The Syndicate

Where Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists Talk Early Stage Tech Startups

Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness with a Mathematical God and Messed Up Perception of Reality | Donald Hoffman

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Donald Hoffman (@donaldhoffman) is a cognitive scientist, popular author and Professor of Cognitive Science at UC Irvine. He studies how our visual perception, guided by millions of years of natural selection, authors every aspect of our everyday reality.

Don has co-authored two technical books: Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory of Perception which offers a theory of consciousness and its relationship to physics and Automotive Lighting and Human Vision which applies vision science to vehicle lighting.

His newest book Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See presents the modern science of visual perception to a broad audience. His new book, tentatively titled Do We See Reality?, to appear at the end of 2017, expands on his 2015 TED Talk and explains how our perceptions have evolved to hide reality from us.

Hoffman has won the Distinguished Scientific Award from the American Psychological Association, the Troland Research Award of the National Academy of Sciences and the Rustum Roy Award of the Chopra Foundation.

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Understanding the Adoption Curve of VR and Mixed Reality | Sam Watts

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Sam Watts is one of the foremost thinkers on VR and the Director of Immersive Technologies at MakeReal, a company that believes that immersive digital products are transforming the way we work, play and learn. MakeReal makes virtual reality experiences, augmented reality devices, collaborative ‘serious games’ and other tools that support new types of work, play and learning.

Sam’s passion for VR shows throughout his previous work with BBC, Channel 4, Sky and PlayStation. He has 20+ years in software and game development and project management and now spends his days focused on creating the epic immersive experiences of the future.

 

In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including:

  • How psychedelics started the virtual reality movement
  • Why dystopian VR is unlikely in Sam’s opinion
  • What areas are advancing rapidly and causing VR’s progress
  • The reason a single company probably won’t own the VR market
  • Why immersive experiences change the equation for the entertainment of the future
  • The problem with consumer VR today and what needs to change to spur adoption
  • What is the experience escape velocity and why is it so important?
  • When we can expect to see consumer VR takeoff
  • The chicken and the egg problem of content and cost
  • Why 5G will drive the adoption of VR
  • The reason the future is likely mixed reality

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AI, AR, Education and the Future of Jobs | Brad Waid

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Brad Waid (@techbradwaid) is an international speaker, influencer and educator with over 15 years of classroom and industry experience. Brad is an industry leader in the fields of educational technology, 21st century learning, culture and innovation and has been name a top 15 influencer/thought leader in Augmented Reality.

Brad is a consultant to industry, education and government and is often called on by industry to assist in marketing and telling the story of a product or a company. He also assists school districts and educational conferences in applying technology into education, and he works with government agencies to improve education for all students.

As a consultant to start-ups from Silicon Valley to New York and government agencies, Brad has a unique perspective on the evolution of the tech landscape.

He has been honored by the National School Board Association as one of the “20 to Watch” in Educational Technology. Brad’s knowledge of educational technology, his ability to assist industry and government and his passion to inspire educational change, makes him a highly sought after speaker and influencer who makes an impact where ever he goes.

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