Podcast appearances and mentions of byron reese

In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aiden McCullen interviews Byron Reese, author of 'We Are Agora: How Humanity Functions as a Single Super Organism that Shapes Our World and Our Future.' The discussion delves into Byron's groundbreaking Agora Theory, which suggests that humans may function as part of a larger, conscious superorganism. Topics include the origins of life, the emergence of multicellular organisms, the complexity of DNA, and the potential impacts of understanding life as part of this collective superorganism. The conversation also touches on the role of death, the concept of emergence, and how these insights can apply to organizational strategies and societal progress.   00:00 Introduction to Agora Theory 02:40 Understanding Superorganisms 04:06 The Origin of Life and Cells 19:53 The Mystery of DNA 30:07 Understanding Multicellular Life 32:09 Symbiosis and Multicellular Origins 33:39 Theories of Multicellular Life 38:12 The Universe and Life's Complexity 44:02 DNA: The Blueprint of Life 47:11 Human Evolution and Intelligence 49:41 Bottleneck Events and Human Survival 55:02 Emergence and Superorganisms 57:46 Final Thoughts and Reflections   Links Aidan mentioned in the episode: Men In Black sequence: https://youtu.be/OKnpPCQyUec?si=KSGb25FeP72Nvi7T Family Guy: https://youtu.be/7et6-nByfw8?si=6zIfUIQE1XlFL-oH   Byron Reese:

In this episode, I introduce Tech Talk, a new show on NowMedia TV. Dr. Byron Reese, author of The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity and Dr. Pamela Gay, Senior Scientist at Planetary Science Institute joined me on my first episode that aired in October. Get a taste for Tech Talk and catch full episodes very Thursday on NowMedia TV.

Byron Reese is a seasoned entrepreneur and technology executive with over 25 years of experience, having founded and led multiple companies to acquisitions and IPOs. Currently the CEO of Scissortail.ai, he is also a published author and globally recognized speaker on topics like artificial intelligence, technology, and the future of work. Byron's expertise spans leadership, innovation, and emerging technologies, with a track record of pioneering successful ventures in the digital media and AI space. You can learn more about Byron here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byronreese/

Byron Reese is a futurist, and technologist, who is most well known for exploring big questions about humanity's place in the universe and our collective future. In his thought-provoking new book “We Are Agora”, he outlines a scientific hypothesis for viewing humanity as a conscious superorganism, raising fascinating questions about what this means for how we live and work together. Expect to learn: — The practical implications of seeing ourselves as part of a larger whole. — How the internet might function as humanity's “nervous system”. — Why Byron sees cities, not countries, as the primary units of human evolution. — How a shift in perspective could help to shape our future as a species. And more. You can learn more about Byron's work at https://byronreese.com. --- With over 25 years as a successful tech entrepreneur, Byron Reese is uniquely suited to speak on the transformative effect of technology on the workplace and society at large. Byron delights audiences worldwide and has been invited to share his reasoned optimism and vivid and energetic presentations on the future with audiences on every continent, including Antarctica. Known as the “Future of” guy, Byron has spoken on the future of AI, the future of work, the future of banking, the future of education, the future of the planet, the future of agriculture, the future of finance, and the list goes on. When not speaking, he writes books that explore the intersection of technology and humanity and covers topics such as robotics, consciousness, progress, natural resources, and superorganisms. Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of media company.” The Financial Times of London reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.” Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader's Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine. Byron holds numerous patents and has started and sold multiple companies, including two NASDAQ IPOs. As a lifelong entrepreneur with multiple IPOs and successful exits, Byron frequently speaks to business audiences on how to excel in the world of tomorrow and how to deploy technology successfully. He states: “Technology multiplies human ability. That's its trick. It magnifies us. We can move more bricks with a forklift than we can on our backs. Technological advancement is not to be feared; rather, it should be welcomed, for by enhancing human ability, we enhance our productivity and, therefore, our standard of living. This is why we live so much more lavish and prosperous lives than our great-grandparents. An hour of our time is vastly more productive than was an hour of theirs.” With a gift for storytelling, Byron captivates audiences worldwide with the message that technology is empowering us to build a better world, and he invites his listeners to imagine this better world and build it. --- Interview Links: — Byron's website - https://byronreese.com

Almost 2 months ago to the day, we had Futurist and Author Byron Reese on the podcast to talk about AI and its possibilities and risks. I warned you all then that I would have him back on to talk about his new book, We Are Agora, in which he sets out to scientifically prove that humans together make a superorganism, like bees make a hive, and what that means for our future and how we should spend our day. Nerdy, inspiring, awesome. He joined Rob Gonzalez and me to talk us through it.

There are tremendous amounts of trepidation and hope being invested in AI right now, with often trepidation winning out. Is all this angst really necessary? We turned to Byron Reese, an endlessly provocative futurist and author of the newly released book We Are Agora, to provide a long view of transformational technologies through the ages and therefore, the positivity we can take into a sometimes uncertain future. Grist for all the transformation cheerleading you do in your careers and lives.

We swing through Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork, visual motifs; Story & Writing, emotional engagement, setting up payoffs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Grief changes shape, but it never ends.“ – Keanu Reeves Notes & References: Todd’s band: Mad Valley vinyl album Byron Reese speaker demo reel – they […] The post Ep 274: “Monkey Man” appeared first on The Pestle.

What fascinating parallels exist between the structure of bees in a hive and the potential for humanity to function as a superorganism?In this episode, we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Byron Reese about the concept of superorganisms. Reese draws parallels between the structure and behavior of bees in a hive and the potential for humanity to function as a superorganism. He explores the idea that a collective entity, which he calls "Agora," could emerge from the collaboration and interconnectedness of individuals. Reese presents falsifiable hypotheses that support the existence of Agora and discusses the emergent properties and capabilities that could arise from such a superorganism. The conversation delves into the role of technology, the future of knowledge, and the potential for humanity to shape a more harmonious and evolved global society.Join us in this engaging episode as we delve into the role of technology, the future of knowledge, and the potential for humanity to shape a more harmonious and evolved global society.Timestamp0:00 Blending into a larger entity and its impact on humanity.1:42 The possibility of humans being a superorganism.4:09 The concept of superorganisms and their implications.8:51 Emergent properties of complex systems like Manhattan and the human body.14:24 The evolution of knowledge storage and retrieval.19:48 The future of knowledge and technology.24:56 Individuality and conformity in a superorganism.31:27 The possibility of life on other planets and the Gaia hypothesis.37:46 Human progress and utopia.42:39 AI, storytelling, and human connection.47:21 Humanity as a superorganism and its implications. Key Takeaways:Delve into the concept of humanity as a superorganism, challenging traditional ideas of individuality and exploring emergent properties seen in superorganisms like bee hives or cities.Examine the journey of knowledge storage from oral tradition to digital databases, and consider the impact of language models in consolidating human knowledge.Discuss the implications of emerging technologies such as Internet-connected sensors in capturing daily life experiences and enhancing human decision-making.Explore the balance between individuality and conformity within superorganisms, citing examples from hive-like societies and the notion of self-creation.Highlight the importance of cooperation within superorganisms, drawing parallels with bee colonies as a metaphor for human society and promoting interconnectedness through the "overview effect.Investigate the Gaia hypothesis and its implications for life on Earth, including the possibility of life on other planets and the Fermi Paradox.Assess human progress towards a utopian society, analyzing historical advancements in education, governance, and legal equality.Analyze the relationship between AI, storytelling, and human connection, considering the anthropomorphism of AI systems and our attitudes toward animal intelligence.Contemplate the potential evolution of humanity into a collective consciousness or singularity with technology, and the relevance of anthropology in this changing landscape.About This Anthro Life This Anthro Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the human side of technology, culture, and business. Hosted by Adam Gamwell, we unravel fascinating narratives and connect them to the wider context of our lives. Tune in to https://thisanthrolife.org and subscribe to our Substack at https://thisanthrolife.substack.com for more captivating episodes and engaging content. Connect with Byron ReeseWebsite: https://byronreese.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/byronreese/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byronreese/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byronreese/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byronreese/ Connect with This Anthro Life:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisanthrolife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisanthrolife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/this-anthro-life-podcast/ This Anthro Life website: https://www.thisanthrolife.org/ Substack blog: https://thisanthrolife.substack.com

