05.23.09
Posted in Future, Human Enhancement, Technology, Texts about Transhumanism, Transhumanism at 6:15 am by rheil
Immortality 2.0: a silicon valley insider looks at California’s Transhumanist movement
By Gelles, David, Publication: The Futurist, Date: Thursday, January 1 2009
„One afternoon in late 2007, a Yahoo executive named Salim Ismail stepped up to a podium at company headquarters to talk about what some call “the world’s most dangerous idea.” An intense man from India, Ismail faced a conference room packed with computer whizzes from the likes of Google, Apple, and Intel and launched into a tirade about the far frontiers of digital technology and the big battle that lay ahead.
“The current system is flawed,” he said, pacing the stage. He went on to talk about routers and interrupt systems, hardly exotic material to his audience. But even within this techy sanctum, his message was a bold one. The flawed system that Ismail lamented was not a computer network, it was the human brain. “We need to design a better one,” he said.“ [read original article]
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05.22.09
Posted in Anti-Aging, Transhumanism at 4:02 pm by rheil
Holding back the years (Tom Templeton, The Observer, Sunday 16 September 2007)
„Ageing is a disease that can be cured. This is the radical claim that has made biomedical theorist Aubrey de Grey a popular hero of gerontology – and a maverick among the science community. Tom Templeton meets the man who wants us to live for 1,000 years“ [read original article]
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Posted in Cryonic, Technology, Transhumanism at 3:37 pm by rheil
Patients who are frozen in time (Wendy M Grossman, The Guardian, Thursday 14 February 2008)
„Cryonics – freezing the dead with the hope of reviving them – has always been a long shot. But, says Wendy M Grossman, advances mean it could be coming a little closer“. [read original article]
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Posted in Critics, Human Enhancement, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:42 am by rheil
If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want to Be Part of Your Revolution!
Athena Andreadis (Sentient Development)
„Those who know my outermost layer would consider me a science geek. I’m a proponent of genetic engineering, an advocate of space exploration, a reader and writer of science fiction. However, I found myself unable to warm to either transhumanism or its literary sidekick, cyberpunk. I ascribed this to the decrease of flexibility that comes with middle age and resumed reading Le Guin’s latest story cycle. […]
And I finally realized why I balk at cyberpunk and transhumanism like an unruly horse. Both are deeply anhedonic, hostile to physicality and the pleasures of the body, from enjoying wine to playing in an orchestra. I wondered why it had taken me so long to figure this out. After all, many transhumanists use the repulsive (and misleading) term “meat cage” to describe the human body, which they deem a stumbling block, an obstacle in the way of the mind.“ [read original article]
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Posted in Future, Human Enhancement, Nanotechnology, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:33 am by rheil
Harnessing science to create the ultimate warrior
NewScientist, 20 May 2009 by Linda Geddes
„BATALLIONS of super-soldiers could be selected for specific duties on the basis of their genetic make-up and then constantly monitored for signs of weakness. So says a report by the US National Academies of Science (NAS).
If a soldier is struggling, a digital “buddy” might step in and warn them about nearby threats, or advise comrades to zap them with an electromagnet to increase their alertness. If the whole unit is falling apart, biosensors could warn central commanders to send in a replacement team.“ [read original article]
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05.15.09
Posted in biotech, Ethics, Evolution / Genetics, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:10 am by rheil
Will designer brains divide humanity?
13 May 2009 by Andy Coghlan, NewScientist
„WE ARE on the brink of technological breakthroughs that could augment our mental powers beyond recognition. It will soon be possible to boost human brainpower with electronic “plug-ins” or even by genetic enhancement. What will this mean for the future of humanity?“ [read original article]
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05.07.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Future, Transhumanism, Transhumanists at 6:29 am by rheil
Ray Kurzweil: A singular view of the future
New Scientist, 06 May 2009 by Liz Else
„For inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, being human with limited intelligence and doomed biology was never good enough. So he came up with an idea called the Singularity – a time when humans merge with machines, become smart and live forever. From MIT to the White House, people either hate the idea or can’t wait for it to happen. So, asks Liz Else, will any of us live long enough to see it?“ [read original article]
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