[extropy-chat] Introduction

[Pes Udoname]

Ok, slightly unsure about this as there seems to be something about  extropy shuting down, so this might be a bad time to make an  introduction post, but anyway. Also after the introduction bit I would  like some advice about what to study..
  
  Introduction bit:
  
  I'm, currently at university in  the UK studying on a maths degree. Due to being exposed to a lot of  science early on, as well as reading serious S.F., I first realised  about transhumanism several years ago, but assumed the technology would  be a long time in the future. Also anyone I mentioned my thoughts about  life extension to reacted hostility and I assumed no-one thought like  me. Then while doing some research for the computing section of my  degree I came across the singularity institute site, and realised that  there are people who think like me, and also that the singularity is  much closer then I thought. I folowed links and eventually ended up  here.

>From my own egotistical point of view, being young  I am less worried about life extiention and cryonics then I am about  the singularity, which will (hopefully) happen before I get old. I  think the risks of an unfreindly singularity are best avoided by  getting there first, and by not giving AIs equal rights as  humans/posthumans. And then there is the problem of what exactly  consionusness is, and to cap it all the bioconservatives want us  dead..... 

I think I am immune to future shock by now. I want  to live forever, or at least a mind-bogglingly long time. I also want  to be uploaded, but it is important to do this in a way that ensures  that it is you that is uploaded, not just a copy.

Once I finish  my degree I want to get involved in recearch in some transhumanist  field, but I'm not sure what... any advice will be appreacated. I am  taking this seriously. I want to get invoved and I am prepared to  devote time to whatever will help the singularity.

What else is  there to say? Philosophically I am a weak athist and libertarian. I  take omega 3 and eat a healthy diet, but it's frustrating being healthy  while at uni when your friends drink and smoke and take 'shrooms...

I can't wait for the future.   

"Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death, Hello to eternity and live for every breath....."
  
  
  Advice bit:
  
  I am currently worried that my maths course has little relivence to  real life in any way. I am doing some computing, but it is getting  frustrating the ammount of time I have to spend debugging stuff.
  
  So what should I specialise in? Is there any point in pure maths? Does knowing about Riemann intergration help with anything?
  
  I would like to do somthing that would help towards transhumanism/ singulartarianism in the future.
  
  Options I have:
  
  Pure maths like group theory, Galois theory etc
  
  Pure maths like Riemann intergration etc, all of which seems too rigorous to me
  
  Applied maths
  
  Physics- quantum mechanics, thermodynamics
  
  Computing - formal logic, computer algebra
  
  Computing - actually coding stuff (very annoying)
  
  Any advice ASAP would be very much appreciated. :-)
  
  
  
  
   
  
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