The Future And You
Ideas and opinion about the future based on verifiable facts of today.
 
The Future And You -- December 28, 2011

Natasha Vita-More (life extension and transhumanism pioneer, designer, spokesperson, writer and activist) is our featured guest. 

Topics: Life Extension and Human Augmentation--Part 3.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 28, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes]. This is the final third of a three part interview recorded by Skype on December 10, 2011. 

Natasha Vita-More is a Ph.D. researcher at the Centre for Media, Art and Design at the University of Plymouth. She is Chair ofHumanity+, and may be best known for designingPrimo Posthuman a future human prototype. She is the co-editor of the 2012 bookThe Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology and Philosophy of the Human Future. She has appeared in more than twenty-four televised documentaries on culture and the future; been featured on NPR Radio; and in Flaunt, LA Weekly, Village Voice, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, U.S. News & World Report, and Teleopolis. She is currently producing and hosting Minds Matter a discussion and debate series.The New York Times called her "the first female philosopher of transhumanism" in 2008,  and Wired featured her as the "spokesperson for superlongevity" in 2000.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_12_28.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:44pm EDT

The Future And You -- December 21, 2011

Natasha Vita-More (life extension and transhumanism pioneer, designer, spokesperson, writer and activist) is our featured guest. 

Topics: Life Extension and Human Augmentation--Part 2.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 21, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 39 minutes]. This is the second third of an interview recorded by Skype on December 10, 2011. 

Natasha Vita-More is a Ph.D. researcher at the Centre for Media, Art and Design at the University of Plymouth. She is Chair ofHumanity+, and may be best known for designingPrimo Posthuman a future human prototype. She is the co-editor of the 2012 bookThe Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology and Philosophy of the Human Future. She has appeared in more than twenty-four televised documentaries on culture and the future; been featured on NPR Radio; and in Flaunt, LA Weekly, Village Voice, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, U.S. News & World Report, and Teleopolis. She is currently producing and hosting Minds Matter a discussion and debate series.The New York Times called her "the first female philosopher of transhumanism" in 2008,  and Wired featured her as the "spokesperson for superlongevity" in 2000.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_12_21.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:13pm EDT

The Future And You -- December 14, 2011

Natasha Vita-More (life extension and transhumanism pioneer, designer, spokesperson, writer and activist) is our featured guest. 

Topics: Life Extension and Human Augmentation.

Natasha Vita-More is a Ph.D. researcher at the Centre for Media, Art and Design at the University of Plymouth. She is Chair of Humanity+, and may be best known for designing Primo Posthuman a future human prototype. She is the co-editor of the 2012 book The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology and Philosophy of the Human Future. She has appeared in more than twenty-four televised documentaries on culture and the future; been featured on NPR Radio; and in Flaunt, LA Weekly, Village Voice, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, U.S. News & World Report, and Teleopolis. She is currently producing and hosting Minds Matter a discussion and debate series. The New York Times called her "the first female philosopher of transhumanism" in 2008,  and Wired featured her as the "spokesperson for superlongevity" in 2000. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 14, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 45 minutes]. This is the first third of an interview recorded by Skype on December 10, 2011. 

News Item: 

This is the six year anniversary episode of The Future And You.  Six years ago (on December 15, 2005) the very first episode of The Future And You became globally available for public enjoyment. Back then it was in a magazine format with many guests which made the show very long. Too long some listeners said, which is why I changed it to the current shorter format. Sound quality back then was also less than it is today, since I was doing phone interviews through a traditional land line telephone instead of Skype or Google Talk. 

Despite their age, I am pleased to say that my decision to keep all past episodes up and available indefinitely has proven to be a good one. All the past episodes, even the very earliest ones, continue to be downloaded at a rate that I find both surprising and pleasing. I'm also pleased at the global nature of the show's popularity. While the USA makes up about 60 percent of the audience, I have listeners in over 130 nations around the world. China tops the foreign countries, followed by all the English speaking nations (in order of population), then the developed countries in Europe and Asia and the Americas, followed finally by what seem to be all the nations that have access to the Internet. 

One nice thing about doing this show is that it gets my name in front of people I could never reach otherwise. For example: The largest English-Language Technology magazine in the nation of India emailed me unexpectedly and asked me to write a feature article for their tenth anniversary issue. Digit Magazine is a slick glossy technology monthly with a circulation of 250,000.  Yeah, a quarter of a million people read this magazine. The June 2011 issue contains my article entitled "When Diamonds are no longer Precious." The editors were kind enough to include (on the same page as the article) a three inch tall color photo of me. That was nice of them.

Another example: This year I was asked to contribute one of my articles to a college text book. The text book called About Philosophy (eleventh edition) by Robert Paul Wolff has just come out and contains my article "Real Discrimination against Digital People." The article could be classified as investigative journalism since I interviewed a dozen or more people to find incidents of discrimination inside virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft. The article was originally published in H+ Magazine and can still be read online.

I'd like to thank everyone who has helped to make this show a success: both those who listen and those who have let me interview them. The desire to hear and the desire to share ideas and opinion about the future is what keeps this show going. Thank you all, I appreciate your help.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_12_14.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:46am EDT

The Future And You -- December 7, 2011

Jim Craig (planetarium director), James Maxey (author), Chris Berman (author), Justin Chung (artist), Emlee Vassilos (actress), Terry W. Erwin II (author), and me: Stephen Euin Cobb (author, futurist and your host) are our featured guests. 

Topic:  When Did Science Become a Bad Word? 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 7, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 37 minutes]. This is the first half of a panel recorded on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte NC at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.

Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. He is a lifelong science fiction fan and has given presentations on the history of science fiction. He is an outspoken activist for science education, critical thinking, skepticism and free thought. In 2006 he was allowed to name a crater on Mars.

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood,Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Chris Berman is the author of Red Moon and Star Pirates.

Justin Chung is an artist, illustrator, and creative consultant. He was Artsit Guest of Honor for 2011 at ConCarolinas.

Emlee Vassilos is an actress who is co-staring (as Lily) in the soon to be released zombie horror movie A Few Brains More, which is the sequel to Fist Full of Brains. She has also performed in Destiny RoadRenee, and the TV movie Trinity Goodheart.

Terry W. Erwin II writes novels, short stories and articles. His novels include: Blood Sword and Flank Hawk.   

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. He is also a artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of the Lifeboat Foundation. Three years a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine, he has also become a regular contributor at Robot MagazineH+ Magazine, Space and Time Magazine: and has written for Digit, Grim Couture and Port Irismagazines. His novels include: Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook andSkinbrain.

Special Announcement: Today, December 7th (aside from being "A date which will live in infamy," thanks to the bombing of Pearl Harbour) is my mother's 76th birthday. Happy Birthday mom!

News Item: The World Future Society has issued a call for inventions and innovations from breakthrough startups, who will compete in the second annual Futurists:BetaLaunch expo in Toronto next July. Futurists:BetaLaunch serves as a technology expo where engineers, designers, and others can present their inventions to the 1,000 futurists expected to gather for the Society’s annual conference. Also in attendance will be venture capitalists such as Moon Express founder Naveen Jain and Lightspeed Venture Partners. All inventors selected to present their inventions at F:BL will receive a complimentary registration to the WorldFuture 2012 conference ($750 value). Deadline for entry is March 15, 2012.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_12_7.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:26am EDT

The Future And You -- November 30, 2011

Toni WeisskopfJulie CochraneMichael Z. Williamson, and Jason Cordova are our featured guests. 

Topic: The growing cultural divide between the military and civilians, as viewed by military personnel and military families. (Part 2)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 30, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 37 minutes]. This is the second half of a panel recorded on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN, at the SF&F conventionLibertyCon.

Toni Weisskopf is the publisher of Baen Books: one of the largest publishers of SF&F in America, and probably the number one publisher of Military SF.

Julie Cochrane has degrees and training in chemistry, psychology and computer science. Her hobbies include pistol marksmanship, history, criminology and folk music. She is coauthor of three military SF novels with the New York Times best-selling author John Ringo.

Jason Cordova served in the Navy, and is the author of the novel Corruptor.

Michael Z. Williamson is retired from the United States military after 25 years and is both a science fiction and military fiction author. He is also associate editor at SurvivalBlog where he does reviews of disaster preparedness products. He has consulted on military matters, weapons and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel productions. He tests and reviews firearms and gear for manufacturers. He is the author of at least ten military SF novels, one of which is a collaboration with the New York Times best-selling author John Ringo.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_11_30.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:39am EDT

The Future And You -- November 23, 2011

Toni Weisskopf, Julie Cochrane, Michael Z. Williamson, and Jason Cordova are our featured guests. 

