[extropy-chat] Re: Encryption revolution

[Robert J. Bradbury]

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003, Harvey Newstrom wrote:

> All of it is just talk.

That is generally where it has to start.  The question becomes how
to turn talk into action.

> But in this millennium, everybody is talking about it.

> Sadly, our books aren't best sellers.

I'm not so sure that is true about Ray's books.  From a technical
commentary standpoint I think the sell reasonably well.  And Damien
is slowly expanding his readership.

> Our leaders aren't on the cutting edge of any technologies.

Cough.  Am I not trying to do that with Nano at Home and Robiobotics?

> While the companies actually working in these fields and the governments
> actually guiding these advancements are paying little if any attention to us.

Hmmm... If I had a good reason for doing so I do not doubt that I
could get Jim von Ehr on the phone.  I've spent some amount of time
each day of the last week on the phone to Washington DC trying to
determine precisely *who* turned the nanotech study wording in
HR 766 into the nanotech study wording in S 189 (which was much
less useful) this year.  I just spent an hour on the phone with
Prof. Pollack at Brandeis (the man behind the DEMO project)
explaining some concepts of nanotech, retrosynthesis, the Zyvex
Rotapod, etc. to him.

Has not Aubrey defined and promoted not only the Methuselah Mouse
project as well as the proposed IBG institute?

And I will not bother to rehash the history of Aeiveos Sciences Group
and what it tried to do (perhaps prematurely and with insufficient
funding).

> We are not only on the fringe of humanity, but we are on the fringe of
> transhumanity.  We are not centrally involved in real nanotech, AI,
> robotics, cloning, and immortality.

I would beg to differ Harvey.  I would like to see you assert that
claim to me, Eugen, Anders, Eliezer, Brett, the various people
supporting longevity web sites and a host of others trying to
define how they may participate.

The invention of fire had to be accepted.  People had to view
it as useful and want to actually use it (with its associated
risks).  So there is a balance between the person who actually
assembles a fine motion controller and the person who promotes
the use of the fine motion controller.  I'm going after its
assembly.  I will generally leave to others the promotion
of the idea that once we have one we should darn well use it.

Robert