The Disruptors

Welcome to The Disruptors: Future Snippets: Bite-sized clips with TED level top thinkers, founders and scientists on how advances in biotech & genomics, space travel, IoT, AI and other exponential tech converge to create our collective future and what we can do, from a research and policy perspective to shape the trends, technologies and societal norms for a better world. We'll be publishing a few of these mini-episodes in the main feed before transitioning them over to their own separate feed, which you can subscribe to at https://disruptors.fm/poditunes Charles Mann (@CharlesCMann) is a science-focused journalist and award-winning author. He’s the author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus which won the National Academies Communication Award for best book of the year which he followed up with 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. Charles has co-authored four books, is contributing editor for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired and has also written for Fortune, NYTimes, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, and The Washington Post. He is a three-time National Magazine Award finalist and a recipient of writing awards from the American Bar Association, the American Institute of Physics, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Lannan Foundation. In 2018, Mann published The Wizard and the Prophet, which details two competing theories about the future of agriculture, population, and the environment. Subscribe to Disruptors Snippets: https://disruptors.fm/poditunes

Keith Kirkland (@wearworksinc) is a TED resident/speaker, an accessories and industrial designer, accomplished speaker and the co-founder and Head of Haptics of WearWork, a company creating nextgen wearables to help visually impaired folks living in busy urban environments. He has also worked with organizations ranging from the MET Museum, Unilever, Mini Cooper, Discovery Channel, Dropbox, The Yokohama Government, Coach and the National Science Foundation. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How to give sight to the blind * The state of the haptics industry today * What you should know about creating * How to escape bad environments and still make the best of things * The future of cyborgs and superhuman senses * How Keith tried to create a suit that taught you kungfu * Why we're headed towards a future of sex robots * The risks of AI if we're not careful with biases * Keith's thoughts on data privacy as it relates to wearables * When to call it quits and when to push through * How to find your calling * The value of asking for help * Why we should treat robots better now Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Superhuman Brain Nootropics Daniel Schmachtenberger (prev on podcast) and the folks at Neurohacker are some of THE smartest biohackers on the planet, and their Qualia's line of brain-enhancing nootropics make it obvious why. Get $15% off ANY order, or 50% OFF 1st order and 15% OFF ALL orders if you order a subscription with Coupon Code: DISRUPTORS. At Disruptors, we're big on health and biohacking for a reason!

Donald Hoffman (@donaldhoffman) is a cognitive scientist, popular author, and Professor of Cognitive Science at UC Irvine. He studies how our visual perception, guided by millions of years of natural selection, authors every aspect of our everyday reality. If you missed our last episode with Don, be sure to check that out here.     Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes   In today's episode we discuss: * Why physics need to replace spacetime to go further as a domain * What Don's work's uncovered about the nature of reality * Why AI may be impossible given our current struggles to solve consciousness * Are we living in a simulation * What to think about the multiverse * How quantum dynamic properties may play in consciousness * The way Don's trying to unify neuroscience and physics in a grand unifying theory * Why we're headed for either apocalypse of utopia and Don's not sure which * Is free will a choice or an illusion * Why synthetic biology is the most dangerous technology ever invented * How the Large Hadron Collider contributes to science while breaking old paradigms * The reason the US is poorly positioned to combat AI-driven unemployment * Why consciousness is unsolvable given our current assumptions and how to rewrite them * How science and religion merge into a mathematically provable model * Are psychedelics a path to an alternative reality   Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Jaya Rao (@molekulair) is the co-founder of Molekule, a transformative SF based startup that's raised $38M+ to tackle the clean air problem worldwide, starting in people's homes to promote a healthier future. Prior to Molekule, Jaya focused with Stanford's Public Sector InnovationLabs to work with citizens to redesign public transit. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The epidemic of air pollution worldwide * How mold, toxins, and allergies lead to shortened lifespans and disease * Why we need more women and diversity in tech and government * Public transit from a public policy perspective * Why the indoors is often many times more polluted than outside * Which tech trends most worry Jaya and why * The power and problems of the smart home movement * What science-focused startups need to do differently to raise money * Why competitive entrepreneurs and innovators are the answer to most problems * The reason hardware is so hard to fund * Why diversity leads to much better outcomes * The importance of commercializing university innovations * The state of health tech today The Best Performance Nootropics From The Smartest Biohackers Daniel Schmachtenberger (prev on podcast) and the folks at Neurohacker are some of THE smartest biohackers on the planet, and their Qualia line of brain-enhancing nootropics make it obvious why. Get $15% off ANY order, or 50% OFF 1st order and 15% OFF ALL orders if you order a subscription with Coupon Code: DISRUPTORS At Disruptors, we’re big on health and biohacking for a reason!         Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate

Pierre Barreau (@aivatechnology) is an entrepreneur, computer scientist, composer and director and the CEO of AIVA, an artificial intelligence that composes incredibly emotional and beautiful music and soundtracks. He was nominated for a Gold Panda Award in the "Best Director" category when he was 15 years old for a four-film documentary series, One Night in the Cosmos and gave a very popular TED Talk in 2018. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The future of AI composed music * How creativity and art evolve with AI inspiration and automation * Is AGI achievable and what about timelines * Will automation lead to more or fewer jobs on net * The double-edged sword of tech and artificial intelligence * What to do about deep fakes and fake news * Why social media and surveillance capitalism are so dangerous * What Mozart did better than anyone else * Thoughts about Asimov's three laws and AI containment * What it takes to create Hans Zimmer quality compositions * The truth about AI personality * Is conscious AI inevitable * Thoughts on the uncanny valley and human values Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Big On Health and Human Optimization? Designed for and by athletes and top performers like Joe Rogan, ONNIT makes top-notch supplements and workout gear. Big fan of MCT oil when I’m doing keto, their F*CK YEAH! Coffee with 2x the caffeine, grass-fed whey protein and Total Human, the all-in-one to live and perform at your best. Save 10% on ANY ORDER (except fitness equipment) with Coupon Code: disruptors

Nikola Danalyov (@singularityblog) is a keynote speaker and futurist, tech philosopher, vegan and the host of Singularity.FM, one of the top tech futurism and ethics podcasts where he's interviewed 200+ of the best scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, film-makers, philosophers and artists, debating the most important issues. Nikola's the bestselling author of Conversations with the Future and also published over 1000 articles on AI, the singularity and the future of all of us. He's been featured in BBC, the Huffington Post, WIRED, TV Japan, io9, ZDNet, BoingBoing and others and is regarded by many as the Socrates of  Today. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The importance of ethics in today's exponential tech world * Nikola's fight with Singularity University and organizations that don't live out their values * Why the singularity isn't all it's cracked up to be * Will capitalism survive our coming economic upheaval * The reason philosophy is more important now than ever * Nikola's thoughts on the war machine and military manufacturers * Which countries present the best fundamental frameworks going forward * The technologies and trends that most worry this accomplished thinker * How to balance incentives and ethics to create a better world * The reason the US is poorly positioned to combat AI-driven unemployment * Why humanity always has and will always struggle with the same existential issues * The reasons Nikola's soured on the techno-optimism movement Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Uplevel Your Meditation and Mind Do you meditate? Muse is a neurofeedback (ie EEG based brain-sensing) device that helps meditators/anyone learn to control their mind and quiet the thoughts. The science is great,

