Betterhumans's topics - tribe.net

Possible alternative human reproductive cloning

Roy — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:58:53 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4104680.stm

Interesting that there are indications that both adult sperm and egg cells may be made from stem cells in the near future. Of course, if both sperm and egg cells are made from the same adult, the egg is fertilized in vitro with the sperm and the fertilized egg is implanted in a woman, the resulting child will be a clone of the adult used to get the stem cells! Will not happen next week but is probably a way around anti human cloning for reproduction laws both legally and to over come the dangers of the present possible methods.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

User-Submitted News Site for the Singularity Community

Joe — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:23:05 GMT

Today marks the launch of www.OnSingularity.com, a user-submitted news and discussion portal that's focused solely on the Singularity community!

The concept of the OnSingularity website is similar to Digg.com, in which the users choose what news show up on the site. Plus, OnSingularity.com gives you the opportunity to start discussions with several key leaders who have already joined as Community Founders.

OnSingularity.com helps you promote and discuss yours ideas and articles in a niche and focused environment. It also acts as a rich and democratic resource from which to submit and draw the latest news relating to The Singularity.

Feel free to submit any news links you think are appropriate – whether it's a recent blog post you've authored, an article from Wired, a conference video, or an innovative AI robot up for auction on eBay. Then count how many people vote on it and check out their reactions in the comments!

Check out our growing community -- and start submitting -- I look forward to seeing you on www.OnSingularity.com!!

Best,

-- Joe

Joe Solomon
Community Builder, http://www.OnSingularity.com
Joe@Ninua.com

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

The Malaise Theory of Depression

libramoon — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:15:46 GMT

The Malaise Theory of Depression

The lies we tell ourselves
tinted in our private colors
creating intricate maps, instructions
to hold us against our will
or better angels
upon a designated course,
they creep into our
chemical soup and wiring
immersed in thickening trickery
truth becoming shadow.
Rolling downhill so easily
scratches, contusions, bleeding wounds
unacknowledged in subterfuge
"It's such a beautiful summer day."
We say, etching out smiles,
even crinkles of the eye.
Alone, in the dark, troubling dreams
fail to dissipate at daybreak.
Rolling downhill, smashing into
hidden walls, jagged rock formations
Stop! Curl into pre-born refuge.
Listening to the angry words
"Surely I am cursed, a failure."
Never let the truth break through.
We are ordered to protect the lies
as insidiously they poison
and blind us.
More easily led.
Less alive.
Stop! Look! Listen!
Feel!
Underneath the grave of lies
rich earth has secrets to reveal.
Radiant seed, planted in our birth
only we may bring to life,
if we dare move,
beyond the damage,
beyond the lies,
dancing with the shadows
into brighter days.

(c) January 28, 2007 Laurie Corzett/libramoon

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Emerging Visions visionary art ezine

libramoon — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:51:29 GMT

http://emergingvisions.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Ritual Journeys, Issue #5 of Emerging Visions, visionary art ezine

Share and Enjoy

new visions slowly moving toward the horizon (submissions no longer needed for this one)

Issue #6, Electric Dreams

(aka Revolution of the Imagination)

tentatively due online February 3, 2007

see you there!

http://emergingvisions.blogspot.com/

Submissions will be solicited again in the latter days of March 2007
for Emerging Visions #7, Sacred Earth
expected to emerge after the ides of April

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Arisia, Boskone or Readercon

zentinal — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:32:34 GMT

Is anyone in this tribe, besides me, planning on attending?
Arisia - http://www.arisia.org/
Boskone - http://www.nesfa.org/boskone/
Readercon - http://www.readercon.org/

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Not Feeling The Love Here,....

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 03:55:32 GMT

Im getting really frustrated with this so-called "Better Humans" tribe!! No one here (except of course for ME) wants to talk about the Good parts of Human Nature like Love,compassion,integrety,empathy,and kindness and how we can all "incorporate"them into our lives to REALLY become better Humans!! And of course theres Lynnes crappy advice that she gave me some number of months ago. She was all like "Never deleate because people might think THIS or people may think THAT!!!! Well if I delete a disscussion that I start and that I feel is getting to be too stressful for me,than why the Hell SHOULD I care what anyone thinks about it!!!! Im leaving this "Technological Quick Fix"tribe and joining the Loving kindness tribe instead!!

posted in Betterhumans - 6 replies

Books or films that really affected you.

Blackgrass — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:16:04 GMT

Is there any books you have read or films watched that really either made you think or affected your views in some way..even help you relate to?
Films so far that I feel express either who I am or what I feel:
Vera Drake...again northern england & about the lives during that period.
Kess...touching & raw North of England film
broke back mountain...excellent challenge for peoples ways of thinking..especially men
palindromes...have you seen this disturbine & weird film?

I would love to have other film or book recommendations off other people, its that time of the year, the beginning of winter when we need some reading material in front of us, as well as a good film.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

January 2007 Wired

zentinal — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:31:25 GMT

Cover story - "Beyond the Body: The Science of Human Enhancement"

Has anyone else read it yet? I'm reading it right now. Care to discuss?

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Hi

Maria — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:14:30 GMT

Hi transhumanists

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Question: How Many Transhumans Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?

kanch_bud — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:59:48 GMT

Question: How Many Transhumans Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?

Answer: Three: One to invent the better lightbulb, one to invent the better room to change it into, and a third to handle the inevitable violent backlash of the pre-transhumans frightened by all the improvements.

True or false?

