Join your hosts, Jackson & Chris as we explore the future of anything you can imagine.
Present futuristic topics, interesting movies and books, timely business insights, and fantastic guests.
That’s Some Future!
Paleo Futures
Norbert Weiner — The Father of Cybernetics and the Automation Age
In this episode of Some Future, hosts Chris Manfredi and Jackson Montgomery explore the prophetic ideas of Norbert Wiener, the mathematician and philosopher who coined cybernetics — and foresaw the rise of AI, robotics, and automation decades before their time.
From the “slave labor” paradox of automation to the feedback loops that underpin modern AI systems, Wiener’s insights from the 1940s and ’50s feel eerily relevant in today’s world of autonomous drones, machine learning, and digital labor.
👉 Topics include:
The birth of cybernetics and systems thinking
Automation as the second industrial revolution
How Wiener anticipated AI and large language models
The robo-apocalypse warning and loss of human skills
Connections between Wiener, John von Neumann, and Alan Turing
The ethical and societal consequences of machines replacing people
Chris and Jackson unpack how Wiener’s work laid the foundation for the world we live in — from smart devices to intelligent warfare — and ask: Are we living in the age Wiener predicted?
Key Links - Norbert Weiner
From Cybernetics to AI: the pioneering work of Norbert Wiener
Brilliant Mathematician Norbert Wiener Described the Robo-Apocalypse in 1949
Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine
Present Futures
Data Centers - Magic & Peril
Artificial Intelligence is exploding — but behind the glowing promise of AGI lies a very real cost.
Massive data centers are reshaping local environments, draining water supplies, overloading aging electrical grids, and igniting community backlash. In this episode, Chris and Jackson dive deep into the hidden infrastructure powering the AI race, from Meta’s rural data centers in Georgia to the rising NIMBY movements across America.
We break down:
🌎 How AI growth is stressing water sources & aquifers
⚡ Why U.S. power grids are struggling to keep up
🚧 The political “closed-door” decisions fueling distrust
🏭 Why data centers create fewer jobs than people think
📈 S&P 500 dominance & the AI-driven economy We need AI — but we must also power it responsibly.
Key Links - Drones
Data Centers Will Use Twice as Much Energy by 2030—Driven by AI
'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre
Inside the Data Centers That Train A.I. and Drain the Electrical Grid
What we know about energy use at U.S. data centers amid the AI boom
Data center infrastructure in America
Biden Executive Order to Fast-Track AI Data Centers and Energy Infrastructure on Federal Lands
Present Futures
CRISPR Babies &
Future of Drone Warfare
Chris Manfredi and Jackson Montgomery return after 5 years (!) to break down two massive shifts shaping our world today: The first patient treated with personalized CRISPR gene editing therapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia —a breakthrough that could cure genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy, and inherited blindness . Drone warfare and AI-driven combat—from Ukraine’s DIY drones against Russia to Iran and Israel’s escalating drone attacks, we explore how cheap, fast, and intelligent drones are rewriting the future of war Along the way, we discuss ethics, longevity, governance, and the very real risks of autonomous AI swarms .
Key Links - Drones
Patient-Specific In Vivo Gene Editing to Treat a Rare Genetic Disease
CRISPR clinical trials update 2024
Super-precise new CRISPR tool could tackle a plethora of genetic diseases
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/342484/9789240030060-eng.pdf
Key Links - Drones
Ukraine Just Demonstrated What AGI War Could Look Like
Killer drones are changing war — and may soon think for themselves
The AI drone revolution isn't here yet, but Ukraine and Russia are laying the groundwork in battle
NATO needs to get ready for modern war — and fast, top commander tells BI
Futures To Walk In
Black Mirror’s ‘Common People’
In this episode of Some Future, Chris Manfredi and Jackson Montgomery dive into the Black Mirror premiere Common People —one of the darkest visions of technology and society yet. The story follows a working-class couple whose lives are reshaped by a brain-saving subscription service —only to find themselves trapped in escalating costs, invasive ads, and the desperate grind of monetized pain and humiliation.
The conversation asks hard questions about how technology, marketing, and inequality intertwine—and whether today’s “common people” are already living in a hyperreal dystopia.
Key Links
Let’s Unpack That ‘Perfectly Black Mirror Ending’ to ‘Common People’
'Black Mirror' season 7's 'Common People' ending explained: 'Particularly chilling'
'Black Mirror' fans, be warned: DO NOT start with 'Common People'
Black Mirror: Rashida Jones Imagines An Even Bleaker "Common People" Ending
Present Futures
The Rise of Quantum Computing
In this episode, Chris and Jackson explore the future of quantum computing and why it’s set to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2035.
From Google, Microsoft, and IBM’s big investments to real-world applications in AI, drug discovery, cybersecurity, and space exploration, we break down what makes quantum computing so powerful and why it could change everything. 👉
If you’re curious about AI, future tech, and innovation, this conversation dives into how qubits, superposition, and quantum breakthroughs will transform the world in the next decade.
Key Links
What Is Quantum Computing? | IBM
Why is Quantum Computing so Exciting and How Can It Be So Powerful?