Topic: The growing cultural divide between the military and civilians, as viewed by military personnel and military families.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 23, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 34 minutes]. This panel was recorded on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN, at the SF&F convention LibertyCon.

Toni Weisskopf is the publisher of Baen Books: one of the largest publishers of SF&F in America, and probably the number one publisher of Military SF.

Julie Cochrane has degrees and training in chemistry, psychology and computer science. Her hobbies include pistol marksmanship, history, criminology and folk music. She is coauthor of three military SF novels with the New York Times best-selling author John Ringo.

Jason Cordova served in the Navy, and is the author of the novel Corruptor.

Michael Z. Williamson is retired from the United States military after 25 years and is both a science fiction and military fiction author. He is also associate editor at SurvivalBlog where he does reviews of disaster preparedness products. He has consulted on military matters, weapons and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel productions. He tests and reviews firearms and gear for manufacturers. He is the author of at least ten military SF novels, one of which is a collaboration with the New York Times best-selling author John Ringo.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_11_23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:43pm EDT

This week's episode will be two or three days late (due to tech problems). Sorry for the inconvenience.

This week's episode will be two or three days late (due to tech problems). Sorry for the inconvenience.

Category:general -- posted at: 5:58am EDT

The Future And You -- November 16, 2011

Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) gives his opinion on a variety of future topics.

Topics: how popular science fiction movies effect decision making within our civilization; immortality through nanotechnology; movies such as: Blade Runner, Terminator, Minority Report, and Gattica; virtual realities (such as Second Life and World of Warcraft); why human augmentation may be inevitable; the widespread resistance to human augmentation which exists already; the creation of human organs using 3D printers which print with living cells; the de Vinchi surgical machine; the novel Rollback (by Robert J. Sawyer); Life Extension and Age Reversing; measurable loss of function in the various organs of the body; the likely availability of life extension technologies, and the effect they may have on the future of civilization.

This is the November 16, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes]. This interview of Stephen Euin Cobb was recorded using Skype on October 15, 2011, and was conducted by Richard Buxton (a screenwriter and film student in London) as part of Richard's research for his thesis, which concerns the cumulative effect science fiction movies have on civilization.

Richard Buxton studied Fine Art at Central St Martins in London, and completed an MA in Production Design for Film & TV at Kingston University. Currently he is working toward a Film Making Degree at SAE Institute London with an emphasis in screenwriting. Part of that work will be his thesis which concerns the effect which science fiction films have had on society. He writes for Tracksounds (a website dedicated to film scores) and has appeared on SoundCast (a podcast of interviews and commentary about film scores).

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. He is also a artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of the Lifeboat Foundation. Three years a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine, he has also become a regular contributor at Robot Magazine, H+ Magazine, Space and Time Magazine: and has written for Digit, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines. His novels include: Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain

News Item: CBS News reports that Ridding body of old "zombie" cells slows aging process, study shows. Mayo Clinic scientists may have hit upon a way to slow the aging process. The key, they report in a tantalizing new study, is purging the body of senescent cells - old "zombie" cells that no longer work as they should.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_11_16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:22am EDT

The Future And You -- November 9, 2011

Richard Buxton (a screenwriter and film student in London) is our featured guest.

Topic: Trends in movies and the movie making industry.

Richard Buxton studied Fine Art at Central St Martins in London, and completed an MA in Production Design for Film & TV at Kingston University. Currently he is working toward a Film Making Degree at SAE Institute London with an emphasis in screenwriting. Part of that work will be his thesis which concerns the effect which science fiction films have had on society. He writes for Tracksounds (a website dedicated to film scores) and has appeared on Soundcast (a podcast of interviews and commentary about film scores).

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 9, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 28 minutes]. This is the second half of an interview recorded using Skype on October 15, 2011.  

News Items: [1] DARPA plans to put 1,000 3-D printers (rapid fabrication devices) into high schools across the United States as a way to encourage American young people to go into engineering and particularly manufacturing, and to help high schoolers build STEM skills. [2] A Georgia Tech team has received a $3 million grant to explore how bacteria interact on a molecular level to form networks. The research may one day guide the design of nanodevices able to communicate with one another and accomplish tasks at the nanolevel of one billionth of a meter in size, which could lead to future breakthroughs in nanorobotics. [3] Military personal, academics, and diplomats met in Virginia October 25-28 for Unified Quest, a seminar war game to explore the geostrategic environment of the future. “The purpose of this symposium is about plausible strategic landscapes,” said Col. Kevin Felix, director of the Army’s Future Warfare Division. “The four working groups were given wide latitude to work towards 2028, and it was about bringing in the right folks.”

Direct download: TFAY_2011_11_9.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:34pm EDT

The Future And You -- November 2, 2011

Richard Buxton (a screenwriter and film student in London) is our featured guest.

Topic: Trends in movies and the movie making industry.

Richard Buxton studied Fine Art at Central St Martins in London, and completed an MA in Production Design for Film & TV at Kingston University. Currently he is working toward a Film Making Degree at SAE Institute London with an emphasis in screenwriting. Part of that work will be his thesis which concerns the effect which science fiction films have had on society.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 2, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes]. This is the first half of an interview, which was recorded using Skype on October 15, 2011.

News Item: Rocksmith is a new video game which trumps Guitar Hero by teaching the player how to play real music on a real guitar. This game is one more example of a growing assortment of software which harness the accelerated learning environment of video games to allow players to develop skills which can then be used in the world outside the game. Many futurists believe (and your host is one of them) that in the years and decades to come the variety of skills which will be learned in this way will become vast and uncountable.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_11_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:59am EDT

The Future And You -- October 26, 2011

Chris and Janet Morris (US military and government advisers on non-lethal weapons) are our featured guests.

Topic: Non-Lethal Weapons: How they change the future of military engagements (Part 3). Also Chris and Janet's fiction anthology series': Heroes in Hell and Lawyers in Hell.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 26, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 48 minutes]. This is the third and final portion of this interview which was recorded using Skype on October 1, 2011.

Janet Morris is President and CEO of M2 Technologies, Inc., a woman-owned corporation specializing in non-lethal weapons (NLW), novel technology applications, tactics and technology. Her seminal non-lethal concept and novel technology applications work has been used by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and was excerpted in the Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). She has taught or provided course material to the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College, National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare and Strategy, and Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory's Non-Lethal Institute. She has provided and presented seminars and briefings to the Defense Science Board, the Congressional Research Service, Senate Armed Services Committee Staff, and the Center for Naval Analysis.

Chris Morris is Vice-President and Board Chairman of M2 Technologies, Inc., specializing in strategic planning, tactical support, and technology exploitation. His work on non-lethal, developmental, and foreign technology policy and implementation issues has been used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, OSD Office of Munitions, OSD Net Assessment, and excerpted in the U.S. Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). He has taught course elements and contributed papers to the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare & Strategy. He has presented Strategic Planning papers and papers on technology exploitation to the Center for Naval Analysis, the Defense Science Board, Georgia Institute of Technology, Penn State University's Advanced Research Laboratory, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

News Item: A new cyber-threat warning issued by the United States National Cyber-Alert System in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security. Unspecified vulnerability in Medtronic Paradigm wireless insulin pump 512, 522, 712, and 722 allows remote attackers to modify the delivery of an insulin bolus dose and cause a denial of service (adverse human health effects) via unspecified vectors involving wireless communications and knowledge of the device's serial number, as demonstrated by Jerome Radcliffe at the Black Hat USA conference in August 2011. NOTE: the vendor has disputed the severity of this issue, saying "we believe the risk of deliberate, malicious, or unauthorized manipulation of medical devices is extremely low... we strongly believe it would be extremely difficult for a third-party to wirelessly tamper with your insulin pump... you would be able to detect tones on the insulin pump that weren't intentionally programmed and could intervene accordingly." 

Special thanks go to Randal L. Schwartz for emailing me this news item. (Randal is a widely known author of programming books and articles. He is co-host of FLOSS Weekly, and has been a guest on The Future And You six times in the last five years.)

Direct download: TFAY_2011_10_26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:19pm EDT

The Future And You -- October 19, 2011

Chris and Janet Morris (US military and government advisers on non-lethal weapons) are our featured guests.