Warm rgds,

Paul Bard.

posted in Betterhumans - 8 replies

Smart genes

Roy — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:21:08 GMT

Order your baby here! Hair color? Sex? IQ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/850358.stm

The next question is, if one can add these genes to an adult would it help? Maybe we could slip a gene upgrade cocktail to a certain very high level polititian in the US!

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Craft of the Warrior

Djinn — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:46:47 GMT

Has anybody read it?

posted in Betterhumans - 3 replies

What constitutes a better human?

Blackgrass — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 11:48:07 GMT

Good title for this tribe, but tell me all, what constitutes a better human in your eyes?

posted in Betterhumans - 28 replies

Sprout wings and fly away

Djinn — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:44:43 GMT

While I am totally opposed to untested organisms being engineered large scale for our food supply, as I fear the environmental impacts of ferral GMO crops I do think that genetic engineering might we well served to help humans grow wings. I would totally sport the GMO wings if they could help me fly.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

physical or mental improvement first?

sarah — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:08:44 GMT

From what I've read about transhumanism as a general philosopy (i guess you'd call it) It appears to advocate both physical and mental improvement to the point where physical improvement should only really occur within the boundaries of the mental. From what I can gather, to progress and become better humans we should not only change our physical but also our mental, cultivating and retaining the best qualities of our nature so that we are kinder, more understanding/compassionate, better able to relate and interact with others etc. It is within these improved mental capacities therefore that we will be best able to make desicions about the technologies we chose to enhance our bodies with, how they should be distributed within the population and generally avoid the pitfalls such as inequality that are likely to arise.
If this is the case, then mental advancement should preceed physical in order that it is used properly. However it seems the possibilities of improving the physical body through technology are more realised than those that will improve our mental attributes.
Do we therefore wait until they have the technology to make us all more compassionate loving human beings capable of using the physical technology wisely? Do we undertake a process of improvement on our own without technological help and then decide when we are ready? Do we just leave the decisions and legislations up to someone else or finally do we just go ahead and improve our physicality and hope the mental follows? Or is none of this a consideration should we just all be free to change ourselves in whatever ways we think will make us better?

posted in Betterhumans - 3 replies

A new Religious Concept

Fri, 26 May 2006 20:30:12 GMT

There have been a few new religions based on Cryonics and Transhumanity in the past 20 years such as Venturism and Cryobaptist (Cryonics as a Religion) and I have been interested in Cryonics for about 14 years before becoming a practicing Buddhist so I came up with an idea for a radical new type of Buddhism. Its called CryoBuddhism.The Zen style of Buddhism mixed with the concept of Cryonics and Transhumanity./ Buddhism has been combined with other religions before such as Taoism,Shrineism,Confuchism,and even Humanism.So MY concept is not so off-the-wall weird. Im just coming up with a new Buddhist concept.A very Radical one,but I think its a very good idea.In fact,a high ranking member of the American Cryonics Society is a practicing Buddhist.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

can humans be better?

sarah — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 10:11:04 GMT

Obviously we are not perfect and can have many flaws both in our physical and conscious being. However wouldn't you say that if you ignore the flaws of our being and consciousness or those that are physically impaired then the body, its workings such as homeostasis, nerve function etc is pretty damn perfect? I don't believe that any technology we create can achieve better coherence and integration than the systems present in nature. Therefore, apart from those medical technologies used to restore loss body function, should we really even bother going down the road of creating technology with the intent of integrating it into the body in order to improve it? Surely all the devices that people desire such as microchips in their brains etc are just the next step in whims and fashions rather than actually being something useful that will really enhance our way of living

posted in Betterhumans - 18 replies

Cryonics:,....How Many People Here Are Signed Up

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 23:28:28 GMT

This tribe,from what I understand,has a definate "link"to Cryonics.So my question to everyone here is How many of you are already signed up for Cryonic Suspension?

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

What is the best form of transhumanism in Science Fiction?

kanch_bud — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 02:46:13 GMT

What is the best form of transhumanism in Science Fiction?

We have the artiness of Jack Dann, or the unimaginable complexity of Charles Stross' Accelerando, or something else...

What is the optimal (most accurate, most interesting, most true, most realistic whatever) depiction of transhumanism in SF?

Peace,

PB.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

my book More Than Human is now out!

mez — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 15:53:31 GMT

As some of you know, I spent a good chunk of the last two years working on a book. Well, it’s out! The book is titled “More Than Human” and it’s a non-fiction look at the potential to use biotechnology to make people stronger, smarter, and longer lived.

Now I’m asking for YOUR help to make the book a success! There are five things you can do to help me:

1) BUY THE BOOK!

Click here to buy a copy of my book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/0767918436

The more you buy, the higher I’ll rate on Amazon and possibly on other lists. The higher I rank, the more other people will buy the book!

2) BUY RELATED BOOKS!

If you buy related books on Amazon, people who look at those books will see a link to More Than Human! So if you’ve been thinking about buying any of the following books, buy them now!

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/0316172324/

Collapse by Jared Diamond
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/0670033375/

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/0393317552

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/076790818X/

The Ancestor’s Tale by Richard Dawkins
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/detail/-/0618005838/

or any of Amazon’s best selling popular science books
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=morethanhuman1-20&path=tg/new-for-you/top-sellers/-/books/75

3) SUBMIT A REVIEW TO AMAZON!

Once you’ve read the book (or now if you’ve read it already), go back to the Amazon page and write up a review. Don't feel obliged to make it a 5 star review. Users can sniff out phoney reviews. Just write what you honestly think.

4) POST TO YOUR BLOG!

If you have a blog, including a livejournal, post a link to the Amazon page for my book to your blog. That’ll cause the book to pop up on sites that track which books are being most discussed and most linked to in the blogosphere. (Like Technorati's BookTalk: http://www.technorati.com/live/products.html )

5) FORWARD THIS MAIL!

If you know others who you think would be interested in the book, tell them about it or forward this mail! Especially if they're people I don't know.

Thank you all for your help. With your help and a little luck, More Than Human may get out there in front of a lot of people.
mez

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Cinematic Portrayals Of ALBINISM....,

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:12:40 GMT

As most of you probably know,Hollywood is NOTORIOUS for casting the Albino as the Villain orthe Mystical Freak.Well that is very demeaning and very unfair to REAL People With Albinism!! Negative portrayals of Albinism without a counterbalance of "normal" or Heroic charicters is DISCIMINATORY AND HURTS REAL PEOPLE WITH ALBINISM!!!

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Who does the bettering? Who qualifies for betterment?

kanch_bud — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:31:09 GMT

In regards to administering a future cure for paedophilia and psychopathology, Lynne wrote:

"Then who administers the medication? Will is an issue here too. People who have had symptoms of say, schizophrenia, are notorious in stopping there own medication, under the impression that because their symptoms have gone, that they are well!

We can form a rough analogy for betterment medications which handle the will by looking at the change mental illness has gone through.

Until the start of this century genuine understanding of mental illness was limited and thus compassion was low. Depression is the classic one:

"Melancholia" gave way to "character fault" which in turn gave way to "chemical imbalance". ALL of these are metaphors for an irreducible experience, a gestalt, which we presently label depression. But what a difference a word makes!

The depressed are our family and friends and lovers, and now there are medications that allow them to live normal lives, antidepressants. And these drugs have probably saved more lives in the civilised world than anything else.

Often a depressed person does not recognise that they are depressed. To add to the problem, depression alters the capacity for will. This is directly comparable to the alteration or destruction of will that comes with conditions like schitzophrenia, pyschopathology, paedophilia, alcoholism and drug addiction, and the cure is always the same.

Give up personal will to someone or something you love and trust. Simple. In Alcoholics Anonymous the principles of helping an alcoholic have been well established. If there were a legal pill that got rid of alcoholism (abrogaine is the best candidate there that I know of) then I have little doubt that AA would be using it within a few years.

I wonder why people stop using medications? Is it because they feel better already? Is it because they are just not thinking? Why? In any case, the thing that keeps one persistent is dedication to something larger than oneself, not the enforcement of an uncaring elite.

I think one does the bettering oneself, and one qualifies for betterment by admitting that one needs it. Period.

Peace,

Paul Bard.

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Hello All

leerod — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:21:17 GMT

I am new to this trieb and I wanted to say hello. I never ealized this subject was discussed to this length.
I am happy to be a part of it now.
Lee

posted in Betterhumans - 11 replies

NEW: NetPolitiks - The Internet and Politics Tribe

gregcollver — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:35:50 GMT

NEW: NetPolitiks - The Internet and Politics Tribe
http://tribes.tribe.net/netpolitiks

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

New Tribe - Animal Rights

unsubscribed_user — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 16:11:23 GMT

The pleasure of your participation is requested

Tribe.net has its first tribe devoted to the legal rights of animals - and you're invited!

http://tribes.tribe.net/animalrights

This tribe is dedicated to the promotion and enshrinement in national and international law of the rights of non-human animals to live free from human exploitation and to live in harmony with their nature, rather than according to human desires. Here, we discuss philosophy and news related to the positive progress towards these rights.

We also discuss why the establishment of laws (and attitudes) that protect the dignity and inherent worth of non-human animals is in our *own* interest (this is known as Enlightened Self-Interest).

As Arthur Schopenhauer said:

"All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

I believe we are transitioning from the second to the third stage. Please join me in welcoming it.

If you care about the fate of non-human animals, indeed if you care about the fate of *humans*, I urge you to join the tribe and facilitate the move towards a better world for us all.

Thank you.

http://tribes.tribe.net/animalrights

* * *

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

28 days to form a habit?

joymonkey — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:43:43 GMT

Hello,

am in the midst of working on a personal development program and am investigating the changing of habits. At some point I heard or read that in order for a habit to "sink in" and become adopted, it requires repetition over a course of 28 days. Have no idea where I got that from or if there is any validity to it.

Was wondering if anyone out there had any good research or suggestions in regard to the duration of habit formation?

Thank you!

smiles

philip

posted in Betterhumans - 4 replies

Nanoparticles Silence Childhood Cancer

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 16:21:01 GMT

http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2005-04-19-3

Nanoparticles have been used to silence growth-promoting genes in a type of cancer called Ewing's sarcoma that affects children.

Shown to work in an animal model of the disease, the Trojan horse approach utilizes a protein called transferrin that normally delivers iron into cells.

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Techlepathy

Lazarus_Long — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 12:11:05 GMT

OK George you sneaky mind reader I like this article that parallels at theme I too have been promoting so I am going to violate copyright just for you and post your own article as a example of how it works now. ;~)

>>>>Evolving Towards Telepathy

Demand for increasingly powerful communications technology points to our future as a "techlepathic" species
By George Dvorsky
Betterhumans Staff
4/26/2004 6:39 PM

...The dream of mind-to-mind communication and the desire to transcend one's own consciousness is as old as language itself. You could make a strong case that there's a near pathological craving for it, a tendency that manifests through the widespread belief in paranormal telepathy.

ESP aside, it seems that this craving will soon be satisfied. Several advances in communications technology and neuroscience are giving pause about the possibility of endowing us with techlepathy. As we continue to ride the wave of the communications revolution, and as the public demand for more sophisticated communications tools continues, it seems a veritable certainty that we are destined to become a species capable of mind-to-mind communication.

This prospect is as profound as it is exciting. Such a change to the species would signify a prominent development in the evolution of humanity—a change that would irrevocably alter the nature of virtually all human relations and interactions...

Needless to say, the communications revolution and the driving tendencies therein are not going to stop at cell phones, instant messaging and blogs. The work of research labs and universities around the world reveals that some of the most profound developments are still yet to come. It appears that the public's demand for ever more sophisticated communications devices will soon be met by supply…

Cybernetics pioneer Kevin Warwick also believes in the future of techlepathy. In fact, he's actively trying to communicate in such a manner with his wife by creating an implant that connects his nervous system with hers. "If I have to have a long-term goal for my career," says Warwick, "it would be creating thought communication between humans." Of significance, he sees this as a realistic goal within his lifetime.

But Warwick believes that signals other than thoughts or language are transferable as well. Humans will eventually be able to communicate all sorts of signals, he argues, such as "whether you are feeling bad, as well as where you are." He believes that the body produces an array of information that can be picked out and made to use in a variety of ways.

Indeed, humanity appears to be on the cusp of a rather remarkable development: We are, for all intents and purposes, about to become a telepathic species. Such a development will occur this century and it will likely happen in three major phases.

The first generation of telepathic devices will likely be of the subvocal variety in which communication travels one way, much like a normal conversation. The second phase will also involve unidirectional transmission, but consciousness (i.e. language center output) will be output instead of subvocalized speech. And the third phase will likely involve the seamless bidirectional transference of consciousness and emotions to one or more receiving persons—in other words, telepathy in the truest sense. It's highly probable that the medium of exchange for such communication will be the Internet, or its future form, the global mind or Noosophere.

Given such an endowment, human cooperation and performance, particularly in team environments, will be greatly enhanced—whether it be a search and rescue team or a prog rock band. Indeed, artists will undoubtedly exploit such advancements by creating unimaginably powerful expressions that involve the transference of conscious and emotive experiences...

While some might be perturbed by the ethical and practical ramifications of techlepathy, I am overwhelmingly in favor. Changes in communication and language have largely captured the human story, giving rise to not only technology and civilization, but also to our enhanced moral capacity and our ability to empathize. Undoubtedly, it is through communication that we learn to relate and understand one another.

As Robert Wright points out in Nonzero and Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs and Steel, effective communications have historically been the crucial key for humanity's ongoing survival and progress. In fact, Wright meticulously chronicles how improving communication technologies steadily result in more and more positive sum games and enhanced cooperative social and interpersonal frameworks. This holds true, argues Wright, whether it be a freshly carved path that connects two tribes in the jungle or the Internet.

There's no reason to believe that techlepathy won't have a similar impact on individuals, social groups and society as a whole. Moreover, imagine how it will further strengthen the bonds of interpersonal communication and intimacy. As we all live alone in our own minds—forced to live near-solipsistic existences—I cannot think of anything more powerful than the prospect of sharing someone else's thoughts and experiences. It's been said that such unions will signify the next phase of not just human communications and social interactions, but of personal and sexual intimacy as well.

Many people complain about the dehumanizing and depersonalizing effects of technology. Personally, my usage of communications technology has only resulted in increased interactivity with the rest of the world.

Further, this tendency seems to be the driving force in the history of the development of communications technology. On the surface humanity appears to be spreading outward, venturing across continents and into space. Yet in actuality we are journeying towards one another. Our globe has never appeared smaller and our proximity to each other has never been closer.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down, pointing the way to a remarkable interconnected future.

For complete article http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2004-04-26-4

George Dvorsky is the deputy editor of Betterhumans and the president of the Toronto Transhumanist Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes the ethical use of technology to improve human health and capabilities. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the World Transhumanist Association and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. For more Dvorsky, visit his blog, Sentient Developments. You can reach him at george@betterhumans.com <<<

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Embrace the End of Work: Hughes

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:03:14 GMT

Embrace the End of Work
Unless we send humanity on a permanent paid vacation, the future could get very bleak
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2004-02-24-1

posted in Betterhumans - 6 replies

New Tribe: "Polymaths: Universal Humans"

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 20:17:04 GMT

A polymath (also known as a polyhistor) is a person who excels in multiple fields, particularly in both arts and sciences. The most common term for this is Renaissance man. Other terms for this are Homo universalis and Uomo Universale which in Latin and Italian respectively is translated as "Universal Man". Many notable polymaths lived during the European Renaissance period, and a rounded approach to education was typical of the ideals of the humanists of the time. A gentleman or courtier of that era was expected to speak several languages, play a musical instrument, write poetry and so on, thus fulfilling the Renaissance ideal. During the Renaissance, Baldassare Castiglione, in his The Book of the Courtier, wrote a guide to being a polymath. On the other hand "polymath" may be applied more strictly, taking Leonardo da Vinci or Goethe as prime examples, and requiring a universality of approach. A polymath may not necessarily be classed as a genius, which is a more debatable classification; and certainly a genius may not display the breadth to qualify as a polymath. Albert Einstein is a prime example of a genius who was not a polymath.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

News about aging www.nanoaging.com

Jonathan — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 03:22:41 GMT

News about aging www.nanoaging.com

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Transvision 2004 - Aug 5-8, 2004 - Toronto - Register Today!

jhughes — Fri, 18 Jun 2004 16:41:16 GMT

TRANSVISION 2004

Art and Life in the Posthuman Era

August 6 to 8, 2004

University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sponsored by the World Transhumanist Association

Co-sponsored by the Extropy Institute, Immortality Institute, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Longevity Meme, Changesurfer Radio, Betterhumans.com, Transhumanist Arts and Culture and The McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology.

