Episode #1105

Episode #1105

News Items

• Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
• Training Robot Babies
• Testing Gravity In Space

Special Segment

If you could change the laws of physics to make one sci-fi technology possible and feasible, what would it be?

Science or Fiction [ Show Answers ]

• Item #1 Science

  In an 1865 novel an it’s sequel, Jules Verne described launching a manned capsule from Florida, which flew around the moon, altered its course with retro rockets, splashed down in the Pacific, and was recovered by the US Navy.

• Item #2 Science

  Mark Twain anticipated the internet in 1898, imagining the “telelectroscope”- a global network of telephone lines people could use to access news in real time and chat with others from their own home.

• Item #3 Fiction

  In his 1888 utopian novel, Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy predicted the “credit card”, a small card that would electronically track transactions for a rolling line of credit.

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

“AI doesn’t have to become conscious to change civilization. It only has to become competent.” “OpenAI ChatGPT, GPT-5.6 Sol, generated September 5, 2026.”