The Case For Optimism

iMorpheon May 6, 2016

When the future is uncertain, how should we respond? Are we wired to be positive? Or are there real reasons to be optimistic? This hour, TED speakers explore why they believe the future is bright.

ROBERT REICH:

THE POLITICAL ROOTS OF WIDENING INEQUALITY

Ultimately, the trend toward widening inequality in America, as elsewhere, can be reversed only if the VAST MAJORITY, WHOSE INCOMES HAVE STAGNATED AND WHOSE WEALTH HAS FAILED TO INCREASE, JOIN TOGETHER to DEMAND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE.

The MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL COMPETITION Over the Next Decades WILL NOT BE BETWEEN the RIGHT and LEFT, Or Between REPUBLICANS and DEMOCRATS . .

"IT WILL BE BETWEEN A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE BEEN LOSING GROUND, AND AN ECONOMIC ELITE THAT REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE OR RESPOND TO IT'S GROWING DISTRESS."

IT’S HAPPENING NOW

“The necessity to harness the potential of quickly advancing new technologies creates a near-constant mandate for innovation in order to stay relevant. Survival is not guaranteed in a world when all is up for reinvention.

There’s no question we’re in a new technological age but how many of us actually understand the vast potential that lies within this new normal?

The biggest impacts of technology on our daily lives is still ahead of us, but already we’re beginning to imagine and navigate how global economies, enterprise businesses and even the human race will adapt to ensure we all thrive.

From a UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, to understanding the fundamentals of WORKPLACE AUTOMATION and our increasing ability to define the physical future,

THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT DISRUPTION IS HERE.”

– The GIGAOM Change Team

The Next Economy By Andy Stern and Lee Kravitz

Advances in technology are creating the next economy and enabling us to make things/do things/connect with others in smarter, cheaper, faster, more effective ways.

But the price of this progress has been a decoupling of the engine of prosperity from jobs that have been the means by which people have ascended to (and stayed in) the middle class.

Andy Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) spent four years traveling the country and asking economists, futurists, labor leaders, CEOs, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and political leaders to help picture the U.S. economy 25 to 30 years from now.

He vividly reports on people who are analyzing and creating this new economy.

Through these stories, we come to a stark and deeper understanding of THE TOLL TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE ON JOBS AND INCOME AND ITS INEVITABLE EFFECT ON TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

But There is HOPE for our ECONOMY and FUTURE. The Foundation of ECONOMIC PROSPERITY for ALL AMERICANS, Stern believes, is a UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME.

Stern has been a game changer throughout his career, and his next goal is to create a movement that will force the political establishment to take action against something that many on both the right and the left believe is inevitable.

STERN’S PLAN IS BOLD, IDEALISTIC, and CHALLENGING- and IT’S TIME ..

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM:

CAPITALISM NEEDS URGENT REFORM

REFORMING the very nature of CAPITALISM will be needed to COMBAT THE GROWING APPEAL of POPULIST POLITICAL MOVEMENTS around the WORLD.

Capitalism as we know it needs to be reformed. The GROWING DISCONTENT at the ideology that has created so much wealth and progress on the one hand, and yet so much INEQUALITY and INSTABILITY on the other hand, is causing INCREASINGLY frequent SOCIAL DISRUPTIONS ACROSS the WORLD.

“IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THAT CHALLENGES TO SOCIAL COHESION AND POLICYMAKERS' LEGITIMACY ARE COINCIDING WITH A HIGHLY DISRUPTIVE PHASE OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE."

STOP TECHNOLOGY THREAT

Hawking said that technology must be controlled in order to safeguard the future of humanity and believes that a ‘world government’ could be the only way to combat the threat, though warned that that could lead to a global ‘tyranny’.

‘Since civilisation began, aggression has been useful inasmuch as it has definite survival advantages, It is hard-wired into our genes by Darwinian evolution.'

‘Now, however, technology has advanced at such a pace that this aggression may destroy us all by nuclear or biological war. We need to control this inherited instinct by our logic and reason.’

But he added that he believed the ‘THE HUMAN RACE WILL RISE TO MEET THESE CHALLENGES’. He said that the human race must ‘retrain’ for a new world where robots have replaced many everyday jobs.

‘Together, they are a reminder that we are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity. We now have the technology to destroy the planet on which we live, but have not yet developed the ability to escape it.’

When asked how the world will end, Hawking said that increasingly, most of the threats humanity faces come from progress in technology.

‘WE ARE NOT GOING TO STOP MAKING PROGRESS, OR REVERSE IT, SO WE MUST RECOGNISE THE DANGERS AND CONTROL THEM.'

Unveil the secret of stretchable technology through color
A research team accelerates stretchable technology commercialization with world's first visualization of serpentine structures.
'Capture the oxygen!' The key to extending next-generation lithium-ion battery life
A research team develops manganese-based cathodes with longer lifespan by suppressing oxygen release.
Largest magnetic anisotropy of a molecule measured at BESSY II
At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger this anisotropy is, the better a molecule is suited as a molecular nanomagnet. Such nanomagnets have a wide range of potential applications, for example, in energy-efficient data storage.
Researchers develop tool to fast-track measurement of protein interactions for drug discovery
Researchers have created a platform, called SIMPL2, that revolutionizes the study of protein-protein interactions by simplifying detection while improving measurement accuracy. While protein-protein interactions have previously been considered 'undruggable' using small molecules, the platform addresses this challenge by facilitating the measurement of these interactions -- improving our understanding of the types of molecules needed to […]
Twisted Edison: Bright, elliptically polarized incandescent light
Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space.
Mysteries of icy ocean worlds
A study introduces a novel thermodynamic concept called the 'centotectic' and investigates the stability of liquids in extreme conditions -- critical information for determining the habitability of icy moons like Europa.
Researchers take 'significant leap forward' with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer
Researchers have made a meaningful advance in the simulation of molecular electron transfer -- a fundamental process underpinning countless physical, chemical and biological processes. The study details the use of a trapped-ion quantum simulator to model electron transfer dynamics with unprecedented tunability, unlocking new opportunities for scientific exploration in fields ranging from molecular electronics to […]
Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp
Researchers have developed a new material for sodium-ion batteries, sodium vanadium phosphate, that delivers higher voltage and greater energy capacity than previous sodium-based materials. This breakthrough could make sodium-ion batteries a more efficient and affordable alternative to lithium-ion, using a more abundant and cost-effective resource.
Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication
Researchers developed a biosensing technique that eliminates the need for wires. Instead, tiny, wireless antennas use light to detect minute electrical signals in the solution around them.
Geothermal aquifers offer green potential but quality checks required
A research team has revealed that to use the aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system safely over the long term it is crucial to investigate the groundwater quality before operating the system and to continuously monitor the water quality.
Paving the way for the future of energy storage with solid-state batteries
Advances in solid-state battery research are paving the way for safer, longer-lasting energy storage solutions. A recent review highlights breakthroughs in inorganic solid electrolytes and their role in improving battery performance. The study also addresses key challenges, such as interfacial compatibility, while proposing innovative strategies for next-generation battery technologies.
Programming cells: Revolutionizing genetic circuits with cutting-edge RNA tools
Researchers have developed a new technology that improves the precision and integration density of synthetic genetic circuits.
Dark energy 'doesn't exist' so can't be pushing 'lumpy' Universe apart
One of the biggest mysteries in science -- dark energy -- doesn't actually exist, according to researchers looking to solve the riddle of how the Universe is expanding. For the past 100 years, physicists have generally assumed that the cosmos is growing equally in all directions. They employed the concept of dark energy as a […]
AI may help researchers with medical chart review, study finds
Researchers trained a large language model to read medical charts, looking for signs that kids with ADHD received the right follow-up care when using new medications.
ESA and NASA satellites deliver first joint picture of Greenland Ice Sheet melting
Scientists have delivered the first measurements of Greenland Ice Sheet thickness change using data from ESA and NASA ice satellite missions. With global warming causing the Greenland Ice Sheet to melt and flow more rapidly, raising sea levels and disturbing weather patterns across our planet, precise measurements of its changing shape are of critical importance […]

Lantronix acquires NetComm to boost IoT capabilities - Investing.com December 26, 2024
Lantronix acquires NetComm to boost IoT capabilities Investing.com
Lantronix Closes Strategic Acquisition of DZS's NetComm Enterprise IoT Portfolio - The Manila Times December 26, 2024
Lantronix Closes Strategic Acquisition of DZS's NetComm Enterprise IoT Portfolio The Manila Times
Lantronix Closes Strategic Acquisition of DZS’s NetComm Enterprise IoT Portfolio - The Bakersfield Californian December 26, 2024
Lantronix Closes Strategic Acquisition of DZS’s NetComm Enterprise IoT Portfolio The Bakersfield Californian
Lantronix Acquires NetComm's IoT Business for $6.5M, Expands 5G Solutions Portfolio into Australia - StockTitan December 26, 2024
Lantronix Acquires NetComm's IoT Business for $6.5M, Expands 5G Solutions Portfolio into Australia StockTitan
As ‘smart cities’ tools grow nationwide, so do privacy and ethical concerns - Tennessee Lookout December 26, 2024
As ‘smart cities’ tools grow nationwide, so do privacy and ethical concerns Tennessee Lookout