singularity university

Singularity University Lectures: Terence Kawaja on the Science-ification of Media

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Have you ever heard about the investment banker doing stand-up comedy?

Well, in case you think it is worth hearing, I recommend checking out the above audio recording of Terence Kawaja’s Singularity University presentation aptly titled the Science-ification of Media.

By his own admission Terry has been an investment banker for 22 years and a comedian for twice as long. In my opinion his insights about business, entrepreneurship, banking and the new media are as profound as his humor is witty.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Terry’s stage introduction made by David Rose.)

Who is Terrence Kawaja?

Terence Kawaja is Founder and CEO of LUMA Partners, a strategic advisory firm focused at the intersection of media and technology. He is a seasoned investment banker with more than 20 years of experience and has advised on over $250 billion of transactions, including some of the most pivotal deals in the media and tech industries. Throughout his career, Terry has leveraged deep industry knowledge to take a strategic approach to deal making rather than chase transactions. The best compliment people say is that he thinks like a principal.

At LUMA, Terry advises both established media and technology companies as well as digital growth companies. He is a recognized expert in the Internet and digital media sectors and is a popular speaker at leading industry conferences. Terry has a straightforward style and is never afraid to tell it like it is. He also likes to keep things light by using humor to aid substantive presentations.

Prior to founding LUMA Partners, Terry was Co-head of Digital Media at GCA Savvian; Global Head of Media M&A at Citigroup and CSFB; and CFO of publicly-traded Raindance Communications. He received an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

When not negotiating deals or telling jokes, Terry enjoys a variety of activities from skiing to water sports. Terry lives in New York City with his wife and their two sons.

Here is copy of Terry’s original presentation:

The SCIENCE-ification of Media

Here are the full videos he played during his speech:
Mad Avenue Blues

Ad Tech: From Hype to Stereotype 

Tech Star

Don’t Stop Competing

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Singularity University Lectures: Dr. Alex Jadad on Making Longer Life Worth Living

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A couple of weeks ago we had the incredible pleasure of having Dr. Alex Jadad at Singularity University.

Dr. Jadad spoke on Making Longer Life Worth Living and I have to admit that it was perhaps the most moving lecture that we have had so far. Furthermore, as attested by the standing ovation at the end of his presentation, it seems that all of us felt the same way.

Alex pulled no punches and did not fail to shock and awe his audience with all kinds of profoundly philosophical, personal and emotional questions. However, the main point of his presentation was a simple yet crucial question aimed at alleviating human suffering that sits at the heart of his work:

“We are putting more years into out lives, but how can we put more life into our years?”

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Dr. Jadad’s Presentation Slides

Who is Alex Jadad?

Dr. Alex Jadad’s mission is to help improve health and wellness for all, through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Dr. Jadad is the founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. He is also spearheading the development of the Global eHealth and eWellness Network Initiative (GENI, pronounced as “genie”), a unique group of individuals, organizations, tools and facilities working in harmony to promote research, development, education, policy, funding, recognition and commercialization activities related to the uses of ICTs to promote optimal levels of health and wellness, worldwide.

Dr. Jadad’s numerous awards, including a ‘National Health Research Scholars Award’, by Health Canada (1997), one of ‘Canada’s Top 40 Under 40’ awards (1998), a ‘Premier’s Research Excellence Award’ (1999), the New Pioneers Award in Science and Technology (2002). In 2001 and 2002, he was featured by Time Magazine as one of the new Canadians who will shape the country in the 21st century, and as one of the leading medical researchers in the country. In 2004, he received the Canadian Latin Achievement Award, as one of the people who have made important contributions to the relationship between Canada and the Hispanic world. In 2005, he was selected by the Top 40 Under 40 alumni as one of “The Best of the Best” for achievements in Health and Science, and by his peers in Colombia as the scientist who probably has had the greatest impact in the country’s history.

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Singularity University Lectures: Science Searches for ET by Seth Shostak

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Last week Seth Shostak came to speak to Singularity University on how Science Searches for ET.

I have to say that Seth’s presentation was not only the funniest but also one of the most interesting ones that we have had so far.  It is for this reason that I asked him to let me post his lecture on singularity podcast and he not only agreed but even supplied copies of his presentation slides.

Hope you enjoy it and find it as funny as I did.

Seth’s Slide Presenation

Who is Seth Shostak?

Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately sixty papers in professional journals.

He has written several hundred popular magazine and Web articles on various topics in astronomy, technology, film and television. He lectures on astronomy and other subjects at Stanford and other venues in the Bay Area, and for the last six years, has been a Distinquished Speaker for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also Chair of the International Academy of Astronautics’ SETI Permanent Study Group. Every week he hosts the SETI Institute’s science radio show, “Are We Alone?”

Seth has edited and contributed to a half dozen books. His most recent tome is Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

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Singularity University Lectures: Mark Jacobson on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sunlight

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Last Friday Mark Jacobson came to speak to Singularity University on Powering the World with Wind, Water and Sun.

I have to admit that even though his presentation was very technical I enjoyed it immensely. The reason is not only the topic itself but the fact that in the space of an hour Mark managed to make such a powerful argument about the importance and feasibility of wind, water and solar power that he completely changed my views on the rationale behind and necessity of nuclear energy.

It is for this reason that I asked Prof. Jacobson to let me post his lecture on singularity podcast and he not only agreed but even supplied copies of his presentation slides.

Here are Mark`s slides as a .pdf file in 2 parts:

Mark Jacobson – Powering the World Part 1

Mark Jacobson – Powering the World Part 2

After seeing the presentation in person I did sought other interesting videos of Mark`s and found this interesting 2010 TED video. The clip is a debate betweeen Mark Jacobson and Stewart Brand on the pros and cons of nuclear energy:

Finally, I want to share with you how Mark Jacobson not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. He is not only a brilliant scientist but also a really nice guy. During lunch a bunch of us asked him to give us a ride in his Tesla and Mark spent about half an hour in taking a dozen SingularityU students for a ride around campus.

Mark was very nice to take me for a spin in his perfectly quiet Tesla. Wow!…
Pavlo Rudenko – one of my brilliant SU classmates examines the car batteries.
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Singularity University Lectures: Astro Teller on Innovation

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Many of you have asked me to post my lectures and, on those rare occasions that I can, I do so with pleasure.

Last week we had Astro Teller‘s lecture on Innovation and so far it is one of my top five most favorite lectures here at Singularity University.

Special thanks to both Astro and Singularity University who agreed to let me publish the class in full for it is indeed simply the best lecture on innovation that I have ever heard.

Enjoy!

Who is Astro Teller?

Dr. Astro Teller is currently Director of New Projects for Google, working to help the company explore new potential business areas. Astro is also co-founder and a current Director of Cerebellum Capital, Inc, a hedge fund management firm whose investments are continuously designed, executed, and improved by a software system based on techniques from statistical machine learning. Astro is also co-founder and a current Director of BodyMedia, Inc, a leading wearable body monitoring company.

From 2007 to 2010, Astro was the founding CEO of Cerebellum Capital. From 1999 to 2007, Dr. Teller was the founding CEO of BodyMedia, Inc. From 2003 to 2010, Astro was a co-founder and Chairman of Zivio Technologies, an intellectual property holding company. Prior to starting BodyMedia, Dr. Teller was co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Sandbox Advanced Development, an advanced development technology company. Before his tenure as a business executive, Dr. Teller taught at Stanford University and was an engineer and researcher for Phoenix Laser Technologies, Stanford’s Center for Integrated Systems, and The Carnegie Group Incorporated. Dr. Teller holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Stanford University, Masters of Science in symbolic and heuristic computation, also from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Hertz fellowship.

As a respected scientist and seasoned entrepreneur, Teller has successfully created and grown five companies and holds numerous U.S. patents related to his work in hardware and software technology. Dr. Teller’s work in science, literature, art, and business has appeared in international media from the New York Times to CNN to NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Teller regularly gives invited talks for national and international technology, government, and business forums on the subject of the future of intelligent technology.

Video Update:

Here is the full video of Astro’s presentation:

Peter Diamandis: Singularity University is Starfleet Academy for the World’s Biggest Challenges

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Last week, I was privileged to get a 30-minute interview with Peter Diamandis.

Peter is not a very tall man, but I have to say that he has the energy of a giant. Interviewing him was like plugging into a nuclear power plant—afterward, I felt as if I got 10 gigawatts worth of energy straight into my batteries.

During our conversation, we discuss issues such as his personal background and early childhood dream to become an asteroid space miner; his motivation, goals, and aspirations for Singularity University; his personal 10^9 project (aimed at positively impacting the lives of a billion people within 10 years); the book on abundance that he is currently working on; his take on the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it.

I would like to thank Singularity University for allowing me to use their campus studio and especially Matt Rutherford for his crucial support in filming. As always, you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down to watch the video interview in full. To show your support, you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

Who is Peter Diamandis?

