Exploring Possibilities
Lost Planet
In the news this week is the discovery a lonely, starless planet floating on its own out in interstellar space. Where did it come from? Where is it going? Phil and Stephen discuss the mystery of […]
Podcasts
Accelerating Tech
What Can You Do with a Robot?
Phil and Stephen present a user’s guide to future stuff. Sure, robots have been used in industrial settings for years and we anticipate that soon they’ll be driving our cars for us, but what else […]
Exploring Possibilities
The 20,000 Year Leap
Futurist Ray Kurzweil is on the record predicting that humanity will move forward 20,000 years in the 21st century. Just to provide a little context, 20,000 years ago we were living in a different epoch. At that […]
Entertainment
Ramez Naam and Crux
The first blows in the war between human and posthuman have been struck. The world will never be the same. Ramez Naam joins Phil and Stephen to discuss his new novel Crux, the highly anticipated sequel […]
Podcasts
World’s Longest Book
Phil and Stephen expand on their idea to publish a collection of world-transforming ideas written by people all over the world. How many great ideas can one book contain? A hundred? Ten thousand? A million? […]
Exploring Possibilities
The First Step
Sure, we talk a lot about transforming the world, but how does one actually make it happen? This week Phil and Stephen talk about the critical juncture between great idea and world transformation: the first […]
Entertainment
Games Conquer the Universe
What’s more fun than playing games? One possible answer: systems that let you build your own games! Especially if you have to become something of a hacker to get the games going. How about building your own computer […]
Exploring Possibilities
Living with the Shocking Truth
Last week’s show about the Shocking Truth opened up some interesting discussion. Are things really getting better? This week we review the good news (or not so good news) concerning: Sexual assault statistics Forest growth […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Return of the Shocking Truth
Can you handle the truth? Most people can’t. When we face the facts, the world is different than a lot of us expect it to be. A LOT different. Take the quiz and then tune […]
Exploring Possibilities
Infinite Universes WT027
New findings suggest that our universe is not the only one. It may be one of many, or one of an infinite number of universes. Phil and Stephen discuss the implications. Does it matter if […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Future of Isms WT024, WT026
The future isn’t just about technological change. Some of the biggest changes we have ever seen and can expect ever to see occur in the realm of ideas. With that in mind, hosts Phil and […]
Entertainment
Dumb Movies, Smart Futures WT025
Phil and Stephen discuss the future of humanity as portrayed in some of the summer’s biggest movies as well as some older films. How have movies from years past accurately reflected the future — and […]
Accelerating Tech
Mind Blowing Technologies WT 023
Futurist George Dvorsky joins hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon to discuss his recent io9 piece: 10 Mindblowingly Futuristic Technologies that Will Appear by the 2030’s. Are we really just a couple of decades away from […]
Exploring Possibilities
Declaration of Singularity WT 022
Like the Founding Fathers, transhumanists and singularitarians believe that we are subject to an oppressive regime with no legitimate claim on our lives or our futures. Has the time come to declare our independence from […]
Exploring Possibilities
Live to See It; Live to Do It WT021
Today people are embracing new capabilities and possibilities faster than at any previous time in human history. We can know more, do more, and be more than any generation that has come before. And we […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Once and Future Future WT020
Here we are more than a decade into the 21st century, and still no sign of a lot of cool future stuff: Moon colonies Underwater cities Rocket Airliners High-speed pneumatic trains Flying cities Phil and […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Joy Explosion WT 019
Why are we interested in the future? We want to know what happens next. We want to avoid bad things that might happen and make the most of good things that can happen. What if […]
Podcasts
The Road to Radical Abundance WT 018
Phil and Stephen discuss Drexler’s new book, which outlines how atomically precise manufacturing will utterly transform our world. Skeptics say that Drexler’s vision of atomically precise manufacturing is a pipe dream that has been ridiculously hyped for too long. Drexler maintains that we are much closer than most people realize, and that progress is taking place in some unexpected quarters. Who is right? And if APM is on its way, will it be the ultimate example of catastrophic success or will it lead to an economic boom of unprecedented proportions? […]
Exploring Possibilities
Red Pill or Blue? WT 017
Imagine this choice: you can live in the real world with all its limitations and shortcomings or you can live in a perfect simulation of reality…where “perfect” means not only that you will never know […]
Exploring Possibilities
The OTHER Other 99% WT016
It’s not about politics. It’s about what we know and what we don’t know…yet. Speaking on the subject of genetics, geneticist and synthetic biologist Craig Venter recently stated: “We know 1% of what we’ll ultimately […]
Abundance
Catastrophic Success WT015
I’m reading K. Eric Drexler’s new book Radical Abundance, which explores the impact of atomically precise manufacturing (APM). Drexler predicts that APM will be with us soon and that it will transform the global economy […]
Exploring Possibilities
Will We Ever Upload? WT014
Special guests Ben Goertzel and David Pearce join Phil and Stephen to examine the question of mind uploading. Is the human mind ultimately a sophisticated piece of software that will one day be translated to […]
Accelerating Tech
Reality Plus
What’s better than reality? How about augmented reality — applications that interact with the world around us to provide startling new insights and capabilities. Special guests Jospeh Rampolla and Collin O’Malley join hosts Phil Bowermaster […]
Exploring Possibilities
Unexpected Futures
Think you have a handle on what’s going to happen next? Well, think again. Phil and Stephen discuss 10 future developments you might not have considered, but that you might well live to see. […]
Exploring Possibilities
The Great World Transformed Debate
The future is on its way. What will it be like? Phil and Stephen debate some pivotal questions about what may unfold in the years to come: Resolved: The discovery of extraterrestrial life is […]