Space — Podcast — 12 Geniuses

A Life of Abundance in 2073 with Sohail Inayatullah

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.

In this episode, futurist Sohail Inayatullah paints a picture of life in 2073. He describes a peer-to-peer economy moving at lightning speeds that will lead to incredible abundance. He talks about nation states giving way to bio-regions and cultural regions. He shares examples of how leaders in Abu Dhabi and New Zealand are thinking about and designing their futures. Sohail finishes the conversation with his thoughts on what we are doing today that the humans of 2073 will look back at in disbelief.

Dr. Sohail Inayatullah, a political scientist, is Professor at Tamkang University, Taipei (Graduate Institute of Futures Studies), Visiting Academic/Research Associate at Queensland University of Technology (Centre for Social Change Research); Adjunct Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast (Faculty of Social Sciences and the Arts); and, Associate, Transcend Peace University. Dr. Inayatullah is a Fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation and the World Academy of Art and Science. He is on the International Advisory Council of the World Future Society, and on the Professional Board of the Futures Foundation, Sydney. In 1999, he held the UNESCO Chair at the Centre for European Studies, University of Trier, Trier, Germany and the Tamkang Chair in Futures Studies at Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan. From 1981 to 1991, he was senior policy analyst and planner with the Hawaii Judiciary, where he coordinated the Court’s Foresight Program.

“What could it look like? Imagine, then, the nation state giving way. It was created in the 15th, 16th century. It gives way to bio-regions, to cultural regions, to basically an EU in Asia, six big regions united.” Dr. Sohail Inayatullah describing how government might evolve from the nation state in the next 50 to 100 years.

A Non-Obvious Look at Life in 2053 with Rohit Bhargava

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.

In this episode, futurist Rohit Bhargava paints a picture of life in 2053. Rohit talks about the growing desire for analog experiences that deepen human connection, innovative ways for ending loneliness, the future of virtual relationships, and how we will manage our authentic selves in a multi-versal world. Rohit also talks about the future of space exploration. He ends the conversation by talking about some of the things that we are doing today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief.

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is the #1 Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of nine books and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on disruption, trends and marketing in the world. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur and founding two companies, he spent 15 years leading brand strategy at Ogilvy and Leo Burnett where he advised global brands on human behavior, marketing and storytelling.

“We are in a time right now when the Surgeon General just declared loneliness to be an epidemic and loneliness, in essence, is a lack of deep human connection with one another. And I think sometimes the more digitized something gets, the less human connection we feel to it. So, the appeal of analog is we regain that human connection.” Rohit Bhargava in “A Non-Obvious Look at Life in 2053 with Rohit Bhargava” talking about the trend of people choosing experiences that are analog over digital.

Life in 2053: Fusion, Quantum, and AI with Ufuk Tarhan

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.

In this episode, Turkish futurist Ufuk Tarhan paints a picture of life in 2053. In this conversation, Ufuk talks about the transformative nature of fusion energy, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and how these technologies will make life better for humanity over the next three decades. Ufuk goes on to talk about how a social scoring system like what is currently being used in China could be adopted in other parts of the world. She ends the conversation by talking about some of the things that we are doing today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief.

Ufuk Tarhan is a futurist, economist, best-selling author, and a keynote speaker. She is a popular blogger who is the only Turkish woman to appear on Forbes Magazine's "50 Most Influential Female Futurists" and "World's Top 100 Female Futurists" lists. Ufuk is the author of "The Future You Dream Of," a book about future planning for high school students, "T-Human," a winner of the Most Successful Innovative Business Book Award, which describes the successful human model of the future for everyone, and "Don't Leave Tomorrow's Job for Tomorrow," a book about next level for future forecasting for adults.

“Clean energy – very cheap and economic energy – will be possible for most of humanity. The clean energy sources like wind, solar, fusion, hydrogen will be normal for all of us. So that will open up very new and possible developments for all of us – like usage of quantum computers and supercomputers, and ultra lightspeed internet with almost zero cost.” Ufuk Tarhan in “Life in 2053: Fusion, Quantum, and AI with Ufuk Tarhan” discussing the technological advancements we can expect in the next 30 years.

Life in 2073 with Futurist Glen Hiemstra

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.

In this episode, futurist Glen Hiemstra paints a picture of life in 2073 with an emphasis on the continued growth of cities around the world, the near-complete electrification of transportation, the augmentation of labor through intelligent machines, and the growth of the global middle class. Glen also shares three potential scenarios for the evolution of global governance and how the space exploration happening today will it will set the stage for a space economy in the decades to come.

