GeekSpeak – Is Space a waste of money? Join the discussion on March 11th at 12pm slt

Why do we spend so much money on Space when there are so many causes that need money down here?  Shouldn’t Earth come first?This is an often-heard complaint about the space industry so let’s address it.  Why do we spend money on launching satellites, going to the moon or Mars, exploring Pluto, finding out about exoplanets, and planning a future in space? Perhaps you think we should not put money into space.  Or...

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GeekSpeak – The City of 2050! What will it be like? Join the discussion Saturday Jan 28th at 12pm SLT

 What will the cities of the future look like?  Flying drones everywhere?  Tunnels underground?  A dome over every city?Will the cities of 2050 be filled with green plants and open spaces?  Or will they be made of tightly packed cubicles?Will the streets be full of rubbish, or will bots clean it all up?  Will there still be cars on the streets?  Or will we see moving walkways everywhere?  Will...

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GeekSpeak – The Next Big Thing- Join the discussion on Saturday, January 21st at 12pm SLT

What do you think is the next big change that will push humanity in a different direction?  Something so important that people will look back afterward and wonder what life was like before it happened.Any suggestion is welcome.  It could be an invention, a big natural change, a new scientific theory, a development in medicine, a change in our diet, or maybe a new cultural or religious idea.  What do you see as the most...

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GeekSpeak – Earth: A New Hope? Join the discussion on Saturday, January 14th at 12pm SLT

In the darkest part of the year, at the start of a new one, we need to ask what will bring hope to the world.  Hope means something different for everyone and we all have our own personal hopes.  But how can we give humanity as a whole some hope for the future?  What is needed to turn the current feeling of hopelessness around?Should we talk about all the progress that has been made in the past?  Or describe...

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GeekSpeak - 2023! Where will it take us? Join the discussion Saturday, December 31st at 12pm SLT

 What are your predictions, hopes, and fears, for 2023 and beyond?Will we see asteroid mining, a moon base, people on Mars?  Worldwide democracy, an end to war?  A cure for cancer?Or will we see World War 3?  And the collapse of civilisation? And new pandemics from artificial viruses?Where do you see Europe, USA, Iran, China, Russia going in 2023? Tell us what you fear and hope for, for the world or personally....

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GeekSpeak – Will there be Christmas on Pluto? Join the discussion Saturday December 24th at 12:00 pm SLT

If you were living there, on Star Date 29941426, would you celebrate Earthly events?  It would be difficult to celebrate a midwinter feast on a planet with a long year where most people never experience winter.  And will you celebrate your Earth birthday or your Pluto or Mars birthday?  Would your age, measured in years, change as you moved from planet to planet?  How do you compare the ages of Earthlings and...

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GeekSpeak – Why do technologies fail? Join the discussion on Saturday Jan 4th at 12pm SLT.

There are technologies that disappear simply because the next technology is better.  But some technologies had a big promise but never got anywhere. What happened to carbon nanotubes, nanotechnology, 3d printing?  Where are the personal submarines?  Where is 3d television?  Where is the Segway? Why were some technologies not repurposed for other uses?  Surely more could have been done with...

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GeekSpeak – Is it our purpose to colonise the universe? Join the discussion Saturday November 30th at 12pm SLT

If we assume there is no other life in the universe, should we humans try religiously to ‘seed’ the universe with life?  Would that be our purpose?  If not, what is our purpose? If we cannot colonise distant planets, will some religious groups start sending capsules of bacteria out to distant stars?  Will that be the religion of the future?  Should we all become ‘seeders’ for the ‘church of the universe’?  Will...

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GeekSpeak – Are the World’s Currencies about to collapse? Join the discussion Saturday Nov 23rd 12pm SLT

The voices that say a collapse is imminent are getting louder and louder.  Even the most serious hotshots in the world markets are starting to scratch their heads.  What would such a collapse look like?  Will there be safe havens in other currencies?  How long will they be safe from the collapse? What will the aftermath look like?  Will the world’s governments come up with a solution, and how...

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GeekSpeak – Healing the Earth- Join the discussion Saturday Nov 16th at 12pm SLT

So much damage has been done to the planet.  Deforestation, seas filled with plastic, acid rain.  This week we will be talking about the various ways in which humanity has started to clean up the world.  There are many efforts underway, from recycling plastic to planting millions of trees. What is really needed to make cleaning up economically viable?  Can we think of ways to make money out of it?  Will...