Topic: Non-Lethal Weapons: How they change the future of military engagements (Part 2)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 19, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 44 minutes]. This is the second third of this interview which was recorded using Skype on October 1, 2011.  The final third will follow in next week's episode.

Janet Morris is President and CEO of M2 Technologies, Inc., a woman-owned corporation specializing in non-lethal weapons (NLW), novel technology applications, tactics and technology. Her seminal non-lethal concept and novel technology applications work has been used by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and was excerpted in the Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). She has taught or provided course material to the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College, National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare and Strategy, and Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory's Non-Lethal Institute. She has provided and presented seminars and briefings to the Defense Science Board, the Congressional Research Service, Senate Armed Services Committee Staff, and the Center for Naval Analysis.

Chris Morris is Vice-President and Board Chairman of M2 Technologies, Inc., specializing in strategic planning, tactical support, and technology exploitation. His work on non-lethal, developmental, and foreign technology policy and implementation issues has been used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, OSD Office of Munitions, OSD Net Assessment, and excerpted in the U.S. Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). He has taught course elements and contributed papers to the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare & Strategy. He has presented Strategic Planning papers and papers on technology exploitation to the Center for Naval Analysis, the Defense Science Board, Georgia Institute of Technology, Penn State University's Advanced Research Laboratory, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_10_19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:12am EDT

The Future And You -- October 12, 2011

Chris and Janet Morris (US military and government advisers on non-lethal weapons) are our featured guests.

Topic: Non-Lethal Weapons: How they change the future of military engagements.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 12, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 49 minutes]. This is the first third of my interview with them, which was recorded using Skype on October 1, 2011.  The remainder of this interview will follow in two consecutive episodes.

Janet Morris is President and CEO of M2 Technologies, Inc., a woman-owned corporation specializing in non-lethal weapons (NLW), novel technology applications, tactics and technology. Her seminal non-lethal concept and novel technology applications work has been used by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and was excerpted in the Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). She has taught or provided course material to the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College, National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare and Strategy, and Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory's Non-Lethal Institute. She has provided and presented seminars and briefings to the Defense Science Board, the Congressional Research Service, Senate Armed Services Committee Staff, and the Center for Naval Analysis.

Chris Morris is Vice-President and Board Chairman of M2 Technologies, Inc., specializing in strategic planning, tactical support, and technology exploitation. His work on non-lethal, developmental, and foreign technology policy and implementation issues has been used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, OSD Office of Munitions, OSD Net Assessment, and excerpted in the U.S. Army's Draft Operations Concept for Disabling Measures (920904). He has taught course elements and contributed papers to the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and National Defense University's (IRMC) School of Information Warfare & Strategy. He has presented Strategic Planning papers and papers on technology exploitation to the Center for Naval Analysis, the Defense Science Board, Georgia Institute of Technology, Penn State University's Advanced Research Laboratory, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_10_12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:10am EDT

The Future And You -- October 5, 2011

Marina Sergeyeva(medical student) James Maxey (author and "big science geek") and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Technical, Legal and Moral Aspects of Cryonics

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 5, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The first half remains available in last week's episode.)

Marina Sergeyeva has degrees in biochemistry and mathematics, and will soon begin medical school. Formerly of the Ukraine, she now lives in the US.

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood,Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Bones Burnt Black and Skinbrain.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_10_5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:06am EDT

The Future And You -- September 28, 2011

Marina Sergeyeva (medical student) James Maxey (author and "big science geek") and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Technical, Legal and Moral Aspects of Cryonics

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 28, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The second half will be in next week's episode.)

Marina Sergeyeva has degrees in biochemistry and mathematics, and will soon begin medical school. Formerly of the Ukraine, she now lives in the US.

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Bones Burnt Black and Skinbrain.

News Items: [1] New eye implant improves vision by making the cornea mimic a pinhole camera; [2] Tased from above… The new ShadowHawk robot helicopter starts patrolling civilians; [3] Noticeably deeper sleep produced by TA-65.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_9_28.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:08am EDT

The Future And You -- September 21, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") Emlee Vassilos (actress) and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Alternative Energy Sources

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 21, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 39 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The first half is available in last week's episode.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Emlee Vassilos is an actress who is co-staring (as Lily) in the soon to be released zombie horror movie A Few Brains More, which is the sequel to Fist Full of Brains. She has also performed in Destiny Road, Renee, and the TV movie Trinity Goodheart.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Bones Burnt Black and Skinbrain.

News Items: [1] Social networks have become a powerful tool for those seeking employment; [2] based on the latest Kepler findings, astronomer Seth Shostak estimates that "within a thousand light-years of Earth," there are "at least 30,000" habitable planets; [3] the Open Science Summit will be held next month on Oct 22-23 in Mountain View CA.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_9_21.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT

The Future And You -- September 14, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") Emlee Vassilos (actress) and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Alternative Energy Sources

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 14, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 40 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The second half will be presented next week.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Emlee Vassilos is an actress who is co-staring (as Lily) in the soon to be released zombie horror movie A Few Brains More, which is the sequel to Fist Full of Brains. She has also performed in Destiny Road, Renee, and the TV movie Trinity Goodheart.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Skinbrain and Bones Burnt Black.

News Items: [1] eBooks are now more than 20% of book profits for the traditional Book publishers, according to USA Today. [2] Photovoltaics are now among the fastest growing industries in the world, having doubled in just one year. [3] The rate at which loss of function occurs in our bodies, as we age, differs widely in different organs. As part of his TA-65 evaluation project, your host goes over some of the statistics from Scientific American Magazine.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_9_14.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:57am EDT

The Future And You -- September 7, 2011

John Ringo, Tedd Roberts (AKA: Speaker to Lab Animals) Chris & Janet Morris, Jason Cordova and Mike Williamson are our featured guests.

Topic: The Technological Future of War.

John Ringo is a New York Times best selling novelist with over two million books in print. Tedd Roberts (AKA: Speaker to Lab Animals) is an associate professor at an unspecified "major southeastern medical school." Janet Morris is President and CEO of M2 Technologies, Inc. (a corporation specializing in non-lethal weapons, novel technology applications, tactics and technology). Chris Morris is Vice-President and Board Chairman of M2 technologies. Jason Cordova is an author. And Mike Williamson is an author and editor.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb (author of Skinbrain) this is the September 7, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 32 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon. The first half is available in the previous week's episode. Special thanks go to Derek Spraker (who recorded this panel) and to the volunteers of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company (who provided microphones, a sound board and a sound technician).

News Items: [1] This year's Singularity Summit will be held next month on the weekend of October 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, in New York, NY. (Having covered it for his show in 2009, your host recommends it as an excellent event.) [2] The worlds first electric motor composed of a single molecule was created by researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts. (Previous single molecule motors were powered by chemical reactions or by light, rather than electricity.) The work is being published in the magazine Nature Nanotechnology. [3] Your host's six-month evaluation project of the telomerase activator TA-65 began on September 1, 2011 with a blood test to measure the strength of his and his co-participant's immune systems. The blood test is being performed by UCLA.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_9_7.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:15am EDT

The Future And You -- August 31, 2011

John Ringo, Tedd Roberts (AKA: Speaker to Lab Animals) Chris & Janet Morris, Jason Cordova and Mike Williamson are our featured guests.

Topic: The Technological Future of War.

John Ringo is a New York Times best selling novelist with over two million books in print. Tedd Roberts (AKA: Speaker to Lab Animals) is an associate professor at an unspecified "major southeastern medical school." Janet Morris is President and CEO of M2 Technologies, Inc. (a corporation specializing in non-lethal weapons, novel technology applications, tactics and technology). Chris Morris is Vice-President and Board Chairman of M2 technologies. Jason Cordova is an author. And Mike Williamson is an author and editor.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb (author of Skinbrain) this is the August 31, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 29 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon. The second half will be available next week. Special thanks go to Derek Spraker (who recorded this panel) and to the volunteers of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company (who provided microphones, a sound board and a sound technician). 

News Item: Your host will begin a six-month evaluation of the telemerase activator TA-65, at the standard dosage, beginning on September 1, 2011. Since he is only 56 years old, his mother will also take it for six months. Being 75 years old, the benefits to her may be more observable. During this six-month evaluation he plans to give the listerners to his show frequent updates. (TA-65 is not sponsoring his show, there will be NO commercials, and the host is not being paid to do this.)

