The Future And You
Ideas and opinion about the future based on verifiable facts of today.
 
The Future And You--August 27, 2014

Topic: Trends in Filmmaking, both commercial and independent. Casting, shooting, editing, scriptwriting, fundraising, financing, distribution, promotion and camera technology are all discussed.

Three Interviews: Stephen L. Antczak (who works in commercial films); and two Indy filmmakers: Jesse Knight (of Jesse Knight Films) and Jason Buterin (of Mad Ones Films).

News Item: I landed on two "best seller" lists at Amazon.com.

My nonfiction book entitled Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science was #9 best seller on the "Science & Math" list, and #42 best seller on the "Astronomy" list. (And yes, I took a screen shot. Maybe I will frame it.) As you can imagine the number one spot on both of these lists was held by Stephen Hawking.

Here is my book's description from its page on Amazon.com: This 29-page collection of six articles--written by an experienced futurist who has interviewed over 300 people for their opinion about the future--describes several of the far future scientific and technological innovations which will transform our civilization from what it is now into an exponentially larger, faster, stronger and more dynamic civilization than can be contained on this planet, or in this solar system, or within this universe. These technologies will allow us to expand through those boundaries and find new unimagined boundaries beyond them to break through. Article Titles -- We Will Transmute the Elements; We Will Develop Many Completely New Physics; My Father's Watch; Hidden-Life May be More Common on Planets than Non-Hidden: And Earth May be No Exception; The Universal Diagram; Engineering Space: Altering This Universe and Making New Ones.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 27, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 46 minutes] These three interviews were recorded on May 31, 2014 in Charlotte NC, at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine. He is an artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Stephen is the author an ebook about the future entitledIndistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_8_27.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:44am EDT

The Future And You--August 20, 2014

Topic: The Technological Future of War.

Speakers: Jim Beall, Charles E. Gannon, Mark Wandrey, Bart Kemper, and Michael Z. Williamson.

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.

Jim Beall has been a nuclear engineer for over 40 years. His experience in engineering and power systems began as a naval officer. After the USN he worked in design, construction, inspection, and assessment at a nuclear utility and at an architectural engineering firm before joining the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC).

Dr. Charles E. Gannon was a Distinguished Professor of English at St. Bonaventure University and a Fulbright Senior Specialist (2004-2009). As a member of the think-tank SIGMA, he has advised the Pentagon, Air Force, Army, NATO, DARPA, DHS, NASA, and other agencies. His earlier credits include film and TV writing & production in NYC. These days he is principally known as a New York Times bestselling author.

Mark Wandrey is a writer who has had a lifetime of diverse jobs, extensive travels, and living in most areas of the country. He is best known for his Earth Song series of novels.

Bart Kemper is a Professional Engineer who works as a consultant for the US military. He is also a writer, soldier, photographer, inventor, and problem solver. Based in Louisiana, he also works in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Washington State.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 20, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 55 minutes] This panel was recorded in front of an audience on June 28, 2014 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon.

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine. He is an artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Stephen is the author an ebook about the future entitledIndistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_8_20.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:37pm EDT

The Future And You--August 13, 2014

Topic: Contrasting two brilliant documentary series against one another. The recently released Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, released in 2014 which was hosted by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; verses its predecessor, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, released in 1980 which was hosted by the astrophysicist Carl Sagan.

Today's speakers: Jim Craig, Dr. Ben Davis and myself as moderator. Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. He is an outspoken activist for science education, critical thinking, skepticism and free thought. Dr. Ben Davis has a doctorate in Nuclear Physics, and is an IT professional.

BTW: Carl Sagan is one of my personal heroes. I produce The Future And You partly because of his contribution to altering the course of my life back when I was in my teens and twenties. I could probably write a list of perhaps two dozen people who helped to set my life on the path it has taken: Issac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, Dale Carnegie, Ray Bradbury--even Johnny Carson whose interview style I try to use for my show--all spring to mind, though there are many others.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 13, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 50 minutes] This panel was recorded on May 31, 2014 in Charlotte NC at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine. He is an artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Stephen is the author an ebook about the future entitledIndistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_8_13.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:32am EDT

The Future And You--August 6, 2014

Topic: How does the human brain work? How are memories stored in the brain? Why are memories so often full of errors? And, most especially, is there any evidence that quantum effects are involved in the brain's functioning?

Speakers: Dan Hoyt, Sebrina Chase, Sam Lightfoot and Tedd Roberts as the moderator.

News Item #1: Hulu.com is currently offering--for free--all 13 episodes of the brilliant documentary series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey." Yes, all of them! Complete episodes. Steaming for free!

News Item #2: For for those of you who subscribe to Netflix  The third season of Continuum  has just been released. It's about a police officer from the year 2077 who is accidentally sent back in time to 2012, along with a team of terrorists. The terrorists time-traveled on purpose to wreak even more havoc, and she is struggling to stop them. Once again, its called Continuum, and all three seasons are available for streaming on Netflix. If you would like to see 2 minute long clips from the show, you can do so for free on Hulu.com.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 6, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 47 minutes] This panel was recorded in front of an audience on June 28, 2014 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F convention LibertyCon.

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine. He is an artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Stephen is the author of Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_8_6.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT