Peacockery

Sedaris Bares Body and Soul in ‘Engulfed’ : NPR

Whether he’s lancing boils, getting crabs from thrift store pants or sitting in a hospital waiting room dressed only in his underwear, one thing is clear: David Sedaris is not shy about sharing those embarrassing, cringe-worthy incidents that members of the general population tend to save for diaries or therapists.

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Tags: Book, David Sedaris, NPR

Will We Recognize the Future? : NPR

Technology is ever-changing — and changing ever faster. But what happens when the rate of technological change becomes so fast that the fundamental nature of what it means to be human changes, too?

Inventor, technologist and futurist Ray Kurzweil talks with host Ira Flatow about the idea of the “singularity” — what happens when technology advances so much that it’s impossible to predict what happens next. Will artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and biotechnology be able to completely reshape what it means to be human?

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Tags: NPR, Ray Kurzweil