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Alternate Futures

Alternate Futures

By: Edwin Rydberg
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Alternate Futures is a podcast where speculative fiction meets real-world change. Join host Edwin H. Rydberg in deep-dive conversations with science fiction authors, futurists, and creative minds as they explore storytelling, emerging technologies, and humanity’s ever-shifting path forward. For writers, sci-fi enthusiasts, and future-curious thinkers alike.Edwin Rydberg Science Fiction
Episodes
  • 79. Subconscious Secrets, Power Dynamics, and Spiritual Sound, with Alistair Conwell
    Feb 17 2026

    Australian writer Alistair Conwell transforms four degrees across business and psychology, and years of transformative travel through Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent into his novel The Circadian Web: The Space of Time. We discuss how his experiences have influenced his thoughts on topics ranging from the Audible Life Stream and meditation to quantum physics, from consciousness and the costs of modern technology to where the chaos of the modern world might be headed — and what a deeper spiritual shift in humanity could mean for the future.

    Our conversation ranges from organizational culture and the “bad apple” myth to the idea of institutions and nations as emergent minds, including the tensions around immigration and identity. We also chat about the power dynamics threaded through The Circadian Web, the geopolitics behind its futuristic settings (Australia, America, and Taiwan), and why Alistair treats a neural AI implant as a character with its own agency.

    Books of his we discuss: The Circadian Web: The Space of Time, The Audible Life Stream

    www.facebook.com/AlistairConwell/

    alternatefutures.substack.com

    alternatefutures.co.uk

    alternatefuturespodcast.wordpress.com

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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • 78. Diversity in Policing, Tech Encroachment, and Societal Shifts, with GS Morgan
    Jan 28 2026

    Former chief inspector, hostage negotiator, and emergency responder GS Morgan has turned indie sci-fi creator with his debut novel, 'Kris:PR Deus Ex Homine'. In this episode, we navigate his gritty tale of genetic supremacy, cybernetic warfare, and the philosophical descent into posthumanism, to explore the ethical dilemmas of CRISPR technology, the implications of AI on society, and the rise of spirituality in a high-tech world.

    Our conversation branches out into real-life experiences from nearly two decades in law enforcement, examining the roots of human decision-making and the complex interplay between technology and control.

    Books of his we discuss: Kris:PR - Deus Ex Homine

    gs-morgan.com

    alternatefutures.substack.com

    alternatefutures.co.uk

    alternatefuturespodcast.wordpress.com

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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • 77. Machine Intelligence, Empathy, and Ethics with Greg Woolford
    Dec 22 2025

    Cybersecurity by day, author by night, Greg Woolford explores the intersection of technology and philosophy in his debut novel, The Maker's Heir, where an AI's path leads from quiet companionship to existential questions. In this episode, we discuss the ethical responsibilities of creating a self-aware entity, the intersection of AI and human emotion, and how AI may redefine our societal roles. We also ask whether machines may ever reach a state of personhood and whether the concept of a soul could apply to a machine.

    Books of his we discuss: The Maker's Heir

    Further info on this and other episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlternateFutures.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    If you're on Wordpress.com, you can follow the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alternatefuturespodcast.wordpress.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Finally, you can also find the podcast, and follow my articles on science fiction, socio-technological issues, and futurism at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alternatefutures.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

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    1 hr and 22 mins
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