Dr. Diamandis is a self-admitted nine-year-old child-space-enthusiast and a visionary who dreams big and has the resume to prove that “the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.” Just some of his resume highlights include the Founder and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation; co-Founder and Managing Director of Space Adventures; the CEO and co-founder of Zero Gravity Corporation; and, most recently, the Rocket Racing League; the International Space University and the Singularity University. (If you want to learn more about Peter Diamandis visit his profile page on SingularitySymposium.com)

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Singularity University Video Tour

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After posting a few pictures from my first 4 days at Singularity University I received emails asking for video.

So let me begin fulfilling your request by posting this amazing video by resident SU film-maker Matt Rutherford:

Then I will embarass myself by following it up with some rather crude amateur footage of my own.

…When I saw that last Sunday afternoon the NASA Ames campus was nearly deserted, and most SingularityU students were either out or still recovering from the previous night’s big birthday bash in San Francisco, I seized the opportunity and went around filming some video around campus. It was a very bright and beautiful Sunday afternoon, though the wind did interfere very notably with the audio.

Anyway, my narrative is still audible and I hope you find it interesting.

Enjoy my Singularity University Video Tour:

Part 1: NASA Ames Campus

Part 2: Singularity University Main Building and Lecture Hall

Part 3: Computer Lab and BBQ Area

Snap-shots from My First 4 Days at Singularity University

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A few of you have asked me to post my class schedule. So, here it is:

Singularity University GSP11 Schedule

Now that you’ve seen it, perhaps you would forgive me that I barely have any time to post articles on SingularityWeblog.com. I will do my best to publish as much interesting pictures and/or information as I can, plus a surprise or two here and there, but please be patient if I can’t post every day.

Anyway, as a result of your numerous emails, today I thought I’d give you some snap-shot glimpses of my first 4 days here at the NASA Ames SingularityU campus:

A group-shot of Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis with all summer Graduate Studies students for 2011.

Peter Diamandis is handing me a Singularity University pin at the invocation ceremony which was held at the San Francisco Computer History Museum.

Left to right: Sharron, Pasha and Monica – three of my new classmates during invocation in the San Francisco Computer Museum.

Socrates at the entrance of campus, just behind the security office.

Breakfast at Singularity University – note the food-group pyramid and the “healthful,” “less healthful” signs that we have to contend with before we decide where to fill our plates from.

A Lunch table still has the haunting signs:

During lunch-break and in the evenings Tom Boettcher is teaching Tai Chi and meditation with the help of his never-complaining assistant – Chin Bones.

With Ross Shot – one of the three people who saved me when the DHS held me at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada. (Shaved-heads of the world unite! We have already lost our hair – nothing can scare us now.)

With Yasser from Saudi Arabia. Yasser is a super cool video game world champ and professional player, who speaks with a Michigan accent and is just about to start a SingularityU campus revolution against the ever-healthy food menu.

My chosen track at Singularity University is Policy, Law and Ethics, with a strong focus on Security.

There is always something cool happening at Singularity University. Pick any moment, even 3 in the morning, and there is someone working on something interesting or discussing the future in the main student hall. Just one example is this tablet robot built by one of my classmates.

To be continued…

Singularity University Day 2: Failure is an Option

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My second day at Singularity University started by taking a few pictures at the entrance of the NASA Ames campus.

After I got the evidence I actually am here, I run to three fantastic lectures: Introduction to AI and Robotics by Neil Jacobstein followed by Daniel Kraft on Medicine and Neuroscience and Ruby Gadelrab on Biotech and Bioinformatics.

NASA Ames Research Campus

In the afternoon we had a 4 hour team-building bootcamp on one of the fields near NASA’s main office buildings. (Unfortunately my team did not win, though we did get much better by the end.)

The culmination was a mind blowing lecture by 3 time astronaut Dan Barry called Failure is an Option.

During his speech Dan told us both his and his wife’s life story and the almost infinite number of personal failures and rejections they had to go through before accomplishing their dreams.

Susan Barry (aka Stereo Sue) has been cross-eyed and stereo-blind since birth. It has been long thought that if one has been cross-eyed for longer than the first critical 5 years of one’s life, one would never be able to acquire 3D depth perception (stereo-vision). Yet despite all odds and after many decades of attempts, Susan found an optometrist who prescribed a little-known program of vision therapy. After intensive training she managed to not only correct her cross-eyesight but even to rewire her brain so that she can finally see the world in 3D — a feat that was long thought impossible by most medical and neuro-scientists. (Susan’s moving story is documented in her best-selling book Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist’s Journey Into Seeing in Three Dimensions.)

