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Andreas Antonopoulos is arguably the face of bitcoin because he is probably the most prolific interviewee as well as the most publicly recognized expert in the field of crypto-currency. To top it off, Andreas is extremely eloquent, has an impressively broad spectrum of knowledge and is an admitted disruptarian. I have been receiving numerous requests to interview him on Singularity 1 on 1 and was very happy to finally have the opportunity to do so during the recent Bitcoin Expo 2014. During our 85 min conversation with Andreas Antonopoulos we cover a very wide variety of topics such as: the very first time he heard of bitcoin and his instant dismissal as "nerd money"; Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper and the monumental impact it had on Andreas; what is bitcoin and how it solves the technical problems of past crypto-currencies; decentralizing trust, money and the consequent revolutionary changes; deflation, inflation and the ability to divide a bitcoin into 100 million Satoshis;  money for AI; proof of work and "mining" of coins; why trying to shut down bitcoin is like trying to shut down the internet; the blockchain security, anonymity, transparency and implications thereof; Charlie Stross' criticisms; libertarians, disruptarians and money neutrality; whether bitcoin is the singularity of money... My favorite quote that I will take away from this interview with Andreas Antonopoulos is: "This is the the internet of money; it's not just money for the internet. [...] The bitcoin currency is just the first application - it's like email on the internet - it's good enough to change the world and have everyone adopt the internet..." I owe a special debt of gratitude to Jan Miranda and Tamara Haasen without whom this interview would not have happened! (If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one you can send bitcoin 1gnjsmU3TzWF1LXNFrm3egYYuh3ZJrJ7F or old-fashioned money!)   Who is Andreas Antonopoulos? Andreas is a passionate technologist, who is well-versed in many technical subjects. He is a serial tech-entrepreneur, having launched businesses in London, New York, and California. He has earned degrees in Computer Science and Data Communications and Distributed Systems from UCL. With experience ranging from hardware and electronics to high level business and financial systems technology consulting and years as CTO/CIO/CSO in many companies — he combines authority and deep knowledge with an ability to make complex subjects easy to understand. He often brings a fresh perspective to a topic with surprising insights and his ability to identify underlying principles and connections between different topics. More than 200 of his articles on security, cloud computing and data centers have been published in print and syndicated worldwide. His expertise includes Bitcoin, crypto-currencies, Information Security, Cryptography, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Linux, Open Source and robotics software development. He also has been CISSP certified for 12 years. As a bitcoin entrepreneur, Andreas has founded three bitcoin businesses and launched several community open-source projects. He often writes articles and blog posts on bitcoin, is a permanent host on Let’s Talk Bitcoin and prolific public speaker at technology events. Andreas is also writing a bitcoin book for developers, for O’Reilly Media. Andreas serves on the advisory boards of several bitcoin startups and serves as the Chief Security Officer of Blockchain. Related articles Vitalik Buterin on Singularity 1 on 1: Ethereum is a Decentralized Consensus Platform

Andreas Antonopoulos is arguably the face of bitcoin because he is probably the most prolific interviewee as well as the most publicly recognized expert in the field of crypto-currency. To top it off, Andreas is extremely eloquent, has an impressively broad spectrum of knowledge and is an admitted disruptarian. I have been receiving numerous requests […]

Peter Voss is an entrepreneur, inventor, engineer, scientist, and AI researcher. He is a rather interesting and unique individual not only because of his diverse background and impressive accomplishments but also because of his interest in moral philosophy and artificial intelligence. I have been planning to interview Voss for a […]

Peter Voss is an entrepreneur, inventor, engineer, scientist, and AI researcher. He is a rather interesting and unique individual not only because of his diverse background and impressive accomplishments but also because of his interest in moral philosophy and artificial intelligence. I have been planning to interview Voss for a while and, given how quickly […]

April 1, 2014 Emerging reports suggest that the BRX virus has already infected thousands of people. ByoLogyc - the company whose product is linked to the outbreak, has set up a mobile decontamination and vaccination facility in the heart of Toronto. Even though I usually don't do any breaking news field-reporting, in this particularly shocking case I couldn't help it but had to go downtown and try to find out what is going on. I was very lucky to get a rare interview with ByoLogic's elusive and controversial CEO Chet Getram. I apologize for the low video and audio quality but the footage was shot under dangerous circumstances and at high personal risk of infection. Our interview, held in the back of ByoLogic's decontamination and vaccination facility, was interrupted several times by people's screams as well as something which looked like a bodybag being carried out right in front of my camera. [Watch carefully around min 23:42 into the interview.] During our 25 min conversation with Chet Getram we cover a variety of topics such as: ByoLogic's company mission; its controversial product line including ByoRenew, ByoMate, ByoEnrich, ByoBreath, ByoGrow and ByoBaby; the responsibility for and the dangers posed by the BRX virus; the passionate activism and public resistance that seem to follow both ByoLogic and its unapologetic CEO. (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more episodes please make a donation!)   What is ByoRenew? ByoRenew is the cure for everything that stops you from doing anything. Be protected against up to 90% of common ailments and infections, allowing you to realize your dreams, in your way. Choose from a number of subscription plans that help your immune system to obliterate specific sets of viruses and bacteria, based on the lifestyle you want. We’re all born unique, with biologies that define who we are, but also defy what we imagine ourselves doing. ByoRenew is here to change all that, by changing what’s inside you into whatever you need it to be.   Who is Chet Getram? Chet Getram is the Chief Executive Officer of ByoLogyc, a leader in the field of lifestyle biotechnology and innovation design. The son of ByoLogyc founder Hewson Getram, Chet personally led ByoLogyc’s shift away from traditional pharmaceutical products, and towards the development of solutions designed around the lives of 21st century customers. Chet holds an MPhil in Innovation, Strategy & Organization from the Judge School of Business at the University of Cambridge. He is dedicated through any means necessary to helping humanity fulfill its deepest desires and unlock its hidden potential. As the old adage reads: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.   A Special Message from ByoLogyc CEO Chet Getram  After the recent devastating attack on ByoLogyc's production facilities by the online terrorist organization known as EXE, ByoLogyc is ready for action.   ByoLogyc Patient Zero Walkthrough    

