If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Interesting Perspectives on Growth

The US economy has been expanding wildly for two centuries. Are we witnessing the end of growth? Economist Robert Gordon lays out 4 reasons US growth may be slowing, detailing factors like epidemic debt and growing inequality, which could move the US into a period of stasis we can't innovate our way out of. Be sure to watch the opposing viewpoint from Erik Brynjolfsson.

Robert Gordon: The death of innovation, the end of growth


As machines take on more jobs, many find themselves out of work or with raises indefinitely postponed. Is this the end of growth? No, says Erik Brynjolfsson -- it's simply the growing pains of a radically reorganized economy. A riveting case for why big innovations are ahead of us ... if we think of computers as our teammates. Be sure to watch the opposing viewpoint from Robert Gordon.

Erik Brynjolfsson: The key to growth? Race with the machines

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Realizing Human Progress & Sustainability | Zeitgeist Day 2013

5th Annual "Zeitgeist Day", 2013 Main Event, held in Los Angeles CA on March 17th.

Zeitgeist Day 2013: Sharleen Bazeghi | "Introduction to The Zeitgeist Movement" [Part 1 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Peter Joseph | "History of Economic Thought" [Part 2 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Matt Berkowitz | "Logical Fallacies & Cultural Baggage" [Part 3 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Jen Wilding | "From the Great Escape to an Improved Reality" [Part 4 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Douglas Mallette | "From Mars to Earth" [Part 5 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Federico Pistono | "Freedom from Work & Social Evolution" [Part 6 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Jason Lord | "Thinking in Systems" [Part 7 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Brandon Kristy | "Case for Human Unity" [Part 8 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Ben McLeish | "Public Health" [Part 9 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Brandy Hume | "We Are All Connected. Literally" [Part 10 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: Eva Omori | "The Transition" [Part 11 of 12]


Zeitgeist Day 2013: End Speech (Peter Joseph) and Q&A Panel with All Speakers [Part 12 of 12]

RT Peter Joseph on Abby Martin's "Breaking the Set" | The Zeitgeist Movement

On this episode of Breaking the Set, Abby Martin talks to Peter Joseph, social activist and director of the Zeitgeist film series, about the war as a symptom of military empire, and the need for a revolution of values. Abby then talks to RT correspondent, Lucy Kafanov, about daily life in post-war Iraq, and the whether or not the country is better off without Saddam. BTS wraps up the show with a closer look at the continued use of depleted uranium, and the impact of DU contamination on the lives of innocent Iraqis.

Peter Joseph on Abby Martin's "Breaking the Set", March 21 2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

What Should Economists and Policymakers Learn From the Financial Crisis? | London School of Economics

Speaker(s): Dr Ben S Bernanke, Olivier Blanchard, Professor Lawrence H. Summers, Axel A. Weber
Chair: Professor Sir Mervyn King

Recorded on 25 March 2013 in Old Theatre, Old Building.

Five years on, the global economy continues to come to terms with the impact of the financial crisis. This event examines the lessons that both economists and policymakers should learn in order to lessen the chance of future crises.

Ben S. Bernanke was sworn in on February 1, 2006, as chairman and a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System. Before his appointment as chairman, Dr. Bernanke was chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, from June 2005 to January 2006.

Olivier Blanchard is economic counsellor and director, Research Department at the International Monetary Fund. After obtaining his Ph.D in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977, he taught at Harvard University, returning to MIT in 1982, where he has been since where he holds the post of Class of 1941 Professor of Economics.

Lawrence H. Summers is President Emeritus of Harvard University. During the past two decades he has served in a series of senior policy positions, including vice president of development economics and chief economist of the World Bank, undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, director of the National Economic Council for the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011, and secretary of the treasury of the United States, from 1999 to 2001. He is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University.

Axel A. Weber is visiting professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, former president of the Deutsche Bundesbank and current chairman of the board of UBS.

Professor Sir Mervyn King is governor of the Bank of England. Before joining the Bank he was professor of economics at the LSE, and a founder of the Financial Markets Group.

What should economists and policymakers learn from the financial crisis?

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: The Existence of Nothing

The concept of nothing is as old as zero itself. How do we grapple with the concept of nothing? From the best laboratory vacuums on Earth to the vacuum of space to what lies beyond, the idea of nothing continues to intrigue professionals and the public alike.

Join moderator and Hayden Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson as he leads a spirited discussion with a group of physicists, philosophers and journalists about the existence of nothing. The event, which was streamed live to the web, took place at the American Museum of Natural History on March 20, 2013.