Direct download: TFAY_2011_8_31.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:41am EDT

The Future And You -- August 24, 2011

Dr. Diane Mucci, Cathe Smith, Gary Shelton, and Speaker To Lab Animals are our featured guests.

Topic: Cutting Edge Bioinformatics and Genetics.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb (author of Skinbrain) this is the August 24, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon. (The first half is available in last week's episode.)

Dr. Diane Mucci, formerly with the National Institute of Health (NIH), is currently a full time professor of biotechnology, and has a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology. Cathy Smith is an insect molecular geneticist with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Gary Shelton is an agronomist with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Speaker To Lab Animals (who writes under the name Tedd Roberts) is an associate professor at an unspecified "major southeastern medical school."

News Item: With kidnappings on the rise, thousands of Mexicans are paying serious money to a Mexican company named Xega to have RFID chips surgically implanted in their bodies.  But according to Mark Corner, an RFID researcher and computer science professor at the University of Massachusetts, their hope of being tracked and rescued by GPS signals using an implanted RFID chip is "nonsense."

Direct download: TFAY_2011_8_24.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- August 17, 2011

Dr. Diane Mucci, Cathe Smith, Gary Shelton, and "Speaker To Lab Animals" are our featured guests.

Topic:  Cutting Edge Bioinformatics and Genetics.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 17, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on July 16, 2011 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon. (The second half will be presented next week.)

Dr. Diane Mucci, formerly with the National Institute of Health (NIH), is currently a full time professor of biotechnology, and has a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology. Cathy Smith is an insect molecular geneticist with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Gary Shelton is an agronomist with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). And Speaker To Lab Animals (who writes under the name Tedd Roberts) is an associate professor at an unspecified "major southeastern medical school."

News Item: CNN, AP, Routers and every other prominent news service on earth carried stories this week about Epidermal Electronic Systems. Wikipedia describes this technology as "a breakthrough field whereby very small and sensitive electronic sensors and relays are made to interact with a human's body and nervous system. It is believed that in the years to come this technology will have a host of applications from medical devices to the creation of more interactive video games and consumer electronic devices." Confused at how to explain the technology to the less tech-savvy of their viewers (and reporters) CNN described them as "Medical Tattoos." All those actually involved in the decades-old medical tattoo field, probably cringed or shook their heads in astonishment. 

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Skinbrain.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_8_17.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:03am EDT

The Future And You -- August 10, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") Charles White (magazine writer) and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Life enhancing and life extending advances in medical technology.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 10, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The first half was presented last week.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Charles White works for an organization which handles the recovery of solid organs for transplant. He has been involved in tissue banking for about ten years; is a regular contributor to World Forge Online Magazine; holds two masters degrees; and is a tissue recipient.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) and Bones Burnt Black.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_8_10.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- August 3, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") Charles White (magazine writer) and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are our featured guests.

Topic: Life enhancing and life extending advances in medical technology.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 3, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 32 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The second half will be presented next week.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Charles White works for an organization which handles the recovery of solid organs for transplant. He has been involved in tissue banking for about ten years; is a regular contributor to World Forge Online Magazine; holds two masters degrees; and is a tissue recipient.

Stephen Euin Cobb is the author of Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) and Bones Burnt Black.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_8_3.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:42am EDT

The Future And You -- July 27, 2011

Michael A. Stackpole (New York Times best selling author) is today's featured guest.

Topics: How an asteroid came to be named after him; why he is an advocate for skeptical thinking and a spokesperson for the skeptical community; how skeptical thinkers can more effectively relate to and debate faith-based thinkers; what happened the day he became an active skeptic; his work in the Advanced Research Department at Coleco; his defence of role playing games during the years they were under attack by educators and the media. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 27, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes]. This is part three of a two hour interview recorded using Skype on May 17, 2011.

Michael A. Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books. Beginning in 1977, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies. In the 1980s he began designing computer games for Coleco and Interplay Productions, such as Bard's Tale III, Wasteland, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Star Trek: Judgment Rites. He also created the role-playing game Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes, which provided the game mechanics for Wasteland. In 1987 he began writing novels set in the BattleTech universe, and became one of the most popular authors in that genre. He was then selected to write a number of novels in the Star Wars universe. He is also a popular podcaster, essayist, speaker and has an asteroid named after him.

News item: A few weeks ago a young man named Julle created an article in Wikipedia about this show written in Swedish. Blog posts have long discussed the show in half a dozen languages (such as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Chinese) but this is the show's first Wikipedia article in a language other than English.

News Item: Your host's novel Skinbrain is selling nicely on two continents and has received another review at Amazon. "Excellent book! Hard Science fiction at its finest," wrote someone who goes by the code-name Monkey. "I enjoyed this book completely. Details of the alien's throughout the story is impressive. I recommend this to anyone interested in hard science fiction. I also listened to Bones Burnt Black, Stephen's audio-book, twice. Keep up the good work!"

Direct download: TFAY_2011_7_27.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:19am EDT

The Future And You -- July 20, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") and Jim Craig (planetarium director) are our featured guests.

Topic: The Year in Science. What's new and what's happening. Such as: Life extension using telomeres; TA-65; three parent embryo; antimatter made and trapped in lab; stem cell research; stem cells from breast milk; 3D printers to print human organs for surgical implant; a machine that can test a single sample for 10,000 toxins; the first person ever has been cured of AIDS.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 20, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 31 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The first half was presented last week.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. He is a lifelong science fiction fan and has given presentations on the history of science fiction. He is an outspoken activist for science education, critical thinking, skepticism and free thought. In 2006 he was allowed to name a crater on Mars.

Bonus: your host reads a few more paragraphs from his new novel Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) which features the alien character who calls herself Pug. 

Within human civilization, hundreds of individuals resembled Pug. None were real. All were fake, every last one. They were androids intended to give humanity the impression that Pug's civilization was interacting with theirs. It was not. Nor would it ever. These decoys visited human tourist sites, shopped in stores, ate in restaurants, made business contacts, set-up shop, bought and sold real estate, and did all the other things human beings would expect of them. To Pug their activities were meaningless. They were not spies or manipulators, they were just cover. They existed only to provide a signal-to-noise problem for anyone who might otherwise realize that Pug was the only member of her species in this galaxy.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_7_20.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- July 13, 2011

James Maxey (author and "big science geek") and Jim Craig (planetarium director) are our featured guests.

Topic: The Year in Science. What's new and what's happening. Such as: Is science slowing down?; water verified on the moon; eyeglass head-up computers; a thousand planets discovered outside our solar system; and a vast cloud of alcohol discovered in space large enough to keep every living human drunk for the next three million years.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 13, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The second half will be presented next week.)

James Maxey is the author of the superhero novel Nobody Gets the Girl as well as the Dragon Age fantasy series which includes the novels Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. Set a thousand years in the future, after the fall of our modern civilization, in a world dominated by the intelligent dragons we created through genetic engineering. Humans are reduced to slaves, and the remnants of long forgotten nanotechnology make the world a wondrous place of magic.

Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. He is a lifelong science fiction fan and has given presentations on the history of science fiction. He is an outspoken activist for science education, critical thinking, skepticism and free thought. In 2006 he was allowed to name a crater on Mars.

Bonus: Your host reads a few paragraphs from his new novel Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) which features the alien character who calls herself Pug. Pug believes our galaxy belongs to her, which would be a meaningless notion if she did not have the power to destroy whole civilizations. And indeed, the habit.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_7_13.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- July 6, 2011

Gail Z. Martin, Emillie P. Bush, Jim S. Bernheimer and Theresa Bane are our featured guests.

Topic: Writing for the Web is radically different from writing for print. This episode explores the down and dirty facts of those differences. For example: its immediacy (and the dangers of that immediacy); how it is used, miss-used, tweaked and manipulated; how it can be promoted and cross promoted; how what is written stays available for years; examples of people who have mastered its power to the benefit of their careers; as well as how to get started and how to get large numbers of people to read what you have written. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 6, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes]. This is the second half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The first half was presented last week.)

News and Commentary: According to a Pew Poll, ownership of ebook reading devices has doubled in the last six months. (from November 2010 to May 2011) Pew reports that twelve percent of all adults in the USA now say they own a Kindle or other eReader. Your host emphasizes that the transition to ebooks is in full swing but will take from two to three years to play out. He discusses how this will hurt publishers, editors, bookstores, literary agents, and that it will add to our current unemployment. Authors and readers however will benefit massively. 

