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During my time at Singularity University I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Salim Ismail for Singularity 1 on 1. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Salim’s personal background and early childhood in India; his motivation, goals and aspirations for Singularity University; the term “exponential organisation”; […]

During my time at Singularity University I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Salim Ismail for Singularity 1 on 1. (As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full.) During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Salim's personal background and early childhood in India; his motivation, goals and aspirations for Singularity University; the term "exponential organisation"; his take on the technological singularity and the surprising fact that he is not a singularitarian; being/becoming gods; our responsibility for what happens to the planet; religion in general and the rapture of the nerds criticism in particular; making money and investing; being Canadian; using technology to address humanity's grand challenges. I would like to thank Singularity University for allowing me to use their campus during filming. Hope you enjoy watching the interview as much as I enjoyed talking to Salim! Who is Salim Ismail? Salim Ismail is a sought-after speaker, strategist and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. He travels extensively addressing topics including breakthrough technologies and their impact on a variety of industries. Salim spent the last three years building Singularity University as its founding Executive Director and current Global Ambassador. SU is based at NASA Ames and is training a new generation of leaders to manage exponentially growing technologies. Before that he built and ran Brickhouse, Yahoo’s internal incubator. His last company, Angstro, was sold to Google in August 2010. He has founded or operated seven early-stage companies including PubSub Concepts, which laid some of the foundation for the real-time web. Salim also serves on the board of Breakthrough, a global human rights organization. Related articles Peter Diamandis on Singularity 1 on 1: Singularity University is Star Fleet Academy for the World's Biggest Challenges

During my time at Singularity University I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Salim Ismail for Singularity 1 on 1. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Salim’s personal background and early childhood in India; his motivation, goals and aspirations for Singularity University; the term “exponential organisation”; his take on the technological singularity and the […]

Have you ever heard about the investment banker doing stand-up comedy? Well, in case you think it is worth hearing, I recommend checking out the above audio recording of Terence Kawaja's Singularity University presentation aptly titled the Science-ification of Media. By his own admission Terry has been an investment banker for 22 years and a comedian for twice as long. In my opinion his insights about business, entrepreneurship, banking and the new media are as profound as his humor is witty. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Terry's stage introduction made by David Rose.) Who is Terrence Kawaja? Terence Kawaja is Founder and CEO of LUMA Partners, a strategic advisory firm focused at the intersection of media and technology. He is a seasoned investment banker with more than 20 years of experience and has advised on over $250 billion of transactions, including some of the most pivotal deals in the media and tech industries. Throughout his career, Terry has leveraged deep industry knowledge to take a strategic approach to deal making rather than chase transactions. The best compliment people say is that he thinks like a principal. At LUMA, Terry advises both established media and technology companies as well as digital growth companies. He is a recognized expert in the Internet and digital media sectors and is a popular speaker at leading industry conferences. Terry has a straightforward style and is never afraid to tell it like it is. He also likes to keep things light by using humor to aid substantive presentations. Prior to founding LUMA Partners, Terry was Co-head of Digital Media at GCA Savvian; Global Head of Media M&A at Citigroup and CSFB; and CFO of publicly-traded Raindance Communications. He received an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. When not negotiating deals or telling jokes, Terry enjoys a variety of activities from skiing to water sports. Terry lives in New York City with his wife and their two sons. Here is copy of Terry's original presentation: The SCIENCE-ification of Media Here are the full videos he played during his speech: Mad Avenue Blues Ad Tech: From Hype to Stereotype  Tech Star Don't Stop Competing Related articles Singularity University Lectures: Astro Teller on Innovation Singularity University Lectures: Dr. Alex Jadad on Making Longer Life Worth Living Singularity University Lectures: Science Searches for ET by Seth Shostak Singularity University Lectures: Mark Jacobson on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sunlight Vinod Khosla and Salim Ismail Explain the Future at Singularity University Graduation 2011

A couple of weeks ago we had the incredible pleasure of having Dr. Alex Jadad at Singularity University. Dr. Jadad spoke on Making Longer Life Worth Living and I have to admit that it was perhaps the most moving lecture that we have had so far. Furthermore, as attested by the standing ovation at the end of his presentation, it seems that all of us felt the same way. Alex pulled no punches and did not fail to shock and awe his audience with all kinds of profoundly philosophical, personal and emotional questions. However, the main point of his presentation was a simple yet crucial question aimed at alleviating human suffering that sits at the heart of his work: "We are putting more years into out lives, but how can we put more life into our years?" Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Dr. Jadad's Presentation Slides Who is Alex Jadad? Dr. Alex Jadad’s mission is to help improve health and wellness for all, through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Dr. Jadad is the founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. He is also spearheading the development of the Global eHealth and eWellness Network Initiative (GENI, pronounced as "genie"), a unique group of individuals, organizations, tools and facilities working in harmony to promote research, development, education, policy, funding, recognition and commercialization activities related to the uses of ICTs to promote optimal levels of health and wellness, worldwide. Dr. Jadad's numerous awards, including a 'National Health Research Scholars Award', by Health Canada (1997), one of 'Canada's Top 40 Under 40' awards (1998), a 'Premier's Research Excellence Award' (1999), the New Pioneers Award in Science and Technology (2002). In 2001 and 2002, he was featured by Time Magazine as one of the new Canadians who will shape the country in the 21st century, and as one of the leading medical researchers in the country. In 2004, he received the Canadian Latin Achievement Award, as one of the people who have made important contributions to the relationship between Canada and the Hispanic world. In 2005, he was selected by the Top 40 Under 40 alumni as one of "The Best of the Best" for achievements in Health and Science, and by his peers in Colombia as the scientist who probably has had the greatest impact in the country's history. Related articles Singularity University Lectures: Science Searches for ET by Seth Shostak Peter Diamandis on Singularity 1 on 1: Singularity University is Star Fleet Academy for the World's Biggest Challenges Singularity University Lectures: Astro Teller on Innovation Singularity University Lectures: Mark Jacobson on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sunlight