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SL GeekSpeak – Do you look at the future with Fear or with Hope? Join the discussion September 21st at 12pm SLT

On the one hand, we are all healthier than we were and living longer.  The number of people in severe poverty decreases all the time.  Technology improves all the time.  We now accept our responsibility to protect the natural world.  And we will soon be moving out into space and founding colonies on other planets. On the other hand, there is always the danger of a third World War, government agencies...

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GeekSpeak – how do we stop the paperclip maximizer? Join the discussion Saturday September 7th at 12pm SLT

The paperclip maximizer is an AI that makes paperclips and never stops making them.  Its existence, or possible existence, presents us with the problem of how to talk to an AI.  For example, if we say “AI, make me a lot of paperclips” will the AI then start to convert the entire solar system into paperclips.  Can we stop such a runaway AI?  Or will it eventually kill itself?  If the paperclip maximizer...

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GeekSpeak – reaching a Kardashev Type 1 civilization. Join the Discussion on Saturday, August 31st at 12pm SLT

Reaching level 1 on the Kardashev scale means storing and using all the energy that the earth gets from the sun.  We will reach this when we increase our energy production about a million-fold.  Can we ever get there?  Will we need to hollow out the earth and use all the asteroids around? What will happen if we do not reach it?  Will we fall back to stone age energy levels, or is there a middle way? What...

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GeekSpeak – what should we do with all the objects in space? Join the discussion Saturday 29th June at 12pm SLT

Would you like to hitch a ride on Oumuamua, the extra-solar traveller that stayed here for a short time?  Do you support Comet Interceptor, the ESA plan to be ready for the next interstellar visitor, so that we can gather information from it?  Who knows, some interstellar visitors may be alien drones.Or would you like to capture an asteroid as JAXA plans to do?  To mine it, to understand it, to figure out how we could live in...

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GeekSpeak – Where is money going? Join the discussion Oct 27th at 12pm SLT

This week is the 10-year anniversary of the invention of Bitcoin.  Let’s take this opportunity to explore what bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have brought us. Many countries around the world are now ditching the US dollar.  What currency will they take up instead?  Could this be the best chance for cryptocurrencies? What will the financial future of the world look like?  Will we end up with a world currency? ...

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GeekSpeak – book and link exchange party! Join us on Saturday July 21st at 12pm SLT

Which science books, science websites or science youtube channels are your favourites?  And why?  This week we will be talking about the best science spots on the net or in the library.  What do you like best?  Are there some books or websites you like but don’t understand?  Maybe you can find help at GeekSpeak.  Or maybe there are some science subjects that you think should be written about.  Maybe someone...

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GeekSpeak – Uploading minds to Computers- Part 2 Join the Discussion Saturday March 31st at 12pm SLT

Do you think it will ever be possible to copy the pattern of neurons in a person’s brain and then upload that information to a computer so that the person continues to live as a form of AI?  If that were done would the new AI be the same person as before?  Would it be a conscious, aware person at all?If minds could be uploaded to computers would you want to do it yourself?  Would you want it for people you love, who would otherwise...

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SL GeekSpeak – Uploading Minds to Computers- Join the Discussion on Saturday March 24th at 12pm SLT

Do you think it will ever be possible to copy the pattern of neurons in a person’s brain and then upload that information to a computer so that the person continues to live as a form of AI?  If that were done would the new AI be the same person as before?  Would it be a conscious, aware person at all?If minds could be uploaded to computers would you want to do it yourself?  Would you want it for people you love, who would otherwise...

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SL GeekSpeak – Censorship and our resistance to it. June 10th at 12pm SLT

Most people know that they live in a world where speech and images are censored, on television, in films, on social media.  There are some things that cannot be said and that we are not allowed to see.  But does anyone know how much is censored or who decides what is to be censored and why?What would happen if nothing were censored?  Would that mean freedom or disaster?  Do you think we need more censorship?  Does censorship...

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GeekSpeak – life on an orbital station: Join the discussion Saturday April 22nd at 12pm SLT

It is already possible to visit the International Space Station as a tourist.  When there are several giant space stations just a 10 minute flight from earth many people will want to visit.What will life be like on a zero gravity space station?  Will the stations be the most popular tourist destinations ever?  Or cheap theme parks with bad food?The views of earth will be amazing.  Zero gravity will be fun, at least for a while. ...

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