Episode 166: 404 - Friends Not Found

TOPIC: The future we can't know.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how quickly technology is evolving, how janky that evolution can be, and how terrible we all are at forecasting what will come next and beyond.

Could Merlin have ever imagined he'd pay $3.00 for an episode of Under the Gunn? No, he could not.

Links for this episode:

• The health effects of a world without darkness – Rebecca Boyle – Aeon
  
• You Are Not So Smart
  
• List of cognitive biases - RationalWiki
  Cognitive bias describes the inherent thinking errors that humans make in processing information. Some of these have been verified empirically in the field of psychology, while others are considered general categories of bias. These thinking errors prevent one from accurately understanding reality, even when confronted with all the needed data and evidence to form an accurate view.
• End-of-history illusion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  The end-of-history illusion is a ubiquitous psychological illusion in which teenagers and adults of all ages believe that they have consistently experienced significant personal growth and changes in tastes until now, but will somehow not continue to grow and mature in the future.[1] That is, despite knowing how much they have changed in the last ten years, they believe that ten years from now, they will think and feel the same as they do today.
• YANSS Podcast 020 – James Burke and Matt Novak ponder the future and why we are terrible at predicting it « You Are Not So Smart
  In this episode of the You Are Not So Smart Podcast we sit down with James Burke and discuss the past, the present, and where he sees us heading in the future. Burke says we must soon learn how to deal with a world in which scarcity is scarce, abundance is abundant, and home manufacturing can produce just about anything you desire.
• Project Runway: Under the Gunn - Episodes, Videos & Schedule - myLifetime.com
  
• YANSS Podcast – Episode Four – The Self Illusion « You Are Not So Smart
  
• Confirmation Bias « You Are Not So Smart
  The Misconception: Your opinions are the result of years of rational, objective analysis.The Truth: Your opinions are the result of years of paying attention to information which confirmed what you believed while ignoring information which challenged your preconceived notions.
• Accidental Tech Podcast: 59: The Little Puck That Could
  
• chit | Definition at Dictionary.com Mobile
  

This week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:

• Squarespace (10% off with offer code, “TOOTHFAIRY”)
• BusyCal - BusyCal is an alternative to the built-in Calendar app on OS X that provides powerful time-saving features in a friendly, easy-to-use package.