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<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> Michael wrote:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010> </SPAN>2010/11/14 Natasha Vita-More
<SPAN dir=ltr><natasha@natasha.cc></SPAN><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Well let's look at your last statement.
Diverse views about a hard takeoff were around before SIAI. You are
correct that SIAI is one well-known organization within transhumanism, but the
Singularity is larger than SIAI and has many varied views/theories which are
addressed by transhumanists and
nontranshumanists. </FONT></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<DIV>Indeed.</DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I pretty much stick with Vinge and
have my own views based on my own research and scenario development. I
think SIAI has done great work and has produced amazing events. The only
problem I have ever had with SIAI is that it does not include women like me --
women who have been around for a long time and could contribute something
meaningful to the conversation, outside of Eli's dismissal of women and/or
media design as a substantial field o of inquiry and consequential to our
future of AGIs. But you and I have had this conversation several time
before and I see nothing has changed.</FONT></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Women like Aruna Vassar, Amy Willey, and Anna Salamon, that I work with and
communicate with all the time? The staff at SIAI HQ mostly consists of
myself, Amy, and Vassar. I just hired a female graphic artist for contract
work. <SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>I
don't know Aruna, but from my quick scan, she seems to be a investment analyst;
I don' know Amy Willey, but from my quick scan, she seems to be a lawyer; I
don't know Anna Salamon, but from my quick scan, she is an AI researcher
but could not find her bio (bty, I love her use of "human extinction
risk" rather than the ill-suited phrase "existential risk". I do not know
any of these women from transhumanism. They all seem highly skilled and
cool women. BUT <SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial>I'm not aware of any of them having a background in media
design, applied design, media design theory or applied design
theory.</FONT><FONT color=#000000 size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial> That
was my point. The study of the Singularity and A[G]I research and theory
*must be transdisciplinary.* I cannot emphasize that enough.
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> <SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" class=Apple-style-span>By the way, since
you applauded a guy who dissed me a couple of years ago for my talk
at the Goertzel's AI conference, I thought you might like to know that
Kevin Kelly has a new book out _What Technology Wants_, which addresses
technology from a similar thematic vantage as I addressed the Singularity and
AI in my talk about what AGI wants and its intended
consequences.</SPAN></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I never saw your talk at that AI conference, but I'm sorry if I clapped for
someone who dissed you. For reasons that have actually been explained by
Dale Carrico, I object to the treating of "technology" as a monolithic,
personified entity as Kelly does, but I'll probably look into his book
eventually anyway.<SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>I
don't have anything to say about Carrico. On a different
note, it is not a matter of anthropomorphizing technology but
experiencing the cause/effect of technology and placing one's
research inside of the technology rather than only being an
observer.</FONT> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> <SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" class=Apple-style-span>Nevertheless, you
are one of my favorite transhumanists and I admire your
work.</SPAN></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks!<FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=312343020-14112010><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=312343020-14112010></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=312343020-14112010>Mon
pleasure!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=312343020-14112010></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=312343020-14112010>
<DIV align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Freestyle Script'; COLOR: #404040; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><A
href="http://www.natasha.cc/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #404040; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><FONT size=2
face=Arial>Natasha Vita-More</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><BR> MSc, MPhil<BR> PhD Researcher,
University of Plymouth<BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Freestyle Script'; COLOR: #404040; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><SPAN
class=328103116-22012010><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Freestyle Script'; COLOR: #404040; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><FONT
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>Board of Directors: Humanity+<BR>Fellow:
Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies<BR>Visiting Scholar: 21st Century
Medicine<BR>Advisor: Singularity University<BR></DIV></FONT></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
class=328103116-22012010></SPAN></SPAN> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Freestyle Script'; COLOR: #404040; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><SPAN
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