The Future And You - podcast cover

The Future And You

Stephen Euin Cobbwww.thefutureandyou.com
This award-winning series explores The Future of Everything. What can we expect of next week, next year, next century? What will we eat, drive, wear, live in, vote for, want to buy, and want to avoid? What mistakes of the past will we make again, and which ones have we learned from? From the next tick of the clock to the ultimate end of the universe, every subject is fair game. Composed of interviews and essays, it's hosted by the author and futurist Stephen Euin Cobb. Guests include: famous authors and the occasional celebrity, but mostly futurists, innovators, technologists, analysts, entrepreneurs, and those pushing the limits of technology, as well as those struggling to understand the trends growing strong around us now--since it is those trends which will create the future in which we will all live. This program is not about magic, or prophecy, or psychic divination. Instead, we attempt to use verifiable facts as our foundation, and from them extrapolate forward. All such extrapolations--regardless of the credentials of those putting them forth--must be considered pure opinion. Time alone, will allow these extrapolations to be verified or nullified. Topics and themes explored include: nanotechnology and biotechnology; organlegging and organ transplants, molecular manufacturing and computers wired directly into the human brain; extropianism, transhumanism and the technology of individual immortality; terrorism, globalization, global warming and nuclear proliferation; cryonics and cryogenics; genetic engineering and the human genome project; embryos, cloning and stem cell research; astronomy and other space explorations (NASA, Hubble, exoplanets, SETI, ESA, CCCP, lasers and space probes); the singularity, robots, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI); remote sensing and waldoes; legal and illegal uses of the Internet (hackers and hacking, viruses and Trojan horses); solar cells, peak oil and alternative energy; aging and medical longevity; FTL (faster than light travel, as in Star Trek and Star Wars) and worm holes (as in StarGate SG-1); progress in health, education and neuroscience, as well as evolution, agriculture and inventions; and how what was once science fiction and fantasy is now biology, chemistry and physics. Everything from futurism to futurology. To learn more, check the show's website at: www.TheFutureAndYou.com

Episodes

The Future And You--October 23, 2013

Topic: How the U.S. electric power grid will suffer and struggle economically due to the continued rise of electricity produced from sunlight. This suffering has already begun in places where photovoltaics are in rapid adoption such as Hawaii and California. But this struggle has only just begun. During the next decade or two it's going to get ugly--really ugly. The slow agonizing death of an industry is not an easy thing to watch. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be eliminated. And for those ...

Oct 23, 201332 min

The Future And You--October 16, 2013

Topic: Part TWO of our panel on Transhumanism . Panelists include: Stephanie Osborn (space scientist and SF author), Dr. Ben Davis (nuclear physicist), Lillian Price (microbiologist in the final months of her doctoral work), Daniel M. Hoyt (programmer and SF writer), Sarah A. Hoyt (author and polyglot), Robert Hoyt (SF writer with a fresh BS in biology), me (your host, Stephen Euin Cobb ), and Dr. Tedd Roberts (neuroscientist and researcher) as the panel's moderator. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb ...

Oct 16, 201330 min

The Future And You--October 9, 2013

Topic: Transhumanism . This is a panel discussion with eight participants--a mixture of scientists and science fiction writers. Panelists include: Stephanie Osborn (space scientist and SF author), Dr. Ben Davis (nuclear physicist), Lillian Price (microbiologist in the final months of her doctoral work), Daniel M. Hoyt (programmer and SF writer), Sarah A. Hoyt (author and polyglot), Robert Hoyt (SF writer with a fresh BS in biology), me (your host, Stephen Euin Cobb ), and Dr. Tedd Roberts (neuro...

Oct 09, 201330 min

The Future And You--October 2, 2013

Anthony Thomas, M. Doc Geressy and Chuck Carte are our featured guests; with Stephen Euin Cobb as moderator. Topic: Part TWO of New Media . The nature and effects of the many different newly-invented forms of media which have grown large thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Internet--without which they could not exist. This includes: streaming TV, wiki's, facebook, podcasts, blogs, twitter, pintrest, and many other tools for sharing information digitally. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb , th...

