The Future And You
Ideas and opinion about the future based on verifiable facts of today.
 
The Future And You--Dec. 31, 2014

Topic: The Year in Review--2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb provides a wide variety of commentary on the wide variety of topics discussed on the show during this past year of 2014.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 31, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 50 minutes] This monologue was recorded on December 28, 2014 using the free "Voice Recorder" app on your host's Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 350 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_12_31.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT

The Future And You--Dec 24, 2014

Topic: "The World's First Robotic Psychiatrist" (Part 2)

Joanne Pransky has spent decades working to alert people to the impact that robots will eventually have on their lives. Dubbed "the real Susan Calvin" by Isaac Asimov in 1989, Joanne's lifelong mission has been to prepare the world for living and working with robots on a daily basis by humorously discussing these social issues at national and international conferences, and by appearing on numerous television shows and film documentaries with her robot 'patients'. Joanne served as the senior sales and marketing executive for Sankyo Robotics, a world-leading manufacturer of industrial robot systems, including the ROBODOC® Surgical Assistant, a computer-controlled surgical robot utilized in hip and knee replacement surgeries. She has been the U.S. Associate Editor for Emerald, publisher ofIndustrial Robot, Assembly Automation, and Sensor Review since 1996. Joanne was the Director of Marketing and one of the principals of the world's first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, which was acquired by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Her present role with the Journal is Managing Editor. She also worked with The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show on a segment featuring the Chinese Twin Android. Joanne was an official judge on the TV series of live robotic combat, "Comedy Central Sports Presents BattleBots." She has also appeared on CNN, The Tonight Show, the Discovery Channel, MSN.com, and the NTV Russian Broadcasting Channel. She is known for her humor and unique ability to generate enthusiasm for the future of robotics.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 24, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on December 3, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 350 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_12_24.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:05pm EDT

The Future And You--Dec. 17, 2014

Topic: "The World's First Robotic Psychiatrist" (Part 1)

Joanne Pransky has spent decades working to alert people to the impact that robots will eventually have on their lives. Dubbed "the real Susan Calvin" by Isaac Asimov in 1989, Joanne's lifelong mission has been to prepare the world for living and working with robots on a daily basis by humorously discussing these social issues at national and international conferences, and by appearing on numerous television shows and film documentaries with her robot 'patients'. Joanne served as the senior sales and marketing executive for Sankyo Robotics, a world-leading manufacturer of industrial robot systems, including the ROBODOC® Surgical Assistant, a computer-controlled surgical robot utilized in hip and knee replacement surgeries. She has been the U.S. Associate Editor for Emerald, publisher of Industrial Robot, Assembly Automation, and Sensor Review since 1996. Joanne was the Director of Marketing and one of the principals of the world's first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, which was acquired by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Her present role with the Journal is Managing Editor. She also worked with The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show on a segment featuring the Chinese Twin Android. Joanne was an official judge on the TV series of live robotic combat, "Comedy Central Sports Presents BattleBots." She has also appeared on CNN, The Tonight Show, the Discovery Channel, MSN.com, and the NTV Russian Broadcasting Channel. She is known for her humor and unique ability to generate enthusiasm for the future of robotics.

[News Item] This is the nine year anniversary episode of The Future And You. The first episode went public on December 15, 2005. The show's descriptive website www.TheFutureAndYou.com has been completely redesigned. In addition to information about the show, and some photos of your host interviewing people, it now features a very long--yet still very partial--list of the more than 350 people interviewed for the show during the last nine years.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 17, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on December 3, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 350 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_12_17.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:27pm EDT

The Future And You--Dec. 10, 2014

Topic: Ghostwriting: how the process works, as well as it's limitations and benefits. Also: how ghostwriting has been affected by the powerful trends going on throughout the publishing industry. (A ghostwriter is a person hired to write for, with, or even instead of, the author of a book.)

Our guest is Claudia Suzanne. Claudia Suzanne has been a professional ghostwriter for decades and has participated in the creation of 132 books. She has watched firsthand how the negative trends in publishing have produced positive trends in ghostwriting. Based on her considerable experience, she has created, and teaches, a master's level college course called "Ghostwriting Professional Designation Program." This course offers the world's only ghostwriter certification. The course is taught at California State University, Long Beach, College of Continuing and Professional Education. (California State University, Long Beach--also known as Cal State Long Beach--is the second largest campus of the 23 school California State University system, and one of the largest universities in the state of California as measured by enrollment.)

[News Item:] In this episode I announce that I am now available as a professional ghostwriter, and that I am accepting clients. If you have a book in mind that you want to write but you can't quite finesse the words into smoothly flowing sentences, or you don't have the one thousand hours needed to devote to the project, you can hire me to transform your ideas into a well-written book with your name on the cover. (My name would not appear.) Mind you, your project doesn't have to be a book. You might want your ideas transformed into one or more magazine articles. I've written over a hundred magazine articles, so naturally, I'm comfortable with that format. Just email me. I'll send you more information, including my fee schedule, and we can set up a time to talk about your project on the phone. My email address is: me@stevecobb.com.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 10, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 44 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on December 4, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_12_10.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:48am EDT

The Future And You--Dec. 3, 2014

Topic: Book Promotion and Marketing: methods, tips and useful advice [Part 2 of 2].

Our guest is Simone Pond.

Simone Pond is an advertising executive with a Los Angeles advertising agency. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in English. She is the author of three novels (The City Center, The New Agenda, and The Mainframe) in which she explores transhumanist and cyberpunk themes, such as virtual reality and mind-uploading in a dystopian earth, three centuries in the future.

[Note] At your host's urging, Simone has also just released a short (99 cents) step-by-step guide to book marketing. It is based on her experience with, and results of, her first book launch. It is titled: How I Hit Amazon Kindle's Top 100: A (very) Short Guide to Marketing Your Book.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 3, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 39 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on October 27, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_12_3.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:15am EDT

The Future And You--Nov. 26, 2014

Eight Interviews from Atomacon.

