Suomen Transhumanistiliitto on aloittelemassa yhdistettyä verkostokirjasto-kirjakauppaa. Täysjäsenet voivat lainata kirjoja ja pitää ne itsellään, kunnes joku toinen haluaa lainata. Joitakin kirjoja voi myös ostaa omaksi suhteellisen edulliseen hintaan. Jos sinulta sattuu löytymään sopivia kirjoja, älä jätä niitä hyllyyn pölyyntymään vaan lahjoita ne THL:n kirjastoon ja laita informaatio kiertämään.
Human Rights for the 21st Century - Jos satut olemaan New Yorkissa 11-13.5.
Genetic Engineering and Space Exploration
The differentiation of humans into truly separate branches will force us to face our hard-wired fear of anyone who is almost like us, but not quite. The last true such encounter was roughly 40,000 years ago, between the Neanderthals and the Cro-Magnon, though it has been replayed in countless first contact situations between cultures ever since (not to mention the exchanges between the sexes). Ever since humans became sapient, they enhanced their self-esteem and justified their raids by insisting that those beyond the next hill (or for that matter, those cleaning their latrines and/or bearing their children) were subhuman, despite the indisputable and well-known fact that all aliens were fully human by the sole criterion that is biologically relevant; namely, production of offspring.
Hacking Your Body's Bacteria for Better Health
To more precisely hack the gut bacteria, Blaser calls for a Gut Genome Project, modeled after the Human Genome Project. It's a daunting task: The human genome, mapped to great fanfare but still dimly understood, contains a tenth of the genes believed to be in our gut bacteria. But though difficult, such research could prove vital. "The world is very aware of the concept of global warming, which is a macro-ecological change," Blaser says. "I postulate that there are similar micro-ecological changes going on inside us."
How to Control My Body - Lybrel pysäyttää menstruaation.
Why are women eager to relinquish control over their periods, arguably one of the most annoying parts of being a biological female? After all, we take calcium pills to control bone density; we take showers to control odor; and take ibuprofen to control pain. None of these things are necessary. We don't do them because we are sick, and not doing them won't kill us. So why shouldn't we take control of our bodies and stop having periods if we want to?
AGI-08 - Ensimmäinen yleistekoälykonferenssi ensi vuoden alussa Memphisissä.
How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran
Gliese 518c - Maata muistuttava planeetta on löytynyt Vaa'an tähdistöstä.
Kryptoniittia eli jadariittia on löytynyt Serbiasta.
Kevin Warwick piti puheen Uvvy-saarella Second Lifessa.
Top 10 Artificial Technologies Ready to Create a Real Human Being
Copycrime.eu - Allekirjoittakaa, jos ette vielä ole sitä tehneet.
Create an Alien, Win A-Prize! - $26,300 keinotekoisen elämänmuodon tekijälle.
Haastattelussa nanolääke-ekspertti Robert A. Freitas Jr.
Who is Sick? - Jos olet sairas, lisää itsesi anonyymisti kartalle niin näemme missä ihmiset ovat sairaimpia ja miten sairaudet leviävät.
Dresden Codak -sarjakuvan päähenkilö on transhumanistityttö Kimiko “Thunderbolt” Ross.
The Wisdom of Nature: An Evolutionary Heuristic for Human Enhancement (PDF) - Jälleen tiukkaa tekstiä Nick Bostromilta ja Anders Sandbergilta. Evoluutio on liian hidas verrattuna ihmisten nopeuteen muuttaa itseään ja ympäristöään, joten meidän pitää kustomoida itsemme toimimaan sivistyneessä maailmassa ja samalla vielä rakentaa se sivistynyt maailma.
One obvious example is contraceptive technology. Vasectomy, birth control pill and other contraceptive methods enhance our control over our reproductive systems, severing the link between sex and reproduction. We may value such enhancements because they make family planning easier and increase choice. But Evolution would frown on these practices. The great engineer would not regard the absence of an easy reproductive off-switch as a defect. When our goals differ from hers, it is unsurprising that we are able to modify her design in ways that make it better (by our lights) even if our design skills fall far short of hers.
“Cyborg Cool” Versus “Crip Pity” - Missä vaiheessa vammaissääli muuttuu kyborgi-ihailuksi? Minusta on ainakin hienoa, kun proteesi ei näytä samalta kuin normaali-ihmisellä ja sitä myös käytetään eri tavoin kuin vastaavaa ihmisosaa. Sellaiset proteesit, jotka yrittävät imitoida ihmisen ihon värisävyjä tai matkia ihmisliikkeitä, ovat aina vähän laimean näköisiä verrattuna reilusti robottimaisiin osiin.