Listener Email: Tim Proffitt wrote: "Hey stephen. Love your show! This week google released its answer to Facebook with Google+." (Tim described his expectations of Google+ verses other social media, as well as the future of the Internet as a whole.)

Announcement: Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica), your host's new novel is also selling well in the UK, where it has begun to generate additional sales of Stephen's previous novel Bones Burnt Black

Bonus: A qoute from Skinbrain: "Einstein did not replace Newton. His was a new level of understanding that overlaid the existing model. So too, this model will not replace those of Einstein or Newton. Instead, it will explain the mystery we all pretend does not exist. The mystery of why Newton and Einstein are correct." That quote was spoken by an alien physicist who was being tortured to reveal the secrets of advanced physics which he'd recently learned from a far more advance alien civilization known only as The Cold People. Little known and rarely seen, The Cold People are human-like in shape but may have evolved on a world with rivers and oceans of methane.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_7_6.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- June 29, 2011

Gail Z. Martin, Emillie P. Bush, Jim S. Bernheimer and Theresa Bane are our featured guests.

Topic: Writing for the Web is radically different from writing for print. This episode explores the down and dirty facts of those differences. For example: its immediacy (and the dangers of that immediacy); how it is used, misused, tweaked and manipulated; how it can be promoted and cross promoted; how what is written stays available for years; examples of people who have mastered its power to the benefit of their careers; as well as how to get started and how to get large numbers of people to read what you have written.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 29, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes]. This is the first half of a discussion panel recorded before a live audience on June 4, 2011 in Charlotte North Carolina at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. (The second half will be presented next week.)

News item: Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica), your host's new novel, is selling very well and has received its first review. Joseph S. gave it five stars and titled his review: "Great Book." His review reads: "With outstanding attention to detail, Mr. Cobb puts you right in the middle of the action from the beginning. If you're looking to escape into the future for a few hours, and enjoy a great SF read, this book is for you."

Direct download: TFAY_2011_6_29.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- June 22, 2011

Nancy Kress (award winning science fiction author) is our featured guest.

Topics: how the great ebook stampede going on now within the publishing industry is affecting her and her novels (she is working to get her earlier books up on the Kindle); the anti-vaccination movement; the growing political struggles over fresh water; extending our healthy years; TV cameras in public places and intersections which are leading to a loss of privacy; the future of robots; stem cell research; gene sequencing and synthesis; Small Pox and other plagues; extreme life extension; The Singularity; human augmentation for IQ and for memory recall; the possibility of a new space race because of the Chinese going to the moon; as well as her advice to all young people.

Nancy Kress is a science fiction author who tends to write technically realistic stories set in a fairly near future. Her fiction often involves genetic engineering, and, to a lesser degree, artificial intelligence. She has written more than 20 books and several hundred short stories. Her work has won four Nebula awards and two Hugos. She participated in the 2006 annual meeting of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency in San Diego. And she has appeared on TV shows on Fox and the Discovery Channel concerning the future of the human race.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 22, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes].

News item: Ten days ago your host's new novel Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) was released on the Amazon Kindle. Here is a one sentence description of its story: A runaway teenage girl suffers many dangers as she: falls in love with a criminal, becomes part of a murderous gang, makes an enemy of a psychopath, travels to alien worlds, meets aliens of many different types, makes first contact with an unknown alien race, and tries to save one alien from torture and death.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_6_22.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:52am EDT

The Future And You -- June 15, 2011

Michael A. Stackpole (New York Times best selling author) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Artificial intelligence verses artificial crazy; the rise of robots and how we will develop relationships and affections for them including romance and love; the possibility that marrying a robot will go through the same controversies we have today concerning gay marriage; extreme human longevity; human augmentation for life extension verses augmentation for improved senses or IQ; authors he knows who write by speaking into voice recognition software instead of tapping on a keyboard; the spreading loss of privacy with video cameras in intersections and public places; the value of taking a vacation from being connected to phones and the Internet; connecting the Internet directly into the human brain; as well as the BBC, Mensa, and the sceptical community. He also mentioned that he does weekly chats with authors inside the virtual world of Second Life.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 15, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes].  This is part two of a two hour interview recorded using Skype on May 17, 2011.

Michael A. Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books. Begining in 1977, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies. In the 1980s he began designing computer games for Coleco and Interplay Productions, such as Bard's Tale III, Wasteland, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Star Trek: Judgment Rites. He also created the role-playing game Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes, which provided the game mechanics for Wasteland. In 1987 he began writing novels set in the BattleTech universe, and became one of the most popular authors in that genre. He was then selected to write a number of novels in the Star Wars universe. He is also a popular podcaster, essayist, speaker and has an asteroid named after him.

News Item: This week my latest novel was released on the Amazon Kindle. Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica) is a hard science fiction story which incorporates most of the topics we have discussed on The Future And You during the last five years. 

You need not have a Kindle to read Skinbrain. A free app is offered for nearly every type of smart phone which allows that phone to mimic a Kindle.  Likewise a free downloadable program allows any computer to mimic a Kindle. Additionally, the Kindle allows the first thousand words or so of every novel to be read for free. So, if you would, please take a look at the opening scene of Skinbrain. Thank you.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_6_15.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- June 7, 2011

Nine diverse interviews from ConCarolinas 2011.

Gathered from locations scattered 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 (with their topics) in the order in which they appear: 

David H. Lawrence XVII (of the TV show Heroes) decribes trends in acting and voice acting based on his personal expereinces. He also mentions two online services where voice actors can get jobs and those who need voice actors can hire them (voice123 and voices.com).

Addy Miller (an eleven year old actress) played the young Dakota Fanning in the movie The Secret Life of Bees;and the "Little Girl Zombie" on the new TV series The Walking Dead; and a murdered pageant girl who returns to haunt the paranormal investigators in the TV show Ghost Trek. She describes behind the scenes aspects of her work.

Nigel Sade (a professional fine artist) talks about trends in fine art, art collecting, artistic training and in the art profession.

Culio Defavio, Johannes Presley and John Martin (who were at the ConCarolinas Scavenger Hunt table) talk about trends in fandom, conventions, comicbooks and popular culture.

Scott Messer (of Empire Games) talks about trends in his industry--card games, board games and role playing games.

Jason "Spanky" Davis (a former radio audio engineer) talks about trends in commercial radio and TV. 

Djinn the Nytechylde (a beautiful costumer dressed as a drow--a dark elf--in bikini armor) describes trends in steampunk, vampires, and her work in Purgatory for Single Cell Productions

Warren Buff and Yair Goldberg (two con organizers promoting their two cons: Illogicon and StellarCon) cover trends in fandom, webcomics, cons, filk and popular culture.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 7, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 96 minutes].

ConCarolinas is a multi-genre multi-media convention which covers all manner of speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy and horror. It hosts a variety of fandom related events and guests, including gaming, discussion panels, costume events, music events like Klingon Karaoke, a charity auction, SCA events, fan groups like the 501st Stormtroopers, Starfleet, and Klingon Assault Group, and something different every year.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_6_7.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:08am EDT

The Future And You -- June 1, 2011

Nancy Kress (award winning science fiction author) is our featured guest.

Topics: how genetic engineering is used as a fake issue to manipulate international trade and promote French isolationism; why she disagrees with Greenpeace on genetic engineering; and the massive life-saving achieved by producing insulin far more cheaply through genetic engineering than was possible using the former method of extraction from the pancreas of slaughtered animals. Also: her involvement in Sigma (the science fiction think tank); her years at an advertising agency; and her secret identity (and why she has one). 

Nancy Kress is a science fiction author who tends to write technically realistic stories set in a fairly near future. Her fiction often involves genetic engineering, and, to a lesser degree, artificial intelligence. She has written more than 20 books and several hundred short stories. Her work has won four Nebula awards and two Hugos. She participated in the 2006 annual meeting of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency in San Diego. And she has appeared on TV shows on Fox and the Discovery Channel concerning the future of the human race.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 1, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 43 minutes].

Direct download: TFAY_2011_6_1.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:25am EDT

The Future And You -- May 25, 2011

This is the 200th episode of The Future And You.