Guests include: Gregory French (actor from the TV show The Walking Dead), Randy Richards (author of novels in the "Hidden History" genre including "The League of Founding Fathers"), Winfield H. Strock (author of several novels including one involving a vampire inside a soviet submarine), Rob Hemelsbok (co-chair for CostumeCon 33), Ken Spivey (Atomacon's Musical Guest of Honor), T. Julian Bell (creator of Kromore, a table top roll playing game), Jada Diaz (conchair for ConCarolinas), and Janet Iannantuono (conchair for Atomacon).

This episode covers a wide variety of trends within various professions and areas of interest, because it contains eight short interviews I gathered while between my discussion panels at the science fiction and fantasy convention Atomacon. If Atomacon sounds NEW, it's because it is. This was only its second year. It was held in Charleston, South Carolina on the weekend of November 14, 15 and 16. Atomacon describes itself as "The Lowcountry's first sci-fi, fantasy, science and technology, gaming convention." I had a wonderful time. I always enjoy speaking on panels, as well as interviewing. And so, with thanks, this episode is dedicated to Atomacon. Those thanks are directed specifically to its many volunteers, its many participants, and especially to its conchair: Janet Iannantuono.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 26, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 86 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_11_26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:21pm EDT

The Future And You--Nov. 19, 2014

Topic: Book Promotion and Marketing: methods, tips and advice based on today's continually shifting trends.

Our guest is Simone Pond.

Simone Pond is an advertising executive with a Los Angeles advertising agency. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in English. She is the author of three novels (The City Center, The New Agenda, and The Mainframe) in which she explores transhumanist and cyberpunk themes, such as virtual reality and mind-uploading in a dystopian earth, three centuries in the future.

[Note] At your host's urging, Simone has also just released a short (99 cents) step-by-step guide to book marketing. It is based on her experience with, and results of, her first book launch. It is titled: How I Hit Amazon Kindle's Top 100: A (very) Short Guide to Marketing Your Book.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 19, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on October 27, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_11_19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:48pm EDT

The Future And You--Nov. 12, 2014

Topic: What Would War in Space Really Be Like? (Part 2 of 2)

Speakers: John Ringo,Dr. Charles E. GannonTimonthy Zahn, and Dr. Travis S. Taylor as the moderator.

[Essay:] Your host describes his expectations concerning a dangerous form of AI which may propagate through the Internet long before the Singularity. An AI capable of aggressively hacking its way into millions of computer systems, though it has only the cleverness and intellectual capacity of a small animal, and no understanding of anything outside the internet, perhaps even no understanding that there is an outside. It might become the software equivalent of a billion rats, destroying all the world's precious data--and all of yours too--by replacing it with trillions of copies of itself.

Timothy Zahn is a New York Times best selling author. John Ringo is a New York Times best selling author. Dr. Charles E. Gannon is a New York Times bestselling author; and as a member of the think-tank SIGMA, has advised the Pentagon, Air Force, Army, NATO, DARPA, DHS, NASA, and other agencies. Dr. Travis S. Taylor is an aerospace engineer, optical scientist, science fiction author, and star of National Geographic Channel's TV show Rocket City Rednecks. Dr. Taylor has written more than 25 technical papers, 14 science fiction novels and two textbooks, and has appeared in multiple television documentaries, including the highly rated TV special When Aliens Attack.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 12, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 37 minutes] This panel was recorded in front of an audience on June 28, 2014 in Chattanooga TN at the SF&F conventionLibertyCon.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_11_12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:49pm EDT

The Future And You--Nov. 5, 2014

Topic: What Would War in Space Really Be Like? (Part 1 of 2)

Speakers: John Ringo, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Timonthy Zahn, and Dr. Travis S. Taylor as the moderator.

Timothy Zahn is a New York Times best selling author. John Ringo is a New York Times best selling author. Dr. Charles E. Gannon is a New York Times bestselling author; and as a member of the think-tank SIGMA, has advised the Pentagon, Air Force, Army, NATO, DARPA, DHS, NASA, and other agencies. Dr. Travis S. Taylor is an aerospace engineer, optical scientist, science fiction author, and star of National Geographic Channel's TV show Rocket City Rednecks. Dr. Taylor has written more than 25 technical papers, 14 science fiction novels and two textbooks, and has appeared in multiple television documentaries, including the highly rated TV special When Aliens Attack.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the November 5, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 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 has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_11_5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:15am EDT

The Future And You--October 29, 2014

Six Topics: (1) A new way the insurance companies are using clever software to trick 75% of their customers into paying a lot more money than the remaining 25%. (2) Two recently developed vision correction methods which may allow you to throw away your eyeglasses and contact lenses forever. (3) An interactive webpage which allows you to play at zooming into the microscopic world, from viewing a coffee bean to a carbon atom. (4) The free-to-play MMO game WarThunder, which allows you to participate in dogfights with a wide variety of historically accurate airplanes and jet fighters. (5) A little commentary on nootropics--also known as mind enhancing drugs--and the website gwern.net. (6) Thesaurus.com--a handy online tool.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 29, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes] This monologue was recorded on October 25, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_10_29.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:43am EDT

The Future And You--October 22, 2014

Topic: Science in the Classroom: the good, the bad and the ugly. (Part 2)

Speakers include: Jim CraigJames Maxey and your host. James Maxey is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as "a big science geek."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.

News Item: The Future And You is now available on Stitcher--the free app for listening to podcasts. For the show to be included in the Stitcher List Ranking" it will need to have at least five reviews. So, if you would, please review this show on the Stitcher website. Also, if you would, please share this show with your facebook friends and twitter followers (Stitcher provides handy icons for this). Sharing and reviewing are both important since they will greatly increase the show's visibility to other Stitcher users. Thank you for your help. --Steve

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 22, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 30 minutes] This panel was recorded on May 31, 2014 in Charlotte NC at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. This is the second half of the panel. The first half was in last week's episode.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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 

Direct download: TFAY_2014_10_22.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:54pm EDT

The Future And You--October 15, 2014

Topic: Science in the Classroom: the good, the bad and the ugly. (Part 1)

Speakers include: Jim Craig, James Maxey and your host. James Maxey is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as "a big science geek." 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.

