AIsing

Singularity

Last week I interviewed Sonia Arrison for Singularity 1 on 1.

I met Sonia at the Singularity University, where she is a founder and a trustee, and there I picked up a copy of her seminal book 100 Plus: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything, from Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith. The book is very well researched and deals with the most profound implications of life-extension and super-longevity. In the author’s own words, the main question is: “how long science will extend our lives and how that in turn will change our ecological, social, and religious worlds.”

During our conversation with Sonia we discuss issues such as: how and why she got interested in technology in general and transhumanism and regenerative medicine in particular; how science and technology will allow us to live longer and healthier lives; the most common objections against increased longevity; the implications thereof on major religions; cryonics; Sonia’s take on the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it; the fact that we cannot simply sit down and wait for longevity to happen.

Sonia Arrison: Make Regenerative Medicine A Top Priority

This week I interviewed Greg Wientjes for Singularity 1 on 1.

I met Greg at Singularity University and picked up a copy of his book Creative Genius in Technology: Mentor Principles from Life Stories of Geniuses and Visionaries of the Singularity.

The book is very well researched and examines the question: “How do you mentor, educate and cultivate the development of individuals with high potential for technology innovation and advancement?”

It is based on Greg’s conversations with some of the most influential people in technology for the past three decades. People such as: Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, Ray Kurzweil, Bob Metcalfe, Doug Osheroff, Bill Joy, Tim Berners-Lee, Hector Cargia-Molina, James Leckie, Ernesto Sanches-Tirana, Rita Colwell, Ann Graybiel, Joanne Stubbe and Mildred Dresselhaus.

The result is Greg’s GENIUS theory:

G – Give encouragement, validation and self-confidence to the genius. “You can do it!”

E – Energize the genius to explore and experiment in engineering  and science discovery at an early age. Learn by doing.

N – Nurture creative new ideas through ‘play’ and providing the genius with an abundance of educational resources. Love learning. 

I – Inspire through role modeling and mentoring. Set the example.

U – Utilize unexpected events as opportunities for serendipitous benefit, and adapt; encourage the genius to do the same. Ride the wave.

S – Stimulate the genius to solve problems of practical importance and create beneficial technology solutions. Invent.

***

So, what is my favorite point from Creative Genius in Technology?!

“You Can Do It!”

Who is Greg Wientjes?

Greg Wientjes, Ph.D., was awarded his Stanford doctoral degree (Developmental and Psychological Sciences) in 2010.  Wientjes attended Singularity University (2009), which was cofounded by technology genius, Ray Kurzweil, and that experience served as the inspiration for this book.  Dr. Wientjes completed his Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering (2006) and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics (2004), both from Stanford.

Greg Wientjes: How do you cultivate GENIUS in technology?

This Thursday I interviewed David Orban for Singularity 1 on 1.

I have to admit that David is one of my favorite singularitarians and I enjoyed talking to him immensely. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: David’s personal background and early interest in science and technology; the motivation and goals behind his work; his involvement in Singularity University; his take on the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it; religion, death and life extension technology; the internet of things; the role of technology in liberating humanity; the value of human-centered communication; Ted Kaczynski‘s arguments against technological progress; why communicating through on-line videos is so popular and powerful.

Hope you enjoy watching the interview as much as I enjoyed talking to David!

Who is David Orban?

David Orban is an entrepreneur and visionary, and is the CEO of dotSUB, the leading technology and services provider powering video viewing via captions and translations as subtitles in any language to increase access, engagement and global reach, based in New York City.

David is also a Lecturer of, and Advisor to Singularity University, an interdisciplinary university whose mission is to assemble, educate and inspire leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies in order to address humanity’s grand challenges.

He is the was Chairman, and is on the Board of Directors of Humanity+, an organization dedicated to promoting understanding, interest, and participation in fields of emerging innovation. H+ represents a growing movement of people willing to work proactively to benefit the human condition through a commitment to scientific advancement.

He is also a Founder of WideTag, a high technology start-up company providing the infrastructure for an open Internet of Things. David shapes the strategic vision of its technologies by developing the policies and communication steps necessary to enable constructive progress.

David is Co-Founder of Startupbusiness, a social network aimed at enabling the Italian startup ecosystem. Startupbusiness is a spin-off of Questar, an Italian software publishing and distribution company, of which David is the Founder. Questar aims to enhance channel oriented electronic software distribution services, making them available to developers worldwide.

He is further a Scientific Advisory Board Member for the Lifeboat Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks. The Foundation creates mechanisms to discourage the misuse of increasingly powerful technologies such as nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

David is also a Founder of the Open Government Data working group. The group promotes a more robust understanding of why open government data is essential to democracy. The group utilizes increased civil discourse in order to make Government more effective, transparent, and relevant to our lives.

His educational background includes studies in Physics at both the University of Milan and the University of Padua.

David cuts across the limits of deep specialization to contribute to the new renaissance. He explains, “My vision is at the crossroads of technology and society as defined by their co-evolution.”

David Orban’s personal motto is, “What is the question I should be asking?” This concept is his vehicle to accelerating cycles of invention and innovation in order to build the new world ahead.

David Orban on the Singularity: What is the question I should be asking?

A couple of days ago I interviewed David Simpson for Singularity 1 on 1.

David Simpson is a young up-and-coming science fiction writer from Vancouver. He is the author of the sci-fi novels Post-Human – his 2009 debut, as well as Trans-Human – the sequel.

