[ExI] The entropy of Extropy-Chat

[Giulio Prisco]

Some posters explain the decreased sex appeal of this list with the
departure (or inactivity) of some key posters, or to the sad fact that
we are all getting older and less energetic, and I think some truth in
that. Others think this is the normal evolution of things (romantic
love does not last forever) and there is some truth in this too.

Others think the trend is due to the fact that our most radical ideas
(indefinite lifespans, superAIs, uploading etc.), which were
disruptive and conflictive in the 90s, have became almost mainstream
or at least are covered in more mainstream discussion spaces (TED, BB,
io9...). Also, this used to be the only transhumanist discussion space
in the 90s, now the discussion is fragmented in many spaces. On the
one hand this is good (1000 flowers), on the other hand it reduces
cross-fertilization between different sensibilities.

Restoring and publicizing the archives would definitely be a good
idea. Not to convert the list into a museum, but to see whether we can
find some new angle.

What I miss more is the variety of transhumanist discourse, and at
times I have the feeling that the list is now a set of disjointed
monologues on personal pet ideas, of dubious interest for others.