This is the first half of the panel. The second half will be in next week's episode.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 15, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 28 minutes] This panel was recorded on May 31, 2014 in Charlotte NC at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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 

Direct download: TFAY_2014_10_15.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:29pm EDT

The Future And You--October 8, 2014

Topic: 3D Printing -- It's advantages, limitations, current abilities, and future possibilities.

Speakers: David L. Burkhead, Stephanie Osborn, Bart Kemper, Jeremy Levitt and Michael Z. Williamson as the moderator.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 8, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 53 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 has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_10_8.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:57am EDT

The Future And You--October 1, 2014

Topic: Is War in Space Inevitable?

Speakers: John Ringo, Robert G. Kennedy, David L. Burkhead and Dr. Charles E. Gannon as the moderator.

John Ringo is a New York Times best selling novelist with over two million books in print. Robert G. Kennedy is an author, speaker and engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. David L. Burkhead is a physicist working in the nanotechnological field of surface science and Atomic Force Microscopy; and has published technical and popular science articles, as well as a number of SF&F stories. Dr. Charles E. Gannon is a New York Times bestselling author; and as a member of the think-tank SIGMA, has advised the Pentagon, Air Force, Army, NATO, DARPA, DHS, NASA, and other agencies.

Your host also reviews the documentary series, The Planets. A brilliant, and visually dramatic, series about the struggles we went through to achieve our understanding of the planets, the sun, and the moon. Eight episodes of about 48 minutes each, filled with interviews and eyewitness accounts by those who were there when we made some of our most astounding discoveries. It covers space missions, both manned and unmanned, as well as ground-based observers. Though produced in 1999, this treasure trove of exploration history will never go out of date. It will be as fresh a century from now as it was the day it was released.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the October 1, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 44 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 has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_10_1.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:30am EDT

The Future And You--September 24, 2014

Topic: Transhumanism: its vision, hopes and many concrete possibilities.

Speakers: James Maxey, Paula S. Jordan, Dr. Ben Davis and myself as moderator. Paula S. Jordan is a former orbit analyst for NASA and NOAA, and more recently a science fiction author. Dr. Ben Davis has a doctorate in Nuclear Physics, and is an IT professional. James Maxey is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as a Big Science Geek.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 24, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 61 minutes] This panel was recorded on May 31, 2014 in Charlotte NC at the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. 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. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_9_24.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:49am EDT

The Future And You--September 17, 2014

Topic: The Technological Singularity.

Your host reveals his personal expectations concerning the Singularity: when; how; good or bad; methods; new technologies; weak points; warnings; alternate versions. He even delves into the specifics of what he thinks it will do if (or when) it stops obeying us.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 17, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 45 minutes] This monologue was recorded on September 12, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_9_17.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:59am EDT

The Future And You--September 10, 2014

Three topics: our guest's experiences while in China, as well as his making a living in the old traditional book industry, and now in the new ebook industry.

Patrick Quinlan (best selling author) is our featured guest.

Patrick Quinlan is the author of seven novels, including six thrillers written under his own name. These books include the crime novels Smoked, The Takedown (renamed The Falling Man for ebook publication), The Drop Off, and The Hit.  Smoked made numerous bestseller lists in various parts of the world and was translated into four languages. He is the co-author, with legendary film actor Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Nighthawks, The Hitcher), of Rutger's memoir All Those Moments. Available in English and Dutch, All Those Moments was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. Patrick is also the author of Thee Optimist, a blog about bad behavior, unintended consequences, and the absurdity of the human condition. He has been featured or reviewed in major media throughout the world, including the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the London Times, the Daily Mail, Entertainment Weekly, Maine Public Radio, BBC Radio News, and many others.  He divides his time between Maine and Florida.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 10, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 57 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on August 27, 2014.

 

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 300 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. 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_9_10.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:20am EDT

The Future And You--September 3, 2014

Topics: controversies and possibilities concerning: mind-uploading, robotics, human-like androids, sexrobots, the sexdolls of today (which are not robotic) human level artificial intelligence, as well as far greater than human level artificial intelligence. We also talk about Patrick's new novel, Sexbot (a novel about uploading ones mind into a human-like robotic android).

Patrick Quinlan (best selling author) is our featured guest.

Patrick Quinlan is the author of seven novels, including six thrillers written under his own name. These books include the crime novels Smoked, The Takedown (renamed The Falling Man for ebook publication), The Drop Off, and The Hit. Smoked made numerous bestseller lists in various parts of the world and was translated into four languages. He is the co-author, with legendary film actor Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Nighthawks, The Hitcher), of Rutger's memoir All Those Moments. Available in English and Dutch, All Those Moments was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. Patrick is also the author of Thee Optimist, a blog about bad behavior, unintended consequences, and the absurdity of the human condition. He has been featured or reviewed in major media throughout the world, including the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the London Times, the Daily Mail, Entertainment Weekly, Maine Public Radio, BBC Radio News, and many others. He divides his time between Maine and Florida.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the September 3, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 58 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on August 27, 2014.

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_9_3.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:19am EDT

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

The Future And You--July 30, 2014

Topic: The Past Twelve Months in Science. What new inventions, innovations, developments, and discoveries have changed things for human civilization in little ways and in big?

Today's speakers: Paula S. Jordan, Jim Craig, James Maxey, Drew Myer, myself, and the moderator is Micki Knop.

Paula S. Jordan is a former orbit analyst for NASA and NOAA, and more recently a science fiction author. 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. James Maxey is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as "a big science geek." Drew Myer is a librarian and science educator. And Micki Knop is an organizer with the Charlotte Geeks.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 30, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 58 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 of Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_7_30.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:16pm EDT

The Future And You--July 23, 2014

Topic: AntiMatter. How do we make it, store it, and use it--today, and in the future.

Antimatter may ultimately become a means of storing vast amounts of energy in a very compact form. Utilizing it in practical ways may take decades, maybe a century or more. Our speakers will describe what we have done already, what engineering difficulties lie ahead, and what the benefits may be if we succeed. Our speakers are: Jim Beall, David L. Burkhead, and Dr. Charles E. Gannon.

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).

David L. Burkhead is a physicist working in surface science and Atomic Force Microscopy, which is a field of study within Nanotechnology. He has published a number of technical and popular science articles as well as a number of SF&F stories.

