[extropy-chat] Intro

[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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