During our conversation we discuss issues such as: David’s early interest in writing; the motivation and goals behind his work; the relationship between science fiction and technology; his favorite science fiction authors; his current and future books as well as the meaning behind their titles.

Who is David Simpson?

David Simpson is the author of the sci-fi novel Post-Human, his 2009 debut, as well as Trans-Human – the sequel. He is also the author of The God Killers, which is his first sci-fi/horror novel.

David has recently taken the unusual step of re-publishing his books as Kindle ebooks so that he could offer them at extremely low prices, eliminating the overpricing caused by having a traditional publisher. He believes that this is a necessary and positive transition, as the technology that has dictated the practices of the publishing industry – paper books, is rapidly being replaced by ebooks.

Post-Human is available for free on his website. (To get a free copy click here)

Trans-Human and The God Killers are available from Amazon.com for only 99 cents each.

David has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and is the winner of over a dozen awards and scholarships, both as a student and as a Teacher at the university level.

He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in West Vancouver British Columbia.

David Simpson on Post-Human, Trans-Human and The God Killers

It is only fair that every once-in-a-while Socrates – i.e. “the man with the questions,” ought to get the table turned on him, take the other side of the microphone and answer a few questions himself.

So, when Cameron Reilly asked me to be the next guest on his popular and long-running No Illusions Podcast I was honored and agreed without hesitation.

In 2004 Cameron co-founded the Podcast Network – Australia’s first social media company, which he built into one of the largest independent Australian media sites. In 2007, Reilly was called one of the “40 Biggest Players Of Australia’s Digital Age.” Currently he is a regular speaker on issues surrounding social media, social networking and the future of media in addition to consulting for a number of Brisbane-based companies as their digital strategist.

During my conversation with Cameron we discuss issues such as: my personal history and being born Bulgarian; Canada, Toronto and becoming Canadian; my take on the concept and definition of the technological singularity; the Rapture of the Nerds criticism; the scientific method, science and religion; Moore’s Law; nanotechnology; the potential for dividing humanity into technophile transhumanists and technophobe neo-luddites and all out global war between these two fractions; the pro’s and con’s of being skeptical and using the Socratic method of inquiry.

No Illusions Podcast: Cameron Reilly Puts Socrates in the Spotlight

Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost management consultants, public speakers, authors and thinkers on change and leadership. He is also another local Canadian thought leader that I discovered during the World Future 2012 conference where Jim made the closing keynote speech. His speech was so entertaining, informative and illuminating that I instantly decided to invite him on Singularity 1 on 1.

During our conversation with Harris we cover a wide variety of topics such as: technology as a major driver of change in our society; how a company (or our civilization) can appear to be healthy while actually being dead; the limits to growth and the ways we get Blindsided; Jim’s 13 Laws of accelerating change; why most organizations are incapable of innovation and adaptation; what Jim calls The Learning Paradox – learning, changing and accepting uncertainty; why being green is not some hippy ideology but a very profitable business decision.

One of my favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Jim Harris is:

“We need a silver buckshot, not a silver bullet.” (As a way of emphasizing the multiplicity of approaches necessary to adapt to accelerating change and address our environmental and economic meltdowns.)

Jim Harris: Change is Inevitable; Embrace It!

The first time that I looked at the The Alpha Centauri Project by Marco Santini, I was struck by the book’s dedication:

"To he who explores new horizons,
because knowledge doesn’t have limits,
to he who tries new ways,
because dreams become reality,
to he who pursues brotherhood,
because peace is not a chimera."

Having read such an opening I knew that I have to talk to the author. So, when I decided to do a few interviews spotlighting good sci fi authors, who don’t receive the attention they deserve, I naturally thought of Marco.

Santini – an Italian engineer and and MBA holder by training, has already released two books – The Alpha Centauri Project and Evolution: The Future. What is interesting here is that Marco makes his books available for free to everyone interested. Furthermore, his novels have been translated into five languages and are available in a number of different formats.

Bellow you can watch my 20 minute conversation with Marco about his books and his views on science fiction, transhumanism and giving your work away for free. My favorite thought that I will take away from Marco is this:

“Pessimistic scenarios can always exist. But with rationality – optimistic ones can be created!”

Marco Santini: There Is A Lot Of Space For Rational Optimism

Dr. James Hughes is not only the executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) but also a well known book author and transhumanist. I enjoyed having him on the show and will probably ask him to come back.

During our conversation with Dr. Hughes we cover a wide variety of topics such as: what is the IEET and what does it do; the story behind James’ interest in technology, policy, philosophy and bio/ethics; why transhumanist atheists are often drawn to Buddhism; his first book Citizen Cyborg and his upcoming Cyborg Buddha; transhumanism and his definition thereof; whether optimism is rational; the impact of artificial intelligence on transhumanism; James’ take on the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it; the benefits of biology; moral enhancement and animal uplift.

James Hughes: Interrogate and Engage the World

Singularity.FM is the first and best known singularity podcast - the place where we interview the future. 

Singularity.FM is a series of singularity podcast interviews with the best scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, film-makers, philosophers and artists, debating issues such as the technological singularity, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, life-extension and ethics.

Past guests of this singularity podcast include people such as Ray Kurzweil, Peter Diamandis, Noam Chomsky, Stuart Hameroff, Marvin Minsky, Aubrey de Grey, Max More, Michio Kaku, Vernor Vinge, Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross and many, many others.