Paul Root Wolpe (@parowol) is the Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair in Jewish Bioethics, a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Biological Behavior, and Sociology, and the Director of the Center for Ethics at Emory University and spent 15 years as Senior Bioethicist at NASA and is now their first Chief of Bioethics. Paul sits on a number of national and international non-profit organizational boards, has testified twice to the President’s Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues in DC. He's a popular speaker internationally, has won the World Technology Network Award in Ethics, has been featured in a TED talk, and was profiled in the November 2011 Atlantic Magazine as a “Brave Thinker of 2011.” He is also been featured on 60 Minutes and profiled in the Science Times of the New York Times. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The most important biotech ethics issues of our day * How China's CRISPR babies change the game for genetic engineering * Why synthetic biology is so promising and problematic from an ethics perspective * How to deal with black swan bioterror risks and rewards * When we will start to see more in terms of gene therapy * The prospect of superhumans * Ways gene therapies can avoid issues of conventional pharma * Why Ray Kurzweil's wrong about the singularity * The reason biology and AI will merge into one * Why AI is more dangerous and uncontrollable than biotech * The arguments against cloning * How AI can empower individuals or inspire tyranny * What to do about reincarnating wholly mammoth and T-Rex Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Big On Health and Human Optimization? Designed for and by athletes and top performers like Joe Rogan, ONNIT makes top-notch supplements and workout gear.

Erika Hamden (@erikahamden) is an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona and Steward Observatory and leads the team building FIREBall, a telescope that hangs from a giant balloon at the very edge of space and looks for clues about how stars are created. She's a 2019 TED fellow and her research focuses on developing ultraviolet (UV) detector technology, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV/VIS) instrumentation and spectroscopy, and galaxy evolution. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The evolution of astrophysics * How space exploration advances in today's booming business world * Why fundamental science and research is so critical to humanity's future * Which technologies scare Erika the most and why * The value of astronauts and off-Earth habitats * What to do about data privacy and our ads-based economy * Why Erika believes there's intelligent extraterrestrial life out there * What to think about Trump and the impacts on science and tech * How do stars form and accidental discoveries occur * Physics role in military action * The importance of putting yourself and life first and foremost * Why we are both more than a little worried about social media * What most people don't know about funding scientific research Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate   Superhuman Brain Nootropics Daniel Schmachtenberger (prev on podcast) and the folks at Neurohacker are some of THE smartest biohackers on the planet, and their Qualia's line of brain-enhancing nootropics make it obvious why. Get $15% off ANY order,

Frans von der Dunk is a Professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Director of Black Holes Consultancy, and is generally recognized as one of the world’s leading space law experts. Franz has served as an adviser to a number of governments, the European Commission, ESA, the United Nations, the OECD, various national space agencies, the Association of Space Explorers, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and a number of companies. He is Director Public Relations of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Member of the Board of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), and Member for the Netherlands in the International Law Association's (ILA) Committee on Space Law. He is also Member of the International Editorial Board of 'Space Policy' and many other long acronyms, incredibly important organizations and initiatives focused on space. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube   You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The issue of ownership and sovereignty in space * How regulation helps and hurts our the future of space * Why current space treaties are anything but adequate for space exploration * What you need to know about asteroid mining and space settlements * The brewing issues in space which could provoke war * Why solving the Kessler crisis NEEDS to be a top priority for space operators * Thoughts private enterprises role in space exploration * What Frans thinks about Trump's Space Force * The realities of extraterrestrial space life and the law * What technologies most worry Frans most * Why social media and data privacy are such big issues to contend with * The scary truth about cyber, and space Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Karen Lloyd (@archaearama) is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee and lead of the Lloyd Lab. She's a deep subsurface microbiologist investigating novel types of microbes in Earth's deep surface biosphere, collecting them from remote places such as Arctic fjords, volcanoes in Costa Rica and even deep in a mud near the Mariana Trench to explore how these little critters affect the environments on a micro and macro scale. I'm guessing this research will have major impacts on our knowledge of life in extreme conditions and implications for humanity living off Earth, fighting climate change and much more... Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube     You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Life under the sea and what we're learning about the tree of life * How some organisms and microbes slow down life and seem to live forever * Why the deep sea is an untapped, unexplored goldmine * What you should know about climate change, ocean currents, and catastrophe * The reason the seas may hold the secret to extraterrestrial life * What Karen thinks about climate change and sustainability * Why CRISPR was in some ways enabled by oceanic research * What it's like to dive deep in a submarine and experience warp drive * The troubling trends of anti-science movement in the US government * Why we know less about our oceans than we do about space * The importance of fundamental research and science Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Uplevel Your Meditation and Mind Do you meditate? Muse is a neurofeedback (ie EEG based brain-sensing) device that helps meditators/anyone learn to control their mind and quiet the thoughts. The science is great, neurofeedback helps meditators achieve zen-level results in less time. I'm a big fan of meditation (as you know) and