Oct 02, 201332 min

The Future And You--September 25, 2013

Anthony Thomas, M. Doc Geressy and Chuck Carte are our featured guests; with Stephen Euin Cobb as moderator. Topic: " New Media " (as opposed to traditional media). An informal examination of the nature and effects of the many different newly-invented forms of media which have grown large thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Internet--without which they could not exist. This includes: streaming TV, wiki's, facebook, podcasts, blogs, twitter, pintrest, and many other tools for sharing inf...

Sep 25, 201337 min

The Future And You--September 18, 2013

Michael Nuschke (Retirement Futurist) is our featured guest. Topic: Part TWO of Retirement planning in the age of the Singularity. Michael Nuschke is a Professional Retirement Planner who is also a Futurist and Life-Extensionist. By combining his profession with his futurism he has written a report entitled The End Of Retirement As We Know It . This report is available as a free pdf download from his website ( www.retirementsingularity.com ). I've read it and it's excellent. In my interview with...

Sep 18, 201335 min

The Future And You--September 11, 2013

Michael Nuschke (Retirement Futurist) is our featured guest. Topic: Retirement planning in the age of the Singularity (Part One). Michael Nuschke is a Professional Retirement Planner who is also a Futurist and Life-Extensionist. By combining his profession with his futurism he has written a report entitled The End Of Retirement As We Know It . This report is available as a free pdf download from his website ( www.retirementsingularity.com ). I've read it and it's excellent. In my interview with ...

Sep 11, 201333 min

The Future And You--September 4, 2013

Frederik Pohl , one of the legends of science fiction, passed away just a few days ago on September 2, 2013. In memory of his life and work today's episode contains an interview he gave me back in 2010 shortly after he'd turned 90 years old. Topics: How he and Arthur C. Clarke became friends many decades ago; and how in Arthur's declining years Arthur asked Fred to finish a book that he had started but could not complete. Fred's years working as a literary agent--during which he became Isaac Asi...

Sep 04, 20131 hr

The Future And You--August 28, 2013

Dr. Ben Davis (nuclear physicist and professor) is our featured speaker. Topic: The Singularity, and some of the things which might prevent it from occurring. Dr. Ben Davis earned his PhD in Nuclear Physics from the University of Notre Dame. For several years he then taught mathematics, programming, astronomy and physics. He now works in the biometrics industry. His personal interest include: futurism, skepticism, science fiction, and history. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb , this is the August 28,...

Aug 28, 201351 min

The Future And You--August 21, 2013

Catherine Asaro (theoretical physicist, author and SIGMA consultant), Stephanie Osborn (former NASA payload specialist and author) David L. Burkhead (who works at a scanning electron microscopy facility, and writes science fiction as well) and your host: Stephen Euin Cobb . Topic: Nanotechnology. What is being done today and what it may produce in the future. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb , this is the August 21, 2013 episode of The Future And You . [Running time: 53 minutes] This is a panel discu...

Aug 21, 201353 min

The Future And You--August 14, 2013

James Maxey (author), Jim Craig (planetarium director), Ben Davis (nuclear physicist) and myself are today's speakers. Topic: A Timeline of Humanity's Future in Space. Specifically: When are we likely to do each of the following: return to the Moon; put the first footsteps on an asteroid; land people on Mars; visit the outer planets (or the moons of the outer planets) such as those of Jupiter and Saturn; and, of course, when are we likely to send people to a solar system other than our own--whic...

Aug 14, 20131 hr

The Future And You--August 7, 2013

James Maxey (author), Jim Craig (planetarium director), Gray Rinehart (writer and editor), Ben Davis (nuclear physicist) and myself are today's speakers. Topic: Global Climate Change. Evaluating its possible solutions for effectiveness and political achieveability. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 7, 2013 episode of The Future And You . [Running time: 58 minutes] This panel discussion was recorded before a live audience at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas in Charlotte NC on June 1...

Aug 07, 201358 min

The Future And You--July 31, 2013

John Ringo (best selling author), Larry Correa (best selling author), Catherine Asaro (theoretical physicist, author and SIGMA consultant), Les Johnson (author and NASA administrator), Tedd Roberts (brain scientist), Michael Z. Williamson (author), Julie Cochran (author), Patrick Vanner (author) and Lillian Price (microbiologist and medical student) are today's speakers. Topic: "Ten Ways Civilization Might Die." Ways discussed include: another Carrington Event , an eruption of the Yellowstone ca...

