Podcasts
Ending Poverty: Multiple Approaches
Brian Wang joins hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon to check in on his concept of basic power — a plan to provide solar energy to the world’s poorest people. Then the guys review some […]
Year: 2017
Best of
Ivan Kirigin and the Future of Money, Best of TWT
A discussion on the future of Money from 2008. Missing from the discussion back then? Bitcoin! Blockchain! Topics: Micropayments Payments via Social Networks The post-scarcity currency Whuffie in Cory Doctorow’s “Down and Out in the […]
Accelerating Tech
Elon Musk, Mars, and the Gravitron
Is Elon Musk working to build a colony on Mars that would provide earth-like gravity via massive spinning cities? At least one pundit believes that he is. Blogger David Kelly at transhumanity.net writes about how much […]
Best of
The Speculist Manifesto, Best of TWT
The Speculist Manifesto (The Short Version): The Human Imperative is improvement of the human condition. Throughout human (and pre-human) history, we have worked to increase human intelligence and capability. The Human Imperative is working. We […]
Accelerating Tech
World Transformed 600th Show: A Celebration
Phil and Stephen celebrate their 600th show with a roundup of amazing futuristic news. How the Ancient ‘Method of Loci’ Can Improve Your Long-Term Memory Nasa announces one of Saturn’s moons could support alien life […]
Accelerating Tech
The Golden Age: Latest Developments
Phil and Stephen explore news stories that indicate we are, indeed, living in a golden age. Goldman Sachs: space-mining for platinum is ‘more realistic than perceived’ Goldman Sachs is bullish on space mining with “asteroid-grabbing […]
Best of
Jim Elvidge, The Universe — Solved! Best of TWT
Jim discusses his book, The Universe — Solved! What if reality isn’t really what you think it is? What if our world was just a big video game? It’s actually not as far-fetched as it […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Golden Age: Why Don’t We See It?
Phil and Stephen explore why negativity and pessimism not only persist but remain dominant in a time of tremendous technological and social progress. News stories discussed: Why can’t we see that we’re living in a […]
Best of
Past Futures and Weird Futures, Best of TWT
[This show first aired April 21 2008. The live program experienced technical difficulties, some of which have been edited out.] Phil Bowermaster, Stephen Gordon, and Michael Darling discuss weird ideas about the future… both past-futures […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Return of the Sexy Immortal Billionaires with Superpowers
Phil and Stephen review negative reactions to the idea of Sexy Immortal Billionaires with Superpowers story and discuss what it means and why it’s probably it’s right. Super humans who are sexier, stronger and smarter […]
Data Technology
Engines of Disruption: How Data Is Changing Everything
What does it mean to say that data is changing everything? Is the world really turning into data? Or maybe it’s better to ask whether we are turning the world into data. And if we […]
Best of
Mammal-Free Diets and Soylent Green: Future Ethics, Best of TWT
[This show first aired 4/14/2008] Topics Yuri’s night. [Correction: Gagarin was married to Valentina Goryacheva, not Valentina Tereshkova. ] Tales of the Paranormal: “Mutants live in the underworld of Moscow.” Phil is six months into his […]
Accelerating Tech
You Are Now Free to Move About the Solar System
Phil and Stephen ask the question: has the space age truly begun? SpaceX makes aerospace history with successful launch and landing of a used rocket After more than two years of landing its rockets after […]
Best of
Looking to the Far Future, Best of TWT
This program first aired April 7, 2008.] Phil, Stephen, and Michael D. discuss the distant future. Listen close — this MAY be the first show ever to use the phrase “the world transformed” — or at least something like it! […]
Accelerating Tech
True Stories: News Not Dated April 1st
Phil and Stephen discuss news that is strange, but absolutely true. Plunging price of renewable energy makes end of fossil fuels inevitable, says report And it highlighted prediction that generation costs for large-scale solar […]
Exploring Possibilities
Let Us Eat Cake: Time to Get Happy Again
Phil and Stephen offer remedies to the happiness shortage Happiness is on the wane in the US, UN global report finds Whole-body vibration may be as effective as regular exercise Mayo Clinic […]
Fast Forward
Basic Power: an Alternative to Basic Income?
Brian Wang outlines a new idea that can accelerate the end of poverty worldwide. Brian’s Basic Power plan would bring inexpensive, off-the-grid electricity to the world’s poorest people, bringing obvious economic benefits to them and […]
Best of
Wayne Radinsky and Future Salons, Best of TWT
[This show first aired March 30 2008.] Futurist Wayne Radinsky explains the importance of future salons. Wayne became a futurist in 1997 when he was working as a software developer and asked the question, “Why […]
Accelerating Tech
Big Future Now! (It’s Really Happening)
Phil and Stephen discuss world-transforming changes that are occurring right now Ray Kurzweil claims singularity will happen by 2045 (An update to last week’s confusion about whether Kurzweil has changed his prediction.) Future ‘lightwave’ computers […]
Best of
What’s the Brain For? Best of TWT
[This show first aired March 24, 2008.] What’s the brain for? Why is the brain the way it is? What can we do with it that we haven’t thought about before? Stephen Gordon and Michael […]
Exploring Possibilities
Risky Business: Watching Your Step in the Digital Age
Phil and Stephen examine different kinds of risks that technology enables. A Lithuanian phisher tricked two big US tech companies into wiring him $100 million The scammer, 48-year-old Evaldas Rimasauskas, did so by masquerading […]
Podcasts
Thomas Frey and Epiphany Z, Part 1
Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome futurist Thomas Frey back to the World Transformed to discuss his new book: Epiphany Z: 8 Radical Visions for Transforming Your Future. Topics: What is epiphany Z? 12 Laws […]
Podcasts
Thomas Frey and Epiphany Z, Part 2
Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon welcome futurist Thomas Frey back to the World Transformed to discuss his new book: Epiphany Z: 8 Radical Visions for Transforming Your Future. Topics: What is epiphany Z? 12 Laws of […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Singularity is Ever Nearer
Phil and Stephen consider whether humanity is about to enter a new historical epoch. Quick recap, singularity defined: The Singularity is an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly nonbiological and trillions of times […]
Exploring Possibilities
Lights in the Sky: Metal Asteroids, Big Rockets, and Aliens?
Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon review interesting developments in space exploration and development. Scientists claim to have found language of ancient Indus civilisation Blue Origin releases details of its monster orbital rocket After months […]