Dan then moved on to his own life’s story and his thirteen unsuccessful attempts to join NASA’s team of astronauts. Eventually, his fourteenth application was successful and he is now a three-time astronaut who has lived on the International Space Station (ISS).

i
3 time astronaut Dan Barry and his space T-Shirt

I am really fortunate to mingle and shake hands with inspirational role-models such as Dan, who taught me that failure is always an option but conceding defeat is really up to us.

Singularity University Day 1: Meeting Ray and Peter

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My very first day at Singularity University was as intense as it was amazing. I got to personally meet and shake hands with both Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis.

Socrates and SingularityU co-founder Peter Diamandis

Our very full schedule started at 7:30 am with breakfast and went through program overviews and introductions, eventually culminating with a mind-blowing spirit-pumping opening ceremony at the San Francisco Computer History Museum. At the consequent wine-and-cheese cocktail party we got to mingle with other SingularityU alumni and dozens of Silicon Valley VIP’s.

Socrates with Ray Kurzweil

For those for whom that was not enough there was a Greek-turned-Brazilian dance party in the main student hall on campus which went on until the early hours of the morning.

***

A former student who took the program last year told me that after the end he went home and slept 14 hours per day for 2 weeks.

I have been on campus only 48 hours so far but it feels as if I have been here for at least a year.

Feel like drinking water from the fire-hose. Still, my body’s shouting: “SU, SU, SU, 10^9+! Give me more!!!”

P.S. Miss my wife terribly: Love you Julie!!!

How I Almost Didn’t Make It to Singularity University: Moses vs The US DHS

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“But I am a Canadian citizen” – protested I.

After failing to evoke any sympathy what-so-ever I was desperate. I decided to use my last, and what I thought was my most powerful card: “And my wife is American.”

“Son,” the DHS Officer said, “It is only me and you now, and not even Moses can part the sea for you” … “Unless I say so!”, he added after an expressive pause.

I drifted back and thought about the way I felt a few hours earlier, as I was walking into the airport to catch a plane to Singularity University.

On my way in, I felt like the king of the world – a near immortal walking on clouds. Six hours later, I stood there a changed man – not merely mortal, but very much vulnerable and totally insignificant.

His almighty significance, on the other hand, stood across and looked down at me from the height of his desk, while eyeballing me suspiciously every once-in-a-while, in-between his hunter-and-pecker-type of single key-strokes, reading big-brother-knows what kind of incriminating detail of the screen in front of him.

In the previous six hours, I had already witnessed how a respectfully looking elderly gentleman with the very unfortunate name Mohamed, was brought to tears and then quietly walked out of the airport. That was quickly topped by a middle-aged Catholic Nun, who cried for about half an hour and eventually was allowed to go through.

“So,” I thought, “perhaps despite all, Moses can still part the sea.” If that was true of Moses, reasoned I, it must be true of other, though less worthy, but equally determined people who can’t bend to accept “No” for an answer.

So I decided to keep my cool and keep answering the profoundly probing questions such as:

Officer: Who bought your tickets?

Me: Dr. Kim Solez!

Officer: Who is Kim Solez?

Me: He is a Professor at the University of Alberta.

Officer: Why did he buy your ticket?

Me: Because he likes what I do and wanted to express his support.

…

“Why do you carry a Yoga Mat?”

“Are you a guru?”

“Why do you shave your head?”

“What kind of shoes are these?”

“Don’t they have towels in NASA?”

…

In the end, after being walked out of the US DHS office 4 times, and after having re-booked and missed 4 flights, I managed to finally get through.

I would not have made it were it not for the participating of 3 separate individuals who went out of their way to help me out:

  1. Ross Shot from Singularity University who was frantically emailing me several consequent versions of my letter of acceptance.
  2. Mayesh Vallabh and Sebastian Johnson — two Air Canada employees, who kept re-booking me and waving my charges while making sure I got access to my email box to print the documents Ross was emailing.

Still, it would all have been in vain, were it not for the very fortunate fact that by my fifth attempt to go through the DHS, officers from the morning shift were all gone home and now I had the comparatively friendly older gentleman who called me “Son.”

As I said above, my wife is American. My mother-in-law is as proud American as any, and I have often exchanged friendly verbal jabs with her at the dinner table with respect to the Patriot Act and other similar issues. Still, she has remained as proud as ever, never flinching or conceding even one bit to me. Regardless, I am happy I did not travel with her on that day because something tells me that on this occasion she would have been a little less proud to be American – if not for her shaved-head son-in-law, then, for sure, for the middle aged Catholic Nun…

This is how I almost didn’t make it to Singularity University.

I intend to document and post my consequent experiences as much as I can!

