If you are a human alive today, you should be at least pondering these sorts of questions: Do you want to live forever (if you could)? Should euthanasia be legalised? Should you microchip your children (so they can always be found)? Should we give non-humans (aka robots and algorithms) human rights (or human responsibilities)? Is … Continue reading Questions you should be asking (and answering) about the future
Category: observations
A trending idea that’s caught my attention
Our disappearing, digitised civilisation
"I still have 100s of computer programs I wrote for ZX Spectrum from 1983-85 that are on magnetic cassette tapes melting again in my attic, inc my 'chatbot,' and other programs from 1985-87 stored on an 8" magnetic reel. All less readable already than Egyptian hieroglyphics." I D Pearson There are now around 1.8 billion photographs taken … Continue reading Our disappearing, digitised civilisation
The robots are coming – for your (bullsh*t) job
When you were a child, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up? A movie star? An astronaut? A fireman? A nurse? A ballerina? An artist? A chef? I wanted to be a singer, a spy or both (I was quite taken by the idea of travelling around the world performing as a … Continue reading The robots are coming – for your (bullsh*t) job
The Library of Babel
The Library of Babel is a short story by Jorge Louis Burges - in 1941 - about an infinite library, containing all the knowledge of the world. The Library of Babel is utterly wonderful concept to bibliophiles and futurists like myself. (Infinite books! Infinite knowledge!) It has also been a source of inspiration for many … Continue reading The Library of Babel
Amortality and the right (or demand) to die
"Amortal: Unable to die from disease or age." Amortality: A dream that could become reality in our lifetimes. Google has invested $1.5Bn in its strange and secretive project Calico, which has a mandate to “kill death” and stop human aging. Mark Zuckerberg's also invested $3Bn in projects to eradicate human diseases before the end of … Continue reading Amortality and the right (or demand) to die
Blockchain and the civilisation of the mind
https://medium.com/@homakov/stop-calling-bitcoin-decentralized-cb703d69dc27 "Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather. We have no elected government, … Continue reading Blockchain and the civilisation of the mind
On fractals, chaos and futurism
"While we often tend to think of chaos as referring to disorder, chaos theory really deals with the transitions between order and disorder." ~ Fractal Foundation Chaos is just a pattern waiting to be discovered. The present may look chaotic. Look closer. Find the pattern. Connect the dots. The future will be a lot less … Continue reading On fractals, chaos and futurism
The Great Trade-Off : Privacy vs Security
Life is full of trade-offs: Equality or liberty. Indulgence or longevity. Spending or saving. Privacy or security. The merging of big data, big business, and big governments has brought the privacy/security trade-off to the forefront of our daily lives. Businesses, consumers, governments, and citizens now have to make some tough choices: Do we microchip our … Continue reading The Great Trade-Off : Privacy vs Security
Vampires, countesses and the battle for who owns the future
Vampires, countesses and the battle for who owns the future - new blog post out now on #immortality and #generational conflict for scarce resources
Of Machines and Men
Cyborgs already walk amongst us. Actually, this is nothing new. For decades already we have been able to upgrade our frail human bodies with a pacemaker to keep our hearts pumping, hearing aid implants to help us regain our sense of sound, and metal plates and screws to hold us together when our hips and … Continue reading Of Machines and Men