[extropy-chat] ANNOUNCE: Extropy Institute's Future

[Natasha Vita-More]

At 10:20 PM 5/3/2006, Hal  wrote:
>I want to congratulate Natasha, Max, and the rest of the Extropy
>Institute board for taking this difficult but proactive step rather than
>letting ExI and its related concepts just fade away as happens with
>so many institutions.  When the time has come to move on, recognizing
>and accepting that fact is always difficult.  But the world has changed
>enormously since the 1980s when Max and Tom invented the idea of Extropy,
>and even since the early 1990s when this mailing list was born in its
>earlier incarnation.  Ideas which at that time were considered too
>outlandish even for science fiction are now debated regularly in the
>corridors of power and on the front pages of major newspapers and other
>opinion leaders.
>
>My main concern during this time of transition is that the history
>of Extropy be preserved and not forgotten.  Because of the extreme
>unacceptability of transhumanist ideas in the early days (hard to remember
>today), the original extropians mailing list had a policy of quasi-secrecy
>with regard to list archives.  As a result, much of that free-wheeling
>discussion has been lost, an information exchange which many of us
>remember as among the most dynamic and engaging we have ever encountered.
>
>It may never be possible to reconstruct and restore those lost archives,
>but eventually the list policy changed, and we should make sure that
>what remains is not lost.  Not only list archives, but the working
>papers and other documents produced by ExI over the years, should all
>be preserved for future study and reference.  It's possible that someday
>this material will be seen as representing the birth of ideas which turn
>out to be key to the further development of humanity.
>
>Making data available for an indefinite period into the future will
>not happen automatically.  It will take time and effort to make the
>preparations, and funds will be needed as well.  If there are things I
>could do to help, I hope Natasha will feel free to ask, and I am sure
>that most of the rest of us in the community feel the same way.

Hal, I welcome your help, and the help of others, as we put together the 
Library of Transhumanism, Extropy and the Future.  Mitch Porter (in 
Australia) was hired to work with us on this and he is making headway. It 
will take a little time, but it is the plan and I believe a good one.  The 
list archives will be put together as we best can and eventually make 
it  into the Extropy book section "Best of the List" which was David 
McFadzean's insightful suggestion a while back.

What we will need is a web programming to put Mitch's work on the library 
into a format for the web. There will be other tasks in the near future 
that we will need help on.

Hal, you have been a supportive member and friend for a long time and I 
hope our relationship continues into the future.  Even though ExI is 
closing down, the philosophy of Extropy shall live and evolve in ways that 
only extropy can.

My best to you,

Natasha

<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha <http://www.natasha.cc/>Vita-More
Cultural Strategist - Designer
President, <http://www.extropy.org/>Extropy Institute
Member, <http://www.profuturists.com/>Association of Professional Futurists
Founder, <http://www.transhumanist.biz/>Transhumanist Arts & Culture

If you draw a circle in the sand and study only what's inside the circle, 
then that is a closed-system perspective. If you study what is inside the 
circle and everything outside the circle, then that is an open system 
perspective. - Buckminster Fuller


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