Arthur Holland Michel (@writeauthor) is a writer and researcher focused on drones, surveillance, artificial intelligence, robots, the arts, immigration, and movies for topnotch publications like Wired, Vice, The Verge, Fast Company, Motherboard, Al Jazeera America, U.S. News and more. Arthur's the author of EYES IN THE SKY, about the rise of advanced aerial surveillance technology and is the founder and co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone, a research institute at Bard College in New York State. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube   You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Where we are at with the cutting edge of drones * The pros and cons of drone development * How militaries are deploying drones and unmanned aircraft today * Why lethal autonomous weapons are so dangerous but not just around the corner * Which aspects of surveillance and privacy Arthur is most worried about and why * The power of the press to keep governments honest * What to think about consumer drone delivery and Amazon * Which under-discussed industries will actually be most impacted by drones * Why China's expertise in facial recognition and surveillance is so troubling * The formula for a perfect dictatorship * Is Minority Report inevitable * Where do our personal freedoms and privacy lie * How someone shut down one of the world's busiest airports with a little kid's toy * What Arthur thinks about social media surveillance Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Big On Health and Human Optimization? Designed for and by athletes and top performers like Joe Rogan, ONNIT makes top-notch supplements and workout gear. Big fan of MCT oil when I’m doing keto, their F*CK YEAH!

Charles Mann (@CharlesCMann) is a science-focused journalist and award-winning author. He's the author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus which won the National Academies Communication Award for best book of the year which he followed up with 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. Charles has co-authored four books, is contributing editor for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired and has also written for Fortune, NYTimes, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, and The Washington Post. He is a three-time National Magazine Award finalist and a recipient of writing awards from the American Bar Association, the American Institute of Physics, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Lannan Foundation. In 2018, Mann published The Wizard and the Prophet, which details two competing theories about the future of agriculture, population, and the environment. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube   You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The important distinctions between today's wizards and prophets on the future * What are the biggest risks of geoengineering * Why the future of agriculture is inevitably GMOs, and why that's a good thing * How we can design a better, more 21st-century government * Ways to change the incentives and structures governing society to automatically attack climate change * The reason social media is a cesspool and what to do about it * What are the biggest myths about the history of the Americas * Thoughts on clean meat, mass agriculture and more... * How do we handle growing inequality * Why the West was never won * The reason libertarianism and communism are two sides of the same coin * Why there's such a distrust of science to the detriment of all * What is there to be hopeful about emissions and the environment Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate

Mark Diesendorf (@markdiesendorf) teaches, researches and consults in the interdisciplinary fields of sustainability & energy, energy policy, urban transport, ecological economics, and practical sustainability Prior to joining the Institute of Environmental Studies, UNSW Australia, he's been a Principal Researcher and lecturer at various higher institutions. Mark's work with organisations including AusAID, Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Hydrocool Pty Ltd, Minister for Minerals & Energy (Western Australia), StateRail (NSW), Sustainable Energy Development Authority of New South Wales, Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria, WWF Australia, and various municipal and local governments in Australia and China. He has been at various times secretary of the Society for Social Responsibility in Science (Canberra), co-founder and vice-president of the Sustainable Energy Industries Council of Australia, co-founder and president of the original Australasian Wind Energy Association, president of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics (ANZSEE) and vice-president of Appropriate Technology for Community and Environment (APACE). Mark is co-editor of the interdisciplinary book Human Ecology, Human Economy: Ideas for an Ecologically Sustainable Future and the author of Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy and Climate Action: A Campaign Manual for Greenhouse Solutions and Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * What the truth of climate change looks like now * Why we're probably headed for at least a 6-8 deg F increase in global temperatures * How we can design a better world from the ground up * Why governments are so incompetent when it comes to handling climate change * The reason renewables have already won and where we'll be 10 years * Why AI and automation will displace a ton of jobs and necessitate a totally new economic and societal system * How nuclear power makes our world less stable and more dangerous * Where Mark sees the most innovative climate solutions being enacted * Why we'll still need hydrogen fuel in a green world * What systems design teaches us about sustainability and economics * Why the world is as risky as it has ever been with respect to nuclear war Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.

Michele Romanow (@micheleromanow) is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, the youngest Dragon on Canada's famed Dragon's Den and one of the most badass women in tech. Before that, she co-founded SnapSaves (acquired by Groupon in 11 months), Buytopia.ca and Clearbanc (a transformational funding company to help startups avoid giving up equity). Michele is ranked on WXN's "100 Most Powerful in Canada" and listed as the only Canadian on Forbes magazine's "Millennial on a Mission" list. Michele is a prolific angel investor and the winner of Angel Investor of the Year award. She co-founded the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative with Richard Branson to encourage entrepreneurship and is a director of Shad International, a transformational program that develops the entrepreneurial potential of exceptional Canadian youth. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * What it was like as world's youngest Dragon's Den investor * The future of ecommerce and entrepreneurship * Why venture capital is so messed up and how to fix it * How to get more women in tech and more female-led businesses * The reason today's startup landscape is unsustainable * How to redesign education for the future * Why all monopolies eventually fall * What Michele thinks about the reason crop of tech IPOs and economic future * How to rethink ride sharing and what it may mean * What's off with universal basic income * Why San Francisco isn't necessarily the best place to build a startup * What Facebook and Google's advertising economy has done to all of us * The risks of social media and cell phones * Why Michele is worried about the risk of AI   Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate   Uplevel Your Meditation and Mind

Richard Whitt (@richardswhitt) is an 11-year vet of Google, corporate strategist, technology policy attorney and founder of GLIAnet, an organization, and foundation looking to upend existing surveillance capitalism paradigm with a user-owned and controlled data system. Richard is Fellow in Residence with the Mozilla Foundation, a Senior Fellow with Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy and advises companies on the complex governance challenges at the intersection of the market, technology, and policy systems. As Google’s corporate director for strategic initiatives, he worked on policy and ethical issues related to IoT, machine learning, broadband connectivity, net neutrality, digital preservation, and other emerging technologies and negotiated with the Cuban government to build the country’s first free public WiFi hotspot for Internet access. From 2012 to 2014, Richard was chosen by Google management as the Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Public Policy at newly-acquired Motorola Mobility. In particular, he headed up Google’s open Internet policy on a global basis, guided the Company’s participation in the FCC’s 700 MHz auction, helped secure TV White Spaces spectrum allocation, and collaborated on the nationwide launch of Google Fiber. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube   You can listen right here on iTunes   In today's episode we discuss:   * The most important internet ethics issues of our day * How regulation helps and hurts our privacy future * Why net neutrality is such a landmark issue and what it means for all of us * Which tech monopolies Richard is most worried about and why * The power and promise of 5G * What do we do about online advertising and data brokering * Why on-device computing can be a privacy saver, or screwer * What to think about Huawei, China and Trump's trade war * Thoughts on breaking up Google and Facebook * Why diversity actually leads to better outcomes * The effects of IoT on our collective freedoms * How AI can empower individuals or inspire tyranny * What technologies most worry Richard most         Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors   The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.