Stephen Euin Cobb's Blog, page 23
July 17, 2012
The Future And You -- July 18, 2012
Stephen Euin Cobb is today's featured speaker.
Topic: A full explanation of the final results of my "TA-65 Evaluation Project" which I started nearly a year ago.
In this episode I describe in detail the immunology blood test results for my mother and myself which were taken at the end of the evaluation period, and compare them with the immunology blood test results taken at the start the evaluation period. To bring everyone up to speed on my TA-65 evaluation project, I provide a thorough summary of the project itself. And I explain the miscellaneous benefits I and my mother have observed. These benefits include changes in: arthritis pain, frequency and vividness of dreams, as well as fingernail thickness and growth rate.
TA-65 has been shown in clinical trials to successfully lengthen telomeres, which are fundamental to the health of cells. TA-65 is produced only by TASciences, Inc.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 18, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 40 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 is also 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. His novels include Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain.
Announcement: For a limited time, one of my novels is on sale. The Kindle edition of Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica), my most recent and most futuristic novel, has been reduced to just $2.99. That's right, under three bucks for what I consider my best novel.
July 10, 2012
The Future And You -- July 11, 2012
Chris Phoenix (futurist, nanotechnologist and software engineer) is today's featured guest.
Topics: The probability of developing human-like General Artificial Intelligence; Sky City (China's modular skyscrapers which are planned to be the tallest in the world); how and why medical progress in the USA is dragging its feet; the hope and value of Life Extension; things to watch in the next decade; his worry that governance may not get better; and recent research about the people who once inhabited Easter Island.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 11, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 27 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on June 23, 2012.
Chris Phoenix is a tech geek and software engineer currently working on projects including a CubeSat, health-related electronic devices, and astronomy hardware and software. From Stanford University, he obtained his BS in Symbolic Systems and MS in Computer Science. Previous careers have included dyslexia correction and co-founding the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. In his spare time, he sings in an internationally competitive barbershop chorus, pursues extreme sports, and theorizes on major world problems.
July 3, 2012
The Future And You -- July 4, 2012
Chris Phoenix (futurist, nanotechnologist and software engineer) is today's featured guest.
Topics: Examples of major disasters and how they can be categorized using The Phoenix Scale; the current helium shortage; the singularity and artificial intelligence; general AI; conversational AI; and The AI named Watson which won on Jeopardy.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 4, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 32 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on June 23, 2012.
Chris Phoenix is a tech geek and software engineer currently working on projects including a CubeSat, health-related electronic devices, and astronomy hardware and software. From Stanford University, he obtained his BS in Symbolic Systems and MS in Computer Science. Previous careers have included dyslexia correction and co-founding the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. In his spare time, he sings in an internationally competitive barbershop chorus, pursues extreme sports, and theorizes on major world problems.
News Items:
[1] MIT engineers have developed a fuel cell that runs on the same sugar that powers human cells: glucose. This glucose fuel cell could be used to drive highly efficient brain implants of the future, which could help paralyzed patients move their arms and legs again.
[2] To make identification possible, whotube.com provides a youtube-like website accessible to the general public which allows merchants to post their store camera video footage of shoplifters, thieves and vandals. It also gives merchants the opportunity to promote their store by attaching an advertisement to each piece of footage uploaded.
[3] Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science is a new nonfiction article by Stephen Euin Cobb available in a Kindle Edition. This 27-page article--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: 7,498 Words) Chapter 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.
[4] A Brief History of Predicting the Future is a new nonfiction article by Stephen Euin Cobb available in a Kindle Edition. This 21-page article--written by an experienced futurist who has interviewed over 300 people for their opinion about the future--describes how predicting the future has changed many times through the centuries: from magic to science, and from science fiction to computation. This is a quick and lively romp designed to give the reader a taste of what futurology today is all about, and a feel for the long uphill climb it has made from its humble beginnings in the dawn of antiquity. (Article: 5,600 Words) Sections include: The Future is Deep; The Far Future; The Near Future; From Ancient Magic to Scientific Causality; Science Fiction made the Future Fun; But then the Future Got Serious; Yes, the Future does Compute; The Future may get Weird; Just before it becomes Unimaginable; Transhumanists want you to be Better than Healthy; Virtual Living; End of the World; But not all Futures are Deadly, or even Weird.
June 26, 2012
The Future And You -- June 27, 2012
Chris Phoenix (futurist, nanotechnologist and software engineer) is today's featured guest.
Topics: Trends in nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing; methods of getting to the nanoscale; the problem with MEMS (microelectromechanical systems); some of the benefits of "scaling down" to nanoscale; benefits of molecular manufacturing; and medical benefits from nanotechnology. Also trends in fusion; the rise of space access; and his involvement with a satellite called SkyCube, which will be launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 27, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 35 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on June 23, 2012.
Chris Phoenix is a tech geek and software engineer currently working on projects including a CubeSat, health-related electronic devices, and astronomy hardware and software. From Stanford University, he obtained his BS in Symbolic Systems and MS in Computer Science. Previous careers have included dyslexia correction and co-founding the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. In his spare time, he sings in an internationally competitive barbershop chorus, pursues extreme sports, and theorizes on major world problems.