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.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 23, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 60 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_7_23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:35am EDT

The Future And You--July 16, 2014

Topic: Space Exploration--Where should we explore next? And where have we explored so far?

Subtopics: mining the asteroids (the billionaire Peter Diamondis has announced the he will do it); nuclear propulsion systems (including one that uses a series of small nuclear warheads exploding against a giant pusher plate); looking for life in the ocean which sits under the ice on Europa; successful landings on Venus; colonizing the moon (the Chinese are going even if no one else will); colonizing Mars (including reasons to wait and not do it for many decades); manned missions verses unmanned missions--the pros and cons of each; looking for life on Titan; and the fact that we have verified to everyone's satisfaction that there is indeed water on earth's moon--frozen in valleys at the lunar south pole.

Today's speakers: Jim Craig, Paula S. Jordan, Dr. Ben Davis, James Maxey and myself as moderator. Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. Paula S. Jordan is a former orbit analyst for NASA and NOAA, and more recently a science fiction author. Dr. Ben Davis has a doctorate in Nuclear Physics, and is an IT professional. James Maxey is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as "a big science geek."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 16, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 64 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 of Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_7_16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:24pm EDT

The Future And You--July 9, 2014

Topic: Memories can be Inherited. Shocking, yes, but the research seems solid. The mechanism by which this is done involves the rapidly expanding scientific field called Epigenetics.

The entire field of epigenetics will radically improve our understanding in many different areas of biology and medical science over the next few decades. In today's show we focus mostly on only one impact which it is having already. In January of this year a new research paper showed that fear-based memories can be inherited. This was a highly controversial result; especially in light of the longstanding rejection by the scientific community of the now infamous, and discredited, planarian memory experiments of the 1950s and 60s. For fifty years we have known absolutely that memories can not be inherited. In January we learned that we were wrong. To discuss this reversal of established fact, I am joined by two experts:

Robert A. Hoyt is a freshly graduated biologist and chemist (dual-major).  He is also an author and member of SFWA.

Dr. Tedd Roberts is a neuroscientist, writer and public speaker. His research includes the study of nerve cell function; behavioral mechanisms; and detection of the patterns of neural activity which underly learning and memory. He is also part of a multi-university team working to develop a "neural prosthetic" capable of restoring memory by connecting between different regions within the brain.

BTW: Dr. Tedd Roberts has been on the show before. He was in three consecutive episodes in the summer of 2013 describing many facets of our growing understanding of how the brain works. Those episodes (like all past episodes of this show) are still available for your listening pleasure. His episodes are: May 29, 2013; June 5, 2013, and June 12, 2013.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 9, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 56 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_7_9.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:29am EDT

The Future And You--July 2, 2014

Dr. Travis S. Taylor (scientist, author and TV personality) is our featured guest.

Dr. Travis Taylor is an aerospace engineer, optical scientist, science fiction author, and star of National Geographic Channel's Rocket City Rednecks. He has written more than 25 technical papers, 14 science fiction novels and two textbooks, and has appeared in multiple television documentaries, including the recent highly-rated special When Aliens Attack. He has consulted for NASA and DOD; has been awarded numerous patents; and has detected two exoplanets. He has three master degrees and two doctorates.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 2, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 57 minutes] This interview was recorded in front of an audience on June 27, 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_7_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:41am EDT

The Future And You--June 25, 2014

Topic: Breakthroughs in Medical Science. New technologies which will help us live healthier and longer.

Subtopics: 3D printing of tissues and organs for surgical implant; wiping out cancer with a massive dose of measles vaccine; life extension with buckyballs; fecal transplants (yeah, that's right: poop); induced hypothermia as a lifesaving treatment in trauma and surgery; stem cells; causes of allergies, paleo diets; vegan diets; all-meat diets; and the fitness guru, Jack LaLanne, who lived to the age of 96 (he had a daily fitness and exercise TV show from 1953 all the way to 1985. A total of 32 years).

 

Today's speakers include: Dr. Ben Davis, Jonah Knight, myself, and James Maxey as moderator.  Dr. Ben Davis has a doctorate in Nuclear Physics, and is an IT professional. Jonah Knight is completing his certifications to be a Certified Personal Trainer, and to Teach DDP Yoga (both of which include nutritional components). James Maxey (the moderator) is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels, and often introduces himself as "a big science geek."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 25, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 51 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 of Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future.

Direct download: TFAY_2014_6_25.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:45pm EDT

The Future And You--June 18, 2014

Hank Pellissier--[Part 4]--(writer, editor, speaker, producer, futurist and transhumanist).

Topics: Human Intelligence--is it a product of our culture or our genes? Are some of this world's cultures more effective, more useful...maybe even more valuable? Should having babies be licensed and regulated, and not a right given to everyone? Features of Confucianism. Artificial Intelligence and the Technological Singularity. Ideas in the movie Idiocracy--a lighthearted science fiction movie in which the entire population of the world, in the far future, becomes very stupid. And I ask Hank if I am accurate in sizing him up as "an activist who feels comfortable using people's negative emotions to get the word out on topics he feels are important." I tell him that I think he views argument and controversy as useful and important tools. And I ask him if I am wrong.

Hank Pellissier is a writer, editor, speaker and producer, especially on futurist and transhumanist topics. He has written 22 articles for HplusMagazine, and 30 articles for IEET.org - the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. Seven of his articles placed in the Top 12 in 2011 hits. In 2012 he was appointed the Managing Director of IEET. He continued to write for the site, finishing the year with 4 articles in the Top 12. He left IEET in October 2012 to start Transhumanity.net. He gave that site to Zero State in February 2013, and started ImmortalLife.info. He sold that site to Giovanni Santostasi in June 2013, and started the website BrighterBrains.org. At this site he started producing the TRANSHUMAN VISIONS conferences in the San Fransico Bay Area. He is the author of three e-books, Brighter Brains-225 Ways to Elevate or Injure IQ, Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High?, and Invent Utopia Now. As a journalist, he was the "Local Intelligence" columnist for the New York Times (San Francisco edition) and he's a frequent contributor to GreatSchools.org. Past work includes a daily column for Salon.com titled "Naked World," two columns for SfGate.com titled "Urban Animal" and "Odd Barkings," and dozens of articles for other publications like San Fransisco Bay Guardian, World Future Society, and Acceler8or. He has also performed as a solo performance artist and Slam Poet, under his nom de plume, "Hank Hyena."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 11, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 31 minutes] This is the third portion of my interview with Hank Pellissier which was recorded using Skype on April 24, 2014. The final portion will be in next week's episode.

