The Futurology Podcast

This episode of The Futurology podcast was recorded on April 22nd.  Daniel Yount joins Alex and Jason once again for a look at the futurology community's most popular links.

2312 - NASA is looking to place an ad in front of the new Star Trek movie to drum up more interest and support for space programs. They need our help! - Alonsonater

1586 - White House announces $100 million in funding to help map the human brain - c-r-u-x

1397 - Most Americans don't think robots will be fighting wars or driving cars by 2030, even though they already do. - cosmicreggae

1066 - Russian billionaire plans to make humans immortal by 2045. A Russian billionaire has unveiled plans to make humans immortal by converting them into 'Terminator-style' cyborgs - a creature that's part human and part machine. - malilla

950 - The Solar Cell That Turns 1 Photon into 2 Electrons: Scientific American - MIT researchers develop an organic solar cell that breaks 100 percent quantum efficiency - Buck-Nasty

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Greetings fellow futurists,

This monthAlex and myself made room for 17-year-old composer, futurist, and techno-optomist Daniel Yount. Daniel is also a member of reddit's futurology community and he helped us count down the top 5 links of the month.

(830 Upvotes) 3d printing is going to radically change our world in the coming decades - AthiestBroker

(800 Upvotes) More Good News About The 'Scientific Accident That May Change The World' | Science | ReWire - the-pervert

(789 Upvotes) Would you swap a healthy eye for a bionic one with additional functionality? - Entrarchy

(757 Upvotes) Its official, we can realisticly generate people - Astonishingly real Audrey Hepburn shills chocolate in new commercial - Trickish

(640 Upvotes) 15-year old invents new method for diagnosing cancer which is 168 faster, 26000 times cheaper and 400% more reliable than common methods. He did most of his research via Google. - erdbeertee

If you'd like to discuss futurology with the crew, join us at http://reddit.com/r/futurology

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Today on the futurology podcast we were back to business, counting down the top 5 links of the month.  We also went in to the possibility of simulation theory which was a link posted by InfiniteSource.

(1025 upvotes) A new asteroid-mining company, Deep Space Industries, Inc., launches Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks. It plans to launch a fleet of prospecting spacecraft  in 2015. (x-post from r/worldnews) - tikki_rox

(733 upvotes) Discovery of alien life in next 10 years is one of five "X Factors" that world leaders have been advised to prepare for - Pemboification

(714 upvotes) Google's Driverless Car: Sooner than you think. - PeopleAreStaring

(642) Scientists win 2 billion euros to fight brain disease, study graphene | Reuters - uxl

(600 upvotes) 7 Best-Case Scenarios for the Future of Humanity - Trickish

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This week we interviewed Alex aka SpeakMouthWords.  Alex runs a popular YouTube Channel which exploded after he started a monthly series called "nobodypayingattention."  Alex has a degree in physics and weighs in on several interesting topics including the singularity, the venus project, AI, and the collapse debate.  You can message speakmouthwords on reddit, or subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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Episode 3: What can /r/futurology do as a community?

This month we discuss a thread in which redditors discussed which big projects /r/futurology should try to tackle as a community.

5. 431 upvotes - They made a 3D drug printer! by - Tobislu

4. 454 upvotes - UCLA develops transparent solar cells that can be used for windows and potentially sprayed onto entire buildings, mobile devices, and more Submitted by - psYberspRe4Dd

3. 436 upvotes - Scientists from WSU have collaborated with NASA to study if astronauts could use a 3D printer plus regolith to create objects whilst on the Moon. Conclusion; 'It sounds like science fiction, but now it's really possible'. Think of the potential! Submitted by - purkinje-what

2.  804 upvotes - Elon Musk Wants to Build 80,000-Person Mars Colony

Submitted by - neondemon

1. 1598 upvotes - If you put a tiny chip in your brain which is 1000 times more powerful cognitively than your biological brain, will "you" still still be "you"? Submitted by - Mastermind9876

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Episode 2 Self Driving cars

In this week's episode we discuss self driving cars, same day delivery, law enforcement, and possible security risks.

5. 422 upvotes - We have a working graphene battery prototype that lasts just as long as a lithium-ion battery, but charges in 15 minutes. Now, we just need to get the cost down. Submitted by - ocealot

4. 432 upvotes - Google wants to fund life extension research startups

Submitted by - mn108

3. 497 upvotes - Complex Body Parts Could Soon Be Lab-Grown. Within a generation, there may be no limit to the kinds of organs and body parts that can be created from scratch. Submitted by - GraybackPH

2.  503 upvotes - The World's First Commercial Vertical Farm Opens in Singapore Submitted by - Cavedave

1. 712 upvotes - Oh man, already? 3D Printer DRM Patent To Stop People Downloading a Car Submitted by - blinkergoesleft

What are your thoughts on self driving cars?

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Douglas Souza and Jason Peffley discuss how they got started in /r/futurology and what it means to them.  We also discuss the top 5 links of the month.

5. 374 upvotes - A fertility treatment which eliminates hereditary disease by engineering babies to carry healthy DNA from a third biological parent could be legalised next year

Submitted by - contrarianism

4. 371 upvotes - After collecting over $2.4 million in Kickstarter funding and catching the attention of tons of big-name game developers, the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Developer Kit is finally up for preorder. Here's a video demonstration of it in action.

Submitted by - NuckyThompson

3. California Governor Brown signs bill clearing use of driverless cars on public roads

2. 604 upvotes - Richard Branson on space travel: "I'm determined to start a population on Mars"

Submitted by - Donnerholz

1. 684 upvotes - The Light Bulb Reinvented

Submitted by - Gooflactus

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