Emerging reports suggest that the BRX virus has already infected thousands of people. ByoLogyc – the company whose product is linked to the outbreak, has set up a mobile decontamination and vaccination facility in the heart of Toronto. Even though I usually don’t do any breaking news field-reporting, in this particularly […]

Emerging reports suggest that the BRX virus has already infected thousands of people. ByoLogyc – the company whose product is linked to the outbreak, has set up a mobile decontamination and vaccination facility in the heart of Toronto. Even though I usually don’t do any breaking news field-reporting, in this particularly shocking case I couldn’t help […]

Ted Chu is a professor of economics and former chief economist for General Motors. Most recently, Dr. Chu is the author of Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution. In my opinion Ted's book is absolutely profound in the way it draws upon a dazzling variety of philosophical and scientific resources in order to place humanity within a cosmic evolutionary perspective. In that sense I will go as far as claiming that it is a one-of-a-kind book within my transhumanist library and, while it is definitely not an easy or quick read, I enjoyed it very much. I was very happy to get Ted Chu on my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast. During our 70 min conversation with Dr. Chu we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: his honest and moving personal story starting in a poor family in China and becoming a chief economists for GM; the existential midlife crisis he had at 29 and his consequent search for the meaning of life; the impact of 9.11 - surviving the attacks but losing his book manuscript; why and how he got interested in transhumanism; the importance of philosophy for setting up a higher goal; defining human and transhuman; cosmic being (CoBe) and evolution; religion 2.0 and transcendental ethics; the technological singularity; capitalism, technological unemployment and bitcoin... (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more episodes like this one please make a donation!)   Who is Ted Chu? Born and raised in China, and spending much of his adult life in America, Ted Chu is currently a clinical professor of economics at New York University (Abu Dhabi, UAE), and also has a home in Michigan. His ongoing research is focused on globalization, frontiers of technology and institutions, and “posthuman economics,” inclusive of the philosophic and ethical dimensions of transhumanism. Chu graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai, and earned his PhD in economics at Georgetown University. During his twenty-five years as a business economist, his work included corporate strategy, public policy research, multinational operations, and global financial markets—including roles as chief economist of General Motors and chief economist of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Dr. Chu also held positions as macroeconomist for the World Bank and Arthur D. Little. For the last fifteen years, his second career has been conducting independent research on the ethical and philosophical question of humanity’s place in the universe, with special reference to advanced technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. This focus was foreshadowed by his PhD thesis on the production efficiency frontier at Georgetown University. Chu has also read widely and deeply in evolutionary theory, history, politics, philosophy, and religious studies (East and West). Dr. Chu is the founder of the nonprofit CoBe (Cosmic Being) Institute in Michigan, a senior scholar at ChangCe, a Beijing-based independent think tank, and a former president of Greater Washington Professional Forum. He has received a national award for dedicated community service and has served as a policy advisor for governments and many multinational institutions. Ted Chu’s extensive lines of interdisciplinary research have combined in-depth theoretical analysis and the fruits of practical, real-world experience. Related articles What Is Singularity?

Ted Chu is a professor of economics and former chief economist for General Motors. Most recently, Dr. Chu is the author of Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution. In my opinion, Ted’s book is absolutely profound in the way it draws upon a dazzling […]

Ted Chu is a professor of economics and former chief economist for General Motors. Most recently, Dr. Chu is the author of Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution. In my opinion, Ted’s book is absolutely profound in the way it draws upon a dazzling variety of philosophical and scientific […]