To be continued…

Don’t Accept Me to Singularity University: My Top 10 Reasons Why I Should Not Be Accepted

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I am just about ready to submit my application to Singularity University.

Without any doubt, this phenomenal institution offers a totally unique and absolutely bleeding edge, intensive learning program about the exponential growth in a whole spectrum of pioneering technologies and fields such as: AI & Robotics; Nanotechnology; Networks & Computing Systems; Biotechnology & Bioinformatics; Medicine & Neuroscience; Futures Studies & Forecasting; Policy, Law & Ethics; Finance & Entrepreneurship; Energy & Ecological Systems; Space & Physical Sciences. (For more download this brochure).

It is no surprise that thousands of people are applying for it.

Here are 2 minutes of video highlights from the 2010 Graduate Studies opening ceremony:

As part of the application process, one has to submit a short video explaining why one wants to be accepted. However, being a Socrates, I decided to submit a video presenting My Top 10 Reasons Why I Should Not Be Accepted.

This way, if the application committee really heeds my advice, then, there will be one more space for someone else. (If they don’t, then I’m going to have to go)

But, really, who can be better than you?!

However, in order to take advantage of this amazing opportunity you will have to, at the very least, make sure you submit an application before the deadline — March 31st. (You can’t win the lottery, if you don’t buy a ticket, right?)

So, in short: If you want to learn about cool new technologies, meet amazing people, have fun and change the world — don’t waste your time — go send an application! And good luck!

My Top 10 Reasons Why I Should Not Be Accepted

Video Transcript:

Hi,

My name is Nikola Danaylov and I am applying for the 2011 Singularity University Graduate Studies Program. I really appreciate your time and consideration, so I thought I’d make things easier for you and give you my Top 10 Reasons Not To Be Accepted to Singularity University.

So here are my top 10 reasons why I should not be accepted to Singularity University:

10. I am not a scientist. People who know me say that I am good at pattern recognition, strategic analysis and negotiation but chances are I am not going to reinvent the wheel or win the Nobel Prize in theoretical physics.

9. Money: I can’t pay for SingularityU. So why shouldn’t you get someone with equal (or better) qualifications who can actually pay tuition?!

8. Accent: As you can see, English is not my first language. I was born and grew up in Bulgaria but now I live in Canada. The problem with my accent is that sometimes my jokes don’t work. Other times people think I’m joking when I am serious, and this could be a problem.

7. Hard to fit: I don’t always fit. By nature I am a contrarian. A Socrates. A gadfly. Sometimes even a trouble-maker. So, why not get someone who always fits?

6. Scarcity: Let’s face it – despite everything, spots at SingularityU are very scarce. Scholarships are likely even more scarce. Thus if you give one to me you will be taking it away from someone else. Do you really want to do that?!

5. Sense of Humour: Now, perhaps you think I am not so funny, sarcastic or original. Well then, of course, make sure you do get someone who truly is.

4. Age: I am 34 years old but please don’t get me wrong. When I say “Age” I mean to say that deep inside I am still a ten-year-old-kid. So perhaps you ought to wait until, maybe, someday, I will finally grow up and become an adult.

3. Imperfect Record: I have had great academic, professional and other accomplishments in a spectrum of diverse disciplines. But if you look closely you will find out that I don’t have a perfect record.

One of my philosophy professors at the University of Toronto noted that I have a very strong response towards good teaching. The thing is that it goes both ways. That is to say that I have equally strong negative response to poor teaching. So accepting me would involve taking a substantial risk. Why not accept someone who is a sure bet instead. Someone with a perfect record.

2. Leadership: I am often conflicted between being a born individualist and a natural leader. On the one hand, as Mark Twain put it, I feel uncomfortable and begin to reflect whenever I find myself on the side of the majority. On the other hand, I have a record of being a successful leader for a small motivated group of people such as an army platoon or a business team. But I am not a good leader for really big groups. So clearly, this is something I need to work on.

1. Passion: It’s been said that most people live their lives in “quiet desperation.” I believe that the reason is that most people hate what they do. Now, I didn’t start SingularitySymposium.com and SingularityWeblog.com for money, or to get accepted to SingularityU. That is why I am going to continue working on those no matter what. But accepting me, would mean that yet again, I will end up doing something that I truly love. Isn’t it time that I learn to do something that I don’t enjoy?!

So, those were my top 10 reasons not to be accepted. Of course, if you decide to disagree and argue that none of the above ought to prevent me from coming to Singularity University, then, since I’ve already given my best shot at convincing you otherwise, I will have no other choice but to oblige.

Thank you for your time!

***

So, what do you think? Should or shouldn’t I be accepted to Singularity University?