[extropy-chat] (no subject)

[Samantha Atkins]

On 5/14/06, Metavalent Stigmergy <metavalent at gmail.com> wrote:
What a great day.  The singularity is much nearER the day after the
summit than it was the day before.  Or maybe, just maybe, IT HAPPENED,
yesterday.  Who can really tell and how would we really know, after
all?  Odds are that we won't ever "see" it anyway, but in hindsight.

And  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to both Doug Hofstadter and (live
by the most bitchin' gadget of the conference, Teleportec) Bill
McKibben for their much needed cross-examination.  If not for their
ever loyal incisive contributions, the Singularity would rapidly
implode under the weight of it's own self-centered gravity.  Doug: It
might be time for "A  Coffeehouse Conversation" update on this 25th
anniversary of the May 1981 Scientific American essay. :)

me:
I thought Hofstadter's talk was an utter waste of time.  Yeah, he  
made the good point that Singularity deserved more attention by a  
broad range of scientists pro and con.  But the rest of the time he  
used silly cartoons and criticized Kurzweil's work in a most  
unscientific and unprofessional manner.  Oh, and he wrung his hands  
over whether his children or grandchildren would remain human a bit.

McKibben spouted mostly gibberish and sound bites.   i see no reason  
to praise the performance of either of them.   McKibben is not in the  
least "loyal" to any form of transhumanism much less Singularity.    
He believes we all should happily die.   Neither of these  
presentations were remotely  "incisive".

- samantha

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