Accelerating Future

Accelerating Future now has a Facebook group. Join it by clicking here:

Update: this group has now exceeded 100 members! Thank you for joining!

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Last night I talked to Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon on FastForward Radio. These guys are really fun and totally comfortable on the air. This was a long interview — I was on the phone for an hour and 15 minutes! (Although I only talk with them for a little under an hour.) If you want to hear me yakking it up, this is the place to do it.

Topics discussed included the relationship between Cosmicism and Transhumanism, my opinion of Dale Carrico’s critique of transhumanism, politics in transhumanism, Eliezer Yudkowsky’s “Transhumanism as Simplified Humanism”, nanobots vs. nanofactories, what I think will happen after the Singularity, mentioned the new AI Panic blog, and said which approaches I think might give rise to Artificial Intelligence. At the end I give a pitch for listeners to donate to the Lifeboat Foundation.

Also: this is the 500th post on Accelerating Future!

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I get a lot of emails that usually display the same general pattern. To answer some frequently asked questions, I offer you this list:

Q. Can we exchange links?
A. No.

Q. I want to use the image I found on your site for school/work. May I?
A. I found it on Google Images using a search term that was likely obvious. If it’s copyrighted or I know who made it, I mention it in the post.

Q. Will you contribute to…
A. For a small fee, sure.

Q. I wrote you a 10-page rambling email. Will you read it?
A. No.

Q. I am offended…
A. Sorry. Just think of how boring I would be if I never offended anyone. If you don’t like it, unsubscribe.

Q. What is your impression of this technology or idea?
A. Ask the question in the comments section on the site and I’ll likely answer. If I don’t, then Tom McCabe or Steven Smithee probably will. We agree on most issues.

Q. Will you read my book and critique it?
A. Sorry, books are too long. If you can condense your book down into a single sentence, I’ll respond to it. Otherwise, I gladly accept paid editing work.

Q. Why wasn’t that post about futurism?
A. Because the blog is about anything that randomly pops into my head, and it’s just called Accelerating Future because futurism pops into my head more often than other things.

Q. What advice do you have for my blog?
A. Original content, conciseness, clean design, vibrant images, minimal ads. No blogspot.

Q. I am thinking about what my major should be. What do you recommend?
A. I recommend you get your BA in Awesome.

Q. What is your favorite tofu dish?
A. Fried tofu with peanut sauce.

A Can I donate to SIAI, Lifeboat, or the WTA?
Q. Yes, you can.

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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.”

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After several months of brainstorming, web development, and content building, we at Accelerating Future are pleased to announce the Accelerating Future People Database and People Database Project Blog.

Both projects were conceived of and implemented by my talented collaborator, Jeriaska.

The People Database is a repository for bio information, video, audio, and links for notable figures. Currently featured are three brilliant thinkers: Peter Voss, an artificial intelligence researcher; John Smart, a developmental systems theorist; and Steve Jurvetson, a venture capitalist. Over 80 entries exist already, and many more will be added. On each page is a link readers can use to contribute new information.

The Project Blog features transcripts of recent talks and interviews given by cognoscenti in artificial intelligence, futurism, technological acceleration, nanotechnology, software design, policy, philosophy, business, and more. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be posting transcripts of all the talks given at the Singularity Summit, the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology’s Bio-Nano conference, Alcor’s upcoming conference in Scottsdale, and whatever else we may attend in the future.

This is another significant step forward for Accelerating Future, which is growing into a portal for information on these important topics. Remember… all this is for your benefit, so if you have any suggestions for improvement, please give them!

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The brand new Accelerating Future forums are up. Go check them out, and be sure to bookmark for later:

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The title page of this domain has been simplified to make it more interesting:

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