Broadcast From The Singularity

Zoltan Istvan - author, sailor, inventor of volcano surfing - joins us to talk about sailing, seasteading, his floating library, and the world's most provocative coming-of-age story: The Transhumanist Wager. Get the shownotes here. [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/10] * The Transhumanist Wager [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0988616114/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0988616114&linkCode=as2&tag=micahredding-20&linkId=XZAYY6G4MQFMWDQB] * Volcano Surfing: the original [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDQ2-EXVqYw], other efforts [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GR0dMlbQXk], images [https://www.google.com/search?q=volcano+surfing&tbm=isch] * Cryonics, (how does it work?) [http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/cryonics.htm] * Seasteading, the institute [http://www.seasteading.org/], the Forbes article [http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2012/07/30/getting-around-big-government-the-seastead-revolution-begins-to-take-shape/] * Kickstart a floating city [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/designing-the-world-s-first-floating-city] * What Zoltan's Transhumania might look like [http://seasteaders.weebly.com/uploads/1/8/9/3/18931079/5918758_orig.jpg] * Life extension [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_extension] * Zoltan on some other controversial subjects [http://motherboard.vice.com/read/artificial-wombs-are-coming-and-the-controversys-already-here]

In this episode, Micah interviews world-traveling science fiction writer Colin Wright. A kid hears voices, stops taking his meds, and suddenly finds them directing him into the middle of a vast web of power and intrigue. A hacktivism group works against a singularity cult leader to crypto-free the world. These are the kind of ideas explored in Colin's writings, and we dig into them here! Get the shownotes here. [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/9] * Colin's books, including A Tale of More and the Real Powers series [http://colin.io] * Colin on Twitter [http://twitter.com/colinismyname] * Crypto-Anarchy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto-anarchism] and the Crypto-Anarchist Manifesto [http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/articles/crypto/cypherpunks/may-crypto-manifesto.html] * [Bicameralism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology)]) * Alphas, TV series [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183865/] * Zoltan Istvan's Transhumanist Wager on Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transhumanist_Wager] and on Amazon [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQQSY60/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AQQSY60&linkCode=as2&tag=micahredding-20]

This episode was recorded in 2012, but through a sequence of unfortunate and lazy events, it is only now being released in July 2013. See how prescient we were about the future, discover whether the world ever came to an end, find out about the Singularity & fashion, why Google makes cars, and what the difference between birds and planes tells us about AI. Get the shownotes here. [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/8] Topics discussed: * The mayan prophecies suggest the world is about to end. Will we survive 2012?! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon] * Are we shaping the Singularity, or is the Singularity shaping us? * Do we just exist to serve the purpose of the machines? * Are we just serving in someone else’s story, or do we write our own? * Despair, Jason Silva and creating meaning * Our interview with Jason Silva [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/5] * What Technology Wants [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143120174/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0143120174&linkCode=as2&tag=micahredding-20], the book that triggered these questions. * Is culture homogenizing? Will the whole world wear Levi’s and drink Coca-Cola? * Ancient tribes vs the Amish * Is Facebook proof that the whole world will turn into isolated echo chambers? * The fashion singularity [http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2012/01/prisoners-of-style-201201]: society has stopped experimenting with clothes * Is the singularity gaining public awareness? * Will the Singularity be boring? And if so, what will be the next stage of technological evolutionary hipsterdom? * Johnny Depp’s new singularity movie: * The Lone Ranger [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger_(2013_film)], err... * Transcendence [http://www.kurzweilai.net/johnny-depp-uploaded-to-supercomputer-in-film-about-the-singularity] * Limitless [http://www.iamrogue.com/limitless/fullsite/index.html] & Cognitive Enhancement * ProVigil [http://www.provigil.com/] * Working for the 2010 Census [http://www.census.gov/2010census/] * Instagram’s new terms of service [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/what-instagrams-new-terms-of-service-mean-for-you/] * The TOS of the Singularity: Apple and Google are splitting our personalities between them * Are we going to have to choose sides in the Singularity? * This podcast is basically proof that we were talking about the Singularity before the Singularity was cool * Ray Kurzweil joins Google [http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/14/ray-kurzweil-joins-google-as-engineering-director-focusing-on-machine-learning-and-language-tech/] * Why Google is making cars: The value of foresight to an organization like Google, with massive resources * Birds vs Planes [http://www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/blog/why-dont-airplanes-have-flapping-wings/]

In the second part of our interview, Derek Webb talks about how to approach the oncoming future with values and practicality, as well as going into the problems with laws, the Amish, hippies, Kevin Kelly, and the iPhone 13. Get the shownotes here. [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/7] * Kevin Kelly, uber-hippie and hero [http://kk.org/] * Sola-mi [http://sola-mi.com/] - Download Derek's album about the first Artificial Intelligence for free. * DerekWebb.com [http://www.derekwebb.com/] - Listen to and purchase his latest album, Ctrl. * @derekwebb [https://twitter.com/derekwebb] Follow Derek Webb on twitter.

In the first part of our interview, Derek Webb introduces us to an album about the dawn of the first AI, and poignantly shows us just how disconnected we're all becoming. Stayed tuned for the rest of our conversation. Get the shownotes here. [http://brickcaster.com/singularity/6] * Sola-mi [http://sola-mi.com/] - Download his album about the first Artificial Intelligence for free. * DerekWebb.com [http://www.derekwebb.com/] - Listen to and purchase his latest album, Ctrl. * @derekwebb [https://twitter.com/derekwebb] Follow Derek Webb on twitter.