PANELISTS:

J. Richard Gott, professor of astrophysical sciences, Princeton University, and author of Sizing Up the Universe: The Cosmos in Perspective

Jim Holt, science journalist and author of Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story

Lawrence Krauss, professor of physics, Arizona State University and author of A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing

Charles Seife, professor of journalism, New York University, and author of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Eve Silverstein, professor of physics, Stanford University, and co-editor of Strings, Branes and Gravity

The late Dr. Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific and influential authors of our time, was a dear friend and supporter of the American Museum of Natural History. In his memory, the Hayden Planetarium is honored to host the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate — generously endowed by relatives, friends, and admirers of Isaac Asimov and his work — bringing the finest minds in the world to the Museum each year to debate pressing questions on the frontier of scientific discovery. Proceeds from ticket sales of the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debates benefit the scientific and educational programs of the Hayden Planetarium.

2013 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: The Existence of Nothing

From Mars to the Multiverse | Martin Rees

A lecture given by the 2012 winner of the Isaac Newton medal, Professor Martin Rees, University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy, and chaired by Michael Rowan-Robinson, Imperial College.

From Mars to the Multiverse: Newton Lecture 2012

Consciousness: The Hard Problem

Will consciousness ever be explained by neuroscientists?

What is the latest philosophical and scientific thinking in explaining how the wet stuff in our heads creates the world we experience?

An expert panel consisting of Dr. Anil Seth, Professor Barry Smith and Professor Chris Frith discuss these questions and more.

This event was held at the Royal Institution on Wednesday 7 March 2012 and forms part of a series curated for the Royal Institution of Great Briatin by Alok Jha.

Seth is co-director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex. His research crosses the fields of computational neuroscience, consciousness science and neurorobotics. In addition to contributing new insights into the mechanisms of action selection, he has developed new ways to link brain activity to conscious experience and he is an authority on the statistical analysis of causality. He is also chair of the upcoming annual meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness, which will take place in July.

Smith is director of the Institute of Philosophy where the aim is to promote and facilitate high quality research in philosophy, making it available to the widest possible audience both inside and outside the academic community. According to Smith, "Consciousness creates, in each of us, an inner life where we think and feel; a realm where we experience the sights, sounds, feels, tastes and smells that inform us of the world around us."

Frith is professor emeritus at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London and a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford

Source: 33rd Square | Consciousness: The Hard Problem

Alok Jha: Consciousness: the hard problem? - Discussion

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Consciousness: Searching for the Mind

With the help of a hammer-wielding scientist, Jennifer Aniston and a general anaesthetic, Professor Marcus du Sautoy goes in search of answers to one of science's greatest mysteries: how do we know who we are? While the thoughts that make us feel as though we know ourselves are easy to experience, they are notoriously difficult to explain. So, in order to find out where they come from, Marcus subjects himself to a series of probing experiments.

He learns at what age our self-awareness emerges and whether other species share this trait. Next, he has his mind scrambled by a cutting-edge experiment in anaesthesia. Having survived that ordeal, Marcus is given an out-of-body experience in a bid to locate his true self. And in Hollywood, he learns how celebrities are helping scientists understand the microscopic activities of our brain. Finally, he takes part in a mind-reading experiment that both helps explain and radically alters his understanding of who he is.

Consciousness: Searching for the Mind

Friday, March 8, 2013

The Great Debate - What is Life?

Richard Dawkins, J. Craig Venter, Nobel laureates Sidney Altman and Leland Hartwell, Chris McKay, Paul Davies, Lawrence Krauss, and The Science Network's Roger Bingham discuss the origins of life, the possibility of finding life elsewhere, and the latest development in synthetic biology.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview Documentary

*Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview* is a documentary exploring the depths of the current human condition and the emergence of a worldview that is recreating our world from the inside out.

Weaving together insights and findings from biology, psychology, network science, systems science, business, culture and media, the film reveals the inner workings of the human experience in the 21st century, urging viewers to step out of the box and challenge their own assumptions about who we really are, and why we do what we do.

*Crossroads* places evolutionary context to today's escalating social unrest, natural disasters, and economic failures. It illuminates the footsteps of an integrated worldview, penetrating its way through the power of social networks to the forefront of our personal and collective awareness.

A refreshing reality check for all viewers and a clarion call for those who carry the seeds of the emerging worldview.

Scientists and thinkers featured in *Crossroads* include: Amit Goswami, Neale Donald Walsch, Elisabet Sahtouris, Bruce Lipton, Peter Joseph, Caroline A. Miller, Nicholas Christakis, James Fowler, Michael Laitman, Ervin Laszlo, Dean Radin, Dave Sherman, Annie Leonard, Jairon G. Cuesta, and John St. Augustine.

Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview

Four Horsemen Documentary

The modern day Four Horsemen continue to ride roughshod over the people who can least afford it. Crises are converging when governments, religion and mainstream economists have stalled. 23 international thinkers come together and break their silence about how the world really works and why there is still hope in re-establishing a moral and just society. Four Horsemen is free from mainstream media propaganda, doesn't bash bankers, criticize politicians or get involved in conspiracy theories. The film ignites the debate about how we usher a new economic paradigm into the world which, globally, would dramatically improve the quality of life for billions.

Four Horsemen