[extropy-chat] stardust at home

[Marc Geddes]

--- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:

> spike
> 
> {8-]
> 
> Friends, is this a great time to be alive, or what? 
> {8-]
> 

Only for a tiny minority of rich white boys living in
Europe or the States.

Spare a thought for the several billion people still
living on less than a couple of dollars a day.

Or even for most of the ordinary folks in the
developed world who have to slog away all day at
mind-numbing jobs just to stay alive.

What most people *should* ideally be doing is working
on AGI or the theory of everything.  Unfortunately
they can't even if they want to, due to the
aforementioned lack of funds.  I believe that if all
of us were awash with funds and computing power any of
us could do what Eli does (though it would probably
take most of us a little longer).  

One of the things that post-human historians should
grasp is that the world simply was *not* awash with
funds and computing power, which is why the vast
majority of people never even had a decent crack at
AGI or the theory of everything.  Unfortunately a tiny
minority of rich kids are having all the fun.

Facile statements of 'gee whiz how great it's gonna
be' are just plain irritating.  For instance, I mean
no disrespect to Nick Bostrom but his 'Letter From
Utopia' just really annoyed me:

http://www.nickbostrom.com/utopia.html

Being told what we're missing really is kinda
depressing.  We're *so close* yet think of all those
that will miss out because they die.  

Like I said Spike, for a tiny minority of rich white
boys it may be kinda fun to be alive right now, but
for everyone else who is aware of the potential of a
transhuman future yet lacks the funds, brains or
reputation to do anything to bring it about it's
really *really* frustrating.  

"Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last day”


		
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