June 19, 2012
The Future And You -- June 20, 2012
Dr. Ben Davis (nuclear physicist and professor), Jim Craig (planetarium director), James Maxey (author), and Stephen Euin Cobb (your host) are today's featured guests.
Topic: Trends in higher education in the USA, with an emphasis on what is going right and what is going wrong.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 20, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 55 minutes] This is a panel discussion recorded before a live audience on June 2, 2012, at the science fiction and fantasy convention, ConCarolinas.
Dr. Ben Davis earned his PhD in Nuclear Physics from the University of Notre Dame. For several years he then taught mathematics, programming, astronomy and physics. He now works in the biometrics industry. His personal interest include: futurism, skepticism, science fiction, and history.
Jim Craig is the director of the James H. Lynn Planetarium at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia NC. He is a lifelong science fiction fan and has given presentations on the history of science fiction. He is an outspoken activist for science education, critical thinking, skepticism and free thought. In 2006 he was allowed to name a crater on Mars.
James Maxey is the author of the superhero novelsNobody Gets the Girl and Burn Baby Burn; as well as the Dragon Age trilogy:Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. His multi-book epic, Dragon Apocalypse, is an enthusiastic blend of the superhero and fantasy genres. Its titles include Greatshadow (2012), Hush (2012) andWitchbreaker (2013).
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 is also 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. His novels include Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain.
June 12, 2012
The Future And You -- June 13, 2012
James Maxey (author), Edmund R. Schubert (editor and author), and David B. Coe (author) are today's featured guests.
Topic: The upheaval in the traditional book publishing Industry as described by three people who rely on it to pay their bills.
James Maxey is the author of the superhero novels Nobody Gets the Girl and Burn Baby Burn; as well as the Dragon Age trilogy: Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. His multi-book epic, Dragon Apocalypse, is an enthusiastic blend of the superhero and fantasy genres. Its titles include Greatshadow (2012), Hush (2012) and Witchbreaker (2013).
Edmund R. Schubert is editor-in-chief of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show (the poplar online magazine of science fiction and fantasy). A fiction author himself, he has written over 35 short stories and one novel: Dreaming Creek.
David B. Coe is the award-winning, and critically acclaimed, author of twelve novels (some of which have been translated into no less than six languages, including Russian, German, Dutch, and French). David has a doctorate in American history from Stanford University, and he enjoys nature photography, bird and butterfly watching, and playing guitar. His latest novel, Thieftaker, is scheduled for release on July 3, 2012 under the pseudonym D.B. Jackson.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 13, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 37 minutes] These three interviews were recorded on June 2, 2012, at the Hilton Hotel in Charlotte NC during the SF&F convention ConCarolinas.
June 5, 2012
The Future And You -- June 6, 2012
Jonah Knight (singer, songwriter, performer); Jaysen Buterin (independent film maker); three popular authors: James Maxey, David Drake and Janine Spendlove; half of the Mon Frere Comedy Troupe (specifically Bob Bashir, Tom McCoy and Matt Shawn); and my favorite Klingon, Commander Keela Septaric, are today's featured guests.
Composed of seven interviews I gathered in the hallways of the Hilton Hotel in Charlotte NC, this episode is dedicated to the SF&F convention ConCarolinas. I spoke on a number of science and technology panels again this year, and I will be including some of those fascinating discussions in future episodes, but this episode is intended to give you a little of the feel and flavour of the convention. Naturally my obsession with the trends which are creating our future manifests itself in today's episode. The first two interviews contain the bulk of today's trends. The remaining five are included because they are interesting and fun.
The first interview is twelve minutes with the singer/songwriter/performer Jonah Knight who talks about how the upheaval in the music industry over the last decade or more has played itself out, and what authors can learn from it since their industry (publishing) is now in a very similar upheaval. The second interview is ten minutes with the independent film maker Jaysen Buterin about the equally technology-driven upheaval going on in the independent film industry. This is followed by three interviews of about three minutes each with popular authors: James Maxey, David Drake, and Janine Spendlove. Then five minutes with half of the Mon Frere Comedy Troupe (specifically Bob Bashir, Tom McCoy, and Matt Shawn). And to close, I am told what my last name means in Klingon by my favorite Klingon -- Keela Septaric who runs the Klingon Karaoke every year at ConCarolinas. (BTW: Klingon Karaoke does not involve singing in Klingon. It's just a snappier sounding name.)
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the June 6, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 54 minutes]
ConCarolinas is a general multi-genre multi-media convention which is held every year in Charlotte NC. It's called a sci-fi convention, but in truth it covers all speculative fiction -- science fiction, fantasy and horror. It hosts a variety of fandom related events and guests, including gaming, discussion panels, costume events, music events like Klingon Karaoke, charity auction, SCA events, fan groups like the 501st Stormtroopers, Starfleet, and Klingon Assault Group, and something different every year.