William Hertling is a rather recent science fiction discovery of mine and the author of award-winning novels Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears, A.I. Apocalypse, and The Last Firewall. William has written several plausible scenarios for the technological singularity that were so engaging and compelling that, as soon as I finished his first book, I could not help it but go ahead and read the next one too. And so I was very happy to get an opportunity and interview Hertling on my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast. During our 45 min conversation with William we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: the impact of reading Accelerando and The Singularity is Near; how he was challenged to become a sci fi author and outlined the plot of his first book on the proverbial paper-napkin; the extrapolation of current trends in software and hardware as a way of predicting technological progress; the importance of theory of mind for the creating of artificial intelligence; the singularity and whether it is more likely to happen in a hacker garage or a military lab; hard take-off vs soft take-off; whole brain simulation and the diminishing costs thereof; if an AI apocalypse is a plausible future scenario or not; transhumanism and healthy life-extension... This is the second out of a series of 3 sci fi round-table interviews with Ramez Naam, William Hertling and Greg Bear that I did last November in Seattle. It was produced by Richard and Tatyana Sundvall and generously hosted by Greg and Astrid Bear. (Special note of thanks to Agah Bahari who did the interview audio re-mix.) (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one please make a donation!)   Who is William Hertling? William Hertling is the author of the award-winning novels Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears, A.I. Apocalypse, and The Last Firewall. These near-term science-fiction novels about realistic ways strong AI might emerge have been called "frighteningly plausible," "tremendous," "must read." Avogadro Corp won Forewords Review Science Fiction Book of the Year and A.I. Apocalypse was nominated for the Prometheus Award for Best Novel. The Last Firewall was endorsed by tech luminaries including Harper Reed (CTO for Obama Campaign), Ben Huh (CEO Cheezburger), and Brad Feld (Foundry Group). He's been influenced by writers such as William Gibson, Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow, and Walter Jon Williams. William Hertling was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up a digital native in the early days of bulletin board systems. His first experiences with net culture occurred when he wired seven phone lines into the back of his Apple //e to build an online chat system. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Related articles Ramez Naam on Singularity 1 on 1: The Future Isn’t Set In Stone!

William Hertling is a rather recent science fiction discovery of mine and the author of award-winning novels Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears, A.I. Apocalypse, and The Last Firewall. William has written several plausible scenarios for the technological singularity that were so engaging and compelling that, as […]

William Hertling is a rather recent science fiction discovery of mine and the author of award-winning novels Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears, A.I. Apocalypse, and The Last Firewall. William has written several plausible scenarios for the technological singularity that were so engaging and compelling that, as soon as I finished his […]

These are the videos of my presentation at the 2014 Podcamp Toronto. This year I decided that it is best not to speak about podcasting but rather focus on issues familiar to readers of Singularity Weblog - artificial intelligence, transhumanism and the technological singularity. The session was intended to provide a brief introduction of the issues and to engage a broader audience of people who are generally not familiar with the topic. You can listen to and/or download the complete audio file above, or see my 33 min presentation, followed by a 50min Question and Answer session. (If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one please make a donation!) As always, feel free to provide your comments and constructive criticism. Thanks again to everyone who used social media to vote for, support and spread the word for it!   Peering into Our Future’s Black Hole: AI, Transhumanism and the End of Humanity: Q&A Session:   Peering into Our Future’s Black Hole: AI, Transhumanism and the End of Humanity (full text) One of my favorite proverbs is a Chinese one, and it goes like this: "Seek not to know the answers but to understand the questions!" And so, when we are confronted with an issue, one of the best things that we can start with is ask ourselves: "What is the question I should be asking?!" Because the type and quality of the question we begin with, will ultimately determine the type and quality of the answer we are going to get. And so today I will speak to you about the importance of asking questions. There are many questions that I will bring to your attention today but perhaps the most important one that we will have to face both as a civilization and as individuals is one of the oldest questions that has been around for thousands of years and we have still failed to find an answer that satisfies the majority of us. The question is this - "What is human?" And so, this presentation will not be about podcasting. Last year my presentation was about the 15 most fundamental tips that I could give you for starting and eventually becoming a successful podcaster. I shared how I passed over 500k views and got to live for 10 weeks in NASA's Ames Campus in Mountain View, California. How I got to meet many amazing people such as Ray Kurzweil, Peter Diamandis, astronaut Dan Barry, and visit cutting edge companies such as Google, Facebook and Tesla. This year I could have told you how my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast passed 1 million downloads. But the principles that I used and continue to use to this day are the same. So going from half a million in 3 or 4 years and then doubling to over 1 million in 12 months required nothing more than some momentum, that I have gathered the years before, and the application of the very same fundamentals. So, let me say this again, this presentation will not be about podcasting. If you do want to find my tips and hear my personal podcasting story you can go to SingularityWeblog.com and search for Podcamp Toronto. Then you will find the video, the audio and the text of last year's presentation. As you can see - my friend Josh from JoshGloverPhotography.com, is recording today's session so you don't need to take notes but just sit down, relax and enjoy. Give me a week or so and I will publish both the full text and the video on SingularityWeblog.com. Finally, feel free to also come up with questions because I will leave time for a brief Q&A at the end. You see, I believe that asking good questions is one of the most important and most fundamental skills that any intelligent being can acquire. And so, while I did say that this will not be about podcasting, let me give you a couple of tips on the questions you should be asking when reading session descriptions at Podcamp Toronto. Q1: How qualified is the person holding the session? You see, Podcamp Toronto is a fantastic open unconference.

These are the videos of my presentation at the 2014 Podcamp Toronto. This year I decided that it is best not to speak about podcasting but rather focus on issues familiar to readers of Singularity Weblog – artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and the technological singularity. The session was intended to provide […]