For more information and to register:
http://www.transhumanism.org/tv/2004/

Friday August 6, 2004 (JJR McLeod Auditorium)

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Introduction to Transhumanism seminar for journalists

3:00 PM to 6:00 PM - Registration

5:30 PM to 6:30 PM - Reception

6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Buffet dinner

8:00 PM to 9:30 PM - Keynote address by Steve Mann (JJR McLeod Auditorium)

Saturday August 7, 2004 (JJR McLeod Auditorium)

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM - Registration and breakfast

9:30 AM to 10:30 AM - Opening Keynote Address:

Aubrey de Grey "The feasibility and desirability of indefinite youth: recent advances from unexpected quarters"

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM - Art exhibits and displays (Location: JJR. McLeod Auditorium Foyer)

10:45 AM to 11:45 AM

Panel 1: Managing Risks
- Mike Deering "Telluris of Cyborgs: Safety Passage through Great Filter of Evolution" (with Pavel Vassiliev)
- Michael Vassar "Nanotech Safety is AI Safety"
- Mark Walker "The Ship of Fools: An Argument for Surviving Apocalyptic Risks through Cognitive and Ethical Enhancements"

Panel 2: The Emerging Transhuman Culture
- Jende Huang "Humanism and The Culture Wars"
- Dale Carrico "Vulgar Biocentrism Among the Technophiles"
- Kip Werking "The Transhuman Condition"

Panel 3: Public Policy
- Anders Sandberg "Transformative Technology, Patient Culture and Health Policy"
- Robin Hanson "The Future of Debate"
- Simon Smith "Automatic for the People: How Humans Can Benefit from the Rise of Machines"

12:00 PM 1:00 PM - JBS Haldane Award Banquet

Address by Ron Bailey

1:15 PM to 2:45 PM

Panel 1: Nanotech
- Mike Treder "Making a Safe Transition into the Nano Era"
- Tihamer Toth-Fejel "Self-Replicating NanoMachines: A Kinematic Cellular Automata Approach"

Panel 2: Writing and Publishing Transhumanist Books
- Ramez Naam, author of More than Human (2005, Doubleday/Random House)
- Ron Bailey, author of Liberation Biology (2005, Prometheus)
- James Hughes, author of Citizen Cyborg (2004, Westview/Basic)

Panel 3: Babies and Puppies
- Linda MacDonald Glenn "Vexation of Viability: Arbitrary or Valid? (Legal and Ethical Issues in ARTs)"
- Jeff Medina "Transpuppyism? The Status of Non-Humans in Transhumanist Ethics"

3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Panel 1: Social Change
- Phil Goetz "Calibrating Accelerating Change"
- Mark Hopkins "The Fourth Wave"

Panel 2: Art, Reproduction and the Future
- Linda Wallace "Female Infertility and Reproductive Technology: An Artist's Perspective"
- Monica Bock "Art and the Maternal Experience"

Panel 3: Human Enhancement
- Tihamer Toth-Fejel "A Critical Look at Leon Kass and Transhumanists on Ageless Bodies: Enhancement and Degradation of the Human Person"
- Natasha Vita-More "Posthuman Prototypes Debate Their Own Design"

8:00 PM to 9:30 PM - Keynote presentation by Stelarc (JJR McLeod Auditorium)

Sunday August 8, 2004 (JJR McLeod Auditorium)

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM - Breakfast

9:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Panel 1: Aging
- Joao Pedro de Magalhães "The genetic network of human ageing: a system-level approach"
- Rafal Smigrodski "How to buy new mitochondria for your old body"
- Aubrey de Grey "Removing toxic aggregates that our cells can't break down"

Panel 2: The Future of Intelligence
- Michael Anissimov "Enhancing Intelligence; from Neurohackers to Self-Improving Ais"
- Sean Kearney "Can Social Software Increase Human Intelligence?"
- Stelarc "Avatar and Machine Intelligence"

Panel 3: TBA
- Richard Maxwell "The Conscious Clock"

10:45 AM to 11:45 AM

Panel 1: The Future of the Body
- Kenneth Evans "Random Feed Switch Every Twenty Five: Gender and Technology in Transmetropolitan"
- Robin Zebrowski "Posthuman AI: How Recognizing the Importance of the Body Will Change Things"

Panel 2: Uploading and Immortality
- Ben Hyink "Toward Non-Fatal Uploading: A New Framework"
- Allen Randall "Quantum Miracles and Immortality"
- Peter Passaro "Reimagining Uploading"

Panel 3: Transhuman Art and Aesthetics
- Simon Levy "The Fractal Beauty of Emergence: Re-envisioning Intelligent Behavior in Man and Machine"
- George Dvorsky "The Impact of Enhanced Humans on the Future of Art and Expression."
- Jerry Paffendorf ”Digital Worlds: Networked Online Gaming as Extension Not Diversion”

12:00 PM 1:15 PM - Closing Address:

Nick Bostrom "Human Enhancement: Answering the Why Question"

------------------------
James J. Hughes Ph.D.
Executive Director
World Transhumanist Association
http://transhumanism.org
Box 128, Willington CT 06279 USA
secretary@transhumanism.org

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Smart Mobs for Parecon

Sébastien — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 06:12:32 GMT

A scalable social network system using Smart Mobs infrastructure like phones and text messaging can be used for participatory economics:

1) In this system, goods and services are produced according to a plan developed by an iterative procedure of democratic, participatory consumers and producers councils. Smart mobs could optimize the communications and participation at this level.