May 29, 2012
The Future And You -- May 30, 2012
Stephen Euin Cobb is today's featured speaker.
Main Topic: A detailed description of a new form of Internet spam so cleverly disguised that you have probably read lots of it without even noticing. It's called Spintax (a contraction of the words spin and syntax).
Secondary Topics: A sampling of Forecasts for the next 25 years from the World Future Society; Nine Ways to Bias Open-Source Artificial General Intelligence Toward Friendliness (a new peer-review article by Ben Goertzel and Joel Pitt of Novamente); how to use Speakeasy Speedtest (a free website) to make sure you are getting all the Internet speed for which you are paying; the at C/Net.com; a mention that your host recently switched from DSL (at 6.0 mbps) to cable modem (at 20.0 mbps).
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 30, 2012 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 is also 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. His novels include Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain.
Note: A listener named Rainer sent links to three lectures which are videos on YouTube. I watched the first one: a one hour lecture about the paleolithic diet by a medical biochemist. It was excellent: full of well-researched science. All three videos make a case for the paleolithic diet. Here are the second and third videos.
Announcement: For a limited time, one of my novels is on sale. The Kindle edition of Skinbrain (Cerebrodermus Fantastica), my most recent and most futuristic novel, has been reduced to just $2.99. That's right, under three bucks for what I consider my best novel.
Skinbrain description from Amazon.com: On an earth-like planet far from Earth the remains of a long dead alien civilization have been found, but this news has not reached the authorities—nor will it. Fourteen murderers—a mixed bag of human and alien criminals—have seen to that by killing the team of forty scientists who discovered the remains. These professional criminals combine their talents to search through the rubble for a hypothetical alien super-weapon. One under-age street-tough thinks she's got what it takes to rub shoulders and bump heads with the worst of them but soon realizes she’s in way over her head. Worse, as conflicts struggle to tear it apart, she learns just how unstable a team of criminals can be. Call it anything you like: treachery, betrayal, or just reducing the number with whom one must share the final spoils. Here, as in all of life, cowards and the dead reap nothing.
If you like science fiction, especially science fiction which involves strange alien worlds, strange alien species, strange alien cultures, and strange alien criminals. Check it out. If you enjoy reading Skinbrain a hundredth as much as I enjoyed writing it, you are in for wonderful experience.
May 22, 2012
The Future And You -- May 23, 2012
Stephen Euin Cobb is today's featured speaker.
Topics: Erotic novels are getting a sales boost from ebooks such as the Kindle and the Nook; Google's anticipated eyeglass computers; many (and possibly most) human beings are chimeras; the next big boom-time for programmers who write apps; how science fiction's vision of the future changes based on the decade in which it is written; sequencing each patient's personal exome; and the steadily falling price of sequencing a patient's personal genome. I also mention interviewing Ari Kiirikki (then Vice President of Knome Inc. The world's leading provider of personal DNA sequencing) several years ago at the Singularity Summit in New York City.
Mini Speculative Essay: The news article I read into this episode about Human Chimeras specifies that expectant mothers get a dose of stem cells from their fetus, and that these stem cells travel through the mother's body and become a permanent part of her various tissues, including the brain. It just struck me that this may be part of why women have a statistically longer lifespan than men, who of course never get this or any bonus dose of fresh cells during their adulthood. The obvious test of this as a correlation would be to compare the longevity of a population of women who had no pregnancies, verses those who had many pregnancies. It should also be mentioned that births in this case may not be relevant. Pregnancy alone, even if only temporary, may be sufficient to dose a woman with fresh stem cells. It should also be mentioned that, the amount of stem cells received by the mother may be trivial to her longevity, that this amount my vary widely from mother to mother, or even from pregnancy to pregnancy for the same mother. There are many possible interesting variables to explore. Some of them may be meaningful. Maybe. This is just a speculative idea. Right now I have no strong opinion on it either way. An opinion would be impossible without data.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 23, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 42 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 is also a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture andPort 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. His novels include Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain.
May 15, 2012
The Future And You -- May 16, 2012
Stephen Euin Cobb is today's featured speaker.
Topic: A major photovoltaic problem will hit the United States, and many other nations, in about two or three years (in 2014 and 2015). There is no need to speculate as to how this photovoltaic problem will play out since it has already hit the state of Hawaii. We need only observe the existing problem to fully understand the problem that is to come, since the effects it is currently having on consumers and business and government are all available for scrutiny. Stephen Euin Cobb provides a description, assessment and commentary.
Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 16, 2012 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 31 minutes]
Additional sources of information: First and Second Maui News artcles read in this episode; PV-Magazine; Wikipedia article about Smart Grids
BTW: A smart grid would solve some, or most, or possibly even all of the problems I've described in this episode. However, within the next three years, the United States is not going to replace all of its existing power grid network with a shiny new smart grid. Its just not going to happen that fast. We will need it, but we wont have it until after we have suffered.
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 is also 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. His novels include Bones Burnt Black, Plague at Redhook and Skinbrain.