Last week Seth Shostak came to speak to Singularity University on how Science Searches for ET. I have to say that Seth's presentation was not only the funniest but also one of the most interesting ones that we have had so far.  It is for this reason that I asked him to let me post his lecture on singularity podcast and he not only agreed but even supplied copies of his presentation slides. Hope you enjoy it and find it as funny as I did. Seth's Slide Presenation Who is Seth Shostak? Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately sixty papers in professional journals. He has written several hundred popular magazine and Web articles on various topics in astronomy, technology, film and television. He lectures on astronomy and other subjects at Stanford and other venues in the Bay Area, and for the last six years, has been a Distinquished Speaker for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also Chair of the International Academy of Astronautics’ SETI Permanent Study Group. Every week he hosts the SETI Institute’s science radio show, “Are We Alone?” Seth has edited and contributed to a half dozen books. His most recent tome is Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Related articles Singularity University Lectures: Mark Jacobson on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sunlight Singularity University Lectures: Astro Teller on Innovation Peter Diamandis on Singularity 1 on 1: Singularity University is Star Fleet Academy for the World's Biggest Challenges Google's Self-Driving Robocar at Singularity University Singularity University Video Tour

Last Friday Mark Jacobson came to speak to Singularity University on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sun. I have to admit that even though his presentation was very technical I enjoyed it immensely. The reason is not only the topic itself but the fact that in the space of an hour Mark managed to make such a powerful argument about the importance and feasibility of wind, water and solar power that he completely changed my views on the rationale behind and necessity of nuclear energy. It is for this reason that I asked Prof. Jacobson to let me post his lecture on singularity podcast and he not only agreed but even supplied copies of his presentation slides. Here are Mark`s slides as a .pdf file in 2 parts: Mark Jacobson - Powering the World Part 1 Mark Jacobson - Powering the World Part 2 After seeing the presentation in person I did sought other interesting videos of Mark`s and found this interesting 2010 TED video. The clip is a debate betweeen Mark Jacobson and Stewart Brand on the pros and cons of nuclear energy: Finally, I want to share with you how Mark Jacobson not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. He is not only a brilliant scientist but also a really nice guy. During lunch a bunch of us asked him to give us a ride in his Tesla and Mark spent about half an hour in taking a dozen SingularityU students for a ride around campus. Related articles Peter Diamandis on Singularity 1 on 1: Singularity University is Star Fleet Academy for the World's Biggest Challenges Singularity University Lectures: Astro Teller on Innovation Singularity University Video Tour

Many of you have asked me to post my lectures and, on those rare occasions that I can, I do so with pleasure. Last week we had Astro Teller's lecture on Innovation and so far it is one of my top five most favorite lectures here at Singularity University. Special thanks to both Astro and Singularity University who agreed to let me publish the class in full for it is indeed simply the best lecture on innovation that I have ever heard. Enjoy! Who is Astro Teller? Dr. Astro Teller is currently Director of New Projects for Google, working to help the company explore new potential business areas. Astro is also co-founder and a current Director of Cerebellum Capital, Inc, a hedge fund management firm whose investments are continuously designed, executed, and improved by a software system based on techniques from statistical machine learning. Astro is also co-founder and a current Director of BodyMedia, Inc, a leading wearable body monitoring company. From 2007 to 2010, Astro was the founding CEO of Cerebellum Capital. From 1999 to 2007, Dr. Teller was the founding CEO of BodyMedia, Inc. From 2003 to 2010, Astro was a co-founder and Chairman of Zivio Technologies, an intellectual property holding company. Prior to starting BodyMedia, Dr. Teller was co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Sandbox Advanced Development, an advanced development technology company. Before his tenure as a business executive, Dr. Teller taught at Stanford University and was an engineer and researcher for Phoenix Laser Technologies, Stanford's Center for Integrated Systems, and The Carnegie Group Incorporated. Dr. Teller holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Stanford University, Masters of Science in symbolic and heuristic computation, also from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Hertz fellowship. As a respected scientist and seasoned entrepreneur, Teller has successfully created and grown five companies and holds numerous U.S. patents related to his work in hardware and software technology. Dr. Teller's work in science, literature, art, and business has appeared in international media from the New York Times to CNN to NPR's "All Things Considered." Teller regularly gives invited talks for national and international technology, government, and business forums on the subject of the future of intelligent technology. Video Update: Here is the full video of Astro's presentation:

Last week I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Peter Diamandis for Singularity 1 on 1. (As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full.) Peter is not a very tall man but I have to say that he has the energy of a giant because interviewing him is like plugging into a nuclear power plant - afterwords I felt as if I got 10 gigawatts worth of energy straight into my batteries. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: his personal background and early childhood dream to become an asteroid space-miner; his motivation, goals and aspirations for Singularity University; his personal 10^9 project (aimed at positively impacting the lives of a billion people within 10 years); the book on abundance that he is currently working on; his take on the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it. I would like to thank Singularity University for allowing me to use their campus studio and especially Matt Rutherford for his crucial support in filming. Who is Peter Diamandis? Dr. Diamandis is a self-admitted nine-year-old child-space-enthusiast and a visionary who dreams big and has the resume to prove that "the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself." Just some of his resume highlights include: the Founder and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation; co-Founder and Managing Director of Space Adventures; the CEO and co-founder of Zero Gravity Corporation; and, most recently, the Rocket Racing League; the International Space University and the Singularity University. (If you want to learn more about Peter Diamandis visit his profile page on SingularitySymposium.com) Rutherford Related articles Peter Diamandis and the Technological Singularity (singularitysymposium.com)

Last week I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Peter Diamandis for Singularity 1 on 1. Peter is not a very tall man but I have to say that he has the energy of a giant because interviewing him is like plugging into a nuclear power plant […]

Last week I was privileged to get a 30 min interview with Peter Diamandis for Singularity 1 on 1. Peter is not a very tall man but I have to say that he has the energy of a giant because interviewing him is like plugging into a nuclear power plant – afterwords I felt as […]

Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is award winning science fiction author Charles Stross. It was his seminal singularity book Accelerando that not only won the 2006 Locus Award (in addition to being a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and on the final ballot for the Hugo Award) but was also at least in part responsible for my launching of SingularitySymposium.com and SingularityWeblog.com. During my conversation with Charlie we discuss issues such as: his early interest in and love for science fiction; his work as a "code monkey" for a start up company during the first dot com boom of the late nineties and the resulting short sci fi story Lobsters (which eventually turned into Accelerando); his upcoming book Rule 34; his take on the human condition, brain uploading, the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it. (As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full.) Who is Charles Stross? Charles Stross, 46, is a full-time science fiction writer and resident of Edinburgh, Scotland. The winner of two Locus Reader Awards and winner of the 2005 and 2010 Hugo awards for best novella, Stross' works have been translated into over twelve languages. Like many writers, Stross has had a variety of careers, occupations, and job-shaped-catastrophes in the past, from pharmacist (he quit after the second police stake-out) to first code monkey on the team of a successful dot-com startup (with brilliant timing he tried to change employer just as the bubble burst). Related articles Vernor Vinge on Singularity 1 on 1: We Can Surpass the Wildest Dreams of Optimism Jaron Lanier on Singularity 1 on 1: The Singularity Is A Religion for Geeks Kevin Kelly On Singularity 1 on 1: Technology Doesn’t Want A Singularity Question Everything: Max More on Singularity 1 on 1 Aubrey de Grey on Singularity 1 on 1: Better Funding and Advocacy Can Defeat Aging

Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is award winning science fiction author Charlie Stross. It was his seminal singularity book Accelerando that not only won the 2006 Locus Award (in addition to being a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and on the final ballot for […]

Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is award winning science fiction author Charlie Stross. It was his seminal singularity book Accelerando that not only won the 2006 Locus Award (in addition to being a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and on the final ballot for the Hugo Award) but was […]

Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is Jaron Lanier. Jaron lives in Berkeley, California and, like John Horgan, is one of the better known critics of both Ray Kurzweil and the technological singularity. Unlike many other critics, however, Lanier is neither a technophobe nor a Luddite. In fact, he is known as the father of virtual reality technology. In addition, Jaron has worked on the interface between computer science and medicine, physics, and neuro-science. Most recently he is the author of a manifesto titled You Are Not a Gadget. I thought of asking Jaron for an interview right after I watched a couple of YouTube videos where he argues that the Singularity is a new religion for geeks. Though I certainly disagree with this claim of his, I still think that his book is a great read with a lot of sound arguments about the pitfalls of legacy software backed up by several solid examples. Unfortunately, I have to admit that in my opinion his reasoning during our conversation did not strike me to be as sound as that of his book. This, however, may well be a direct result of my arguably poor questions. Perhaps I somehow failed to lead the conversation in the most productive and constructive manner... Anyway, as always you can listen to or download the audio file above and don’t hesitate to let me know what you think! Related articles Singularity Is a Religion Just for Digital Geeks The First Church of Robotics (Jaron's Op-Ed at the NY Times)