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_6_18.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:38pm EDT

The Future And You--June 11, 2014

Hank Pellissier--[Part 3]--(writer, editor, speaker, producer, futurist and transhumanist).

Topics: Trends going on in education, especially online sources of education such as the Khan Academy, which I enjoy a great deal, and which is completely free to all users. (I've especially enjoyed their mathematics, history and biology.) We also talk about: the gamification of education; Hank's recent magazine article about learning through music videos; and the power of the Internet to reconnect people who, for decades, thought they would never see one another again. Somewhere in the middle of this episode, I describe, in some detail, the innovative and interactive method used by the Khan Academy to teach mathematics. Their method makes it easy, painless, and astoundingly more efficient than any traditional classroom.

Hank Pellissier is a writer, editor, speaker and producer, especially on futurist and transhumanist topics. He has written 22 articles for HplusMagazine, and 30 articles for IEET.org - the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. Seven of his articles placed in the Top 12 in 2011 hits. In 2012 he was appointed the Managing Director of IEET. He continued to write for the site, finishing the year with 4 articles in the Top 12. He left IEET in October 2012 to start Transhumanity.net. He gave that site to Zero State in February 2013, and started ImmortalLife.info. He sold that site to Giovanni Santostasi in June 2013, and started the website BrighterBrains.org. At this site he started producing the TRANSHUMAN VISIONS conferences in the San Fransico Bay Area. He is the author of three e-books, Brighter Brains-225 Ways to Elevate or Injure IQ, Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High?, and Invent Utopia Now. As a journalist, he was the "Local Intelligence" columnist for the New York Times (San Francisco edition) and he's a frequent contributor to GreatSchools.org. Past work includes a daily column for Salon.com titled "Naked World," two columns for SfGate.com titled "Urban Animal" and "Odd Barkings," and dozens of articles for other publications like San Fransisco Bay Guardian, World Future Society, and Acceler8or. He has also performed as a solo performance artist and Slam Poet, under his nom de plume, "Hank Hyena."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 11, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 31 minutes] This is the third portion of my interview with Hank Pellissier which was recorded using Skype on April 24, 2014. The final portion will be in next week's episode.

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_6_11.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:04am EDT

The Future And You--June 4, 2014

Eight Interviews from ConCarolinas. (The SF&F convention that got me started podcasting.)

Guests include: Edmund R. Schubert (editor-in-chief of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show a poplar online magazine of science fiction and fantasy), Cheralyn Lambeth (a real ghostbuster & author of Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas), Janine K. Spendlove (author), Gail Z. Martin (author & podcaster), Ron Garner (promoter for Silence in the Library Publishing), Stuart Jaffe (author & podcaster), Jonah Knight (musical performer and composer), and Jada Diaz (the Con-Chair of ConCarolinas).

Various Topics discussed: ghostbusting in the real world, why travel by train is so much more fun than travel by air, ebooks, audiobooks, nuclear power, scified eggs, and one of my guests gets arrested by the Mandelorian Mercs when someone put a bounty on his head. (For those unfamiliar with the Mandelorian Mercs: Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who captured Han Solo in the second Star Wars movie, was also a Mandelorian Merc, and wore their familiar style of uniform, helmet and rocket-powered jet-pack.)

BTW: You can watch a video of me moderating a panel at this con on the topic of Transhumanism. Wesley Davis (one of my listeners) posted it on youtube.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 4, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 93 minutes] These interviews were recorded in Charlotte NC on May 30 and 31, 2014.

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_6_4.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:06am EDT

The Future And You--May 28, 2014

Simone Pond (advertising executive, author andblogger) is our featured guest.

Topic: Trends in The Advertising Industry.

Specific items discussed: The TV show Mad Men; the power of viral videos; the public backlash against giant digital billboards; the rise of human billboards; the continuing decline of newspapers; the recent loss of schmoozing; the shrinking number of advertisers willing to commit to three or five year advertising contracts; the overwhelming migration of advertisements from all traditional forms of media to the Internet; (because of) the astounding targetability of Internet ads. Simone also describes some of the ways advertising has earned its reputation for evil manipulation. I tried to defend advertising, but she insists that everytime she comes home from her advertising job she feels unclean. She quotes Sean Connery from the movie The Anderson Tapes. "What is advertising but a legalized con game?"

Simone Pond is an advertising executive with a Los Angeles advertising agency. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in English. She is also the author of two novels which are set three hundred years in the future: The City Center, and its sequel: The New Agenda.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 28, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 34 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on May 1, 2014.

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_5_28.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:37am EDT

The Future And You--May 21, 2014

Simone Pond (advertising executive, author and blogger) is our featured guest.

Topics: Trends in book promotion, but also tips and pointers on how to do it better.

Specific items discussed: online book promotions, facebook and social marketing, websites which will promote book give-a-ways for free, countdown promotions, goodreads.com, Amazon's Kindle policies and the promotional options they offer to authors, the importance of creating a brand, GooglePlus, weaknesses of traditional advertising as compared to online, how she made the book trailer video which she put on youtube and the results has yielded, and which promotional method has given her the best results--for the effort and money she expended--out of everything she has tried. Also mentioned: Falling Stars: The Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven by Rich Everitt, and How to publish and sell your article on the kindle by Kate Harper.

Simone Pond is an advertising executive with a Los Angeles advertising agency. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in English. She is also the author of two novels which are set three hundred years in the future: The City Center, and its sequel: The New Agenda.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 21, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on May 1, 2014.

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_5_21.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:41am EDT

The Future And You--May 14, 2014

Eric Lerner (President and Chief Scientist of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics) is our featured guest.

