Diginauts 0022 — Robot Muscle, Frog Orgies, Blockchaining Everything

episode 22 of The Diginauts
episode 22 of The Diginauts
  • segment 1, Top of Mind  — Blockchain: The Tokenization of Everything (0:00): Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been making headlines.  Eric offers his theory that the underlying blockchain technology could revolutionize more than just money, but really much of human interaction.
  • segment 2, Three Headlines & a Lie — Frogs (11:55) : Deron plays liar’s poker with Eric about the latest scientific discoveries in the Ranidae family.
  • segment 3, Future File — Robot Muscle (25:08): Columbia engineers have created a low-power, 3D-printable muscle that represents a huge breakthrough in robot autonomy.
  • segment 4, Dig Some More (31:00): Trapping CO2 in liquid form under the oceans.  A note of optimism in doom predictions for our odds of crossing 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial temperature averages.  An Israeli-Chinese trade deal on artificial meat.  Peter Thiel being considered for a top intelligence position by the White House.  The FCC seeks to make America great again — by lowering the bar on what qualifies as “high-speed” internet.

Tweet to us at @digitalderon or @efader.  Or you can leave a voice message at 323.686.8255.

Diginauts 0003 — Google is listening, Irreversible Global Warming, Mourning Death Digitally

  • segment 1, Top of Mind–Carbon Tipping Point (0:00): Earth’s atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration is now above 400ppm.  Is there any way we’ll ever get back below that number?  Scientists are pretty sure that for the immediate future, the answer is no.
  • segment 2, Future File–Log In with Your Brain Waves (15:06): In the future, you might be able to authenticate into your computer by having your brain scanned.  But will scanning your brain introduce even more of a privacy concern?  One thing is sure, the way we do it now is wrong, all wrong.
  • segment 3, Let’s Hash It Out–Google’s Hardware Launch Event (28:37):  Google previewed it’s Pixel phones, a new Chromecast update,   In particular, Google Home is here, and it’s ready to listen to your every word.  They say they’re building a personalized Google for each individual.  We say they’re making a big grab into privacy.  What do you think?
  • segment 4, What’s Your Take?–Digital Afterlife (45:10): When her friend Roman died in a tragic car accident, San Francisco entrepreneur Eugenia Kudya decided to task her AI start-up with creating a chatbot based on his personality.  She saw it as a digital monument to him, and a way to deal with her loss.  Some of her friends find it a “disturbing” and “half-baked,” but others found it therapeutic.  Would you want such a monument left behind after your death? Can computers come anywhere close to capturing a human personality?  What’s your take?

Tweet us!  We are @efader and @DigitalDeron.  Or give us a call and leave a voice message for us to include in the show.