Space may be the final frontier, but what technology will be required to really get us out there, beyond our solar systems and out among the stars. What emerging technology will shape the future of space exploration? Part 1 of 2. ----more---- Topics: Entering a new age of space exploration BBC: Space 2020: What does the future hold?     https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150128-space-2020-what-happens-next Returning to the Moon Private Space travel The Moon as a new jumping-off point NASA:...

Easter greetings and reflections on Holy Saturday. ----more---- Facebook: fb.me/SGSTPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGSTPodcast   Intro and outro music: Cosmic Pluck from Vycroft. ( https://freesound.org/people/vykroft/ )

With COVID-19 being the news of the day, it can seem like there are only two options for response; panic and hoard toilet paper, or be dismissive of the whole thing. But maybe there is a better path…and our present season of Lent may help us with perspective. ----more---- Topic: COVID-19 in our world The problem of false information The danger of panic The Imperial College Report How COVID-19 affects us moving forward Autonomy and telecommuting Automation Coronavirus May Mean Automation Is...

Dusty stars, "Landmark Codes," and a nano-vortex, all on the 4th edition of The Faster Than The Future Mini-cast. ----more---- The fourth of The Faster Than the Future mini-casts. With only five minutes, I’ll race the clock to share stories of science and technology. Some will be of great importance, some of fascinating interest, some just odd, but all will be fast. Sources: #1 Weird, dimming star Betelgeuse may have a dusty...

If AI and automation take all of the jobs, how will we provide for everyone’s needs? Universal Basic Income? Negative tax rates? Universal Services? Investments and new equilibrium? How will we fund the future? ----more---- Topics: Expectations of the future jobs market Bain and Company, Macro-trends Group:  https://www.bain.com/insights/labor-2030-the-collision-of-demographics-automation-and-inequality/ Universal Basic Income Andrew Yang’s UBI Freedom Dividend:...

The third of The Faster Than the Future mini-casts. With only five minutes, I’ll race the clock to share stories of science and technology. Some will be of great importance, some of fascinating interest, some just odd, but all will be fast. ----more---- Sources: #1 Elon Musk's Boring Company excavates first tunnel for Vegas loop https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/elon-musk-boring-company-las-vegas-loop/ #2 Apple Watch beat the Swiss watch industry in sales in...

The second of the new Faster Than the Future mini-casts. With only five minutes, I’ll race the clock to share stories of science and technology. Some will be of great importance, some of fascinating interest, some just odd, but all will be fast.   Stories: Twitter to start labeling deepfakes but sets high bar for removal https://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-to-start-labeling-deepfakes-but-sets-high-bar-for-removal1/ Elon Musk promotes Texas ‘career day’ as SpaceX files paperwork for Starship...

As the year 2020 gets off to a fresh start, we launch new The Faster Than the Future mini-casts. With only five minutes, I’ll race the clock to share stories of science and technology. Some will be of great importance, some of fascinating interest, some just odd, but all will be fast.----more---- Stories: Meet Trump’s New 5G Czar https://www.lightreading.com/mobile/5g/meet-trumps-new-5g-czar/d/d-id/756490 MLB Will Use Robot Umpire System in Spring...

Advancements in technology are aimed at making life safer, easier, and more enjoyable. Could we end up surrendering something in the process; moral agency and personal responsibility? And what might that trade get us? ----more---- Topics: The Singularity Saints Podcast celebrates its first birthday! First Things: Algorithm Religion by John Waters https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/12/algorithm-religion John Waters a...

Merry Christmas, from the Singularity Saints Podcast!

With all the noise surrounding environmental discussions, can we cut through it all and see the potential that emerging technologies offer for new sources of energy and a clean world? ----more---- Topic: Avoiding partisanship on a politically charged topic Alternative energy Viability, variability, and Solar power Timeline of viability Paul Rodgers: Solar Power Viable Within A Decade, Says IEA https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/09/30/the-rise-of-solar/#78424dc57e58 Projected...

As technology moves forward in ways that change what it means to be human, what happens to those of us who don't want to go along? And what does that mean for the church and its relevance and witness? ----more---- Topics: Acceptance and Rejection on various technologies Multiple reasons people may object to the same technology Religious and non-religious objections Peter Clarke’s Evil Tech? How The Mark of the Beast Could Shape Biometric...

