The Future And You

Paul Levinson (author, media commentator and professor) is today's featured guest.

Topics: eyeglass computers will replace smart phones; group decision-making as opposed to individual; the one benefit of writer's groups; debating on TV the banning of violent videogames; being told to Shut-Up! while on-air by Bill O'Reily; playing God as a fiction writer; how the viral nature of the internet not only defeats the traditional gate-keepers but it can let every artist--no matter how small or isolated or obscure--find the audience that will love their work.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 16, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 50 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 5, 2011.

Paul Levinson is professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. He has a Bachelors in Journalism, a Masters in Media Studies and a Doctorate in Media Ecology.

He is the author of five novels of science fiction and/or fantasy; as well as nine non-fiction books. He served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 1998 to 2001. As a commentator on media, popular culture, and science fiction he has been interviewed over 500 times on television and radio. And his op-eds have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York's Newsday, and the New York Sun.

Prior to his academic career, Paul Levinson was a songwriter, singer and record producer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with recordings by The Vogues, Donna Marie of The Archies and Ellie Greenwich. As a radio producer he worked with Murray the K and Wolfman Jack.

This is Part Nine of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Paul Levinson (author, media commentator and professor) is today's featured guest.

Topics: how protests (such as the one going on at the moment in Egypt) will be forever changed because of the media technology available to the public; why he calls the Internet the medium-of-media; Freedom of speech and Kieth Olbermann; the impact of cell phones, whether it is better for an author's career to be published online or on paper or through the Amazon Kindle.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 9, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 43 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on February 5, 2011.

Paul Levinson is professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. He has a Bachelors in Journalism, a Masters in Media Studies and a Doctorate in Media Ecology.

He is the author of five novels of science fiction and/or fantasy; as well as nine non-fiction books. He served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 1998 to 2001. As a commentator on media, popular culture, and science fiction he has been interviewed over 500 times on television and radio. And his op-eds have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York's Newsday, and the New York Sun.

Prior to his academic career, Paul Levinson was a songwriter, singer and record producer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with recordings by the Vogues, Donna Marie of The Archies and Ellie Greenwich. As a radio producer he worked with Murray the K and Wolfman Jack.

Marshall Brain (founder of HowStuffWorks.com) is today's featured guest.

Topics: Netflix verses Blockbuster; his essay Robotic Nation; how jobs are created and destroyed by technological innovation; a new bio-fuel; human population may plateau at about 9 billion; his project DecidingToBeBetter.com.

Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, which grew into one of the top Web sites in the country. He sold it to Discovery Communications in 2007 for $250 million. He hosted the TV show Factory Floor which appeared on the National Geographic channel. And he has written a number of books, articles and essays, which -- just like the famous website he created -- explain in a no-nonsense way how stuff works. A perfect example is his article "How to make a million dollars." Which can be read for free on his website: MarshallBrain.com.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 2, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 36 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan. 22, 2011.

News Items:

[1] A new material could reduce charge-time for Lithium-ion batteries by a factor of 40. Handy for laptops, but it could be revolutionary for electric cars.

[2] A new interactive store window will allow passersby to shop even after store hours. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have developed a system using a series of cameras to take detailed pictures of potential customers as they approach the store window. A software program then transforms the shoppers’ hand and eye movements and facial expressions into commands. For instance, if a woman points to a designer handbag in the window, an image of it will appear on a display behind the shop window. When she points to a button, the handbag rotates on the screen to give the shopper the full view.

[3] A cloaking technology that bends sound waves around an object could render submarines and other underwater objects undetectable to sonar. The technique, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois, employs a highly engineered metamaterial to bend the waves around an object. Stealth submarines are an obvious potential military application for acoustic cloaking, but researchers also see possible medical applications, since many medical scans rely on sound waves. This new metamaterial could theoretically be used in a bandage that would curb disruption or interference from other body parts that sometimes interfere with ultrasound scanning, thus making these scans more accurate.

[4] Your host's birthday is tomorrow (February 3, 2011).

This is Part Seven of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Marshall Brain (founder of HowStuffWorks.com) is today's featured guest.

Topics: How and why he created HowStuffWorks.com; his work on Brain Stuff and DecidingToBeBetter.com; behind the scenes while making his TV show Factory Floor; and why he promotes the idea that starting a business is a great idea.

Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, which grew into one of the top Web sites in the country. He sold it to Discovery Communications in 2007 for $250 million. He hosted the TV show Factory Floor which appeared on the National Geographic channel. He has written a number of books, articles and essays, which -- just like the famous website he created -- explain in a no-nonsense way how stuff works. A perfect example is his article How to make a million dollars. Which can be read for free on his website: MarshallBrain.com.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 26, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 44 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan 22, 2011.

This is Part Six of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

This is Part Five of ten weekly instalments which will contain the complete text of the science fiction thriller Bones Burnt Black.

Plot: A methodical serial killer sabotages a large commercial spacecraft's engines to keep it on a trajectory to burn up in the sun, and then remains aboard the craft to murder and torment its passengers and crew.

This audio-book (read by the author, and being released in ten parts over a ten week period) will contain the complete text of the original paperback version (which was published and copyrighted 2004).

These audio files are released under the Creative Commons--noncommercial, no derivative works--2.5 license, which may be viewed at CreativeCommons.org. Briefly, this means you may--indeed you are encouraged to--copy these audio files as many times as you wish, and give them away to as many people as you wish. But you may not copy only a portion of any one audio file, you may not charge anyone any amount of money for them, and you may not use any portion of them to make something new.

If you enjoy this book please share it with a friend.

Thank you.

Stephen Euin Cobb

Michael A. Solomon (illustrator and 3D animator) is today's featured guest.

Topic: 3D animation. An assessment of its explosive growth in the last ten years; a behind the scenes look at the software and hardware being used to create it; and why it is now possible for a home hobbyist to create professional grade 3D animations.

Michael A Solomon is a professional illustrator and 3D animator. His company, Eye of Solomon, does a wide variety of commercial art for its clients including 3D animations. This Honda commercial is a good example his ability to integrate 3D animation with live action footage.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the January 12, 2011 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 45 minutes] This interview was recorded as a Skype-to-Skype call on Jan 8, 2011.