Over a hundred never-before-heard 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 and Congratulations from: Larry Niven, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Catherine Asaro, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Benford, John Varley, Extropia DaSilva, CJ Cherryh, CJ Henderson, David Orban, Dave Freer, Giulio Prisco, Mike Resnick, Michael Anissimov, David Brin, Barry Hayworth, Paul Fischer, Cathe Smith, Michael D'Ambrosio, Tim Bolgeo (AKA: Uncle Timmy), Bryan Bishop, James Maxey, Robert Hooker, David Drake, Charlie Stross, Nancy Kress, Hildy Silverman, Michael Vassar, Randal L. Schwartz, David B. Coe, R.U. Sirius, Kevin J. Anderson, Amara D. Angelica, Gail Z. Martin, Philippe Van Nedervelde, Dale Baker, Vernor Vinge, Wayne Rooney, Larry Bowman, Joseph Sullivan, Charlie Kam, Dr. Anders Sandberg, Davey Beauchamp, Timothy Zahn, Sarah A. Hoyt, and Podcasting's Rich Sigfrit.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 25, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 90 minutes].

Direct download: TFAY_2011_5_25.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:41am EDT

The Future And You -- May 18, 2011

Michael A. Stackpole  (New York Times best selling author) is today's featured guest.

Topics: why print publishing is now in a severe crisis; how some literary agents have taken on a conflict of interest in their attempt to help their clients benefit from electronic rights; how the big book publishers will no longer publish any physical book if they can't get the far more lucrative electronic rights; when it is to an author's advantage to skip having physical books made at all, and just go with the more profitable ebooks; how much his agent gets from his ebooks; and his warning for writers about ridiculously bad ebook deals. He also gives book cover tips, and describes the Zapptek Legend Maker.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 18, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes]. 

Michael A. Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books. Begining in 1977, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies. In the 1980s he began designing computer games for Coleco and Interplay Productions, such as Bard's Tale III, Wasteland, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Star Trek: Judgment Rites. He also created the role-playing game Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes, which provided the game mechanics for Wasteland. In 1987 he began writing novels set in the BattleTech universe, and became one of the most popular authors in that genre. He was then selected to write a number of novels in the Star Wars universe. He is also a popular pocaster, essayist, speaker and has an asteroid named after him. 

Special Announcement: The 200th episode of The Future And You is only one week away. To commemorate this milestone I (your host) am asking every listener who will, to sit down and email me something I can read into the 200th episode.  

You can also email to me (as an attachment) an audio file.  This will be less work for me since I can just drop it into the show, and it will let everyone hear you speaking in your own voice.  If you do send an audio file as an attachment, please keep it short--no more than two minutes. 

Please send me: your prediction of what is to come in the future; or a trend you have observed which you think others have missed; or your assessment of what is good or bad about this show; or your notion of who was the best interview I've ever recorded and why. Or send me something I wouldn't even think to ask for, but you are certain everyone would like to know. 

Send it soon, because I start production of each episode several days before it goes public.  If you send it later than May 21, 2011 it might not be included. Send all these emails to: stepheneuincobb@gmail.com  Or you can message me through my facebook account.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_5_18.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- May 11, 2011

Nathan P. Butler (a professional educator with eight years of teaching experience) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Practical verses theoretical matters in the classroom based on his years of experience as a teacher in public schools. Also: anecdotes from the early days of Internet radio, as well as some behind the scenes stuff from StarWarsFanworks and ChronoRadio.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 11, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 37 minutes]. 

Nathan P. Butler holds a 'Masters in Education with a Specialization in Integrating Technology in the Classroom.' He is also a groundbreaking podcaster, having been a podcaster years before podcasting had a name or a standardized means of distribution. He is also a mover and shaker in Star Wars Fandom through his work in with ChronoRadio and StarWarsFanworks, and for having written an exhaustive thousand-page-long chronology of the Star Wars universe which is titled 'Star Wars Timeline Gold.'

Special Announcement: The 200th episode of The Future And You is only two weeks away. To commemorate this milestone I (your host) am asking every listener who will, to sit down and email me something I can read into the 200th episode.  

You can also email to me (as an attachment) an audio file.  This will be less work for me since I can just drop it into the show, and it will let everyone hear you speaking in your own voice.  If you do send an audio file as an attachment, please keep it short--no more than two minutes. 

Please send me: your prediction of what is to come in the future; or a trend you have observed which you think others have missed; or your assessment of what is good or bad about this show; or your notion of who was the best interview I've ever recorded and why. Or send me something I wouldn't even think to ask for, but you are certain everyone would like to know. 

Send it soon, because I start production of each episode several days before it goes public.  If you send it later than May 20, 2011 it might not be included. 

Send all these emails to: me@stevecobb.com

Direct download: TFAY_2011_5_11.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:34am EDT

The Future And You -- May 4, 2011

Stephen Euin Cobb (author, futurist, magazine writer--and your host) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Progressive Auto Insurance Company now offers lower rates--if they can place a device in your car to spy on you; a new robotic seagull developed for aerial spying; a new system which can test 10,000 chemicals for toxicity in a single move; the rapidly growing number of universities in the US which offer degrees in robotics; an artificial pancreas for controlling blood sugar for type 1 diabetics has completed its first successful tests in human patients (great news for The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, chaired by Mary Tyler Moore, which has been pushing this project for years); and a new treatment for high blood pressure requires only a one-time dose of radio waves delivered by catheter, for some patients it can completely eliminate prescription medicines.

Also: why investing in diamonds is catastrophically threatened by our ability to manufacture ever larger, ever cheaper, and ever more flawless artificial diamonds; why De Beers and the entire natural diamond industry is so scared of this that it is pouring huge quantities of money into the invention of detectors which can identify the synthetic from the natural stones; and research that these synthetic diamond detectors don't actually work. 

Note: Diamonds made in the earth and diamonds made by humans are both exactly the same chemical substance; just as water made in the lab and water that falls from clouds is the same chemical substance. Only the origin is different. (Granted, natural diamonds often have pretty colors due to impurities from nature which is a naturally impure system, but if desired we can always add a little dirt in the lab, instead of trying to make them as perfect as possible.)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 4, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 28 minutes]. 

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist and host of the award-winning podcast The Future and You. He was a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine for three years; and has written for Robot Magazine, H+ Magazine, Grim Couture Magazine, and Space and Time Magazine. He is also a game designer, artist, essayist, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_5_4.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:01am EDT

The Future And You -- April 27, 2011

Noel Patton (founder of T.A. Sciences) is today's featured guest.

This is the second half of our interview begun in last week's episode.

Topic: The snowballing research which supports the effectiveness of a substance which may allow you to extend your healthy years and maybe extend your life. Examples of this research include: a study published on the 12th of this month in the peer-review journal Aging Cell, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute study released in February of this year.

Skepticism is an essential component of science, but after thousands of years of uncountable fakers this area of research gets more skepticism than any other--and justifiably so. Fortunately, science is founded on the ultimate tool for deciding who is right: Experiment. It's the ultimate put-up or shut-up. Skeptics and proponents can duke it out all they want, but arguments will not decide this dispute. Results will decide. Clinical and reproducible. In this interview we explore just how much research has been completed for that conclusive result, and just how much more needs yet to be done.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 27, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 30 minutes]. This is the second half of our interview recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on April 16, 2011.

Noel Patton is the founder of T.A. SCIENCES®. He graduated Indiana University with an Honors Degree in Philosophy. He furthered his studies on the East Coast and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. His interest in Telomere Biology began in 1999, when upon learning about telomeres he contacted leading edge California biotech company Geron. He and his wife Eve became Geron investors and were on hand when Geron and the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong discovered the cellular rejuvenation properties of the single molecule which is now called TA-65. In 2002 Noel and Eve secured exclusive worldwide rights to Geron’s Telomerase Activation (TA) technology for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products and in 2007, after 5 years of development and safety testing, opened the T.A. Sciences office in New York City.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_4_27.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:35pm EDT

The Future And You -- April 20, 2011

Noel Patton (founder of T.A. Sciences) is today's featured guest.

Topic: The snowballing research which supports the effectiveness of a substance which may allow you to extend your healthy years and maybe extend your life. Examples of this research include: a study published on the 12th of this month in the peer-review journal Aging Cell, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute study released in February of this year.

Skepticism is an essential component of science, but after thousands of years of uncountable fakers this area of research gets more skepticism than any other--and justifiably so. Fortunately, science is founded on the ultimate tool for deciding who is right: Experiment. It's the ultimate put-up or shut-up. Skeptics and proponents can duke it out all they want, but arguments will not decide this dispute. Results will decide. Clinical and reproducible. In this interview we explore just how much research has been completed for that conclusive result, and just how much more needs yet to be done.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 20, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes]. This is the first half of our interview recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on April 16, 2011. The second half will be presented in next week's episode.