Topic: Plasma Focus Fusion: a form of clean fusion which might well become a game-changer for civilization. If the ongoing development is successful, it could completely re-write our future as compared to current expectations. It could do this for three reasons: it can provide us with more electricity than we currently use on this planet, it can provide it at only a fraction of a penny per kilowatt hour, and the third and bonus reason, it is clean energy. Clean in the sense that it does not produce any radioactive waste material at all. Being a small portable device, Focused Fusion would be ideal for space exploration within our solar system--possibly reducing travel time to Mars to under one month. As a secondary topic, Eric Lerner also talks about the growing body of evidence that the Big Bang Theory of the origin and large scale structure of the universe may be completely wrong. An uncomfortable thought to be sure.

Eric Lerner, President and Chief Scientist of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, has been active in dense plasma focus (DPF) research for 30 years. Beginning in 1984, he developed a detailed quantitative theory of the functioning of DPF. Based on this theory, he proposed that the DPF could achieve high ion and electron energies at high densities, suitable for advanced fuel fusion and space propulsion. Under a series of contracts with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he planned and participated in carrying out experiments that tested and confirmed this theory. In addition, he developed an original model of the role of the quantum magnetic field effect on DPF functioning, showing that this effect could have a large effect on increasing ion temperature and decreasing electron temperature, which would reduce unwanted X-ray cooling of the plasma.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 14, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 50 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on May 8, 2014.

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_5_14.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

The Future And You--May 7, 2014

Hank Pellissier--[Part 2]--(writer, editor, speaker, producer, futurist and transhumanist).

Topics: A good bit of detail on the life-extension experiments using Carbon 60, Buckyballs dissolved in olive oil (and where you can buy it for yourself). And a bit of info on other anti-aging medicines and supplements such as: TA-65, Product-B, Stem Code, and from The Bullet-Proof Executive Upgrade Aging Formula. Also: biohacking, quantified-self, and some ideas on what to do with all that free-time if you live for centuries.

Hank Pellissier is a writer, editor, speaker and producer, especially on futurist and transhumanist topics. He has written 22 articles for HplusMagazine, and 30 articles for IEET.org - the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. Seven of his articles placed in the Top 12 in 2011 hits. In 2012 he was appointed the Managing Director of IEET. He continued to write for the site, finishing the year with 4 articles in the Top 12. He left IEET in October 2012 to start Transhumanity.net. He gave that site to Zero State in February 2013, and started ImmortalLife.info. He sold that site to Giovanni Santostasi in June 2013, and started the website BrighterBrains.org. At this site he started producing the TRANSHUMAN VISIONS conferences in the San Fransico Bay Area. He is the author of three e-books, Brighter Brains-225 Ways to Elevate or Injure IQ, Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High?, and Invent Utopia Now. As a journalist, he was the "Local Intelligence" columnist for the New York Times (San Francisco edition) and he's a frequent contributor to GreatSchools.org. Past work includes a daily column for Salon.com titled "Naked World," two columns for SfGate.com titled "Urban Animal" and "Odd Barkings," and dozens of articles for other publications like San Fransisco Bay Guardian, World Future Society, and Acceler8or. He has also performed as a solo performance artist and Slam Poet, under his nom de plume, "Hank Hyena."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 30, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 55 minutes] This is the first portion of my interview with Hank Pellissier which was recorded using Skype on April 24, 2014. The next portion will be in next week's episode.

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_5_7.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:50pm EDT

The Future And You--April 30, 2014

Hank Pellissier (writer, editor, speaker, producer, futurist and transhumanist) is today's featured guest.

Topics: his book 225 ways to increase or harm IQ. Life-extension methods people are trying today; Peter Nygard's life-extension experiment in the Bahamas; life-extension experiments using C60 (Carbon 60, Buckyballs); and research into the molecule NAD which is fundamental to the mitochondrial theory of aging. Also mentioned are the experiments of a biohacker named Gwern Branwen into the mind-improving drugs called Nootropics.

Hank Pellissier is a writer, editor, speaker and producer, especially on futurist and transhumanist topics. He has written 22 articles for HplusMagazine, and 30 articles for IEET.org - the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. Seven of his articles placed in the Top 12 in 2011 hits. In 2012 he was appointed the Managing Director of IEET. He continued to write for the site, finishing the year with 4 articles in the Top 12. He left IEET in October 2012 to start Transhumanity.net. He gave that site to Zero State in February 2013, and started ImmortalLife.info. He sold that site to Giovanni Santostasi in June 2013, and started the website BrighterBrains.org. At this site he started producing the TRANSHUMAN VISIONS conferences in the San Fransico Bay Area. He is the author of three e-books, Brighter Brains-225 Ways to Elevate or Injure IQ, Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High?, and Invent Utopia Now. As a journalist, he was the "Local Intelligence" columnist for the New York Times (San Francisco edition) and he's a frequent contributor to GreatSchools.org. Past work includes a daily column for Salon.com titled "Naked World," two columns for SfGate.com titled "Urban Animal" and "Odd Barkings," and dozens of articles for other publications like San Fransisco Bay Guardian, World Future Society, and Acceler8or. He has also performed as a solo performance artist and Slam Poet, under his nom de plume, "Hank Hyena."

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 30, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 55 minutes] This is the first portion of my interview with Hank Pellissier which was recorded using Skype on April 24, 2014. The next portion will be in next week's episode.

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_4_30.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:45pm EDT

The Future And You--April 23, 2014

Zoltan Istvan (journalist, entrepreneur, futurist) is today's featured guest.

Topics: life-extension and the elimination of death; his proposals for a transhumanist Olympics; and how transhumanist ideas mesh or conflict with the various religions of the world. Also, ways in which life-extension may change our cultural attitudes and behaviours--for example: marriage may not survive and having children may become less popular or just delayed until later in people's lives. Also just how strong should we let artificial intelligence become, and what actions might our government take to control a singularity. Also his work stopping the illegal poaching of endangered species in Southeast Asia, and how he pioneered the extreme sport of volcano boarding.

