of cities. Topics include: The technologies, social forces, and economic drivers that are transforming cities and the way we live in them. The […]

Exploring Possibilities

The Future for Better or Worse

Phil and Stephen add a positive spin to some otherwise gloomy future scenarios. Richard Dawkins: A.I. Might Run the World Better Than Humans Do Will A.I. take us over, and one day look back on […]

Exploring Possibilities

Older Than the Universe: Mysteries Big and Small

Phil and Stephen discuss mysteries both cosmic and small-scale. The Greatest Cosmic Puzzle: Astronomers Find Stars That Appear Older Than The Universe The oldest stars we’ve found in the Universe are nearly pristine, where almost […]

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Recalibrating the Possible

Phil, Stephen, and Michael D. discuss new technologies (and ideas for new technologies) that push the limits of the possible. A good example of something that’s possible: Sequencing the Woolly Mammoth genome. Examples of technologies […]

Exploring Possibilities

On the Other Hand…

Phil and Stephen revisit ideas from recent shows. Should we keep kids off their electronic devices? Does VR make us more vulnerable or stronger when it comes to discerning the world around us? Let them […]

Exploring Possibilities

The Semi-Automated Economy

Phil and Stephen continue their discussion with strategy expert Will Brown, exploring what role there might be for human workers in an increasingly automated world. Topics: Neanderpundit — selected readings: Watch This Space  Next And […]

Exploring Possibilities

Should Jeff Bezos “Hire” Humanity?

Will Brown joins Phil and Stephen to outline an intriguing scenario for the future: how Jeff Bezos can hire humanity. Topics covered: Jeff Bezos is already having trouble finding places to put his cash. Jeff […]

Exploring Possibilities

Is This the Real Life?

Phil and Stephen explore the increasingly blurry line between fantasy and reality. Are we on the verge of a reality crisis? Where Does Reality End and Imagination Begin? In the Future, We Might Not Know […]

Exploring Possibilities

Youth: Wasted on the Wrong People

Phil and Stephen review  recent anbti-aging news from the standpoint of the elderly. Is This the Anti-Aging Pill We’ve All Been Waiting For? A drug derived from an Easter Island bacterium extends the life of […]

Exploring Possibilities

Who’s a Technoprogressive?

Are you a technoprogressive? The answer might surprise you! James Hughes joins Phil and Stephen for a discussion of the meaning of technoprogressivism. How does it differ not only from mainstream porgressivism but also from […]

Exploring Possibilities

The Multi-Dimensional Brain

Phil and Stephen explore some wacky and practical implications of research suggesting that our brains may operate in up to 11 dimensions. Human Brain Discovered to Operate in 11 Dimensions –“Multiverse-Like Structures a World We […]

Exploring Possibilities

Getting Reality Wrong

Phil and Stephen discuss why “reality” is a trickier proposition than we think. A neuroscientist says your ‘reality’ could be entirely different from the person sitting next to you — and you’ll never know how […]

Exploring Possibilities

Universes Colliding (and Other Stories)

Phil and Stephen review review a variety of future-related news items Could cold spot in the sky be a bruise from a collision with a parallel universe? Universal cancer test that detects tumours 10 years […]

Exploring Possibilities

The Non-Zero Probability

What are the chances that you would ever have existed? That any of this would be happening right now? The odds against you and your life were worse than you can possibly imagine. And yet here you […]

Exploring Possibilities

Space Colonization Made Affordable

Brian Wang joins Phil and Stephen to talk about building relatively low-cost human settlements in low earth orbit. Spacex will begin deploying low cost mass produced internet satellites starting in 2019 SpaceX said it plans […]