Future News - Report on Automation and Jobs, In Remembrance of our Almost Famous John Monahan, Richard Karst of the Helluva Party, Hacking Lightbulbs

Listen Now to Future News 11.08.2016

We hear about how our country’s jobs are going overseas, but a recent report shows that the automation of U.S. factories is a much bigger factor than foreign trade in the loss of factory jobs.A study at Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research last year found that trade accounted for just 13 percent of America’s lost factory jobs. The vast majority of the lost jobs, 88 percent, were taken by robots and other homegrown factors that reduce a facotries’ need for human labor!

This week we honor artist John Monahan, a regular co-host with us for many months in 2014 and 2015.  He recently passed, and we share a few stories of John’s, in his own words. Norma Jean, our call screener and partner of Johns, joins us for this segment with a more personal honoring of John.

We also have Richard Karst join us to comically discuss his “Helluva Party,” a Santa Cruz home grown  political party whose campaign slogan is “Whatever.” He has bumper stickers and a party song, so hey, it’s election day! Enjoy..

Sun (Mrs. Future) with John Monahan after The Dr. Future Show

Interview - John Markoff on Machines of Loving Grace, The Search for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots

Listen Now to John Markoff

As senior science correspondent for the New York Times, John has had access to the top people and the latest research in many fields of scientific endeavor.  In pursuing his own interests, he has recently completed a book on the intersection of artificial intelligence and robotics called “Machines of Loving Grace, The Search for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots.”

We are a point in time where the evolution of robotics and artificial intelligence is extremely fertile, creating new advances poised to radically transform our lives.  Inventions like self-driving cars, elder care robots, personal flying machines, cybernetic soldiers and surgical assistants.  Will these advances help create a more exalted humanity or delegate our species to the dust bin of history? 

The Richard Brautigan poem from which the title of the book is based, envisions a world where cybernetics has advanced to a stage where it allows a return to the balance of nature and an elimination of the need for human labor. 

  I like to think
       (it has to be!)
   of a cybernetic ecology
   where we are free of our labors
   and joined back to nature,
   returned to our mammal
   brothers and sisters,
   and all watched over
   by machines of loving grace

Join us this week with John Markoff as we explore this most profound chapter in human evolution.

LED Superbowl, UK Designer Babies, Gates on AI, 3rd Arm for Cyberspacers, Robot Writers are here

Listen Now to Future News  02.03.2015

Boy, robot and AI stories seemed to dominate the news this week, with a statement from Bill Gates on his thinking about Artificial Intelligence, Uber and Google getting into the robo-car taxi business, and humans controlling a 3rd arm in cyberspaced bodies, not to mention caller thoughts on the AI robotic evolution. Lots to think about, which we do, of course, with our listener’s chiming in with scintillating input, such as the smartest AI’s today are about on the same intelligence level as a retarded cockroach.  The AP writer robot is now actually writing over 3,000 financial stories a quarter. Hmmm..imagine what jobs they would take over if they were just a bit smarter, like grasshopper or bumblebee. Maybe a new economic model?  In any event, please join us to exploring these things!

The Futures appear on KSCO's Morning Show with Rosie, demoing and chatting about robots, thermal cameras, Glass, and singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

Listen Now to the Futures on KSCO’s “Good Morning Monterey!” with Rosemary Chalmers

We had a fun morning in the KSCO studios, chatting about robots with Rosie, who has been exploring the topic all month with the morning commute traffic audience.  Now it’s our turn.  We brought to the studio some fun toys, including the personable smart phone driven RoboMe, a FLIR infrared imager camera for the iPhone, and Google Glass.  Hulu, the station dog, was a bit wary of the robot, and took a pretty mean thermal image with the FLIR iPhone attachment!

And because we were the last guests of the week on the “Good Morning Monterey!”  we were recruited  to sing the Mony Python song, “Always Look at the Bright Side of Life!” with the KSCO staff as our signoff.  Enjoy!

:-) The Futures 

The Tech Challenge - Students collaborate state wide for best earthquake disaster robotic solution.

Sponsored by Cisco Systems and hosted by The Tech Museum in San Jose, 1400 students from across the state of California, from elementary to high school, created various robotic solutions for rescuing people who have fallen off a bridge like the Golden Gate.  

Dr. Future interviews two of the main organizers of the event, Tim Ritchie, president of the Tech Museum and Richardo Benavidez, Senior Manager of Community Relations, at Cisco Systems.

And here, all three of us chat with the girl’s team from Cupertino High School, “CRACK CITY,” about their experience of The Tech Challenge.

This article in the Mercury News give you a good sense of this year’s Tech Challenge.