Topics:

All of the topics discussed were drawn directly from blog entries written by Michael Sargent over the years. These made for a broad selection of subject matter and some lively and fun discussion. The discussion was supplemented by audio clips of Mike giving his own thoughts on some of these issues.

• What Moore's Law has to say about the arrival of artificial general intelligence, and why our most simple and straightforward scenarios on how AGI will arrive may may prove to be wrong.

• Not every interesting scenario should be greeted with unbridled enthusiasm. Mike Sargent wrote a thorough critique of a plan to reintroduce modern equivalents of Pleistocene-era wildlife (including lions and elephants) into the wild in North America. Mike compared the plan unfavorably to an earlier, somewhat similar idea outlined by Stephen, which was not only more fun, it was more "Speculistish."

• Speaking of keeping the future fun, there are some topics demand our repeated attention, such as flying cars, rocket races, jetpacks, and (although we didn't get to it in the discussion) technology that can turn us all into superheroes. While these ideas seem slow to arrive, the enthusiasm tey inspire in us prevent them from becoming past-futures.

• The importance of living to see it. Phil compared a scenario Mike had drawn about achieving virtual immortality to his own scenario fro a retirement cruise. Contemplating a visit to the far future can stir the imagination, and those who -- like Mike -- maintain a sense of wonder about the world as it is and where it's going live to see it no matter how much (or how little) time we get to spend with them. As Stephen has observed:

  Mike was one of the few people I've ever met who found the whole world fascinating. So he got to "live to see it" everyday. And his enthusiasm was contagious.

We'll do what we can to keep spreading that enthusiasm.

If you would like to honor Mike's memory, please consider making a donation to the American Heart Association.

Music:

The music was a bit of a departure, a piece called "Simple Duet" by Kevin McLeod.

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