I’m joined today by writer Peter Clarke, author of multiple articles on technology and the recently published satirical novel The Singularity Survival Guide. Peter gives his take on how technology will affect our social issues and how to keep a smile on your face in spite of an uncertain future. ----more---- Links to essays and works mentioned in the interview: Peter Clarke's website: https://www.petermclarke.com/ The Singularity Survival Guide:...

Will schools and colleges survive the coming wave of technological advancements in education? We’ll discuss how new tools may unleash new methods of learning, foster more independent instruction, and upend schools as we known them. Artificial intelligence, Virtual Learning, brain stimulation and more. ----more---- Topics: The impact of emerging educational technologies on the institutions of learning AI in the...

How will emerging technologies impact human sexuality? With VR, ectogenesis, and sex-bots becoming reality, what are we to do? Given the mature topic, listener discretion is advised. ----more---- Topics: Sexuality as a basic human drive and motivation Are we in a sex recession? https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/ by Kate Julian Entertainment, social media, and human interaction The emergence of...

What happens when all of our technological predictions converge on the human person? Today we discuss the growing movement of transhumanism. What is it, what are it’s hopes, and can a Christian be a transhumanist? ----more---- Topics: Defining Transhumanism The history and rise of transhumanism Humanity Plus and their definition https://humanityplus.org/philosophy/transhumanist-faq/ Post-Humanity The inevitability of transhumanism Transhumanism in fiction Criticisms and...

Science Fiction can be more than cheap genre fiction with little value. Joined by my guest, Nate Ward of The Things We Say Podcast, we discuss how science fiction can inspire and what we think some gets right and some gets wrong. ----more---- Notes: My guest is Nate Ward, one of the two hosts of The Things We Say podcast. https://twitter.com/TTWSpodcast Science fiction as meaningful literature and media Levels of science fiction Things we think Sci-Fi gets right and wrong Star Trek’s...

How will the emergence of new technologies change the face of warfare? On what basis and theological foundation may Christians respond? With so many divergent views, can there be a place for Christians to critique and question these advancements?  This is part 2 of 2. ----more---- Topics: Disagreement and the challenge of speaking on a Christian view of warfare A spectrum of Christian views on warfare Holy War/Jihad/Crusade Absolutist Pacifism Variations in Pacifism John Howard Yoder Stanley...

How will the emergence of new technologies change the face of warfare? How will conflicts play out in the future? In this episode we discuss select technology in development for the battlefield, separating some fact from fiction, and considering the risks. This is part 1 of 2. ----more---- Topics: Changes in warfare Asymmetrical warfare Exoskeletons: Hype and reality Termination of development programs Fort Drum: ExoSkeleton...

We continue our discussion of artificial intelligence, focusing in part 2 on the unique questions and thoughts of those in the church. ----more---- Topics: Have we reached a plateau in AI development? Kai-Fu Lee, AI researcher https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/22/opinion/sunday/ai-china-united-states.html The Age of AI Implementation What is our purpose for creating AI? AI and social manipulation AI and bias AI as a religion: Anthony Levandowski and the Way of the...

Let's never forget the real turning point in history; the resurrection of Jesus Christ. May you have a blessed Easter.

Artificial Intelligence; will it be the development to unlock the future or the thing that will destroy us all? With all of the hype, speculation, worry, and marketing, it can be overwhelming. In part 1 of our discussion on AI we’ll lay out a foundation and deal with the hopes and concerns of the next great evolution in our technology.----more---- Topics: The uses and misuses of the terminology of AI Narrow AI General AI Super Intelligence Stages, tools, and systems of AI:...

Can you trust your lyin’ eyes? With the emergence of algorithms to forge sound, images, and video with greater accuracy, we run the risk of making the true and the false indistinguishable. Are we ready for the challenge of Deep Fakes? How can we in the church live in truth while in a world of falsehoods? ----more---- Topics Defining Deep Fakes http://fortune.com/2018/09/11/deep-fakes-obama-video/ Fraudulent image and propaganda The Uncanny Valley AI and image...

With the capability to alter human genes, we have to ask what this means for us and how we view and treat our bodies. What, if any, consequence is there for the Imago Dei, the Image of God, in humanity if we toy with our genes?----more---- Topics: CRISPR method of gene editing Treating human bodies as commodities Parent/child relationship and designer babies Embodiment and psychology Potential uses of CRISPR https://labiotech.eu/tops/crispr-applications-gene-editing/ Unexpected consequences...