2) Parecon businesses could use smart mobs by creating a pool of job offers and demands to distribute balanced job complexes in a decentralized way.

I would like to get in touch with people interested in making this an opensource sourceforge project so if you are, or know any one or any anarchist tech collectives that might be interested, let's talk about it/contact me/join the "Participatory Economics" tribe.

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

MEMS technology

nicolov — Sun, 21 Mar 2004 04:04:28 GMT

i hope this is a good forum for this.
what're your thoughts? just curious. after spending a day in front of the idiot box [i'm extremely sick] i came across a progam discussing the vacanti brothers' attempts at growing full human organs. one procedure involving biomems tech by layering the scaffolding, building the necessary vascular connections, and then adding the other necessary cells for organ growth.

a bit of research and i came across these two articles, that probably explain it better than i do:
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=6485

http://www.memsnet.org/mems/what-is.html

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

When Will Affordable Humanoid Robots Be Available?

Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:06:23 GMT

When Will Affordable Humanoid Robots Be Available?
By Eric Drexler

Within two to three years, thanks to Sony's latest robotic toy

http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Ask_an_Expert/answer.aspx?articleID=2004-02-25-1

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Dismissing Drexler Is Bad for Business: Smith

Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:04:56 GMT

Dismissing Drexler Is Bad for Business
By Simon Smith

Ignoring the potential of molecular manufacturing won't make it go away, so why is the US nanotech industry painting its advocates as kooks?

http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2004-02-26-1

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

A Left Argument for Space: Shropshire

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:02:23 GMT

A Left Argument for Space
Space exploration managed by individuals and run like the open source movement would be affordable, accessible and a way to achieve positive change

http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Red_Hour_Orgy/column.aspx?articleID=2004-02-23-1

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Announcing Betterhumans Forums Beta

SimonSmith — Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:08:31 GMT

All,

For some time now, people have asked us to create forums for Betterhumans, a place to discuss issues and developments related to advancing science and technology. I am happy to announce that we have (finally) done so.

I would like you to be among the first to use the forums. We need your help to discover bugs and develop the forums area before we make a more public announcement.

To get started, please do the following:

1) Go to http://forums.betterhumans.com/
2) Click "Create a new account"
3) Follow the instructions to set up your account

When you're done, please join the discussion in the "Forums.betterhumans.com" forum. This is where you can report bugs, suggest improvements and help us develop the forums.

I look forward to your participation.

Sincerely,
Simon

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Trickle-down Genomics: Dvorsky

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:39:43 GMT

Trickle-down Genomics
The wealthy will benefit first from enhancement biotechnologies, but eventually we'll all be better off
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2004-02-10-1

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

The Need for Fair Risk: Carricio

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:38:40 GMT

The Need for Fair Risk
Rather than make us too cautious to enjoy the blessings of technology, the precautionary principle should simply ensure that the threats, costs and benefits are shared equally
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Progressive_Futures/column.aspx?articleID=2004-02-02-2

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Hughes: Get Married for Life

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 02:17:31 GMT

Get Married for Life
By James Hughes
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-08-2

Healthy eating and exercise are fine, but maybe all you really need is a mate

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Nature of the Beast

Sat, 27 Dec 2003 04:48:25 GMT

I'm interested in robotic/cybernetic enhancements that don't simply mimic a human function, but rather *add* or *change* the functionality of a human. We're already there in some ways, technologically/pharmaceutically; yet, I only know one or two people who have really given thought to *how* they would alter themselves were it cheap and safe to take advantage of what exists/is being developed.

Any thoughts?

It's my contention that such changes/specializations are inevitable - I foresee a time when certain jobs will require specific cyborg/cybernetic 'add-ons' and so forth. Heck - we've already been there for decades if you look at how skill sets around certain technologies have been developed - from 'typist' to 'operator' to 'digital professional'.... see what I'm sayin'? Eh?

posted in Betterhumans - 15 replies

Space: Not the Final Frontier: Dvorsky

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:58:53 GMT

Space: Not the Final Frontier
Our destiny isn't outer space but inner space—if we can avoid extinction
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-20-1

posted in Betterhumans - 7 replies

New Front Page

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 04:28:23 GMT

Hey everyone, Betterhumans has revamped its front page. Please let us know what you think of our new look.

www.betterhumans.com

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Just Say Yes to Performance-enhancing Drugs: Smith

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 20:03:20 GMT

Just Say Yes to Performance-enhancing Drugs
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-26-1

Ignore Bush: There are no good arguments for a ban and many good reasons to encourage doping

posted in Betterhumans - 3 replies

Sperling's promise

Roy — Mon, 02 Feb 2004 22:22:02 GMT

See:

www.wired.com /wired/archive/12.02/immortal.html

I had to put a space after ".com" so remove it before using. The reibe.net system dies not permit putting full URLs in messages.

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Thinking Outside the Gene: Dvorsky

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 01:56:33 GMT

Thinking Outside the Gene
Only by eliminating genetic determinism from our thinking can we talk effectively and responsibly about genetic interventions
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-05-1

posted in Betterhumans - 3 replies

Why Africa Should Care about Robots: Hughes

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 20:04:11 GMT

Why Africa Should Care about Robots
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-26-2

The looming elimination of human labor and roboticization of war must hasten the creation of a just economic order and strong global security

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Harm in manipulating eye color?

Sat, 31 Jan 2004 01:39:51 GMT

We recently asked Theodore Friedmann (the director of the University of California, San Diego Program in Human Gene Therapy and a professor of pediatrics) to be the "expert" for the question, "When might gene therapy be available to alter eye color?"