Zoltan Istvan is an American-Hungarian philosopher, journalist, entrepreneur, and futurist. He is best known as a leading transhumanist and the author of the controversial novel, The Transhumanist Wager, a #1 bestseller in both Philosophy and Science Fiction Visionary and Metaphysical on Amazon. At the age of 21 he began a solo, multi-year sailing journey around the world. His main cargo was 500 handpicked books, mostly classics. He's explored over 100 countries—many as a journalist for the National Geographic Channel—writing, filming, and appearing in dozens of television stories, articles, and webcasts. His work has also been featured by The New York Times Syndicate, Outside, San Francisco Chronicle, BBC Radio, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel. In addition to his award-winning coverage of the war in Kashmir, he gained worldwide attention for pioneering and popularizing the extreme sport of volcano boarding. Zoltan later became a director for the international conservation group WildAid, leading armed patrol units to stop the billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia. He is a philosophy and religious studies graduate of Columbia University.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 23, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes] This is the second half of my interview with Zoltan Istvan which was recorded using Skype on April 3, 2014. The first half is in last week's episode.

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_4_23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:08pm EDT

The Future And You--April 16, 2014

Zoltan Istvan (journalist, entrepreneur, futurist) is today's featured guest.

Topics: life-extension, transhumanism, augmenting the body and the mind, Ayn Rand's objectivism, several forms of atheism, and many of the other topics he has explored in his new novel, The Transhumanist Wager. We also discuss some of the articles he's written for the Huffington Post such as, Are We Heading for a Jesus Singularity?, A New Generation of Transhumanists is Emerging, and I'm and atheist therefore I'm a Transhumanist.

Zoltan Istvan is an American-Hungarian philosopher, journalist, entrepreneur, and futurist. He is best known as a leading transhumanist and the author of the controversial novel, The Transhumanist Wager, a #1 bestseller in both Philosophy and Science Fiction Visionary and Metaphysical on Amazon. At the age of 21 he began a solo, multi-year sailing journey around the world. His main cargo was 500 handpicked books, mostly classics. He's explored over 100 countries—many as a journalist for the National Geographic Channel—writing, filming, and appearing in dozens of television stories, articles, and webcasts. His work has also been featured by The New York Times Syndicate, Outside, San Francisco Chronicle, BBC Radio, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel. In addition to his award-winning coverage of the war in Kashmir, he gained worldwide attention for pioneering and popularizing the extreme sport of volcano boarding. Zoltan later became a director for the international conservation group WildAid, leading armed patrol units to stop the billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia. He is a philosophy and religious studies graduate of Columbia University.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 16, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes] This is the first half of my interview with Zoltan Istvan which was recorded using Skype on April 3, 2014.

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_4_16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:07pm EDT

The Future And You--April 9, 2014

Gennady Stolyarov II is today's featured guest.

Topics: Peter Nygard's new life extension project going on now in the Bahamas in which he is injecting himself with stem cells (here is my interview with him in 2009); goal setting and prioritizing within an extended life (in which I quote from one of my interviews with Kim Stanley Robinson); Gennady emphasizes that many traditions are built into our culture which are based on a universal expectation of death as a certainty; and we cover a number of the ideas within his many writings on life-extension such as those in his articles, essays, novel, theatrical play, and his many video-essays which are freely available on Youtube.

Gennady Stolyarov II is an actuary, science-fiction novelist, independent philosophical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer, contributor to Transhumanity, Enter Stage Right, Le Quebecois Libre, Rebirth of Reason, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Senior Writer for The Liberal Institute, and Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator, a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress. Mr. Stolyarov also publishes his articles on theYahoo! Contributor Network to assist the spread of rational ideas. He holds the highest Clout Level (10) possible on the Yahoo! Contributor Network and is one of its Page View Millionaires, with over 2 million views. Mr. Stolyarov regularly produces YouTube Videos discussing life extension, libertarianism, and related subjects.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 2, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 52 minutes] This is the first half of an interview recorded using Skype on March 29, 2014.

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_4_9.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:15pm EDT

The Future And You--April 2, 2014

Gennady Stolyarov II is today's featured speaker.

Topic: Life-Extension, and how to help the general public to embrace life-extension. Gennady Stolyarov II has written a new children's book entitled: Death is Wrong. He has also created a crowd-funding project (using Indiegogo) to put 1,000 copies of this book into the hands of children at no cost to them.

Gennady Stolyarov II is an actuary, science-fiction novelist, independent philosophical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer, contributor to Transhumanity, Enter Stage Right, Le Quebecois Libre, Rebirth of Reason, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Senior Writer for The Liberal Institute, and Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator, a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress. Mr. Stolyarov also publishes his articles on the Yahoo! Contributor Network to assist the spread of rational ideas. He holds the highest Clout Level (10) possible on the Yahoo! Contributor Network and is one of its Page View Millionaires, with over 2 million views. Mr. Stolyarov regularly produces YouTube Videos discussing life extension, libertarianism, and related subjects.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 2, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 52 minutes] This is the first half of an interview recorded using Skype on March 29, 2014.

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_4_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:01pm EDT

The Future And You--March 26, 2014

Topic: Google Projects--the astounding variety of things Google is working on right now, many of which will change the future. Anti-aging research, healthcare, robotics, pushing the internet into places in the world where it does not yet reach, driving down the cost of smartphones, and much more. Your host reads selections from (and provides commentary on) a long and thorough article entitled "The 2014 Google tracker—Everything we know Google is working on this year" which was written by Ron Amadeo and published by Ars Technica.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 26, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 30 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_3_26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:27pm EDT

The Future And You--March 19, 2014

Topic: Digital Life in 2025. A 61 page report from the Pew Research Center which is "based on a canvassing of hundreds of experts about the future of such things as privacy, cybersecurity, the Internet of things, and net neutrality." Your host reads selections and provides some commentary. (BTW: Here is a link to Khan Academy. It's only mentioned in passing, but it's worth checking out.)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 19, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_3_19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:42pm EDT

The Future And You--March 12, 2014

Topics: Google hires lobbyists to keep it legal for people to wear Google Glass while driving a car; Nanotechnology takes one baby step closer to molecular assemblers now that scientists have succeeded in grabbing a single molecule and moving it around in 3-D; You can now edit the list of topics which online advertisers think are relevant to you; Solar power in Hawaii is now nearing saturation--because so many consumers and businesses have installed it on their roofs.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 12, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 34 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_3_12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:40pm EDT

The Future And You--March 5, 2014

Topics: Introduction to Hacking (an instructional video by Eli The Computer Guy); the ten strongest materials known to man; government online petitions; SureResponce, Verizon's Entry into Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS); how to make your computer run faster; how to remove spyware and malware from your computer; and nanotechnology engineers build first carbon nanotube computer.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 5, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 33 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_3_5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:48pm EDT

The Future And You--February 26, 2014

Topic: Places where you can watch Streaming TV and movies for FREE, also some cool Apps, and a fascinatingly exploreable weather map which displays far more than just the weather.