Noel Patton is the founder of T.A. SCIENCES®. He graduated Indiana University with an Honors Degree in Philosophy. He furthered his studies on the East Coast and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. His interest in Telomere Biology began in 1999, when upon learning about telomeres he contacted leading edge California biotech company Geron. He and his wife Eve became Geron investors and were on hand when Geron and the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong discovered the cellular rejuvenation properties of the single molecule which is now called TA-65. In 2002 Noel and Eve secured exclusive worldwide rights to Geron’s Telomerase Activation (TA) technology for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products and in 2007, after 5 years of development and safety testing, opened the T.A. Sciences office in New York City.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_4_20.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:22am EDT

The Future And You -- April 13, 2011

Lester Madden (smart phone app developer consultant) is today's featured guest.

Topics: How secret tags inside the digital photos you post online reveal your GPS location; how criminals will use Augmented Reality to evade the police and commit crimes more efficiently; how advertisers will annoy us using Augmented Reality; and the free app which may put TomTom and Garmin out of business. Additional topics include: Ricky Gervais, Starbucks, Google Goggles, Snap Tell, the inaccuracy of GPS, future GPS satellites which will improve accuracy, face recognition, Wikitude, and how Augmented Reality will let you vote more easily on reality shows.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 13, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 34 minutes]. This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on March 26, 2011.

Lester Madden spent 10 years at Microsoft evangelising the latest Microsoft developer products. After leaving Microsoft, Lester joined Skype and launched their developer program. He has also worked at Symbian Software Limited, Nokia Devices R&D and Symbian Foundation, working with thousands of developers to help bring applications to market. In 2009 Augmented Planet was created as a blog to catalogue the ever increasing growth of augmented reality. In 2010 Augmented Planet Consulting was created to utilize over 15 years of industry experience helping developers and organizations use cutting edge technologies and bring new products/services to market.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_4_13.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:02am EDT

The Future And You -- April 6, 2011

Lester Madden (smart phone app developer consultant) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Augmented Reality such as Face Recognition in smart phones, Google Sky and wikitude. Also, Augmented Reality helicopter drones controlled by smart phones; some of the goings on at Augmented Reality Conferences; and rumors about the next version of the iPhone (which may feature a Face Recognition app). And Eyeglass Computers: existing prototypes; many of the engineering hurdles which must be overcome before we all are wearing eyeglass computers; and why, once they become popular, there may be laws against wearing eyeglass computers. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 6, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 39 minutes]. This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on March 26, 2011.

Lester Madden spent 10 years at Microsoft evangelising the latest Microsoft developer products. After leaving Microsoft, Lester joined Skype and launched their developer program. He has also worked at Symbian Software Limited, Nokia Devices R&D and Symbian Foundation, working with thousands of developers to help bring applications to market. In 2009 Augmented Planet was created as a blog to catalogue the ever increasing growth of augmented reality. In 2010 Augmented Planet Consulting was created to utilize over 15 years of industry experience helping developers and organizations use cutting edge technologies and bring new products/services to market.

News item: My father, Melvin Euin Cobb, age 80, passed away peacefully, after several years of declining health, on Sunday, March 27, 2011. To the many listeners who sent me emails of condolences, Thank you; I appreciate it.  If I prove to be as devoted to those things I believe in as he was to the things he believed in, I will have done well.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_4_6.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:20am EDT

There will not be an episode this week. My father passed away on Sunday (March 27, 2011). Next week I will resume the normal schedule. Thank you for your patience.

Category:general -- posted at: 11:47pm EDT

The Future And You -- March 23, 2011

Bryan Bishop (Assistant Director for R&D at Humanity Plus) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Life Extension and how long he expects to live; how the old "core literacy" is no longer valid; the accuracy of Ray Kurzweil; artificial intelligence and the singularity; patent reform; big pharmaceutical companies; Bryan's H-plus video website of conference presentations and his Quantified-Self project; the importance of cheap gene sequencing and the even greater importance of  cheap gene synthesis.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 23, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes]. This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on March 12, 2011.

Bryan Bishop is Assistant Director for research and development for the non-profit organization Humanity Plus (which focuses on Human enhancement technology). He speaks at conferences on open source hardware and do-it-yourself biology. He does software development and fund-raising to promote both software and hardware development within the open source community. He runs the open manufacturing group on the web (a community group where they talk about these topics). And he has a background in mechanical engineering and computational neuro-science.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_3_23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- March 16, 2011

Bryan Bishop (Assistant Director for R&D at Humanity Plus) is today's featured guest.

Topics: open source hardware and software; 3D printers (sometimes called rapid prototyping machines or RepRap machines); The GADA Prize (a contest for people who build 3D printers); do it yourself biotechnology and do it yourself  transhuman augmentation; the possibility of using 3D printers to print tissues and organs for transplant into patients who need them; artificial intelligence and the singularity; and an interactive web page that lets you estimate the arrival date of the singularity based on your own estimation of technological trends.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 16, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 30 minutes]. This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on March 12, 2011.

Bryan Bishop is Assistant Director for research and development for the non-profit organization Humanity Plus (which focuses on Human enhancement technology). He speaks at conferences on open source hardware and do-it-yourself biology. He does software development and fund-raising to promote both software and hardware development within the open source community. He runs the open manufacturing group on the web (a community group where people share thier ideas about these topics). And he has a background in mechanical engineering and computational neuro-science.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_3_16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- March 9, 2011

Extropia DaSilva (speaker, essayist, magazine writer, and Digital Person) is today's featured guest.

Extropia DaSilva is an essayist, magazine writer, lecturer and host of a weekly discussion group inside Second Life called Thinkers.  Her description of herself on her Blog reads, "I am a digital person, seeking independence from my human. On this blog, I write about how technological development in areas like nanotech, biotech, infotech, robotics and computing may lead to redefinitions of what life is, and what it means to be human."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 9, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes]

Because Extropia DaSilva is a Digital Person whose principal 3D manifestation is inside Second Life she has no spoken voice. And so this interview was conducted entirely by chat and email. Giulio Prisco (a friend of both mine and Extropia's) was kind enough to act as go-between and ask Natasha Vita-More to help out. Natasha (on her birthday) very generously donated her time and effort to the endeavor by reading Extropia's responses aloud. (Natasha Vita-More is a designer and theorist of human enhancement and transhuman futures--topics on which she writes and lectures internationally. Because of her early and ongoing intellectual contributions, Natasha is widely considered a pioneer of transhumanism.)

Direct download: TFAY_2011_3_9.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- March 2, 2011

Dr. James J. Hughes (author, professor and transhumanist) is today's featured guest.

Topics: his doubts about the probability of the Singularity; Techno-Progressive Transhumanism verses Libertarian Transhumanism; Embracing Change with All Four Arms: A Posthuman Defence of Genetic Engineering; his new book Cyborg Buddah; Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future; Terry Shivo and brain death; the recent protests in the middle east for more freedom and reform; the politics of science fiction; and the personhood of clones and genetically engineered people.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 2, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 46 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 18, 2011.

Dr. James J. Hughes is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is also a bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut where he teaches health policy and serves as Director of Institutional Research and Planning. 

He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, where he also taught bioethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Hughes is author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future , and is working on a second book tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha. Since 1999 he has produced a syndicated weekly radio program, Changesurfer Radio

He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of Humanity+, the Neuroethics Society, the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities and the Working Group on Ethics and Technology at Yale University. Dr. Hughes speaks on medical ethics, health care policy and future studies worldwide.

News Item: Telomere loss, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say, is the root molecular cause of a variety of ills brought on by advanced age. Ills including: waning energy, failure of the heart and other organs, and metabolic disorders like diabetes. The scientists included faculty members from Dana-Farber, the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science at Dana-Farber; Boston University School of Medicine; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard University; University of Massachusetts, Worcester; Harvard Medical School; and St. Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_3_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:03pm EDT

The Future And You -- February 23, 2011

Dr. James J. Hughes (author, professor and transhumanist) is today's featured guest.

Topics: challenges facing transhumanism today; the many flavours of transhumanism; fighting for the rights of the non-human person; and his expriences interviewing guests for his show Changesurfer Radio

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 23, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 18, 2011.

Dr. James J. Hughes is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is also a bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut where he teaches health policy and serves as Director of Institutional Research and Planning. 