Jul 31, 20131 hr

The Future And You--July 24, 2013

Seventeen diverse interviews from LibertyCon 2013. Topics: Trends and insight into what is happening behind the scenes in a wide variety of professions, interests, enthusiasms and fields. This collection is partly intended give you a sense of the trends which are creating the future, but also to provide you with a bit of the flavor of the science fiction and fantasy convention LibertyCon. Our guests today in the order in which they appear: Catherine Asaro (author, scientist, dancer, singer and L...

Jul 24, 20132 hr 13 min

The Future And You--July 17, 2013

Catherine Asaro (theoretical physicist, author and SIGMA consultant), Les Johnson (author and NASA administrator), Sarah Hoyt (author), Tedd Roberts (brain scientist), Ben Davis (nuclear physicist), Jeff Barnes (FAA safety engineer and SF writer), Lillian Price (microbiologist and medical student), Chuck Gannon (author and SIGMA consultant) and Jim Beall (nuclear engineer) are today's speakers. Topic: "Where's My Flying Car?" And other broken promises about the future from science fiction. Subto...

Jul 17, 201359 min

The Future And You--July 10, 2013

James Maxey (author), Jim Craig (planetarium director), Gray Rinehart (writer and editor), Ben Davis (nuclear physicist) and myself are today's speakers. Topic: "The Year in Science" (Part 2). Subtopics: grid parity ; smart grids (verses the dumb grids we have now); photovoltaics and the rise of solar cells; solar panels on residential roofs; George Orwell; so called joule theives (such as the one that charges your cell phone with the stray radio waves around you, or charges it using the special...

Jul 10, 201331 min

The Future And You--July 3, 2013

James Maxey (author), Jim Craig (planetarium director), Ben Davis (nuclear physicist) and myself are today's speakers. Topic: "The Year in Science" (Part 1). Subtopics: The good and bad of 3D printers . Such as the 3D printing of food for human consumption , of a mouse kidney for transplant, of replacement parts for US army weapons, of artificial limbs for amputees, and of impossible to find parts for antique cars. But also the unemployment which will likely be a byproduct of 3D printers. Also d...

Jul 03, 201331 min

The Future And You--June 26, 2013

Twelve diverse interviews from ConCarolinas 2013. Gathered from locations throughout the Hilton Hotel in Charlotte NC during the weekend of ConCarolinas, these interviews provide trends and insight into what is happening behind the scenes in a wide variety of professions, interests, enthusiasms and fields. This collection is partly intended give you a sense of what is likely to come in the future, but also to provide you with a feel for the flavor of the annual convention. Our guests today in th...

Jun 26, 20132 hr 44 min

The Future And You--June 19, 2013

James Maxey (author), Anthony Thomas (programmer), Jim Craig (planetarium director) and myself are today's speakers. Topic: Transhumanism. Subtopics: is transhumanism inevitable?, computers hardwired into the human brain, artificial red blood cells, nootropics (smart drugs), augmentation as a personal choice verses as a product of social coercion, Marshal Brain's short story Manna , prenatal surgery, eugenics, should we slow down the rate of human augmentation?, life extension, google glass, the...

Jun 19, 20131 hr 5 min

The Future And You--June 12, 2013

Dr. Robert E. Hampson (neuroscientist, writer and public speaker) is today's featured guest. Part 3 of our 3 part exploration of: How memories are stored in the human brain. Subtopics include: The Blue Brain Project , The Human Connectome Project , President Obama's BRAIN Initiative , Artificial Intelligence, Alzheimer's disease, Trends in Teaching Methods used in Colleges, Distance Learning, Prosthetics for the Brain , and the problem of obsolescence of brain prosthetics which might require rep...

Jun 12, 201344 min

The Future And You--June 5, 2013

Dr. Robert E. Hampson (neuroscientist, writer and public speaker) is today's featured guest. Part 2 of our 3 part exploration of: How memories are stored in the human brain. Subtopics include: recording electrical activity deep inside a living human brain; common misinterpretations of the goals of brain research; deep brain stimulation (a treatment for Parkinson's disease); pharmaceuticals for brain research, and ways in which the Internet has forced peer-reviewed scientific journals to change. ...

