Richard Dawkins might disagree with Thomas Edison. He’d likely say the purpose of our bodies and our brains is to carry around–and perpetuate– our genes. Increasingly, though, the purpose of body is to carry around our technology and interface it with our brains. Wearable electronics…VR goggles…smart phones…our devices are becoming more than tools. They are merging with our being. Add to this the onrush of emerging BCI (brain-computer interface) technologies and one thing becomes clear. We are becoming what we build.
The IEEE brain initiative seeks to set standards for, and explore the ethics of, many of these technologies. Laura Cabrera is a brain researcher working with the initiative. In this episode of Seeking Delphi™ I talk to her about many issues surrounding the accelerating use of technology to diagnose, treat, and eventually enhance, the brain.
“A long life is a life well spent.”–Leonardo da Vinci
“The secret to longevity is to keep breathing.”–Sophie Tucker
Join me with Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation, Liz Parrish of Biovivia Sciences, David Wood of the London Futurists, and co-moderator Keith Comito of The Life Extension Advocacy Foundation, for an online panel to discuss the social implications of radical longevity extension. “The Dawn of Super-Longevity: Scenarios for a Post-Aging Future.” Thursday January 9 12PM-1:30PM EST. (AM PST, 17:00 GMT) Be early…limited to 100 total participants. https://zoom.us/j/761843875
Will also be streaming on the Seeking Delphi™ YouTube channel.
“Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.”
– Dag Hammarskjold
Image: Shutterstock
While many futures are generalists, there is a need for foresight professionals centered on specific fields, as well. Perhaps no area is more in need of innovative outlooks for the future than healthcare. With rising costs, aging populations and personnel shortages, the challenges are many. But so are the opportunities to employ emerging technologies. In the first part of a two part series, host Mark Sackler discusses these challenge with two nursing Ph.D.’s, Oriana Beaudet and Dan Pesut. Part One addresses the need for foresight both in nursing specifically and healthcare in general, as well as the global challenges of an aging population. Part two will drill down to individual ssues, including automation, robotics and artificial intelligence as caregiving tools for the future.
This week’s stories include some plausible explanations for Fermi’s paradox. Conspiracies–or an indifferent kid with a cell phone–are not among them. There is one chilling theory that the story leaves out, though, and a link to that is also provided.
While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM, MyTuner,Listen Notes, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Hear Seeking Delphi™ host Mark Sackler’s views on the future, and how we should think about it, on Matt Ward’s podcast, The Disruptors, episode #131.
Space/Moon/Mars–Too difficult to launch rockets to the moon on a regular basis? No problem–build an elevator there. A new approach just might be feasible.
–Never mind the Moon. Elon Musk continues to focus on Mars. There are a myriad of engineering and biological problems he’ll need to solve before he can send humans there–but with help from NASA, his SpaceX is already looking for the ideal landing site.
Questions of the day: 1. Is a manned return to the moon possible by 2024? Is a fusion-generated power plant possible by 2025? Will cyborgs rule the world in 2100? Answers: 1. Maybe. 2. Maybe 3. Most of us are already cyborgs. Read on for details.
While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Transport--Sorry Back to The Future fans, the hoverboard is still a work in progress. Frenchman Franky Zapata failed in his attempt to fly a hoverboard of his own invention across the English Channle. OK, who ever heard of a Frenchman named Franky? (video below)
Disruption. It’s a term that’s frequently on the lips of just about anyone interested in technology. Is it the technology, though, that’s disruptive? Or is it the individuals that are driving the technology? Maybe all of us who latch on to the technologies are the disruptors.
I think it’s all three. In the latest Seeking Delphi™ podcast, I speak with fellow podcaster, Matt Ward. He’s an entrepreneur, angel investor, and host of The Disruptors. In a kind of dueling podcasts, we interviewed each other for our respective programs.