Advice For And From The Future

Should I let my boss look at my dreams? The answer to that question involves flying, meditation, and reading the terms of service.

Should I let my dating app smell me? The answer to that question involves bad breath, primary colors, and scents that are also sounds.

Should I stop my kid from dating an artificial intelligence? The answer to that question involves Tamagotchi, AOL chatrooms, and Karl Marx.

Should I tell my child how she was really born? The answer to that question involves genetic testing, babies' rights, and snoring giants.

Can I make my digital alter ego go to work for me? The answer to that question involves autocorrect, child actors, and resurrecting the dead for a blockbuster franchise.

Should I give my dog human intelligence? The answer to that question involves bird terraforming, cats as health inspectors, and dreams of an ant-like society.

Can I ask my partner to stop eating so much Soylent? The answer to that question involves pre-chopped garlic, slam poetry, and a little bit of cannibalism.

Should I move to an off-the-grid commune? The answer to that question involves train schedules, queer breakups, and an interview with our future selves.

After four years away, Advice for and from the Future is coming back. New hosts! New questions! New chaos! New episodes drop next week.

Should I sublimate to another dimension? What does that even mean? Are there other dimensions? What about wormholes? And what if, instead of trying to use physics to get away from it all, you actually faced your fears? Featuring physics and metaphysics wisdom from Dr. Katie Mack , author of The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) and an original poem by Jayne A. Quan , a transmasculine,...

Can I ask my friend to turn off her Alexa when I go to her house?  To answer that question, Dr. Simone Browne joins the show to talk about privacy, ethics, and whose job it is to convince someone to not opt into surveillance. 〰️〰️〰️ More information and show notes here 〰️〰️〰️ Advice For And From The Future is written, edited and performed by Rose Eveleth . The theme music is by Also, Also, A...

The futurology shop is closed for repairs today (pesky robot put a hole in the wall) so please enjoy the first episode of Open World, a new show about hope, the future, and how to get there. This episode features a reading from The City We Became , by N.K. Jemisin , scored by T.H. Ponders, followed by a conversation with Jemisin and Glitch CEO Anil Dash . We talk cities, hope, and why tech people...

Today's question comes from a future where humans live a long, long time. And some of them might want to date. But how do you make sure you're not actually dating someone you're related to? And what's the point of dating anyway? To find out, I call Dr. Janina Jeff, a geneticist and senior scientist at Illumina, as well as the host of a podcast called In Those Genes . And then after that, we'll pla...

Are bugs the food of the future? Should I start a bug farm? What's the best way to cook them? All that and more on today's episode, featuring the amazing Soleil Ho , food critic at the San Francisco Chronicle , host of the podcast Extra Spicy , and founder of the podcast Racist Sandwich . 〰️〰️〰️ More information and show notes here 〰️〰️〰️ Advice For And From The Future is written, edited and...

Today's question is about just how much to trust your boss. Should you let them implant a chip in your hand?  To answer that question, I talked to Stacy-Marie Ishmael , journalist, editor, and career advice-giver . You can read Stacy-Marie's newsletter here.   〰️〰️〰️ More information and show notes here 〰️〰️〰️ Advice For And From The Future is written, edited and performed by Rose Eveleth ....

Today's episode is about proof, identity and DNA. What are you looking for, when you look for your heritage? What can DNA really tell you? And who decides which forms of proof are required when?  To answer this question, we spoke with Dr. Alondra Nelson , president of the Social Science Research Council and Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and author of The Social Lif...

On today's trip to and from the future, we're considering questions of truth, reality, and how to be a good sharer of news. How do you avoid sharing fake information? How do you tell what's real and what's not? In this swirling vortex of disinformation, how can you make sure you're not contributing to the problem?  To help guide us through the swamp of memes and misinformation, Rose talks to Jane...

Today's advice question: Should you cryopreserve your dog? To answer that conundrum, Rose spoke with Ace Tilton Ratcliff , a writer and the co-founder of Haper's Promise . Ace wrote about their experience with pet cryopreservation here: " Cryonics, Dakota the Dog, and the Hope of Forever ." Advice For And From The Future is written, edited and performed by Rose Eveleth . The theme music is by Also...

Is it okay to bring a child into the world, if the world is on fire both literally and figuratively? What are the ethics of having babies given climate change? Should I, personally, have a kid? This question has become more and more common, and on today's episode Rose talks to Meehan Crist , writer-in-residence in Biological Sciences at Columbia University. Meehan recently wrote an essay about the...

What happens when your partner wants to flee this planet, and you want to stay? Is wanting to go to Mars basically saying you want to break up? Can you have a long, long, long distance relationship? Is a five-year date a terrible idea? To answer this interplanetary conundrum, Rose calls up Andrea Silenzi , host and creator of the dating podcast Why Oh Why . Plus, an original song by the Song Salad...

Should I follow my boyfriend to Mars? Can I ask my friend to turn off her Alexa when I come over? Is it okay to have kids? You have questions, and on Advice for and from the Future, we have answers. And when we don't have answers, we have educated guesses. With the help of experts, time travelers, and a handful of inanimate objects, we'll take on your most pressing future questions. Have a questio...