Could humans unknowingly be a part of a larger superorganism—one with its own motivations and goals, one that is alive, and conscious, and has the power to shape the future of our species? This is the fascinating theory from author and futurist Byron Reese, who calls this human superorganism “Agora.” In We Are Agora, Reese starts by asking the question, “What is life and how did it form?” From there, he looks at how multicellular life came about, how consciousness emerged, and how other superorganisms in nature have formed. Then, he poses eight big questions based on the Agora theory, including: If ants have colonies, bees have hives, and we have our bodies, how does Agora manifest itself? Does it have a body? Can Agora explain things that happen that are both under our control and near universally undesirable, such as war? How can Agora theory explain long-term progress we've made in the world? In this unique and ambitious work that spans all of human history and looks boldly into its future, Reese melds science and history to look at the human species from a fresh new perspective. We Are Agora will give readers a better understanding of where we've been, where we're going, and how our fates are intertwined. Shermer and Reese discuss: • organisms and superorganisms • origins of life • the self • emergence • consciousness • Is the Internet a superorganism? • Will AI create a superorganism? • Could AI become sentient or conscious? • the hard problem of consciousness • cities as superorganisms • planetary superorganisms • Are we living in a simulation? • Why are we here? Byron Reese is an Austin-based entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. A recognized authority on AI who holds a number of technology patents, Byron is a futurist with a strong conviction that technology will help bring about a new golden age of humanity. He gives talks around the world about how technology is changing work, education, and culture. He is the author of four books on technology; his previous title The Fourth Agewas described by the New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Bloomberg Businessweek credits Reese with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of media company.” The Financial Times reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.” He and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur, USA Today, Reader's Digest, and NPR.

Byron Reese is a serial entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running successful technology companies, with multiple acquisitions, IPOs and patents along the way. He is an award-winning author of books such as Stories, Dice and Rocks That Think, and; The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity, a book that tackles artificial intelligence, robots, automation, and the future of work. He's a speaker and futurist, with a strong conviction that technology will help bring about a new golden age of humanity.Byron currently serves as the CEO of JJ Kent Incorporated, a venture-backed technology company that recently launched Scissortail.ai, a proprietary artificial intelligence tool set to inform new product and listing strategy, and delight consumers.I'm honoured and delights to be joined by Byron for this episode where we'll look at the unavoidable future of AI and its impact on our lives.Why does your belief in a monistic or dualistic reality determine your view on what computers can or can't do?Unparsed, the world's most loved conversational AI conference returns with more punch, more passion and more impact! Buy your tickets now here - https://www.unparsedconf.com/Be sure to register for our upcoming webinar with Quiq & LOOP car insurance here - https://vux.world/generative-ai-in-production-loops-success-story/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How coded into our DNA are the universal innovations that have driven human history globally? Futurist Byron Reese shares what he's uncovered here! What We Discuss with Byron Reese: Why innovations that increase productivity are always good for humans — because they won't steal and devalue our jobs, but create more than we can fill. Why did it only take humanity three generations to get from the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk to landing on the moon, but our ancestors endured 80,000 generations using the same stone tool without modification? How much does civilization owe to the advent of language? Why are ancient cave paintings found around the world so eerily similar — down to stenciled human hands with missing fingers? What can we learn about our species and its intrinsic coding by studying the communication patterns of honeybees, ants, and other insects? And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/940 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

In this thought-provoking episode, we are joined by Byron Reese, author of 'We are Agora,' and Brett Hurt, serial entrepreneur, to explore the intersections of superorganisms, technology, and human potential. The ideas presented in Byron's book, serve as a springboard to discuss how evolving technologies shape our future and the unfolding narrative of humanity.Episode HighlightsByron new book "We are Agora" explores superorganisms, drawing parallels between natural examples like beehives and emergent entities from human activity.The concept of Agora is debated in relation to Adam Smith's invisible hand, free will, and human evolution, highlighting both the areas of convergence and divergence.Human knowledge progression is traced from DNA to language to writing to the printing press to the internet, and now AI, each phase enhancing our ability to build upon previous knowledge.The role of individual kindness and positive human actions is emphasized as crucial in sustaining and advancing the societal superorganism.What's Next?Byron: “We will spread to a billion planets, and we'll populate each of them with a billion people. and each of those billion people will be empowered to live their best possible life… Every Da Vinci will paint their Mona Lisa. Every Marie Curie would make her discoveries. Everybody would be empowered to achieve the most that they could they could”Brett: “Along the way of shooting high like, whether it's colonizing other planets, where it's inventing AGI, whether it's merging with the machines, whatever it is, we will invent so many things that are so bewilderingly great and make humanity better than ever before. That's our natural destiny”The 4 Billion-Year History of AI's Large Language Models by Byron Reese & Brett HurtWe are Agora by Byron ReeseByron Reese: Website, LinkedIn, X/Twitter Brett Hurt: Website, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, data.world Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn

Tech entrepreneur Byron Reese has a pragmatic approach to the future. He has launched several startup companies, exiting three via M&A and two via IPO. He's also the author of several books, including his newest, Agora. Byron spoke to the Futurists about superintelligence, collective intelligence, super organisms, and emergence. What can human organizations learn from bee hives? The conflict between AI Doomers and the Accelerationists. Why humanity is going to be all right! Future trends to watch with Byron Reese With 25 years as a successful tech entrepreneur, Byron Reese is uniquely suited to speak on the transformative effect of technology on the workplace and society at large. Byron delights audiences around the world, and has been invited to share his reasoned optimism and vivid and energetic presentations on the future with audiences on every continent but Antartica (coming January 2024). Known as the "Future of" guy, Byron has spoken on the future of A.I., the future of work, the future of banking, the future of education, the future of the planet, the future of agriculture, the future of finance, and the list goes on. When not speaking, he writes books that explore the intersection of technology and humanity, and covers topics such as robotics, consciousness, progress, natural resources, and superorganisms. Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having "quietly pioneered a new breed of media company." The Financial Times of London reported that he "is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head." Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader's Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine. Byron holds numerous patents and has started and sold multiple companies, including two NASDAQ IPOs. Brett King Bestselling Author, Founder, Radio Host ?www.thefuturists.com? ?www.brettking.com See more breaking stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Tech entrepreneur Byron Reese has a pragmatic approach to the future. He has launched several startup companies, exiting three via M&A and two via IPO. He's also the author of several books, including his newest, Agora. Byron spoke to the Futurists about superintelligence, collective intelligence, super organisms, and emergence. What can human organizations learn from bee hives?  The conflict between AI Doomers and the Accelerationists. Why humanity is going to be all right! Meet Byron With 25 years as a successful tech entrepreneur, Byron Reese is uniquely suited to speak on the transformative effect of technology on the workplace and society at large. Byron delights audiences around the world, and has been invited to share his reasoned optimism and vivid and energetic presentations on the future with audiences on every continent but Antartica (coming January 2024). Known as the “Future of” guy, Byron has spoken on the future of A.I., the future of work, the future of banking, the future of education, the future of the planet, the future of agriculture, the future of finance, and the list goes on. When not speaking, he writes books that explore the intersection of technology and humanity, and covers topics such as robotics, consciousness, progress, natural resources, and superorganisms.Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of media company.” The Financial Times of London reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.” Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader's Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine. Byron holds numerous patents and has started and sold multiple companies, including two NASDAQ IPOs. Brett King Bestselling Author, Founder, Radio Host www.thefuturists.com www.brettking.com

Tech entrepreneur Byron Reese has a pragmatic approach to the future. He has launched several startup companies, exiting three via M&A and two via IPO. He's also the author of several books, including his newest, Agora. Byron spoke to the Futurists about superintelligence, collective intelligence, super organisms, and emergence. What can human organizations learn from bee hives?  The conflict between AI Doomers and the Accelerationists. Why humanity is going to be all right!

The post Byron Reese on the human superorganism, collective intelligence, saving humanity, and being kinder (AC Ep23) appeared first on amplifyingcognition.

Byron's bookhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735746/we-are-agora-by-byron-reese/Download the full length feature film!The Forbidden Documentary!!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/forbiddendoc/e/179799pThe Forbidden Documentary Episode 1 Official Trailerhttps://youtu.be/rpETzqdOf0cGet Cory Hughes Book!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jfkbookhttps://www.amazon.com/Warning-History-Cory-Hughes/dp/B0CL14VQY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=72HEFZQA7TAP&keywords=a+warning+from+history+cory+hughes&qid=1698861279&sprefix=a+warning+fro%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1FKN Link Treehttps://linktr.ee/ForbiddenKnowledgeNewsMake a Donation to Forbidden Knowledge News http://supportfkn.comhttps://www.paypal.me/forbiddenknowledgeneForbidden Knowledge Network https://forbiddenknowledge.news/Johnny Larson's artworkhttps://www.patreon.com/JohnnyLarsonGet your medicinal mushroom supplies here!!https://berthoudfarm.com/sporeswaps.com/vendors/bf-geneticsGet 15% off your order from Nutronics Labs!https://www.nutronicslabs.com/discount/FKN?redirect=%2F%3Fafmc%3DFKN%26utm_campaign%3DFKN%26utm_source%3Dleaddyno%26utm_medium%3DaffiliateOr use code FKN C60 PurplePowerhttps://go.shopc60.com/FORBIDDEN10/ or use coupon code knowledge10Sign up on Rokfin!https://rokfin.com/fknplusFKN ON Rumblehttps://rumble.com/c/FKNSign up for The Big Fat Challenge!https://bit.ly/fkn-food-conspiracyBG Casthttps://rumble.com/user/BGcasthttps://www.spreaker.com/show/bgcastYouTube https://youtube.com/@fknclipsWatch The Food Conspiracy Now!https://bit.ly/fkn-food-conspiracySign up for Paranormality Magazine here!https://paranormalitymag.com?ref=1281Coupon code: FKNBecome Self-Sufficient With A Food Forest!!https://foodforestabundance.com/get-started/?ref=CHRISTOPHERMATHUse coupon code: FORBIDDEN for discountsThe FKN Store!https://www.fknstore.net/Our Facebook pageshttps://www.facebook.com/forbiddenknowledgenewsconspiracy/https://www.facebook.com/FKNNetwork/Instagram @forbiddenknowledgenews1@forbiddenknowledgenetworkTwitterhttps://twitter.com/ForbiddenKnow10?t=7qMVcdKGyWH_QiyTTYsG8Q&s=09email meforbiddenknowledgenews@gmail.comForbidden Knowledge News is also available on all popular podcast platforms!some music thanks to:https://www.bensound.com/This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3589233/advertisement

Businesses face big challenges as they look forward to 2024. Now isn't the time to pull back and wait for things to return to "normal." It's a time to invest strategically in your business with AI-powered transformation to manage disruption and fuel long-term growth. On this episode of the Sourcing Industry Landscape Podcast, futurist Byron Reese will share his thoughts on how well-reasoned optimism and compelling storytelling can assuage concerns about AI and help leaders make the case for change and investment in their companies.

Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future–and Shape It by Byron Reese “. . . Byron Reese gets to the heart of what makes humans different from all others.” —Midwest Book Review What makes the human mind so unique? And how did we get this way? This fascinating tale […] The post Chris Voss Podcast – Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future–and Shape It by Byron Reese appeared first on Chris Voss Official Website.

In this episode: Lauren Hawker Zafer is joined by serial entrepreneur, author, technologist, and futurist Byron Reese. Who Can Benefit From This Conversation? This conversation is for anyone who is interested in the impacts of technology, the human psyche and philosophy. It is a conversation that stems from Byron Reese's thought provoking book: The Fourth Age. Lauren talks to Byron about this pivotal point in society and the technologies that are redefining what it means to be human. Byron explains what "how thinking" is and the impact that being a futurist has on how humans learned to see the future and shape it. Byron is a unique conversationalist and brings immediate value to the dialogue. It is definitely worth a listen! Who is Byron? Serial entrepreneur, technologist, and futurist - Byron Reese has enjoyed a wide range of success over 30 years, including two NASDAQ IPOs as well as the sale of the three companies he founded. Byron has spoken around world to both technical and non-technical audiences, and his keynotes and appearances include SXSW, TEDx Austin, Google, Nvidia, FedEx and Fortune 1000 companies (Dell Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Oticon, Swisslog) and universities Rice (University of Texas, Queen's University, TWU) and futurist conferences (TimeMachine, PICNIC Festival in Amsterdam, Wolfram Data Summit, and the IEEE Conference) among others. He is the former CEO of Gigaom (and is still its primary shareholder) and was the creator / host of the Voices in AI podcast. Byron's previous book, The Fourth Age, was cited by the NYT as one of "Three Books to Consider When the Robots Take Over”. His newest book, “Stories, Dice & Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future – And Shape It”, launched internationally from Ben Bella press in August. This new book provides a new look at the history & destiny of humanity, wherein dice teach us about probability, which allows us to accurately predict the future; storytelling allows us to envision the future; and rocks that think - a reference to a computer's CPU - enable us to build the future. REDEFINING AI is powered by The Squirro Academy - learn.squirro.com. Try our free courses on AI, ML, NLP and Cognitive Search at the Squirro Academy and find out more about Squirro here.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

What makes the human mind unique? How do we know there's a future, and how do we recall the past? In this episode of This Anthro Life, Byron Reese, serial entrepreneur, technologist, and author of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It,” discusses these questions and more with host Adam Gamwell. Together, Byron and Adam explore the three leaps in human history that made us what we are today and how those leaps changed how we think about the future, the past, and everything in between.Show Highlights:[03:16] The inception of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It”[05:23] Homo erectus and the Acheulean hand axe[06:38] How the Acheulean hand axe is a genetic object, not a cultural one[08:27] The awakening that ancient humans had undergone[09:27] Language as a means to conceptualize the future and gain knowledge of the past[13:02] The four things that all languages have[16:01] How humans' group action became more than just the sum of its parts[18:57] A superorganism named Agora as a metaphor for how people working together can get more done[24:06] How the probability theory helps us understand how we imagine the future[24:37] The probability problem[28:01] How there is predictability in randomness[34:33] The human body as a superorganism[36:30] The problem with data in artificial intelligence[41:48] Galton's regression to the mean and eugenics as a cautionary tale[44:59] Eternal vigilance as the price of current and future technological advancements[47:04] Why humans are not machines[50:05] The 21st purpose of telling stories, according to Byron[52:32] Closing statements

As a Futurist I get to explore new inventions and track the progress of all kinds of technologies. But how did we get so smart to be able to dream all of these things up? Until I interviewed Byron about his new book Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future — and Shape it I hadn't given this any thought.It is a fascinating read and looks at what makes the human mind so unique and also explores the three leaps in our history that made us who we are—and will change how you think about our future.Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why?Byron argues that we owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in.Envisioning human history as the development of a societal superorganism he names Agora, Reese shows us how this escape enabled us to share knowledge on an unprecedented scale, to predict—and eventually master—the future.Thoughtful, witty, and compulsively readable, Reese unravels our history as an intelligent species in three acts:Act I: Ancient humans undergo “the awakening,” developing the cognitive ability to mentally time-travel using languageAct II: In 17th century France, probability theory is born—a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern worldAct III: Beginning with the invention of the computer chip, humanity creates machines to gaze into the future with even more precision, overcoming the limits of our brainThe book is a fresh new look at the history and destiny of humanity, you will come away from Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think with a new understanding of what they are—not just another animal, but a creature with a mastery of time itself.We also discussed:What is a Futurist?Why Byron wrote the bookThe structure of the book into 3 actsPascal's 1654 moment on reasoning & ProbabilityHuman brain capacity in 1654 vs nowThe 21 told storiesThe power of storytellingAre we being overloaded with stories?What about "fake news" and untrue stories?Act 3: The rocks that thinkWhat will the next 50 years look like?Where will AI help us innovate?The half-life of a job2001: A Space OdysseyActionable advice for predicting your futureMore on ByronByron's websiteByron on TwitterBuy the bookYour Host: Actionable Futurist® Andrew GrillFor more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com Andrew's Social ChannelsAndrew on LinkedIn@AndrewGrill on Twitter @Andrew.Grill on InstagramKeynote speeches ...

Hear how telling each other stories helped us evolve My audience knows how much I like to learn about early human evolution and how we continue to adapt to changing times. Thanks to my former PR guru, Sarah Wilson, I was introduced to Byron Reese, who is a futurist, an author and an entrepreneur. He tends to see things through that fresh lens I always talk about. Byron's new book (his fourth) is called, Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future—and Shape It. This is a fascinating book that provides a new look at the history and destiny of humanity. Storytelling allows us to envision the future. Dice teach us about probability, which enables us to try to predict the future. And rocks that think—a reference to a computer's CPU—enable us to build the future. Listen in! Watch and listen to our conversation here From our very beginnings, we've been a very different type of being. I wasn't quite sure what Byron's book is about until I opened the first pages and began to wander with him through the still unanswered questions about how humans became these amazing creatures with story-making minds, the ability to think and then converse about their ideas, and the wherewithall to develop cultures that we can share, change and believe to be our best realities. As humans, the one thing we must do is see the future. All other animals live in the moment. Perhaps some have evolved genetic capabilities that enable them to survive in different environments—like the 40,000 ant species that populate the world. But humans are one species, and we know we have a past and a future. That future is important. We know we are not immortal. Do other animals plan for the afterlife? Develop religions? Think big philosophical thoughts? From our thinking came our language, and conversations that are essential to our being and our survival. I invite you to listen in or read the transcript of our conversation because it's fascinatin. Just remember, you have a unique place on this earth. Treat it, and yourself, kindly. If you'd like to connect with Byron, you can find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and his website, and you can email him at byronreese@gmail.com. For more about storytelling and how the future shapes us, start here Blog: What Is Futurism And Do You Need It? Blog: How Storytelling Can Transform Your Culture And Energize Your Team Podcast: Now Is No Time To Be Afraid Of This Blurry Future Additional resources for you My two award-winning books: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Businessand On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights Our website: Simon Associates Management Consultants   Read the transcript of our podcast here Andi Simon: Welcome to On the Brink With Andi Simon. Hi, I'm Andi Simon. As you know, I'm your host and your guide, and my job is to get you off the brink. I want you to soar. But the only way you can do that is if you can see, feel and think in new ways so that you can change what you've  been doing. The times are changing, and we're futurists. We need to see what's coming and begin to make stories up about them. That's what Simon Associates does. And that's about all the advertising I'm going to tell you about. Our job is to help you change. People hate to change. Today, I found a marvelous, marvelous person who came to me through my PR firm of the past: Sarah Wilson. Byron Reese is amazing. Let me tell you about him and then he'll tell you about your new self. And I love his face. Byron is an Austin-based entrepreneur with a quarter century of experience building and running technology companies. It's gonna be interesting listening to how he's applied it in his new book today. The new book is called Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think, and don't kid yourself: we're going to be talking a lot about how humans learn to see the future and shaping our conversation for today. He's a recognized authority on AI, and holds a number of technology patents. He's also a futurist. Now, this podcast has been ranked among the top 20 futurists podcasts. I didn't know I was a futurist. But I like to help you see that future. And if you can't see it, you can't live today.  Byron gives talks around the globe about how technology is changing work, education and culture, like everything. And it's fun to think about it. He's an author of four books. But today, I think we're going to talk about this new one because it adds some dimension to all the others that he's put together. Byron, thank you for joining me today. Byron Reese: Thank you for having me. Andi Simon: It's so much fun to share with the listener, or the viewer. Who is Byron Reese? Give us your journey so we can talk about how you got here because everything had a little of the past, a little of the future, and a lot of hard work to come. Tell us about your book, Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think. How did Byron come up with it? Byron Reese: Well, I've always been in technology, because I've always been really interested in it. I'm not a gadget person, but I'm really interested in the idea of technology. And it's this thing we kind of discovered as a species that allows us to amplify what we're able to do without it. There was a time that we think we hit a genetic bottleneck a long time ago, and there were just 1,000 or 2,000 humans left and nobody would have bet on us then. And here we are. It's because we learned that trick about technology. And so I've always just been really intrigued by the idea of technology. And so I've done that as a business. And then I started writing. Every morning before I got to work, I would just start writing and those became the books that I wrote. And they're just kind of my own journey of what I think about and I find interesting. Andi Simon: Well, you don't sort of just stumble into being an AI or a patent expert in technology. Was this important as you were growing up, did you have particular role models or aha moments, or things that just started making you curious? Byron Reese: I grew up on a farm in East Texas, outside of a town with only 500 people. So it was not an area steeped in technology. But my father had a corporate job for 30-something years, and his father worked in the railroad and his father operated a ferry. And when I looked back, it always seemed like they kind of did the thing that epitomized their times. It was the Western migration, and then the railroad, and then just the corporate thing that came up and unemployment and all of that, and I knew growing up that you could just tell it was technology. And so I went to college and met my wife or the woman who would become my wife, and we moved to the Bay Area, to be a part of that energy that was in the 90s. And we did that for a while. And then when we decided to start a family, we moved back to Texas, to Austin, and we raised and homeschooled our children. And that's me. Andi Simon: That's a very interesting story, your reflection on how each of your parents, grandparents, and so forth, was reflecting the times in which they were living. You in some ways are reflecting the times that we're living in now, which I would not have thought about, but if the listener or viewer is listening and watching: think about it. Where are you now because of where we are now as a society? This book, though, has a particular purpose. And I think it would be good to talk about, it's not a textbook, it is a history of humankind in a very important way, which should give the listener and the viewer some time to think about the times that we are in. Because somehow, 50,000 years ago, we had a quantum leap in our brain. And we are just like any other animal. Remember, we are one species, there are 40,000 different ant species. That's how they have mutated and populated the world. We're just one. And we probably can be intimate with anyone across the globe, which is sort of an interesting phenomenon. But we also can see the future and anticipate our mortality, and look back on the past and worry about our memory. Was it right? Was it wrong? And was it different than what actually happened? So we are an interesting human. Let's talk about Byron. How did this book begin to develop? And let us talk about the three phases that so fascinated you. Byron Reese: They're very interested in the question of why. Why we're different from animals, because you'll always hear: we're just another animal. But when you look around the world, it doesn't look that way. It really looks like we're aliens. And everything else is kind of native. But we're very different in our cities and literature and all that. And we really got curious why that happened. And the short answer is, we believe in two things that don't exist. We believe in the future and the past. And animals don't. That's a contentious statement, but I try to justify it in the book. And what we do is, we have what's known as episodic memory, where we remember specific things that happened to us, which animals don't. They don't make predictions into the future, maybe just a minute into the future. Maybe I'm thinking, Okay, I want to climb that tree and get an apple. What's the best way to do it? Those sorts of things. And those were, I think, the first stories we told ourselves. They were in fiction, they were like us. We think that way. We kind of picture these different things, very different from other creatures. The coolest thing I learned writing this book is probably that it was a creature that lived before it's called Homo Erectus. And Erectus lived on this planet 1.6 million years, 80,000 generations, and simply had one tool: the hand axe. It looks like a big arrowhead. And that's it. And no matter when you find these, on which of three continents you find them, they're all alike. And that's really mysterious because you would think if in 80,000 generations, everybody was just copying their parents, then eventually they would, like the telephone game, they would just change and in different regions, but they didn't. They're all identical. And what does that mean? It means Erectus didn't know they were making those tools, the way a bird doesn't know they're building a nest, they just do it. But it isn't something that they know how to do. It's not a cultural object, or technological object, it's a genetic object. You see a beaver, if you put a recording of music, of running water in the middle of the field, and a beaver walks by the dam over it, they don't really know what they're doing, but they know how to build that one dam. So, you think about that: 80,000 generations where nothing happened. And then you think about us. We only took three generations to get from Kitty Hawk to the moon. And you realize we are a very different thing. And I kind of think it's this for millions of years, billions of years: the only place we had to write down what we learned was in our DNA. It took millions of years to write one new thing. And then one day, we got what you talked about: language, 40,000-50,000 years ago, and all of a sudden we can think and that's really the power of language. It organizes your thoughts. It's not mere speculation. There's a wonderful quote in the book from Helen Keller, who talked about what her life was like before her teacher came and how she didn't know she was a person. She didn't know she was a discrete thing in the universe. So we got language. Andi Simon: Listen for a second, because I think that for my audience, I know that this is a curious question. We were able to sync and not necessarily communicate our thoughts. And I think that when you are walking in the woods, and there's nobody to talk to, but you're thinking, and you're doing just what our ancestors were doing, then the question always is, and I was fascinated by your effort to try and explain how did that happen, where all of a sudden we went from our thoughts to be able to share our thoughts. And how would they know what those words meant? And was there a quantum leap in the DNA of everyone at the time to be able to understand language? We have, you know, different languages, but they're all very similar in structure. Is it part of our acquired DNA? I mean, this is not simple stuff, because it's really quite interesting about how we took the thinking and turned it into a conversation that you and I can understand each other's meaning. Byron Reese: Yes, absolutely. And of course, we have to speculate a little. And so there's four or five different ideas on how that could have happened. I tend to believe that there was a mutation that happened in one person one time, you know, on some Tuesday morning at 8:30, or something like that happened, that his or her progeny may have inherited. And that's the capacity to think. In language, you see, we don't really have any organs for language. We have to repurpose organs we use for other stuff to be able to do this. And if in fact, language did begin in just one person, in one of these little lonely bands of 100-150 people, then after a few generations, when it had spread among them, they would be superheroes, and they would have superpowers, and they would very quickly displace everything else that didn't have capacity for language. And that's why it looks like it appeared everywhere, all at once. But I think that's what must have happened because human universals. There are a couple of hundreds of these things that all human cultures have. Andi Simon: Yes. Now, the interesting part is, I got fascinated by the cave art, that all of a sudden, we went from no cave. Africa has practically nothing that looks like the European or the Asian cave art that came at a period of time. And it's not stick figures. And even in the Americas, there's amazing art that all of a sudden emerges at once. And we say, How did that happen? You know, your point is that an alien is not so crazy. Talk to us about art, about music, about the flute, the things that emerge and seem to say something about who those people were, who created it, and how they shared something that was difficult to share across continents of that time. And all sudden it all at once. Even getting to Australia. I mean, there's something there worth sharing, more than just reading the book, because I love those stories. That's what makes me go, Oh, how did that happen? What happened? And how did it happen? Byron Reese: You're right, there were no precursors of anything like representative art. And if you look at some of these caves, they are beautiful. I mean, it's just beautiful. I would frame that and hang it on my wall. But the thing to keep in mind is, it wasn't just that they could do that beautifully. It was high tech, like literally, because they were using fat to make the pigments and here they weren't using the power to extend them. For black, they could have used charcoal. They had charcoal in the fire 20 feet away. But it wasn't black enough evidently. And so they figured out a new way to make black pigment using a mineral they had to heat 1200 degrees, which was hard to do and the closest source was 240 miles away. So they had to be mindful enough to go. They had to build scaffolding too and then to your point, digging in those caves in Chile is amazing because it's like King Tut's tomb. It was sealed off and we found it and the footprints, like a boy and his dog or sand, like in the kitchen. But when you excavate those times, you're right, we find musical instruments. The oldest ones we have at the exact same time, and we find the representative art at the exact same time. So whatever gave us language, I think really did a lot more than that. I mean, it made us, and your remark about aliens, I think might be a reference to something in the book where every time I mentioned this to people, they would obviously have bet it's aliens. And it isn't that people think it's aliens, but it is so dramatic and invites something like that. Andi Simon: That makes you ask how, and the problem is, we want answers. And the problem is, we don't have any. And then there were the Neanderthals and Denisovans, and others who looked similar but didn't survive the same way. We still have our DNA, they have their DNA. And so, you know, they were there. But it's a really interesting set of questions. So your point about our ancestors having a DNA that allowed them to produce the same tool everywhere they were, and then humans began to create variety and tremendous ingenuity across the globe. However, we expanded, and then came the Middle Ages and something transformative developed. And I think I'd like to move on a little bit. I mean, that's a lot of time to go from the starting point to major transformation. But I don't care if it's Michelangelo or anybody else in 1716 or 1617: something happened that changed us. Probability theory? What happened? Byron Reese: What happened is, we got this capacity for language, which we then use to imagine these stories that were very mundane. They were just moments ahead. And later, we started articulating them. But once we could imagine the future, we weren't content with that. We're not a particularly contented species. And we weren't competing with that. And we didn't want to just leave the picture, we wanted to know what was going to happen. We wanted to predict it. And that seems like a tall order. But that's what happened. And we, in 1654, these two men, de Fermat and Pascal are writing these letters, they're trying to solve this math problem that is trivially simple. I won't even bore you with it, other than to say, a 10-year-old could solve it. And this is a math problem. The great minds of Europe had worked on it for 100 years. And they needed a new way to think about the future. And that's what they did. And they did it: probability theory. And then, man, it just all happened, you had the first probability textbook within eight years. And the whole modern world, artificial intelligence is just probability theory. High speed, like, it's all, that's what it is, we invented that. And the reason it took so long is because we had to figure out why the future happened the way it did. I mean, a futurist is really that people try to understand why the future unfolded this way, not that way, if I may have a visual aid. There were all different theories on why things happened the way they did. They were destined to happen, and they were fated to happen. Or they can only happen that way. Andi Simon: Or we don't have a clue. Byron Reese: What they never guessed was this: So this is probably something you may have seen at a science museum before. This is a paper full of BBs, I'm about to flip it. And when I do that, the BBs are gonna fold down and they're gonna hit these things. And they can bounce to the left, to the right, and then they'll hit another one. They can bounce to the left or the right, left to the right. And what happens is, every time you do it, you get a normal curve. You can do this all day long. And this is the thing nobody ever imagined was in randomness. Even to this day, if you were to ask me, If you flipped the coin 1000 times, how many times will heads come up? I know how to answer that: 500. But I mean, I've never done it. And I didn't know how to answer it. I would have said, who knows, maybe 100. And then the next time 908, 105, 100. But the chances that it's ever under 400, or more than 600, or one in many billions. It's never happened, it never will happen. And so you think about the most random thing: imagine a coin toss that you can say something that confident about it. And that's the basis of probability theory: you can assign probabilities to things in the future.  Andi Simon: I love reading Martin Seligman, his work on humble perspectives. And as I often work with my clients, I tell them that if you want to live today, you have to have some visualization of what tomorrow is gonna bring. Because if not, we will have a very difficult time. You can do the habits of yesterday. We're very happy with them, and comfortable with our habits. But tomorrow isn't going to be like yesterday and may move slowly or quickly. I mean, the pandemic was so catalytic because it showed everybody how in a moment, everything can change, and without any control or decision-making or probability...although I suspect some people have had a probability theory that that was going to happen. But it is an interesting phenomenon for humans because we need to know what's coming in order for us to prepare for it by living now. The past has given us experiential, but we only remember parts of that, not every memory. And if you talk to people about what happened on X day, when we were all together, they each have a different story. And the creativity is that they fit the story into their own stories. And so the story reflects them. They're all the heroes in it, but not really necessarily what the truth is. My favorite quote is, "The only truth is there is no truth." And so then we begin to think about what came out of then, a great creativity there, and then came along your computers and the modern age, more or less, whatever is going on now. And what's coming into the future. Mr. Futurist? What do you see coming? And how are you getting folks to prepare for the uncertainties that are coming next? What do you see happening? Byron Reese: When we got our cognitive eye opening, remember earlier I talked about the only place we had to write things was in our DNA? Well, suddenly, we had a new place. We could write stuff. We could write it in our DNA, but we could also write it just in our head. And that became our DNA. Instead of taking 100,000 years to learn not to eat the purple berries, I could just say, Hey, man, don't eat those purple berries, they'll make you sick. And that's it. That's it, that was a mutation about to spread. Everybody can say, Those purple berries are bad. Well, there's an old essay called iPad that was written seven years ago, where a guy points out, Nobody knows how to make a pencil. There's not a person alive who knows every step of making every part of the pencil, and yet pencils get made, even though nobody knows how to make it. So what has happened in the computer age is, we now know that with writing and computers, the human story is that people will learn stuff, and then they die. And then it's forgotten. Then somebody else comes along, learns something, and then they die, and it's forgotten. Or maybe they told somebody but then they messed it up. And our whole species just kind of resets every generation, a few things filter down but for most things are forgotten. And I think that's what's really going to change is that, I'm gonna have a toothbrush that will tell me if I've got the flu virus in my mouth. And I mean, I want that toothbrush, and it will collect data. And I will have the spoon that will tell me the nutrition of every bite I have. That's collecting data, right? And so it can tell me, Oh, you're not getting enough, whatever. And one after the other. And I think that's kind of what we're building. When we just had probability theory, we basically had paper and pencils, and cycles. That was it. And so between 1654, when we invented probability, to 1954, the world we built, we built with paper. And now, we said, We want to do this, like, on a massive scale, even beyond our own ability. So I think that's what we do. We're collecting evermore data. And we're going to use that data to record the life experiences of everybody, and use those to make everybody else's life better. So that in the future, everyone will be wiser than anyone who's ever lived because everyone will have at least access to this knowledge base. In the book, I guess, all these examples of things that we couldn't have seen in the day, like iodine and salt, because so people wouldn't get goiter. But they didn't know this whole country had an iodine deficiency. And when they measured the average IQ, it went up four points and in some parts of the country, went up 15 points from that one thing in the south, which had a corn based diet, there was niacin deficiency, and we started fortifying corn flakes with niacin. And then that went away. And then we used to put stuff in things like lead. Lead paint and lead constantly and we didn't know, there just wasn't any data. There was no such thing as data before for 16 people. It didn't exist. Why would it? What would you have ever done with data for 16 people? And now, if we had handled the data, you would have been able to see all that stuff in that data. And that is a speculation. I mean, there's an antidepressant called Wellbutrin that after some number of years of being used, some people said, you know, my cravings for cigarettes went down. They studied and they found out, Wow, that's a smoking cessation drug. Very good. They repackaged it down, and, and so forth. So there's everything in the data. But we don't yet have the tools. We have the computers to do it now, like we have processor power. But we don't really have the tools to cope with the kinds of datasets that are being automatically built to try to build this knowledge base. Andi Simon: For a number of years, I taught a course for the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, and it was called Your Data's Talking to You, Can You Hear It?, because healthcare strategists had an abundance of data points. I'm an anthropologist. Anthropologists are taught early that out of context, data do not exist. And consequently, that abundance of stuff needed to be turned into a story. And I work with them on, Which story are you going to tell to the leadership of your organization, to the middle management, to the physicians? How are you going to craft those data points so one size doesn't fit anyone, because the first thing that doctors start to do is delete your data. The data is wrong. It's the way you crafted a story, using the data to help you see, feel and think about that in a different fashion. And Byron is right, because you know, the computers can't think, maybe they're getting there, but they can't. They can accumulate all of this data, but they can't really interpret it, or craft a story for you. So our uniqueness takes us back to the beginning of our conversation. Think. And if we can think with better insights to what's happening, what could we think about that could be transformative about our society? You know, he writes about education and culture, and it works well, like everything. And how do we think about coming out of pandemic time in a way that gives us an amazing opportunity. I always tell people, Don't waste a crisis. Humans hate to change. The amygdala loves to hijack new ideas. The cortisol comes flying out the minute there's something new. So as you're listening to us, I bet you're saying, Oh, no, and I'm saying, Yes. And begin to think through what's possible. You know, Byron, we've had such a good time, but I think it's time we wrap up a couple of things you don't want our listeners to forget. Byron Reese: The book has one of the purposes of stories, which I accumulated over a couple of years, just reading storybooks. When I was working on this book, I would write it in the mornings, but in the evenings, I read storybooks. And I would just try to figure out what purpose is the story serving, and I think I came up with 20. But if you read the epilogue, one page long, there is a secret 21st purpose that is the biggest one of all when it's the stories that give life meaning. And there's these two different narratives of our lives. One is that, you know, we're just kind of like big bags of chemicals and electrical impulses that careened through space and bumped into other big bags. And then we fizzle out and are forgotten. That's a story and it robs everything of any meaning permanently. But there's another one that says that your life is not that. All life has inherent worth. And that your life is not a domino rally of minute after minute after minute after minute, but that all of the moments of your life are kind of connected in a sequence that tells a story. And can I close the book by asking, who is telling that story? Andi Simon: Well, in that you're leading to something real important, I'm gonna put the book up again soo the folks can see. There we go: Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think. And it's how humans learn to see the future and shape it. And I think that, from my perspective, what I would like our listeners to walk away with other than to go by the book, is reading with this open mind and being curious. I think it's our curiosity that has become so essential for us to see things through a fresh lens, and to begin to understand. If I hadn't worked with company after company that get stuck or stalled, I'd say to you, Piece of cake, the times have changed, we just adapt. But humans are so convinced that what they do today is the way we should do it, that they forget that we would have never done it that way over all of these centuries. You know, maybe Homo Erectus did the same things with this Chilean tool exactly the same way because it was DNA driven. But for us, we're creators, and we're story makers. And as we listen to each other's stories that capture the insights that come, and begin to see your own life with different purpose and different opportunity, the one thing that we often say in here is that we are mortal. We know that. And that changes the dynamics. Does my dog know to live everyday in the moment? People say, Live in the moment. It's hard to do that because we can see what's coming, even if we're not sure. So where should they buy your book, Byron? Byron Reese: All of the usual places. Andi Simon: And if you buy it on Amazon and like to write reviews, it is a great place to put in a little. It's a great book. And I think you're going to enjoy reading it and reflecting on our own next step. Because if you spent the past year thinking about the future, and the future is here for us to create. And I do think that it's a time of great creativity, and don't waste a crisis because it's a time for you to think in new ways. Thank you. Do you also speak and consult? Are there other things that you can offer our listeners? Byron Reese: Yes, I do. I speak when I'm invited. And that's most of what I do. I'm writing another book, which is due in 33 days, because I've got a big countdown clock on my mantle. Andi Simon: I'm laughing because I could look to November 1. I thank you for taking time out to do this. And we'll do a podcast to discuss your next book and mine. But for now, thank you all for coming today. It's been absolutely a pleasure. Byron Reese wrote this great book, but he's coming up with his next one. But he reflects like I love to do on who we are as humans, where we've been and where we're going and how we're going to do better together. Because it's only together that we can go anywhere. Humans love herds. And we love to be together. And it's hard to be alone. And loneliness often comes from living alone. You send me great emails and you send me great people you want me to interview. It's info@Andisimon.com. And you can find my books there and everything else. And we love to help you see, feel and think in new ways so you can change, so come along and send us your thoughts. Have a great day. Thank you again.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

Byron Reese is an entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. He is the author of four books on technology, his most recent was described by The New York Times as “entertaining and engaging.” Listen to The Tony DUrso Show on VoiceAmerica Influencers Platform every Friday at 2pm Pacific or listen on Apple Podcasts or tonydurso.com/podcast.

DisrupTV Episode 293, Byron Reese, John Landry, Howard Wolk by DisrupTV

The Anthropology of Innovation with Byron Reese This week we spoke with futurist, entrepreneur, and author Byron Reese about the anthropology of innovation and the transformative effect of technology on the workplace and on society at large. Plug in and learn about, Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future — and Shape it. What makes the human mind so unique? And how did we get this way? Connect with Byron Reese: https://byronreese.com Learn more about Nassau Re/Imagine: imagine.nfg.com Connect with us: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/nassau-reimagine

What makes us so darn special from every other species on earth, and what do we do about it? According to author and technologist Byron Reese, in his new book Stories, Dice, and Rocks, it is our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, and, by sharing that knowledge at an unprecedented scale to actually shape our future. Including in commerce. This is a fascinating conversation with a brilliant man with an optimistic view of humanity, backed up by data.

On this podcast I am joined by Byron Reese, to talk about his latest book that just hit the bookshelves titled “Stories, dice and rocks that think: How humans learned to see the future”.  Byron is a successful entrepreneur, CEO, futurist and award winning author. If you are like me and believe the saying that history doesn't necessarily repeat, but it does rhyme, and so you spend a lot of time studying history in order to get a better understanding of what might happen in the future, then you will love this book.  It's a tour de force that explores three leaps in history that Byron has identified that he claims made us who we are and that by really understanding these it will change how we think about our future. In this wide ranging conversation we talk about the book, his career, technology in general, transformation and even about how he writes so prolifically.  Dont forget if you like what you hear subscribe to the podcast, follow me on twitter @thepulseofai or ping me on linkedin.  I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

What makes the human mind so unique? And how did we get this way?This fascinating podcast explores the three leaps in our history that made us what we are—and will change how you think about our future.Look around. Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why? Where are the Bronze Age beavers? The Iron Age iguanas? In Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think, Byron Reese argues that we owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in. 

Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It by Byron Reese ". . . Byron Reese gets to the heart of what makes humans different from all others." —Midwest Book Review What makes the human mind so unique? And how did we get this way? This fascinating tale explores the three leaps in our history that made us what we are—and will change how you think about our future. Look around. Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why? Where are the Bronze Age beavers? The Iron Age iguanas? In Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think, Byron Reese argues that we owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in. Envisioning human history as the development of a societal superorganism he names Agora, Reese shows us how this escape enabled us to share knowledge on an unprecedented scale, and predict—and eventually master—the future. Thoughtful, witty, and compulsively readable, Reese unravels our history as an intelligent species in three acts: Act I: Ancient humans undergo “the awakening,” developing the cognitive ability to mentally time-travel using language Act II: In 17th century France, the mathematical framework known as 'probability theory' is born—a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern world Act III: Beginning with the invention of the computer chip, humanity creates machines to gaze into the future with even more precision, overcoming the limits of our brains A fresh new look at the history and destiny of humanity, readers will come away from Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think with a new understanding of what they are—not just another animal, but a creature with a mastery of time itself.

We look at the latest book by Byron Reese, whose previous book The Fourth Age we also reviewed for Irish Tech News. See more about Stories, Dice & Rocks That Think here. Stories, Dice & Rocks That Think, reviewed Byron Reese is a good and engaging story teller, as we found from his previous book and so we were interested to review this book also. The first hundred and fifty pages approximately were interesting, but at times it felt like interesting after dinner anecdotes rather than stitching together into a clear narrative driving you to a specific concept or goal. Naturally the title is a strong clue as to where the author is trying to take you, but we just felt it took a slightly longer than expected period of time to get the car running and up to speed. Around the middle of the second hundred pages we felt that the narrative theme hit its stride and the points became more specifically relevant to the author making his point, rather than merely interesting in their own sake. Then things became more interesting and we found the book insightful, thought provoking and well worth reading. We will share this book with others and suggest that people read it, and that it is well worth tackling. You will come away smarter, and looking to join up the dots in various areas. Definitely one for the cooler autumn evenings to read. More about this book “Stories, Dice & Rocks That Think” is a new look at the history & destiny of humanity, wherein dice teach us about probability, which allows us to acccurately predict the future; storytelling allows us to envision the future; and rocks that think – a reference to a computer's CPU – enable us to build the future. This fascinating tale explores the three leaps in our history that made us who we are—and will change how you think about our future. Look around. Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why? Where are the Bronze Age beavers? The Iron Age iguanas? In “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think” (Aug. 16, 2022 / Benbella Books), Byron Reese argues that we owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in. Envisioning human history as the development of a societal superorganism he names Agora, Reese shows us how this escape enabled us to share knowledge on an unprecedented scale, to predict—and eventually master—the future. Thoughtful, witty, and compulsively readable, Reese unravels our history as an intelligent species in three acts: Act I: Ancient humans undergo “the awakening,” developing the cognitive ability to mentally time-travel using language Act II: In 17th century France, probability theory is born—a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern world Act III: Beginning with the invention of the computer chip, humanity creates machines to gaze into the future with even more precision, overcoming the limits of our brains A fresh new look at the history and destiny of humanity, readers will come away from Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think with a new understanding of what they are—not just another animal, but a creature with a mastery of time itself. “Stories, Dice and Rocks That Think” is Byron's fourth book. More about the author Serial entrepreneur, technologist, and futurist – Byron Reese has enjoyed a wide range of success over 30 years, including two NASDAQ IPOs as well as the sale of three companies he founded. Byron has spoken around world to both technical and non-technical audiences. His keynotes and appearances include SXSW, TEDx Austin, Google, Nvidia, FedEx and Fortune 1000 companies (Dell Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Oticon, Swisslog) and universities Rice (University of Texas, Queen's University, TWU) and futurist conferences (TimeMachine, PICNIC Festival in Amsterdam, Wolfram Data Summit, and the IEEE Conference) among others. He is the former CEO of Gigaom (and is still its primary ...

If you enjoy this interview please help us grow by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it with your friends! Whether it's pondering the mysteries of life while watching a sunrise or reasoning in great detail about how a new technology will change the world, there is something unique about the human capacity to imagine the future. But where does this capacity come from, what does it mean for us, and how can we use it more effectively? Tonight's guest has just written a book exploring these themes. Byron Reese is an Austin-based entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running technology companies. He is a recognized authority on AI and holds a number of technology patents. In addition, he is a futurist with a strong conviction that technology will help bring about a new golden age of humanity. He gives talks around the world about how technology is changing work, education, and culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are reasons we are the way we are; we are optimized for other purposes, not the least of which is thinking in stories not logic. So we did something else instead: we taught rocks how to think. Intrigued? So was I and I'm delighted to host the man who'll answer this strange question in Act III of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It” Byron Reese, welcome back to the show Find Byron here: www.byronreese.com

Today we focus on ACT II of Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future and Shape It with Byron Reese Act II is set In 17th century France, the mathematical framework known as 'probability theory' is born—a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern world. We welcome back the author of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It” friend of the show, Byron Reese. Find Byron here: www.byronreese.com

Look around. Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why? Where are the Bronze Age beavers? The Iron Age iguanas? In today's episode, our guest argues that we humans owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in.    Envisioning human history as the development of a societal superorganism he names Agora, our guest shows us how this escape enabled us to share knowledge on an unprecedented scale, and predict—and eventually master—the future. He unravels our history as an intelligent species in three acts: Act I: Ancient humans undergo “the awakening,” developing the cognitive ability to mentally time-travel using language Act II: In 17th century France, the mathematical framework known as 'probability theory' is born—a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern world Act III: Beginning with the invention of the computer chip, humanity creates machines to gaze into the future with even more precision, overcoming the limits of our brains We welcome back the author of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think: How Humans Learned to See the Future--and Shape It” friend of the show, Byron Reese. Find Byron here: www.byronreese.com

Byron Reese is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and futurist. He has enjoyed a wide range of success over 30 years, including two NASDAQ IPOs as well as the sale of three companies he founded. Today Byron is the CEO of JJ Kent, a venture-backed company using AI to create new products. Reese is also the author […]

Entrepreneur and Author, Byron Reese, joins Coruzant Technologies for the Digital Executive podcast. He shares the things that inspire him - technology and humans. Byron talks about the rapid pace of technology that will forever change mankind and how we need to adapt, but also leverage the technology. He talks about this latest book, Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think, and how humans have evolved, ultimately leveraging technology.

As humans, we are hard-wired to tell and share stories. We also gravitate to brands that tell a compelling story that connects with us on an emotional level. So, how do marketers shape narratives that resonate with their audiences? In episode #471, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Byron Reese, author of the upcoming book Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think. He shares insight into how stories have driven the growth and development of human culture, and he outlines tips on how you can tell stories that persuade your customers to take action. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mobile-presence8298/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“The Fourth Age not only discusses what the rise of A.I. will mean for us, it also forces readers to challenge their preconceptions. And it manages to do all this in a way that is both entertaining and engaging.” —The New York TimesJuan tackles the book The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity by Byron Reese. This book proved to be a great read if you want to think about AI and machines from a primal basis, based on the way we might think of our universe at large.Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction and overview(0:35) - How deep does the rabbit hole go in the book(2:20) - The Fourth Age(3:25) - The three key questions(5:45) - Trying to emulate a nematode's brainAs always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Byron Reese welcomes Andrea Thomaz on to discuss the nature of intelligence and intellectual growth and how that pertains to both robotics and AI. Episode 117 – A Conversation with Andrea Thomaz

Byron Reese discusses the ethics of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the potential for misuse with Fiona McEvoy of YouTheData.com. Episode 114 – A Conversation with Fiona McEvoy

Byron Reese (@byronreese) is the CEO and publisher of Gigaom, an industry-leading technology research company. Byron's also an award-winning author, speaker and futurist with a strong conviction that technology will help bring about a new golden age of humanity. [spreaker type=player resource="episode_id=29887742" width="100%" height="200px" theme="light" playlist="false" playlist-continuous="false" autoplay="false" live-autoplay="false" chapters-image="true" episode-image-position="right" hide-logo="true" hide-likes="false" hide-comments="false" hide-sharing="false" hide-download="true"]