[ExI] Genetix

[Adrian Tymes]

On Jul 17, 2013 8:16 AM, "Alan Grimes" <ALONZOTG at verizon.net> wrote:
> On a related note, I love the attitudes of the DIY-Bio people. They rock.
Tragically, they simply don't appreciate the magnitude of what they're
trying to do and, reportedly, are engaged in very short-sighted experiments
on themselves with very minimal benefits, if any, and potentially terrible
long-term side-effects that might reflect badly on transhumanism as a
whole. I wish they would devote more of their energy towards thinking in a
more holistic, long-term way about what they are doing.

As you point out, the long term, holistic approach is hard.  Most of these
efforts have woefully limited time and money, and they need too produce
SOME results within that budget.

> Even if we decided to go whole-hog into a nanotech based solution. Where
are we going to obtain it? =P

First, someone needs to invent and commercialize a general purpose
nanobot.  Commercialization can be the harder of those two challenges,
especially since the invention may already have been done - in some lab
somewhere, content to merely publish a few articles about it and let
someone else (maybe us) actually change the world with it (but of course
they want the credit for our work).

I have considered writing stories about The Implementer, whose power is to
take others' inventions and realize/productize them.  Not a creative neuron
in his brainpan.  Among the narrative problems I have encountered with the
concept:

* This can seem like he's just some rich person with a slightly fantastic
design and manufacturing team on call.  Not that interesting to most people
who could use his message (see below).

* He inherently changes the status quo of society.  That's what he does.
This can present problems for readers who pick up after the first book, if
this eventually spans multiple books.  It also slowly makes his world one
that many readers can less identify with.

* He does all that and he's not creative enough to do the original
invention too?  Seems a stretch...but the point is that he's finding and
using all these inventions others have made, something he is intended to
inspire people to do IRL.  Maybe it would work better in a postapoctalyptic
setting, but that would nerf the implication that this is something that
people can do today, in our world.

...and then there's getting this published and marketed well enough that it
has a chance to actually inspire people, but that's a separate challenge,
and an easier one once the narrative issues are addressed.

> Tomorrow I'm going to get together with the other members of the DC
transhumanists and....      Spend the afternoon watching 3-Stooges
episodes!!!!
>
> <screaming> AAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!!! </screaming>
>
> =((((

Maybe broach the topics you would like to discuss before/between/after the
episodes?
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