He gave a very conservative and restrained response, including the closing statement: "It's not at all clear to me that it is justified to go ahead for cosmetic and ethically and socially questionable applications such as eye color manipulations, even once questions of safety are better understood."

So even if it becomes safe, says Friedmann, it's a questionable procedure.

Unreal.

It still boggles my mind that Friedmann and others have such a problem with something as banal and trivial as manipulating eye color. In absolute seriousness, how in the world could altering eye color be "ethically and socially questionable" to the point that we would have to criminalize such a thing? Just how is the individual or society harmed by such a practice? How could anyone decide when a cosmetic practice becomes socially questionable? Do we need to ban contacts that alter eye color? What's the qualitative difference?

Man, do we ever have ways to go.

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Treder: Nanotechnology: Time to Make a Choice

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 02:14:35 GMT

Nanotechnology: Time to Make a Choice
By Mike Treder
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Guests/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-19-1

With molecular manufacturing on its way, we must reject relinquishment and resignation in favor of responsible regulation

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Smith: The Case against Space

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 02:16:35 GMT

The Case against Space
By Simon Smith
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-12-5

There will be a time for manned exploration, but for now we must boldly stay

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Boire: Cognitive Liberty in the Age of Memory-management Drugs

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 02:15:32 GMT

Cognitive Liberty in the Age of Memory-management Drugs
By Richard Glen Boire
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Guests/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-15-3

The pills are at least five years away, but the question is here now: Will you have a right to boost or erase your own memory?

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

BH Newsletter, Jan 6, 2004

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 23:41:24 GMT

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

BH Daily Newsletter, December 30, 2003

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 00:50:33 GMT

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

Company Directory: Desirable?

SimonSmith — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:08:53 GMT

Hi All,

We're considering adding a directory of Betterhumans-related companies to the site. The directory would include companies working in nanotechnology, biotechnology, wearable computers and other emerging science and technology fields. Before we move forward with this project, we want to know whether people think it would be a valuable addition to the site. So, what do you think?

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

Technology's Making Queers of Us All: Carrico

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 01:57:35 GMT

Technology's Making Queers of Us All
The gay movement offers insights and allies for the subversive transhumanist future
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Progressive_Futures/column.aspx?articleID=2004-01-05-2

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Simon Smith: A Year of Small Steps and Giant Leaps

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 01:20:33 GMT

A Year of Small Steps and Giant Leaps
The top 10 science and technology developments of 2003
By Simon Smith
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-29-1

posted in Betterhumans - 2 replies

BH Daily Newsletter, December 31, 2003

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 20:05:11 GMT

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

BH Daily Newsletter, December 29, 2003

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 01:19:56 GMT

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

BH Weekly Newsletter, December 29, 2003

Mon, 29 Dec 2003 18:12:55 GMT

------------------------------------------------------------------
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BETTERHUMANS
http://www.betterhumans.com

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Monday, December 29, 2003
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#---------------------------------------------------------------#
JOIN OUR TRIBE
Discuss Betterhumans and the topics we cover
http://betterhumans.tribe.net
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COLUMNS
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/
------------------------------------------------------------------

A Year of Small Steps and Giant Leaps
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-29-1
The top 10 science and technology developments of 2003
By Simon Smith

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POLLS
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls/
------------------------------------------------------------------

What was the most important science and technology development of 2003?
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls/poll.aspx?pollID=2003-12-29-1

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NEWS
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/
------------------------------------------------------------------

Lizard-like Regeneration Closer with Stem Cell Finding
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-24-5
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Tricked Brain Cells Live Hours without Oxygen
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-24-4
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Effective SARS Treatment Found
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-24-3
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Garlic Compound Kills Superbugs
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-24-2
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Grape Juice Boosts Memory, Motor Skills
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-24-1
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Wires Thinner than Light Created
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-6
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Deer Cloned, Reindeer Next?
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-5
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Treat Aging as Many Diseases, Researchers Argue
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-4
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Appetite Trigger Found
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-3
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Blood Cell Mimic Could Deliver Drugs
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-2
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Genes Mark Potent Stem Cells
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-23-1
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Ink Jet Prints Flat Screens
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-9
Monday, December 22, 2003

Cholesterol-free Mouse Engineered
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-8
Monday, December 22, 2003

Modified Stem Cells Cure Parkinson's in Rats
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-7
Monday, December 22, 2003

Sony Robot Learns to Run
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-6
Monday, December 22, 2003

"Virtual" Supercomputer to Probe Matter
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-5
Monday, December 22, 2003

Sequencing Shortcut Provides Corn Genome
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-4
Monday, December 22, 2003

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RESOURCES
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Resources/
------------------------------------------------------------------

TECHNIQUES
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Techniques/

Hormone Therapy
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Techniques/technique.aspx?articleID=2003-12-29-2
Hormone therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. It covers
various types of types of hormones, including growth hormones and sex
hormones.

TECHNOLOGIES
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Technologies/

Robots
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Technologies/technology.aspx?articleID=2002-09-08-1
A robot can be defined as a manmade entity with a body and an intelligent
feedback-driven connection between sense and action. Usually, the
intelligence is a computer or microcontroller running a program.

EVENTS CALENDAR
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/

The Economics of the Singularity: An Immortality Institute Online Chat
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-12-22-1
Starts: Sunday, January 04, 2004
Ends: Sunday, January 04, 2004
Location: Cyberspace
Assistant professor of economics at George Mason University, Robin Hanson
joins the Immortality Institute to discuss how long-term trends in economic
growth may reveal a coming technological singularity within this century.

