GeekSpeak

[Vulcan Viper]

Should we answer the WOW! signal?

In 1977 a signal from space was detected, a signal that might have come from aliens.  It is now known as the WOW! Signal.  There are rumours that a second WOW! signal was received recently from the same area.  Should we answer it?

It might be dangerous to let aliens know we are here.  Perhaps we should hide.  On the other hand, they probably can detect our presence anyway and not answering could be considered rude.  And it would be amazing to contact aliens.

Will they come here?  Where will they land?  The White House lawn?  Montana?  The middle of the sea?  Are there protocols for ‘first contact’?

Join us at GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss our plans for meeting aliens.  Because they are probably out there, somewhere.  Bring a star map.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Can we get rid of oil?  Should we?

We have all heard about the problems of oil: climate change, pollution, wars.  So perhaps we should all stop using it?  Or do you think that we should continue to use it while we have it because there is nothing that can take its place?

What can replace oil?  Solar power, nuclear power, wind or water power?  Will attempting to live without oil increase poverty?  Is that too high a price to pay?

If we do get rid of oil what will the world look like politically?  Which countries will be dominant in the new world?  Will the new political arrangement be an improvement?

How long will it take to get rid of oil? Ten years, fifty years?  And what waits for us on the other side?

Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to discuss the end of the most dangerous time in the history of Earth.  Let’s celebrate together.  Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Let’s talk astronomy!

This week we will talk about stargazing.  For thousands of years people have looked up at the stars, imagined pictures in the night sky, tried to understand how the universe worked, what planets are and how and why they move.  How would we think about the universe and our place in it if we lived on a planet where you could not see the stars?

Do you stargaze?  Join our star party at noon SLT on Saturday to talk about the stars and how we can enjoy the night sky.

This is a field where amateurs can still do real science.  And it is so much fun.  Bring your friends.  And a telescope!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What drives Creativity?

What makes people creative?  And what does creativity do for society?  Could we manage without it?  Can AI be creative?

Do you think of yourself as a creative person?  Do you want to explore how creative you actually are?  (Hint: much more than you think!)  How can we become more creative?

Does being creative make you happy?  Or perhaps you think it can make people sad?  Or unpleasant?  A lot of great artists have been very nasty people.

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to talk about the ups and downs of creativity.  Bring a brush, or a cooking pan or a camera, and let us know what your creative ideas are.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Let the robots on the loose!

This month the space era will truly start with mass transport to space. We will probably send zillions of robots and millions of humans into space. But should we be sending humans at all? It is very expensive and very dangerous. Should space belong only to robots?

Or should we share space out between us? Will the moon be robot territory since it is not likely that humans can live there? And Mars could be for humans?

Or will we stay safe at home and let our machines explore the universe and have all the fun? Does that destroy the very reason for wanting to explore space?

Join us on Saturday at noon SLT at GeekSpeak and let’s discuss how to explore the universe. Bring all your space friends, and robots!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

The James Webb Space Telescope!

What will it show us? This week NASA showed us the first images from the JWST. There will be plenty more to come. What will we discover? What answers will the telescope give us? Will it find life on other planets, perhaps advanced civilisations? Will it tell us how the universe began?

And when it gives us answers will it also give us new questions? What questions about the universe do you want answers to? Can we ever know what the universe really looks like?

Will the JWST change our view of our place in the cosmos? Does it make you proud to be human? Or is the sheer size and complexity of the universe frightening?

Join us at GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to discuss the JWST and its pictures. Bring your fellow geeks!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Can we still pick low-hanging fruit in science?

Science seems to require so much money and so many people nowadays. But are there still fields where ordinary people, amateurs, can discover things? In the past a lot of discoveries were made by amateurs, sometimes people like Mary Anning who were not allowed to be professionals.

But even now discoveries are made in astronomy, archaeology, biology and other fields by amateurs. Amateurs like Clara Lazen or Thomas Bopp.

Perhaps there are fields that exclude amateurs, like materials science. But who knows? Join us on Saturday at noon SLT to discover what you could potentially discover. Put on a lab coat and safety goggles and bring your microscopes.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What are the Best and the Worst inventions/discoveries ever made?

If you were to draw up a list of all the important milestones in the history of our species, what would be at the top of that list?  Would you put fire at the top?  Or writing, painkillers, the invention of shoes?

And what would be on the worst inventions list?  The nuclear bomb, sugar refining, Twitter?

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday and let’s talk about the really big milestones and gravestones.  There may be some very unexpected answers … so bring all your brains, and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Is AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) the last invention we will ever make?

