SciFi.com Site of the Week: Accelerating Future

From here:

“Transhumanism” is, according to Accelerating Future, a philosophy that assumes that humanity’s current form may not be its ultimate one—that nanotechnology, biological engineering and other scientific achievements may allow us to enhance our lifespans, increase our intelligence and alter our abilities beyond the limits set down by nature and already stretched by our medical capabilities.

Visitors dissatisfied with that definition can choose from six others that are posted on this site, a thought-provoking blog that focuses not only on humanity’s next evolutionary stage but on the technologies likely to trigger it. The brainchild of science writer Michael Anissimov, Accelerating Future offers the curious a wealth of intriguing links, reviews and interviews. Web surfers interested in everything from the feasibility of developing sentient machines to the prospect of genetically engineering humans who can thrive at the north and south poles can read about these concepts here.

Lest this all sound far-fetched—more the stuff of fiction than of science—another area of the site is devoted to quotes and speeches by well-known individuals who have taken the prospect of a transhumanist future seriously enough to speak on the topic publicly. Among these notables are Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and scientist Stephen Hawking.

Anissimov’s posts, be they on bioethics, robotics or religion, draw healthy discussion from readers, and the site walks a fine balance between being overly credulous and entirely skeptical. Recent posts explain “supers” in physics (superconductivity, supercriticality, superfluidity and others), briefly discuss an upcoming movie on Vernor Vinge’s idea of the Singularity and consider the possible upsides of global warming. Packed with nerdishly offbeat ideas, Accelerating Future is informative, challenging and more than a little controversial.”