Jun 05, 201337 min

The Future And You--May 29, 2013

Dr. Robert E. Hampson (neuroscientist, writer and public speaker) is today's featured guest. Topic: How memories are stored in the human brain. As well as ways living neurons behave similarly to neural nets written in software ; why holograms are a good metaphor for memory storage in the brain; and new tools and equipment which are opening the door to entirely new research. Such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Functional MRI) which is an MRI procedure that measures brain activity by de...

May 29, 201348 min

The Future And You--May 22, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. Topics: Future trends as depicted on the TV show Continuum ; grid parity of photovoltaics across America as depicted on a Solar Equivalency Interactive Map ; my intentions to Invest in Photovoltaics over the next two to four years; a warning that the price of stock in solar companies will likely suffer from a series bubbles of ever increasing size over the next few years, each one followed by a crash; a clever invention called Gravity L...

May 22, 201329 min

The Future And You--May 15, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. Topic: Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies . Their rise; utility; strength; weakness; easy and difficult ways of aquiring them; their short and long term trends; and the scammers who cheat those who sell them on eBay. Cryptocurrencies include: Bitcoin (BTC) , Litecoin (LTC) , PPCoin (PPC) , Namecoin (NMC) , FeatherCoin (FTC) , NovaCoin (NVC) , Devcoin (DEV), Freicoin (FRC) , ChnCoin (CNC), Terracoin (TRC) , Liquidcoin (LQC), IxCoin...

May 15, 201338 min

The Future And You--May 8, 2013

Les Johnson (author, speaker and NASA administrator) is today's featured guest. Topic: Sky Alert: When Satellites Fail (Les Johnson's latest nonfiction book). Les describes how much we depend on our fragile network of satellites orbiting the earth, how vulnerable they are to various dangers, and how our day-to-day lives would suffer if they were destroyed. Les Johnson serves as the Deputy Manager for the Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, A...

May 08, 201352 min

The Future And You--May 1, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. News and commentary on a variety of topics, including: Google glass are not welcome in Brighton shop ; Old age is the killer app for Google Glass ; Regulation changes the US Post office have made recently in the hope of massively increasing the junk mail you receive ; Nanosponges soak up toxins released by bacterial infections and venom ; and An IT industry assessment of how many Google Glass are likely to sell between 2013 and 2016 . H...

May 01, 201330 min

The Future And You--April 24, 2013

This is the 300th episode of The Future And You . A hundred new predictions about the future from dozens of past guests, a few possible future guests, several listeners and an assortment of people actively building the future we are all going to live in. Predictions from: David Brin , Jack McDevitt , Mike Resnick , Larry Niven , Nancy Kress , Joe Haldeman , Kim Stanley Robinson , Paul Parsons , Dr. Aubrey de Grey , Michael Vassar , Extropia DaSilva , Khannea Suntzu , Rudi Hoffman , David Orban ,...

Apr 24, 201348 min

The Future And You--April 17, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. Topic: Google Glass. News, commentary and predictions of how Google Glass and other augmented reality glasses will alter our future. Links: How Google Glass will Change Porn , 5 ways medics could use Google Glass , Google Glass for cops: How Taser plans to bring wearable, real-time tech to the police frontline , BMW “Augmented Reality” Glasses Show Mechanics How to Fix A Car , Anti-Google Glass Group Galvanize Masses Against Cyborgs , M...

Apr 17, 201345 min

The Future And You--April 10, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. Topics: Life Extension and The Technological Singularity . (Stephen asks himself some of the many questions about the future he generally asks his guests.) Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 10, 2013 episode of The Future And You . [Running time: 38 minutes] Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You . A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine ; ...

Apr 10, 201339 min

The Future And You--April 3, 2013

Stephen Euin Cobb (author and futurist) is today's speaker. Various Nanotechnology Topics: Nanotechnology in Furniture ; Nano-particles are shown to kill the HIV virus using bee venom ; assembling and dissembling nano-structures composed of DNA using a "programmable assembly" method has been demonstrated by nano-encrypting Morse code messages ; gold nano-rods split water into hydrogen and oxygen when exposed to sunlight . Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 3, 2013 episode of The Futu...

Apr 03, 201319 min