Sir Martin Rees on super-advanced post-biological civilizations
In an article on The Telegraph, Royal Astronomer Sir Martin Rees writes on post-biological evolution, immortality, the Singularity, vast oceans of yet unknown science, and synthetic realities created by super-advanced civilizations.
The dull bureaucrats of pseudoscience
I was first alerted of the recent “TED pseudoscience debate” by Ben Goertzel’s “Statement on the Recent TED/Psi/Consciousness Controversy.” Then this morning I received the newsletter of the Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS), with more info.
A man has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together
A man has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it; and one’s religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification (D. H. Lawrence).
Space street art! Our first graffiti in space
Many kids and teens paint or spray irreverent, subversive drawings on walls, doors and everywhere else. One subject has always been a favorite, and now our Spirit has drawn it in the sand of Mars!
Comments on ‘Goertzel Contra Dvorsky on Mind Uploading’
George Dvorsky has written an article on “You’ll Probably Never Upload Your Mind Into A Computer” on io9. Ben Goertzel has replied with an article on “Goertzel Contra Dvorsky on Mind Uploading” on H+ Magazine. I agree with Ben, and posted the comments below on both articles.
2113 (part two) — Getting stuck in progress
My MTA 2013 talk: Life and The Computational Problem of Evil
I gave a talk on “The Computational Problem of Evil” at the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. I argued that the Problem of Evil has a simple solution when examined with a rigorous approach based on the physics of computation and I used animations featuring Joe Glider, an inhabitant of Conway’s Game of Life, to illustrate my argument.
The coming Golden Age of neurotech
All seems to indicate that the next decade, the 20s, will be the magic decade of the brain, with amazing science but also amazing applications. With the development of nanoscale neural probes and high speed, two-way Brain-Computer interfaces (BCI), by the end of the next decade we may have our iPhones implanted in our brains and become a telepathic species. Ramez Naam’s great sci-fi novel NEXUS is a fascinating preview.
2113 (part one) — Immortality and Taxes
It is the year 2113. It is a very strange future, and one that has been shaped by the world we are already forming. 2113 is a the result of good 21st century where people didn’t die, and there was no major collapse or instability, and very few people died. There was no “great reset” and humanity made it through a number of massive challenges. This 2113 is the best world we could have inherited out of many.
2013 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association
The 2013 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the level four conference room of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion.
Science and spirituality at Global Future 2045
The 2nd International Global Future 2045 congress will cover global challenges and science mega-projects to address them, as well as insights on these matters from various spiritual traditions. The premise is that humanity needs a scientific revolution and significant spiritual changes that will be inseparably linked, supporting and supplementing each other.
The Transhumanist Reader, edited by Max and Natasha, to be published in April
The Transhumanist Reader (April 2013) is the first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking, with an emphasis on the fresh, solar, energetic, irreverent and optimistic spirit of early transhumanism.