Maybe just a few short years from now AGI will be announced.  A superintelligent AI that thinks like a human and can solve problems.  And of course write new AGI programs. How would such an AI affect humanity?  Would we ever need to invent anything again?  Would we ever again need to think of solutions to problems?  Could we leave everything to the AGI?

Or maybe you think such an AI would be dangerous.  Perhaps we would need one more invention, the way to destroy it.  Should we open that Pandora’s box?

Do we need an AGI?  Can we manage our own future without it?  Would such an AGI necessarily be self-aware?  Or would we be ruled by a mindless program that could not be controlled?

Chance favours the prepared mind so come along to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss this upcoming technology shock.  Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How do we save our planet?

There are so many things that threaten Earth or life on Earth or human life on Earth.  What should be done about them all?  And what should we, as individuals, do about all the threats?

Climate change threatens all life.  Plastic pollution threatens all marine life and maybe all life.  Habitat destruction threatens thousands of species.  Pandemics and the dishonesty of Big Pharma threaten human life.  Then there is the threat of an asteroid hit, of nuclear war, of deliberate biological attack.

What should we be doing?  Is there any hope?  Or maybe you don’t think there is any serious danger?  Or perhaps the only answer is to change the way our societies are run?

Come and join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss the danger we are in.  Bring anyone who is worried about it.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Will we win the Space Race?  Does it matter?

On Friday 2nd September, the Artemis 1 moon rocket will launch towards the moon.  If it fails, the moon race will probably be won by China.  Either way, humanity is, hopefully, heading for a future where people live and work on the moon.

The trip will last 42 days, and the spacecraft will have a high-definition video on board.  Come to GeekSpeak this Saturday at noon SLT and celebrate this historic moment with us and discuss where we will be going on the moon, and why.

Will we look up one day and realize that someone is also looking down?   Bring your space buddies!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Would you like to see a living mammoth?  Or a living dodo?  A passenger pigeon, a Tasmanian tiger, a pterodactyl?

What reasons do we have for bringing back species?  Would these species be useful in our present ecosystems?  Would you like to farm them for food?  Or keep them as pets?  Do we owe resurrection to species that have been made extinct by humans?  Is simple curiosity a good enough reason?

Where would these species live if we brought them back?  Is there room in the wild for them?  Would they have to be kept in zoos?

Should we bring back extinct human species?  Or is that a step too far?

Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday and discuss all the species we may soon be able to see.  And any new species that we may be able to make.  Pink elephants?  Giant chickens laying giant eggs?  Bring your friends and their DNA!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What if some inventions were never made?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT and let’s ask what the world would look like if certain inventions were never made, or certain events never happened.  What if no one invented the wheel, or writing?  What if there was no industrial revolution?  No steam engine?  No internal combustion engine?

Were some things invented too early or too late to be used?  Were some good inventions rejected because they were not fashionable?  Can you think of any inventions that were really needed but were never made?

Or perhaps you think that inventions always happen if they are needed.  What inventions do we need now?

Come and discuss how different the world could be.  Bring your history books, and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How will the war affect Europe?

What will the war do to Europe and the rest of the world?  It may be that all possible outcomes will change Europe forever.  If Russia wins Europe will lose its grain, and Russia may continue to expand.  If Russia loses will it become unimportant?  What country will take over its power?  Or, worst outcome of all, will the war lead to WW3?

Can Europe become self-sufficient in energy production?  Or will we sell our energy souls to some other country?

How will the war affect the power balance between Russia, America and China?

How will European culture change after the war?  Will we ever be able to visit Moscow again?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss the future of history and perhaps the end of the world.  Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Will Batteries save the Planet?

For the last decade or so we have been told to save energy.  What we need is some device that will store energy so that none of it is lost.  And the answer is: Batteries!

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT and explore with us how batteries will save the planet and how they will save the way we work and live.  Oil and wars caused by oil could disappear, as could nuclear power, simply because they are not needed anymore.

There are batteries in many shapes and forms, some of which you will never have heard of.  Let’s find out what batteries are possible.  Our future is electric, and this week we want to prove it to you.  Join us and bring all your batteries!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

The Humanoids are coming!

More and more humanoid robots are being designed.  Why do people want them?  Are they more useful than other robots?  Do people feel more comfortable with them?  Will they soon be commonplace?

What will humanoid robots mean for our economy, our humanity, our culture?  Will there be a new ‘digital divide’ between people who have a humanoid bot and those who don’t have one?  Will the new bots take our jobs?

Or do you think that there will never be many humanoid robots?  Do you dislike the idea?  What about the uncanny valley?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss our weird future.  Bring your bot friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Is it possible that one day Humanity will be One?

Maybe one day we will all realise that everything would be a lot better if we all just worked together.  Perhaps unity will be forced on us by climate change or an alien invasion or a mind-altering mushroom attack.

What would happen?  Would we form a world government, use just one currency and live happily ever after? Would we move out into the universe as a united species?  Or would worldwide unity fail?  Are humans just not designed for unity?  Perhaps our divisions are healthy.  Perhaps without them we would be too complacent to achieve anything at all.

Do you look forward to unity?  Or do you consider it dangerous?  Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss the future of our species.  Bring all your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How will YOU live in the near future?

What will your life be like in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years?  Will you own a car or use a robotaxi?  Will you live in a car because it is cheaper than a house and technology will make it very comfortable?  Or maybe in a house that can transform into a car?

10 years ago, no one would think of owning more than one computer.  10 years from now, will you own several robots?  Will you have a robot pet that will double as a house alarm?  Or a robot child?  Will you still need a job?  Maybe all jobs will be taken by robots.

Things can change really fast.  Remember that 15 years ago, nobody had even heard of a smartphone.  Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to discuss your future.  Bring your friends and your robot pets!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

Edited November 10, 2022 by Vulcan Viper

[Vulcan Viper]

Should we be more logical?  Or are we all right as we are?

Is it dangerous that the world is run by irrational, emotional humans?  Should we turn our culture into a Vulcan culture?  Should we teach kids critical thinking and force politicians to listen to science?  Or even, as some people have suggested, have scientists run the country?

Or is our natural, human way of doing things the best way?  And why should we trust scientists to get things right when they are just as illogical and human as the rest of us?

Maybe we should use our human emotions to help the world.  Make utopian movies and songs and get people to be optimistic and hopeful about the future.

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT and discuss how to improve the world.  Bring a whiteboard and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Earth: A New Hope?

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 how the world will look if everything goes well? Does space exploration offer hope? Is there an invention that would bring hope? A book? A movie? Or even a pop singer? What do we need to show us a bright future for humanity?

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to talk about all the reasons for hope. Bring a notebook and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

The Next Big Thing

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 afterwards 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 important thing that will happen in this century?

Join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT. We want to pick your brain and see if it is working. Bring a pen, and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

The City of 2050! What will it be like?

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 there be buildings 1000 floors high, or perhaps 1000 floors deep? And vertical gardens and farms?

Would you like to live in any of these possible future cities? Please join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss your future if you are a city dweller.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

Edited January 27, 2023 by Vulcan Viper

[Vulcan Viper]

Why and When will energy become Free?

Let’s be optimistic and say that energy will become free for everyone over the next 10 years. Maybe a bit longer if things don’t work out perfectly.  Come and join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss how it will happen and what it will mean for the future of humanity.  Will it lead to other resources becoming free?  Will all goods be free eventually?

Do you think the increasing use of solar and wind energy and the development of better batteries will lead to energy being free?  Or do you want to tell us that energy will never be free and money will always be important?  Either way, join us to take a look at the weird world we may see in 20 years.  Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Can we cheat Death?

 

Will we soon be able to prolong our lives, even perhaps live for ever? By uploading our minds to computers, by slowly replacing our organic neurons by silicon chips, by buying or stealing young organs from others, by reversing the degeneration caused by ageing, by freezing our bodies? How many methods of cheating death will become available?

 

Would cheating death in these ways be wise, or moral? Would you want to live for ever? Are you afraid you might be forced to live for ever even if you wanted to die?

 

Join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss what all this will mean for humanity. Bring all your friends! It’s a matter of life and death!

 

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What would a Society of Robots look like?

Let’s imagine that in 10 years’ time robots have taken over the earth.  Humans are either extinct or kept as pets.  What will the new robotic society look like?

Will robots live together peacefully, or will they have wars like us?  Will they have belief systems and political parties?  Will they build telescopes and spaceships and discover the stars?  Or will they do nothing that is not obviously practical?

Will they form robot families and friendships or be solitary?  Will they be able to change their nature to suit their ideas of the perfect society, as we cannot.

Will their society eventually fail?  Maybe humans will have to clean up the scraps after the age of the bots.

Join us at GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss the coming robot society.  No robots allowed, so bring all your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51