Genomics and Society: The First Lancaster-Cardiff CESAGen International
Conference
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-12-23-1
Starts: Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Ends: Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Location: London, England
Genomics is at the core of many of society's most crucial and polarizing
debates. The first CESAGen Conference on "Genomics and Society" will focus
on the radical new genetic technologies that, 50 years after the discovery
of the double helical structure of DNA, are said to hold great promises, and
challenges, for the future well-being of humanity.

Fourth WSEAS International Conference on Robotics, Distance Learning and
Intelligent Communication Systems
http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-12-24-1
Starts: Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Ends: Thursday, September 16, 2004
Location: Izmir, Turkey
This conference will cover such topics as human-robot interfaces, cellular
and biologically inspired robots, personal and service robots and
telerobotics.

------------------------------------------------------------------
AROUND THE WEB
------------------------------------------------------------------

Unmaking Memories: Interview with James McGaugh
http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=0006783F-2CFE-1FE2-ACFE83414B7FFE9F
Scientific American interviews leading neurobiologist James McGaugh to find
out just how close scientists are to controlling memory recall as portrayed
in the sci-fi thriller Paycheck, in which an engineer has his memory erased
after completing a sensitive job.

The Genetics of Generosity: Why We Like to Help
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/24/1072239719661.html
Johnjoe McFadden of The Age reports on possible evolutionary purposes of
kindness and cooperation.

Poor Man's Hero
http://www.reason.com/0312/fe.ng.poor.shtml
Reason Online's Nick Gillespie interviews controversial writer Johan
Norberg, who champions globalization as the best hope for the developing
world.

Planning A Head: Kurzweil's response to Scientific American
http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=news_single.html?id%3D2786
In its September 2003 issue, Scientific American critiqued Ray Kurzweil's
vision of reverse-engineering the brain and the future of machine
intelligence. Here's Kurzweil's response, published in the magazine's
January 2004 issue.

Will Eric Drexler Save the West From Nano Annihilation?
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/12/19/014100.shtml
Weapons expert Lev Navrozov has declared K. Eric Drexler to be the Einstein
of nanotechnology. Specifically, Navrozov is comparing Einstein's famous
warning to President Roosevelt about the viability of atomic weapons to
Drexler's 1986 book, Engines of Creation, where he warns about the
possibility of the development of nanoweapons.

The Smaller the Better
http://www.reason.com/0312/fe.rb.the.shtml
Reason Online's Ronald Bailey looks forward to the limitless promise of
nanotechnology, but worries about the
growing peril of a moratorium.

------------------------------------------------------------------
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Copyright 2002-2003 Betterhumans

Manage subscriptions:
http://www.betterhumans.com/Newsletter/

Submit news and events:
http://www.betterhumans.com/Submissions/

Report problems:
http://www.betterhumans.com/Contact_Us/

posted in Betterhumans - 1 reply

New BH Info Bars: Thoughts?

Sat, 27 Dec 2003 15:51:05 GMT

We've recently added a new feature to the front page of Betterhumans: Info Bars. These bars, in light blue coloring, show how many hits an article has, along with its progress rating and number of comments.

We're thinking of expanding this feature to different areas of the site, but before we do we wanted to ask you, the Betterhumans audience, what you think of the new info bars.

How do you feel about them? Are they informative? Do they add to the site? Do they influence how you navigate through the site and which articles you read? Does it give you an enhanced sense of how the site works and what draws people to certain areas? Are there things about the info bars that you don't like? Is there any other information that you'd like to see?

posted in Betterhumans - 6 replies

Welcome to the Betterhumans tribe!

Sun, 21 Dec 2003 00:54:40 GMT

This tribe is a place for ongoing discussion pertaining to Betterhumans.com, a Web portal that reports on science, technology, and futures issues.

posted in Betterhumans - 8 replies

New guy

Daniel — Sun, 21 Dec 2003 19:32:48 GMT

Hello, thought I would say high to fellow futurists and humans for the betterment of mankind. I would be interested in thoughts on current research in biotechnology and estimates of expanding life expectancies. I consider myself quite an optimistic futurist and look forward to living (barring accidents) well into my 200th year (healthily). What are your personal opinions on this technology? Links to articles and or research would be wonderful as well as opinions! Thanks. -Daniel

posted in Betterhumans - 5 replies

George Dvorsky: Scientific Ignorance Dooms Democracy

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 20:46:39 GMT

Scientific Ignorance Dooms Democracy
Increasingly hi-tech nations need informed citizens, making scientific literacy a human right and scientific illiteracy a disability
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-2

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

James Hughes: Monsters in the Media

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 20:45:41 GMT

Monsters in the Media
Popular books, movies and television shows are some of the few places addressing human-racism and the citizenship of nonhumans
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-22-3

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies

Latest columns on Betterhumans

Sun, 21 Dec 2003 00:59:42 GMT

Simon Smith gets real about climate change: It's happening, so let's end the guilt and implement solutions
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-15-3

Chris Phoenix and Mike Treder argue that Gray Goo Is a Small Issue: The fear of tiny robots run amok is more a public relations problem than a scientific concern
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Guests/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-15-4

George Dvorsky wants to beat Beijing's big brother: As authorities fortify the Great Firewall of China, information technology is allowing increasingly modern, high-tech and culturally sophisticated Chinese to slip the grip of totalitarianism
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-08-5

James Hughes argues that we should think beyond doctors: Computers, capitalism and nurses are bringing us higher quality medicine
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-08-4

Philip Shropshire says its time for some real new media: An open letter to George Soros and other rich guys angry at Bush Jr.
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Red_Hour_Orgy/column.aspx?articleID=2003-12-08-3

posted in Betterhumans - 0 replies