Glen Hiemstra started his career as a college professor at Whitworth University, the University of Washington, and Antioch University, Seattle. For the last 40 years he has been working as a professional futurist. He is also an author, keynote speaker, and consultant to business, professional and government organizations. The founder of Futurist.com, he serves as Futurist Emeritus on the Futurist.com Think Tank. The site is regularly visited by people from over 120 nations. Glen has also served as a Technical Advisor to future-oriented television programs and he still advises and appears in documentaries. He is the author of Turning the Future into Revenue and co-author of Strategic Leadership, and of Millennial City.

“Space is full of resources - from water to minerals of all kinds to hydrogen…we just haven’t ever thought of that being accessible to us. Imagine a future 50 years from now where that is pretty easily accessible to us…it is quite feasible to think of a future in which tens of thousands of people by 2073 will be living and working in low-Earth orbit, between here and the moon, on the moon, on Mars, on certain moons of other planets, and so on.” Futurist Glen Hiemstra talking about the potential of space exploration over the next 50 years.

Futurist Friday with Glen Hiemstra

In this episode, Glen Hiemstra joins the show. Glen started his career as a college professor at Whitworth University, the University of Washington, and Antioch University, Seattle. For the last 40 years he has been working as a professional futurist. He is also an author, keynote speaker, and consultant to business, professional and government organizations. The founder of Futurist.com, he serves as Futurist Emeritus on the Futurist.com Think Tank. The site is regularly visited by people from over 120 nations. Glen has also served as a Technical Advisor to future-oriented television programs and he still advises and appears in documentaries. He is the author of Turning the Future into Revenue and co-author of Strategic Leadership, and of Millennial City.

In this interview, Glen discusses the sources he values and trusts as he does his research. He shares the social trends he is following closely including the eventual decline in global population and the global rise of authoritarian governments. He also talks about two technology trends - space exploration, including his meeting with Elon Musk during the early years of Space X, and energy technologies that transition humans away from fossil fuels - that he is tracking.

Futurist Friday with Ufuk Tarhan

In this episode, Ufuk Tarhan joins the show. Ufuk is a futurist, economist, and a best-selling author in Istanbul. She is the only Turkish woman to appear on Forbes Magazine's "50 Most Influential Female Futurists" and "World's Top 100 Female Futurists" lists. She writes articles for business and future-oriented journals and online platforms, and she is an active and effective social media content creator.

In this interview, Ufuk discusses the wide variety of sources she regularly uses in her research. She shares the trends she is following closely including aging and how a global population that continues to get older will change the way we live. She ends the conversation with a fascinating look at the technology advances that will likely occur through the 2020s all the way to the year 2060.

Season Three Wrap Up

Our theme for Season Three was “The Future” and we had a remarkable group of Geniuses to help us make sense of it. The main lesson we took away is that with time and imagination, the list of impossibilities is a lot smaller than we might think. Both 2020 and this most recent season of 12 Geniuses proved that the unimaginable is definitely not impossible.

For Season Four, we will continue exploring the future and the seemingly impossible. In our first four episodes, we'll look at the future of healthcare education, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Episode One of Season Four will be available on January 12th.

The Future of War with MGySgt Scott H. Stalker

In this episode, Don MacPherson is joined by MGySgt Scott H. Stalker, the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of United States Space Command. They discuss the future of war, including new technology, how we fight, and the importance of protecting equal access to space. They also discuss new and developing threats against American democracy, the dangers of misinformation and manipulation, and the ways in which the United States military is preparing to protect its citizens from new technologies.

MGySgt Scott H. Stalker is the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of the United States Space Command. MGySgt Stalker has dedicated his career to serving in the United States military. Prior to accepting his current position, MGySgt Stalker served as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and United States Cyber Command.

The Future of Transportation (and Space Travel) with Dr. Anita Sengupta

Transportation is about to get a whole lot faster. In this episode of 12 Geniuses, Don MacPherson speaks with aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, professor, and pilot, Dr. Anita Sengupta. Together they explore the futuristic forms of transportation that are currently being developed. From Hyperloop technology to interplanetary exploration, Dr. Sengupta explains how travel and transportation will be disrupted in the coming years. Don and Dr. Sengupta also discuss her work at NASA, and her current project at Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) where they are designing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as a commuter transport option in urban environments.

Dr. Anita Sengupta is an aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, and pilot who for 20 years has developed technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, asteroids, and deep space. She is a Research Professor of Astronautics at the University of Southern California where she is conducting research on transportation technologies including electric propulsion for aviation, Hyperloop technology, and in-space propulsion systems.

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