He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, where he also taught bioethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Hughes is author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future , and is working on a second book tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha. Since 1999 he has produced a syndicated weekly radio program, Changesurfer Radio

He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of Humanity+, the Neuroethics Society, the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities and the Working Group on Ethics and Technology at Yale University. Dr. Hughes speaks on medical ethics, health care policy and future studies worldwide.

News Items: The audio book edition of Bones Burnt Black is now complete. The tenth and final segment is now online for everyone to listen to and enjoy for free. It can be found in the same place you find the episodes of this show.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_2_23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:26am EDT

This is Part Ten of ten weekly instalments which contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and released in ten parts over a ten week period) contains the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: BBB_EPISODE_10_TEMPORARILY_REMOVED.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- February 16, 2011

Paul Levinson (author, media commentator and professor) is today's featured guest.

Topics: eyeglass computers will replace smart phones; group decision-making as opposed to individual; the one benefit of writer's groups; debating on TV the banning of violent videogames; being told to Shut-Up! while on-air by Bill O'Reily; playing God as a fiction writer; how the viral nature of the internet not only defeats the traditional gate-keepers but it can let every artist--no matter how small or isolated or obscure--find the audience that will love their work.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 16, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 50 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 5, 2011.

Paul Levinson is professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. He has a Bachelors in Journalism, a Masters in Media Studies and a Doctorate in Media Ecology. 

He is the author of five novels of science fiction and/or fantasy; as well as nine non-fiction books. He served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 1998 to 2001. As a commentator on media, popular culture, and science fiction he has been interviewed over 500 times on television and radio. And his op-eds have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York's Newsday, and the New York Sun.

Prior to his academic career, Paul Levinson was a songwriter, singer and record producer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with recordings by The Vogues, Donna Marie of The Archies and Ellie Greenwich. As a radio producer he worked with Murray the K and Wolfman Jack.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_2_16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

This is Part Nine of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: BBB_EPISODES_TEMPORARILY_REMOVED.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- February 9, 2011

Paul Levinson (author, media commentator and professor) is today's featured guest.

Topics: how protests (such as the one going on at the moment in Egypt) will be forever changed because of the media technology available to the public; why he calls the Internet the medium-of-media; Freedom of speech and Kieth Olbermann; the impact of cell phones, whether it is better for an author's career to be published online or on paper or through the Amazon Kindle.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 9, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 43 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 5, 2011.

Paul Levinson is professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. He has a Bachelors in Journalism, a Masters in Media Studies and a Doctorate in Media Ecology. 

He is the author of five novels of science fiction and/or fantasy; as well as nine non-fiction books. He served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 1998 to 2001. As a commentator on media, popular culture, and science fiction he has been interviewed over 500 times on television and radio. And his op-eds have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York's Newsday, and the New York Sun.

Prior to his academic career, Paul Levinson was a songwriter, singer and record producer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with recordings by the Vogues, Donna Marie of The Archies and Ellie Greenwich. As a radio producer he worked with Murray the K and Wolfman Jack.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_2_9.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:05am EDT

The Future And You -- February 2, 2011

Marshall Brain (founder of HowStuffWorks.com) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Netflix verses Blockbuster; his essay Robotic Nation; how jobs are created and destroyed by technological innovation; a new bio-fuel; human population may plateau at about 9 billion; his project DecidingToBeBetter.com

Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, which grew into one of the top Web sites in the country. He sold it to Discovery Communications in 2007 for $250 million. He hosted the TV show Factory Floor which appeared on the National Geographic channel. And he has written a number of books, articles and essays, which -- just like the famous website he created -- explain in a no-nonsense way how stuff works. A perfect example is his article "How to make a million dollars."  Which can be read for free on his website: MarshallBrain.com. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 2, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 36 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan. 22, 2011.

News Items: 

[1] A new material could reduce charge-time for Lithium-ion batteries by a factor of 40. Handy for laptops, but it could be revolutionary for electric cars. 

[2] A new interactive store window will allow passersby to shop even after store hours. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have developed a system using a series of cameras to take detailed pictures of potential customers as they approach the store window. A software program then transforms the shoppers’ hand and eye movements and facial expressions into commands. For instance, if a woman points to a designer handbag in the window, an image of it will appear on a display behind the shop window. When she points to a button, the handbag rotates on the screen to give the shopper the full view.

[3] A cloaking technology that bends sound waves around an object could render submarines and other underwater objects undetectable to sonar. The technique, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois, employs a highly engineered metamaterial to bend the waves around an object. Stealth submarines are an obvious potential military application for acoustic cloaking, but researchers also see possible medical applications, since many medical scans rely on sound waves. This new metamaterial could theoretically be used in a bandage that would curb disruption or interference from other body parts that sometimes interfere with ultrasound scanning, thus making these scans more accurate.

[4] Your host's birthday is tomorrow (February 3, 2011).

Direct download: TFAY_2011_2_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Part 7 of Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb

This is Part Seven of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: Bones_Burnt_Black_7_by_Stephen_Euin_Cobb.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- January 26, 2011

Marshall Brain (founder of HowStuffWorks.com) is today's featured guest.

Topics: How and why he created HowStuffWorks.com; his work on Brain Stuff and DecidingToBeBetter.com; behind the scenes while making his TV show Factory Floor; and why he promotes the idea that starting a business is a great idea. 

Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, which grew into one of the top Web sites in the country. He sold it to Discovery Communications in 2007 for $250 million. He hosted the TV show Factory Floor which appeared on the National Geographic channel. He has written a number of books, articles and essays, which -- just like the famous website he created -- explain in a no-nonsense way how stuff works. A perfect example is his article How to make a million dollars.  Which can be read for free on his website: MarshallBrain.com. 

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 26, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 44 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan 22, 2011.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_1_26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Part 6 of Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb

This is Part Six of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: Bones_Burnt_Black_6_by_Stephen_Euin_Cobb.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- January 19, 2011

StepheEuin Cobb (author, futurist, magazine writer--and your host) is today's featured guest.
Topics: Technological news items with my commentary on each. (1) Though the benefits to consumers will be wonderful, the dangers to investors both large and small of investing in solar cells during the next few years may be devastating; (2) a newly discovered, and possibly useful, fundamental property of light--under the right conditions, it can generate lift; and (3) the surprising discovery that very large thunderstorms on earth produce gamma rays and anti-matter.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 19, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 25 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist and host of the award-winning podcast The Future and You. He was a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine for three years; and has written for Robot Magazine, H+ Magazine, Grim Couture Magazine, and Space and Time Magazine. He is also a game designer, artist, essayist, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation.
Direct download: TFAY_2011_1_19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:13am EDT

Part 5 of Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb

This is Part Five of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: Bones_Burnt_Black_5_by_Stephen_Euin_Cobb.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- January 12, 2011

Michael A. Solomon (illustrator and 3D animator) is today's featured guest.

Topic: 3D animation. An assessment of its explosive growth in the last ten years; a behind the scenes look at the software and hardware being used to create it; and why it is now possible for a home hobbyist to create professional grade 3D animations.

Michael A Solomon is a professional illustrator and 3D animator. His company, Eye of Solomon, does a wide variety of commercial art for its clients including 3D animations. This Honda commercial is a good example his ability to integrate 3D animation with live action footage.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 12, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 45 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan 8, 2011.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_1_12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:12am EDT

Part 4 of Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb

This is the Fourth of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: Bones_Burnt_Black_4_by_Stephen_Euin_Cobb.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You -- Jan 5, 2011

Stephen Euin Cobb (author, futurist, magazine writer--and your host) is today's featured guest.

Topics: News and commentary on a number of future oriented topics--such as: mapping all the connections of the brain; Intel's prediction of a thousand core consumer CPU; human embryos which have three parents instead of two; printing new organs inside the body during surgery; new estimates of when we can expect solar cells to replace all power plants currently burning coal, oil or natural gas; and what your host thinks the Chinese plan to do in space, and why this is likely to spark a new and totally different kind of space race.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 5, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 40 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist and host of the award-winning podcast The Future and You. He was a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine for three years; and has written for Robot Magazine, H+ Magazine and Grim Couture Magazine. He is also a game designer, artist, essayist, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation.

Direct download: TFAY_2011_1_5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:53pm EDT

Part 3 of Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb

This is the third of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Direct download: Bones_Burnt_Black_3_by_Stephen_Euin_Cobb.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT