Synopsis
Join Scott Johnson and Tom Merritt to get short term, long term, and crazy predictions, as well as the always interesting FourCast Findings and FourCast QuickFire Questions segments. They're a little lazy, so they bring on two guests every episode and make them do the work.
Episodes
Season 11E1Beware the Lunar MolemenWe're proud to have Len Peralta of JawBone Radio and Monsters By Mail, and Veronica Belmont of Tekzilla and Qore as our first victims, er, guests. This episode was a blast, dealing with the end of the world, the terraforming of Mars, and of course, MoleMen.43m2E2Water WarsFor our next trick, Scott and I got Leo Laporte of TWiT fame, and Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback to square off with their visions of the future. You may think Leo is the optimist, but you'd be wrong. Witness the title of our episode. It was Jim that has the rosier view of the future. Including the chance for all of us to someday become Ashton Kutcher. Listen in folks, it's a good one.48m3E3Superheroes at Play in Domed CitiesThis time on FourCast, comic, movie, and TV writer Gerry Conway and podcaster Brian Ibbott predict a world brimming with superheroes, domed cities, and RPGs based on your trip to the grocery store.42m4E4The Machine President Sits AloneThis time we are blessed with two musicians whom we are both fans of. Jonathan Coulton, known best for his Code Monkey and zombie songs, and MC Frontalot, known best, apparently for his back trouble int he nerdcore documentary but really for his amazing nerd rap prowess. We discuss their visions of synthetic life, machine-led government, nanobots, and the amazing growth of our brains. Or will we have brains in the future?35m5E5Goodbye Journalism and Game ConsolesWe're doing things a little differently this time. We had so much good conversation this time around, that we're pbreaking the show into three parts. Part one of the prediction extravaganza with Scott Kurtz and Jeff Cannata sees us discuss the end of journalism as we know it and ponder a world with one game console platform.22m6E6America Gives Way to the First Virtual NationIn part two of our conversation with Jeff Cannata and Scott Kurtz, it's time for the long term predictions. We discuss the decline of America and the potential rise of virtual nations.23m7E7Omega Point Steals Our GenderThe final part of our conversation with Jeff Cannata and Scott Kurtz covers the final simulation of everything and the elimination of all genders. Or does it? In fact, it does.31m38E38Sing Along with the SingularityWhile we have a lot of fun worrying about self-driving cars, it's really the singularity we should be worried about. Justin Robert Young pretty much believes it will be disaster, while Brian Brushwood has a rosier vision.59m39E39House of TrashEverything's going wireless, and magazines are on the way out. So we'll build our houses out of old wires and magazines.45m40E40Apple Is the Chigger of Tech CompaniesAmong the solid state drives and USB appendages we discover the similarity between Apple and the itchy pest, chiggers.48m41E41Goodbye to Our BodiesDefying gravity, leaving our bodies, and eliminating humanity. In a good way.45m42E42It's a Dune Dune Dune Dune WorldNo matter what we predict in this episode we find it all leads back to Dune... and the Space Amish.48m43E43Don't Insert Animals ThereCandy-coated humans, the Gross Domestic Happiness quotient, one language to rule them all, and more.71m44E44Humanity Is Saved!Body mods, presidential elections in the future, and the survival of humanity.54m45E45Whale WarsWe will ditch copyright, public libraries and traditional narrative, and embrace mutations. But don't worry, time is running out. Literally.62m46E46Sgt. Zapata Regrows an ArmFind out why teleportation will work for dead cats. Also, we'll pick a job for you but it won't be in self-help.53m47E47Don't Steal My ArmLooking forward to better airlines, stain-resistant clothing, pay-by-arm transactions, and more.59m48E48The Great Seawall of AtlanticaWireless brains, boundless energy, virtual religion, and more.51m49E49Moop-A-Chicka-Wow-WowDarthweef and PhatEmoKid tells us about the bedbugs, cures and Utopias in our future.50m50E50Rise of the DolphoctopusSolutions for cancer and money problems, and why the small humans will come out on top.60m51E51Planet of the 1990s DiseasesCheap tech saves us all while our lungs are infected by solar cells.36m52E52Subscribe to the Perfect MemoryFighting the intelligence gap, ending the judicial system, and more.52m53E53BBQ on MarsLooking forward to an alliance of space colonies rebelling against their BBQ-hating overlords.53m54E54The Bug People Will Inherit the EarthUnicorns at the bottom of the sea, level 3 civilizations, organs in jars, and more.51m55E55Giraffe Burger To Go, PleaseNo more borders, but we will have a civil war and we'll be saved by alien cyclopicorns.50m56E56What Would Blue-Jay Do?The wild turkey shoot is coming to a big city near you, and you'll be able to literally share your memories of the event.53m57E57Vote Arsonist!We will be burning everything down and creating artificial consciousness, resulting in self-aware fire-robots.62m58E58It's All a SimulizationDogs talk while we use our networked brains to chat with artificial sentient life on the bottom of the ocean.42m59E59Holodeck Full of Tuba RockDeciding which brain-machine interface to use for immortality: organic, mechanical or virtual.56m60E60Spray-on Shopping With CherOur mems-pants we downloaded while VR-shopping can change colors with the situation but can't save us from destruction.52m61E61Government Is Soylent GreenDemocracy through Farmville, chip implants for nutrition advice, and more.62m62E62Goober Great!Seth Rogen's future, landfill rage, and the greatest peanut butter combination of all time.62m63E63Nanite-Controlled Algorithms for Better LivingLife will be sweet when algorithms govern our social lives and body bugs govern our biology.55m64E64Infinity Is Freaking HugeBrain hacking will be easier when we're always connected to the Net to watch live coverage of state secessions.64m65E65Gold-Backed Data CurrencyHot swap your organs without interrupting the WiFi in your brain, and bad news is consolidated at MySpoo.57m66E66Robot SugarIn our parochial future filled with pirates, robots will tolerate us while Scott pole-dances under the name Robot Sugar.58m67E67Goodbye Governments, Hello Science WarIn our future, there will be no governments, only science wars.59m68E68Global Harmony Meets the MultiverseThe rise of citizen scientists who record their life will lead us to global harmony on Mars.63m69E69We Are All X-MenWe learn to love the mole men, throw out our DVDs and break up into small countries.52m70E70The Future Is UnclearOur guests have good reasons for having hazy future predictions. But the crazy? They bring the crazy.50m71E71To The Caves!We're headed to the gold standard, going bankrupt, losing our faith in science and we'll lose the world to the slime molds anyway.62m72E72We Are the Mole MenHollywood won't stop making comic book movies, but we will stop talking to teach other in our ultraseats. And it will all happen underground.44m73E73You Died of SpacsynteryThe proxy war will rage but we'll find water on 581g, and get plenty of online music and education.51m74E74The Future of No MoreNo more I/O devices, no more copyright and no more URLs. But we will have ChromeOS!58m75E75Weightless ImmortalityFind out the best way to be weightless and live forever with Aaron and Mary on this episode of FourCast.58m76E76Head in the CloudsWe're putting a hard drive in our heads, and we can't tell the Google history index has changed history, but we're all in caves now, so it's OK.58m77E77Stop Chad!If Chad doesn't get us in his dictatorial domination of new media, thumb-cats will!56m78E78Got Nanobots?Desktop sales take off, data mining makes us safer, memories get cataloged, and more.54m79E79Talk to the AnimalsTwitter and Facebook will die, GPS gets hacked, animal chats make us all vegetarians, but we all die anyway, and more.59m80E80Space NomadsWe wander the universe playing Call of Duty 20 on our million-core processors, and using our slaptops, and more.52m81E81Robot EverythingHumans grow the eff up, get happy, replace our body parts and get happy.51m82E82Prime Minister Doctorow If You PleaseTextbooks are free, hydroponic farmers grow in our cities, and computers become Gods.59m83E83Nice Bioluminescent SpotsBioluminescent spots running down your back with billboards.58m84E84It's All About SuperheroesWe won't die, and we won't have nay land, but we'll all be experts.42m85E85Distributed EverythingWe all share Internet, power and brains, but how long now will be really smelly and social.46m86E86The Gassy OneWe'll taste our movies and burn our trash, but we'll all be made of broccoli. Yet a trip to Jupiter will take our mind off it.60m87E87Grow Your Own HomeScan your tomatoes, travel at Mach 20 and put your phone in your brain.59m88
Black Tar EinsteinWe got brain drain, big bangs and charity that gives back.49m89E89We Welcome Our Tank Spider OverlordsWe wear our computers, improve our toilets and all die in a singularity. But we can think our way out of it.51m90E90Putting the "I" In IPOBeatniks, home power and board games will make our future complete.51m91E91Designer ProstheticsAliens will bind us, waste will be dealt with and the makers will inherit the Earth.51m92E92Vote GibbonIt's survival of the cutest, or survival of the aliens that can't enjoy simulations. But we can't use telepathy because of the ads.50m93E93Go Goa'uld or Go HomeCivil War leads to education reform, and finally to the singularity.59m94E94Space DragonsWe live long enough to end the US, colonize the universe and meet the alien dragons.58m95E95Swappin' Body PartsWe'll archive our brains, defy gravity, and colonize planets with SimCity Arcologies.55m96E96Return of Alien NationGiant halogens on Mars, equal rights for time, and all hail the electronic king.60m97E97Pulp Toy Story DogsWe all create the movies we want in our barter society, when we're into playing realistic D&D sims. But we're all part of the AI game.59m98E98Holographic BieberSure, you can't hug a child with robotic eyes, and printing a baby has issues, but our perma-kittens will take our minds off it.48m99E99Spider StateWe stay away from space, impose a police state and then hand it over the printed-out spiders.62m100E100Voodoo Bernie Is the FutureWe get avatars and live for a long time, but the aliens will keep us in line.56m101
The Guilted AgePop in your new eyes and enjoy the new middle ages, before humanity shuts down for good and becomes hermit snipers.64m102E102MegafaunaChip me baby one more time. Also giant elephants protect us.60m103E103Moonifest DestinyChina's on the Moon, the robots beat everyone else, but at least we have voice control.57m104E104Introducing the Thought DVRWe move into the ocean, shut off annoyances and stop cruelty. Really? Yes.62m105E105My Bricks Are OnlineWe all stop commuting, but we have self-driving cars! And holographic keyboards.50m106E106Eyeball in My ColonWe learn how to grow eyeballs in inappropriate places, our biometrics gets hacked, but we don't care because we can get our entertainment everywhere.58m107E107Robot Death or Lizard FaceSure we can't tell if it's a computer, but it won't kill us. It will kill our physical-altered progeny. Am I right?63m108E108Nobody Wants To Raise GrandmaAlso you'll need an email address in the future, but not necessarily an ID.52m109E109Ubiquitous MediaComputing will be everywhere and so will media, but it will all happen in our minds.45m110E110Photography Becomes ArchaeologyWe pick our pictures after the fact and take back control of publishing!51m111E111Beam Me Out MommyPregnancy will get easier, safer and we'll pay the hospital bills in hugs.51m112E112The Nanobots Made My Brain Do ItYour heads up display won't let you get lost, but you're rewired brain may not like where you go.53m113
Kickstart My Comic HeartKickstart my comic heart and speak my version of English while you do it.51m114E114No Keyboard, No SecurityWe'll need a disaster to teach us computer security, but we won't have those nasty keyloggers since we'll all use tablets.50m115E115Spectrum in My HeadWe'll have enough bandwidth to live in the Simiverse and shoot documentary movies there.48m116E116TV and Movies MergeCinemas will show TV shows, movies come straight to your TV, plus other shocking developments.45m117E117Free Phone, Strong Heart, Can't LoseWe'll have an Amazon phone that's ad supported and upgraded organs to enjoy it with.42m118E118No Ultrabooks, Just Paper BooksWhile the name ultrabook will become meaningless, eBooks will not replace the dead trees entirely.49m119E119What’s the Digital Matter?We'll be able to program matter to be whatever we want, too bad nobody will know how it works.46m120E120Your Tube Is HereTravel by tube in your custom car listening to your custom station.50m121E121Jam the Reptile TerroristsWhen we all have wearable computing we'll need to jam it and stop the parallel universes from invading us. But at least we have easy access to Point Break.47m122E122LastcastScott and Tom share their predictions in this the triumphant finale of FourCast.62m
Black Tar EinsteinWe got brain drain, big bangs and charity that gives back.49m89E89We Welcome Our Tank Spider OverlordsWe wear our computers, improve our toilets and all die in a singularity. But we can think our way out of it.51m90E90Putting the "I" In IPOBeatniks, home power and board games will make our future complete.51m91E91Designer ProstheticsAliens will bind us, waste will be dealt with and the makers will inherit the Earth.51m92E92Vote GibbonIt's survival of the cutest, or survival of the aliens that can't enjoy simulations. But we can't use telepathy because of the ads.50m93E93Go Goa'uld or Go HomeCivil War leads to education reform, and finally to the singularity.59m94E94Space DragonsWe live long enough to end the US, colonize the universe and meet the alien dragons.58m95E95Swappin' Body PartsWe'll archive our brains, defy gravity, and colonize planets with SimCity Arcologies.55m96E96Return of Alien NationGiant halogens on Mars, equal rights for time, and all hail the electronic king.60m97E97Pulp Toy Story DogsWe all create the movies we want in our barter society, when we're into playing realistic D&D sims. But we're all part of the AI game.59m98E98Holographic BieberSure, you can't hug a child with robotic eyes, and printing a baby has issues, but our perma-kittens will take our minds off it.48m99E99Spider StateWe stay away from space, impose a police state and then hand it over the printed-out spiders.62m100E100Voodoo Bernie Is the FutureWe get avatars and live for a long time, but the aliens will keep us in line.56m101The Guilted AgePop in your new eyes and enjoy the new middle ages, before humanity shuts down for good and becomes hermit snipers.64m102E102MegafaunaChip me baby one more time. Also giant elephants protect us.60m103E103Moonifest DestinyChina's on the Moon, the robots beat everyone else, but at least we have voice control.57m104E104Introducing the Thought DVRWe move into the ocean, shut off annoyances and stop cruelty. Really? Yes.62m105E105My Bricks Are OnlineWe all stop commuting, but we have self-driving cars! And holographic keyboards.50m106E106Eyeball in My ColonWe learn how to grow eyeballs in inappropriate places, our biometrics gets hacked, but we don't care because we can get our entertainment everywhere.58m107E107Robot Death or Lizard FaceSure we can't tell if it's a computer, but it won't kill us. It will kill our physical-altered progeny. Am I right?63m108E108Nobody Wants To Raise GrandmaAlso you'll need an email address in the future, but not necessarily an ID.52m109E109Ubiquitous MediaComputing will be everywhere and so will media, but it will all happen in our minds.45m110E110Photography Becomes ArchaeologyWe pick our pictures after the fact and take back control of publishing!51m111E111Beam Me Out MommyPregnancy will get easier, safer and we'll pay the hospital bills in hugs.51m112E112The Nanobots Made My Brain Do ItYour heads up display won't let you get lost, but you're rewired brain may not like where you go.53m113Kickstart My Comic HeartKickstart my comic heart and speak my version of English while you do it.51m114E114No Keyboard, No SecurityWe'll need a disaster to teach us computer security, but we won't have those nasty keyloggers since we'll all use tablets.50m115E115Spectrum in My HeadWe'll have enough bandwidth to live in the Simiverse and shoot documentary movies there.48m116E116TV and Movies MergeCinemas will show TV shows, movies come straight to your TV, plus other shocking developments.45m117E117Free Phone, Strong Heart, Can't LoseWe'll have an Amazon phone that's ad supported and upgraded organs to enjoy it with.42m118E118No Ultrabooks, Just Paper BooksWhile the name ultrabook will become meaningless, eBooks will not replace the dead trees entirely.49m119E119What’s the Digital Matter?We'll be able to program matter to be whatever we want, too bad nobody will know how it works.46m120E120Your Tube Is HereTravel by tube in your custom car listening to your custom station.50m121E121Jam the Reptile TerroristsWhen we all have wearable computing we'll need to jam it and stop the parallel universes from invading us. But at least we have easy access to Point Break.47m122E122LastcastScott and Tom share their predictions in this the triumphant finale of FourCast.62mCast