Links to things mentioned in this episode: Hulu.com; CBS.com; Retrovision.tv; movietube.co; Youtube.com; Almost Human (TV show); The Big Bang Theory (TV show); CBS Evening News (TV news show); and The Wundermap.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 26, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 43 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_2_26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:43pm EDT

The Future And You--February 19, 2014

Topic: Ten predictions for 2014, by Michael Liebreich (Chairman of the Advisory Board, Bloomberg New Energy Finance) covering renewable energy, carbon, digital energy technology and storage, natural gas, conventional power and advanced transportation.

His tenth prediction may be his most important: "For over a hundred years the orthodox view of the energy system prevailed. Power generation was big, dirty and central. Grids were centralized and dumb. Reliability was provided by holding over-capacity. Vehicle fuels were oil-based. For some years now we have been saying that this orthodoxy is not going to hold in the future. I predict 2014 is going to be the year when this becomes starkly obvious to most people. Until now, it has been up to the proponents of a new system to argue that change is on its way. In 2014 the tables will turn. Change will be the default assumption, and it will be up to the proponents of orthodoxy to argue why they disagree.
 The orthodoxy that clean energy is an expensive luxury cannot be maintained when wind power can be sold for 5 cents/kWh and solar for 10 cents/kWh, before subsidies, in more and more parts of the world."

Michael Liebreich also provides predictions concerning: electric vehicles, the smart grid, natural gas prices, solar manufacturers, traditional electric utilities, wind power installations on land and on sea, clean energy investments including green bonds, and the US Production Tax Credit.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 19, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 41 minutes] This episode contains selections from and commentary on Michael Liebreich's article: A Year of Cracking Ice: 10 Predictions for 2014.

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_2_19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:01pm EDT

The Future And You--February 12, 2014

Many Topics: How the Nielsen Company, which has provided ratings for TV shows since 1950, is making some adjustments to our modern age of Streaming TV. A camera built into a pill which patients can swallow has been approved in the U.S. to help doctors screen the large intestine for polyps and other early signs of colon cancer. Mint (the widely-used personal finance app from Intuit) will now also include the virtual currency: Bitcoin. And some of the ways in which the power grid is beginning to mimic the Internet.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 12, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 26 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_2_12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:19pm EDT

The Future And You--February 5, 2014

Topic: The Twelve Most Disruptive Technologies of the Next Ten Years.

This episode presents an overview to a massive 180 page report from McKinsey Global Institute which is entitled "Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy." Though many of the twelve disruptive technologies are familiar to listeners of this show, this deeply thorough analysis can provide many new insights as well as a better understanding of these familiar topics. The full report (but not this episode) estimates dollar values for each technology as it disrupts the economy in addition to our lives.

The Twelve Technologies Are: Mobile Internet, Automation of knowledge work, The Internet of Things, Cloud technology, Advanced robotics, Autonomous and near-autonomous vehicles, Next-generation genomics, Energy storage, 3D printing, Advanced materials, Advanced oil and gas exploration and recovery, Renewable energy (including wind and solar energy).

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 5, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 32 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_2_5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:47am EDT

The Future And You--January 29, 2014

Topic: 10 Important Trends for 2014 involving consumer actions and preferences when using their smartphones, laptops, and tablet computers to access the Internet. (From a report by Ericsson

For Example: People's desire for biometric alternatives to passwords; the growing popularity of apps and devices which constantly measure a users activity and or vital signs (for improved health or during exercise, and in some cases for life-logging); and the surprising fact that more than a third of all consumers already measure their smartphone's download speed at least twice per week. (Perhaps they have discovered the "unlimited" Internet they are paying for is not quite as unlimited as it once was.)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 29, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 29 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_1_29.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:26am EDT

The Future And You--January 22, 2014

Topic: Many different Emerging Technologies.

Also: why millions of people whose credit card numbers were hacked recently from Target would have been protected, if Target had been allowing their online customers to pay for things using Bitcoin.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 22, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 32 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_1_22.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:32pm EDT

The Future And You--January 15, 2014

Technological Innovations presented at the Consumer Electronic Show last weekend in Las Vegas.

Examples: the first Li-Fi smartphone; wearable computers; smart watches; HUD computerized eyeglasses by Lumus (a competitor to Google Glass); 5G; curved TVs; 4K Ultra HighDef TVs (UHD TV); smart LED lights; and PlayStation Now.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 15, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 26 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_1_15.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:52pm EDT

The Future And You--January 8, 2014

Topic: 3D Printing of Human Organs and Tissues for Transplant Surgery.

Bioprinting: how it is done; how much progress has been made so far; and hints of what can be expected in the future. (Links to articles mentioned in this episode: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5.)

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 8, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 27 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_1_8.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:18am EDT

The Future And You--January 1, 2014

Topic: Celebrating the New Year with predictions limited to the year 2014.

Examples include: changes we may see in our jobs and in our schools when Google glass is finally available for purchase by the millions who are waiting to put them on; the ever-growing number of retailers who accept bitcoin (such as Overstock.com) and what this is likely to do to bitcoin price fluctuations; the constantly accelerating solar energy adoption rate and how this will affect stock price movements of solar companies; how fracking has lead to the USA becoming a net exporter of refined petroleum products; and a number of other predictions thrown in for good measure.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 1, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes]

Stephen Euin Cobb is an author, futurist, magazine writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Future And You. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; 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_1_1.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:55pm EDT