Retrospectical Podcast
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- Written by David Biggs
A subject that has fascinated scientists and science fiction enthusiasts alike as far back as the 1950's, artificial intelligence is a field that counts on the rapid development of other technologies, like computational power. With the current exponential growth of technology, it is estimated by many reputable scientists that work in the field of AI that we will begin to see some semblance of artificial intelligence become a reality in the next few decades.
Retrospectical Podcast ep10 - Artificial Intelligence & The Kurzweil Singularity
Ray Kurzweil holds a fairly shiny, optimistic view of how humans and technology can come together to both become more than they already are individually. There are plenty of negative voices on this front, though, such as Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and Stephen Hawking, all of whom have expressed caution and even distress over the rapid progress in artificial intelligence. It is certainly something to keep an eye on, especially since it seems there are new developments in the field every time you look away to watch a cat video on YouTube. I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords?
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- Written by Jason Evans
This week we dive into (blast off?) a subject that we both grew up as big fans of. Space!! Throughout our lives, NASA has been the main conduit that we, as Americans, view space travel. We began the episode with a look at NASA's decline over the last 20 years or so, mainly due to it's funding slowly dwindling to an all time low (in terms of % of the national budget).
Retrospectical Podcast (Episode 9) - NASA & The Rise of Private Space Exploration
We move on to private ventures, from SpaceX resupplying the ISS and landing their own rockets on platforms at sea to Virgin Galactic's space tourism. I think we're both very excited for what's to come with space exploration, and this ought to be a great topic to dive into again sometime, if only to look at the advancements that happened in the meantime.
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- Written by Jason Evans
This week, we tackle the topic of illegal file sharing - basically online piracy. We've both got an interesting perspective on this, having grown up when this was a booming underground hobby. We discuss how file sharing has changed with technology over the years, from BBS's to cd burners to bit torrent.
(Retrospectical Podcast Episode 08: Online Piracy - Is Illegal Filesharing Stealing?)
We also have a big discussion about how we view this all in terms of it being stealing. There's lots of points of view on this subject, and we try to dig into all parts of it. We also discuss legal alternatives, both ones for pay and for free.
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- Written by Jason Evans
This week's Retrospectical episode is all about Bitcoin. We started off discussing the roots and digital currency. We give you a good primer for how it works and what it is. Later on in the episode, we have a good discussion about how bitcoin can be used and our thoughts on the future of bitcoin. We're both excited to get our own bitcoin and find places in Chicago to spend it! If you have any suggestions, let us know.
(Retrospectical Podcast Episode 07: Bitcoin - What is it & How do we use it?)
For a couple of resources on bitcoin, check out these links:
Bitcoin.org - Choose your wallet: https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet
Bitcoin Wiki - https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Main_Page
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- Written by David Biggs
This week's retrospectical episode is all about bacon. We start all the way back to the beginning and talk about how bacon was first 'discovered' and used before it became a widespread global phenomenon. We also go in-depth about the different kinds of bacon out there, and how asking for some 'bacon' may net you different results depending on where you are in the world! Check out the full article here: http://www.drinkfive.com/general/item/221-the-history-passion-pursuit-of-bacon
(Retrospectical Podcast Episode 06: The History, Passion & Pursuit of Bacon)
Seth Zurer, co-founder of Baconfest Chicago joins us for a quick interview about the festivities at Baconfest this year - if you're in the Chicago area be sure not to miss it! We're crazy for bacon but everyone we introduce to Baconfest falls in love at first bite.
Update: Badass Candied Bacon. You're welcome.
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- Written by Jason Evans
This week's retrospectical episode features a discussion about internet security. We start with going over what companies collect from you online and why they do that. Much of this is mostly harmless - browser data, browsing habits & history - most of it is information that you're freely giving out anyways. We also talked about what they do with this data and some of the risks associated with it.
Next we dive into the issue of net neutrality. This has been a hot-button issue lately in Washington and around the country really. We talked about what it is, what the recent rulings have been and give our take on what's going on. Finally, we talked about Edward Snowden and all of the recent revelations from what he released concerning the NSA's "upstream" monitoring of nearly all electronic communications.
For more on this, check out our article: http://www.drinkfive.com/general/item/212-internet-privacy-net-neutrality-the-real-issues-for-regular-users
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- Written by Jason Evans
On this week's Retrospectical, we talk about drones, aka unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's). We were joined by our buddy Mike Mocerino, who knows far more about the subject than we do.
We discussed what a drone is, a few different types of drones, regulations on drones, using them in the military, what's available for hobbyists and what's to come in the future for UAV's.
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- Written by Jason Evans
On this week's Retrospectical, we return to a very familiar topic. The NFL is something that is very near and dear to both of us, as indicated by our ability to endlessly jabber about fantasy football. This show, however, has no fantasy football!
We go over some current and long standing NFL topics, including the Combine, teams relocating to LA, concussions, punishments and the commissioner and finally, rules changes. We'll continue to track all kinds of topics within the NFL, and expect some more fantasy football talk by the time the draft comes around.
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- Written by David Biggs
Sometimes it's nice to sit down and chat about a common interest. Jason and I hope to continue to bring you these sorts of topics that we are both passionate about and we think this episode is a good example of just that. It's truly amazing what you can learn about a person by digging a little beneath the surface, and Douglas Adams has so much more to him than just being the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which is not to belittle that particular accomplishment, certainly).
From his involvement in Monty Python's Flying Circus, to penning episodes of Doctor Who, to going on a crusade to help save several endangered species all across the world Douglas Adams has left a deep and lasting impression in the hearts and minds of many. His footprints across literature, television, radio and science & technology in general will last for years to come.
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- Written by David Biggs
Welcome to the Retrospectical podcast, the home of drinkfive.com’s more ambitious podcasts. This episode is about the history of TV and how we interact with it on a regular basis. We also touched on how it changed us as a society in general. Be sure to check out the companion article, Evolution of TV: How Television has Changed America.
As usual, we also enjoyed a few beverages while doing the show. This week was special as it’s the first episode of the new season, so we decided to bust out a special beer, Bell’s Hopslam. Hopslam is a double IPA that is a very limited seasonal, so get out to the store now and hope they haven’t already sold out of it!