Ian and Jesse return to the topic of Vertical Farming to discuss the present and near-future of the industry and movement. Ian gives his account of working in the world's first commercial vertical farm: what worked, what didn't, and how the problems might be solved in the future!

Links to topics discussed:

Association for Vertical Farming

Urban Agriculture podcast

The Plant in Chicago

The Plant's amazing diagram

News of Local Garden opening

News of Local Garden closing (more details)

Indoor Agriculure Conference

Vertical Harvest in Wyoming

Theme music, used with permission, by Jonathan Coulton.

Ian and Jesse discuss the history and possible future of agriculture, and the concept of growing crops indoors, without soil, stacked in vertical levels. Will vertical farming be the solution to our growing challenges of pollution, population, and land and water use?

Links to topics discussed:

Vertical Farming

Dickson Despommiers

Vertical Farm (book)

Urban Agriculture (podcast)

Plato's Dialogues
(this one is recommended)

Socratic Method

Theme music, used with permission, by Jonathan Coulton.

In this bonus short episode Ian and Jesse discuss EPCOT, Walt Disney's vision for a planned futuristic society, not to be confused with the existing theme park, Epcot. The movie (and Disneyland attraction) Tomorrowland was based on a real idea! What might a true "city of tomorrow" have looked like, and would living in such a place be worth the tradeoffs?

Links to topics discussed:

Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow concept

Epcot Theme Park

Tomorrowland movie

Disney World

Walt Disney

The audio quality in this episode, while perfectly listenable, is not to the standard we hope to keep. We apologize! The issue has been resolved since this episode's recording, so look forward to a quick return to a top quality podcast listening experience.

Theme music, used with permission, by Jonathan Coulton.

Ian and Jesse discuss how humanity's future is treated in popular fiction (mostly movies). Why do so many of our favourite stories have such a pessimistic outlook on our ability to build a better tomorrow, and what are some of the best works of fiction that present a positive view of the future? Don't forget to share your favourite pro-future works on our Facebook page!

Links to topics discussed:

Movies and Shows:
Tomorrowland
The Martian
Her
The Fifth Element
The Jetsons
Star Trek
Firefly
Back To The Future II
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Battlestar Galactica

JFK Speech at Rice University

Real Life Hoverboards

Mormonism in Battlestar Galactica

Theme music, by Jonathan Coulton, is used with permission.

Ian and Jesse discuss wearable technologies like the Apple Watch and Google Glass. These devices are the next step in our continuing trend to integrate technology into our lives and bodies. What do wearable devices offer that traditional gadgets don't, and are they leading towards implanted cybernetic devices?

Links to topics discussed:

Apple Watch:
http://www.apple.com/watch/

Google Glass:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass

The Verge article on Apple Watch:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/27/8483131/apple-watch-vs-mechanical-price-specs-martenero-ceo-interview

Theme music, used with permission, by Jonathan Coulton.

Ian and Jesse discuss life on an interstellar starship. When humanity begins to spread throughout the cosmos to explore and colonize new star systems, it will likely take many generations to travel the vast distances. What will it be like for those whose entire lives take place in transit between solar systems?

Links to topics discussed:

Interstellar's black hole breakthrough:
http://www.wired.com/2014/10/astrophysics-interstellar-black-hole/

Project Orion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29

100 Year Starship: 
http://100yss.org/

Freeman Dyson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson

Theme music, used with permission, by Jonathan Coulton.

Ian and Jesse discuss Elon Musk and his proposal for a new high speed inter-city transportation technology, Hyperloop. If you could travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes (fully powered by solar panels), how would that affect your life?

Links to topics discussed:

Hyperloop:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop

Elon Musk's initial proposal (pdf):
http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/hyperloop_alpha-20130812.pdf

Elon Musk:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk

SpaceX:
http://www.spacex.com/

Tesla Motors:
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/

Solar City:
http://www.solarcity.com/