Pharyngula: We aim to misbehave
Every social movement — and I'd add the labor movement and the struggle for civil rights as equally strong examples — that tries to break the bonds of mindless convention and tradition and that defies established privilege gets accused of being rude and worse, much worse, and there are always weak apologists for the status quo who use that pathetic etiquette excuse to try and silence the revolutionaries. Successful revolutionaries ignore the admonitions about which fork to use for their salad because they care only to grab the steak knife as they launch themselves over the table.
'Smart dust' to explore planets
Drugs may boost your brain power
Chimpanzees: Almost Human, and Sometimes Smarter
Super Sky Cycle - Larry Nealin lentävä moottoripyörä.
CNN:n pätkä kalorirajoitteisesta ruokavaliosta
We have reached a truly remarkable situation, then: a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligentsia and the American electorate. A philosophical opinion about the nature of the universe, which is held by the great majority of America's top scientists and probably by the elite intelligentsia generally, is so abhorrent to the American electorate that no candidate for popular election dare affirm it in public. If I am right, this means that high office in the greatest country in the world is barred to the very people best qualified to hold it, unless they are prepared to lie about their beliefs: American political opportunities are loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest.
- Richard Dawkins
The Heroic Imagination - Philip Zimbardo haluaa kasvattaa lisää arkipäivän sankareita, jotka toimivat oikein niissäkin olosuhteissa, joissa tavallinen pulliainen muuttuisi helposti arkipäivän pahikseksi välinpitämättömyyttään tai pelkuruuttaan. Mitä tapahtuu ihmisen päässä, joka kieltäytyy antautumasta olosuhteille ja toimii oikein, vaikka se tarkoittaisi seisomista yksikseen tankkien edessä tai joutumista vankilaan totaalikieltäytyjänä? Ja mistä sitä saadaan lisää?
And that is the central tenet of heroism: taking action. It’s moving yourself from lethargy to action, from the safety of passivity to the danger of action. If you’re passive and do nothing, you’re never going to get in trouble, you’re never going to look foolish, you’re never going to do the wrong thing. You’re never going to misread the cues and take action when it’s not necessary, because maybe you’ll make a mistake. That doesn’t matter, you take action when you tell yourself “I don’t care – the way I see the situation, I have to take action.”
Post Mortal Syndrome - Damien Broderickin ja Barbara Lamarin scifitarinasta ilmestyy uusi kappale joka arkipäivä.
New Improved Lottery - Jos olet edelleen sitä mieltä, että lottoaminen kannattaa sen tarjoamien unelmointimahdollisuuksien vuoksi.
PopSci: Future of the Car - Modulaarinen perheauto, venyvä pick-up ja muita konsepteja.
IBM Extends Moore's Law to the Third Dimension
This is the fifth major chip breakthrough in five months from IBM, as it leads the industry in its quest for new materials and architectures to extend Moore’s Law.
In December, IBM announced the first 45nm chips using immersion lithography and ultra-low-K interconnect dielectrics.
In January, IBM and Intel separately announced “high-k metal gate,” which substitutes a new material into a critical portion of the transistor that controls its primary on/off switching function.
In February,IBM revealed a first-of-its-kind, on-chip memory technology that features the fastest access times ever recorded in eDRAM (embedded dynamic random access memory).
Then in March, IBM unveiled a prototype optical transceiver chipset capable of reaching speeds at least eight-times faster than optical components available today.
Quantum secrets of photosynthesis revealed
The photosynthetic technique for transferring energy from one molecular system to another should make any short-list of Mother Nature’s spectacular accomplishments. If we can learn enough to emulate this process, we might be able to create artificial versions of photosynthesis that would help us effectively tap into the sun as a clean, efficient, sustainable and carbon-neutral source of energy.
Scots scientists unveil 'spray-on' computer
The individual appliances, or 'specks', will form networks that can be programmed like ordinary computers. Spraying them directly onto a person creates the ability to carry out different tests at the same time, for example muscle movement and pulse rate. This allows a complete picture of the patient's condition to be built up quickly.
Rebel with a Cause: The Optimistic Scientist - Freeman Dyson
I like to remind young scientists of examples in the recent past when people without paper qualifications made great contributions. Two of my favorites are: Milton Humason, who drove mules carrying material up the mountain trail to build the Mount Wilson Observatory, and then when the observatory was built got a job as a janitor, and ended up as a staff astronomer second-in-command to Hubble. Bernhardt Schmidt, the inventor of the Schmidt telescope which revolutionized optical astronomy, who worked independently as a lens-grinder and beat the big optical companies at their own game. I tell young people that the new technologies of computing, telecommunication, optical detection and microchemistry actually empower the amateur to do things that only professionals could do before.
Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they are - Nick Bostromin TED-puhe vuodelta 2005.
Lopuksi videopätkä Richard Dawkinsia ja Douglas Adamsia.
CNN: Chasing Life - Sanjay Guptan spesiaali kaikesta elämän pidennykseen liittyvästä.
Artificial General Intelligence: Now Is the Time - Sanoo Ben Goertzel.
In the domain of biomedicine, imagine an AGI scientist capable of ingesting all the available online data regarding biology, genetics, disease and related topics—quantitative data, relational databases, and research articles as well. With all that data in its mind at once, new discoveries would roll out by the minute—and with automated lab equipment at its disposal, the AGI biologist would quickly make its insights practical, saving and improving lives.
Wall Street Journal: Perverse Incentives in Health Care (PDF)
Perhaps the most spectacular instance of a health-care product developing outside the third-party payment system is the walk-in clinic. These can be found in shopping malls and drug stores in the upper Midwest and they are spreading like wildfire around the country. They post prices. There is very little waiting. They maintain records electronically. The quality of service is comparable to traditional primary care at half the cost. -- I know what you're probably thinking. Markets may work for certain specialized services; but can they work for run-of-the-mill hospital surgery? Medical tourism is proving that the answer is yes. If you're willing to leave the country you too can have access to efficient, high-quality health care.
Luke's Binoculars - DARPA suunnittelee Star Wars -kiikareita.
Skin Temperature Radio Telemetry: A Case Study of How to Design and Make Your Own System - Langaton lämpomittari.
One day I got a frantic phone call from a mother who had tracked me down from the Patent Office records, past even an address change. Her son had repeated ear infections and high temperatures and she was desperate to find where she could buy the device. I still feel bad having had to tell her that it is not for sale anywhere. -- But this is where you come in, to improve the system and develop it further. Be the first to make an USB version!
Kurt Vonnegutin muistoksi linkataan Titanin seireeneihin ja Harrison Bergeroniin.
Video Troy Hurtubisen Trojan-haarniskasta. Jos Hurtubise, Future Warrior ja Protocop tappelisivat, kuka voittaisi?
Pico - Kotikutoinen autonominen pikkurobotti.
The Dopler Effect - Future Shock Films tuo näytille Jhon Dorian käsikirjoittaman "science non-fiction" -sarjan, jossa sivutaan kaikenlaisia olennaisia aiheita. Katsottavissa 10 webisodia ja lisää tulossa. MySpace. YouTube.
Nenpimania - Autohakkerit yrittävät ajaa mahdollisimman pitkälle mahdollisimman vähällä polttoaineella.
Pulsing and gliding demands sensitivity when pushing or releasing the accelerator, so only his big toe touches the pedal. On a chilly Saturday in Aichi prefecture, not far from Toyota City, Toya removes his right shoe to demonstrate. Toya accelerates, or pulses, to 29 m.p.h., then glides down to 25 m.p.h. before pulsing again. The car uses no fuel when gliding. While driving, Toya monitors three pocket-sized electronic gadgets designed by Yoshiyuki Mimura, a fellow hybrid enthusiast. The dashboard devices use the car's computer to display engine rotation speed, coolant temperature, accelerator position, brake pressure and battery charge.
Eksoplaneetalta HD209458b löytyy vesihöyryä.
'Rebuilt' immune system shakes off diabetes - Resetoidaan immuunijärjestelmä.
Fields of Dreams
In the end, whether spaceports will be a bubble or a business will be determined by the reliability of the spacecraft involved and by the space tourists’ ability to tolerate risk. Plenty of people engage in dangerous sports such as mountain climbing, untethered rock climbing, and BASE jumping, an extreme hobby in which a person jumps from a Building, Antenna, Span (such as a bridge), or point of Earth (such as a cliff), and opens a parachute on the way down. BASE jumping has had its share of fatalities (the latest occurred last October, when an experienced BASE jumper died moments after leaping from New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia), but the sport, and the deaths, continue. Maybe the same will hold true of private manned rocket flights.
Future of war demands futuristic flying machines
Thin Carbon Is In: Graphene Steals Nanotubes’ Allure
Revolution, flashmobs, and brain chips. A grim vision of the future
Sheer-pallokeittiö
Wired: Mixed Feelings
The effects of the "feelSpace belt" — as its inventor, Osnabrück cognitive scientist Peter König, dubbed the device — became even more profound over time. König says while he wore it he was "intuitively aware of the direction of my home or my office. I'd be waiting in line in the cafeteria and spontaneously think: I live over there."
Ouroboros raportoi Edmonton Aging Symposiumista.
Vilkaiskaa myös SIAI:n vapaaehtoistyömahdollisuuksia, jos sieltä löytyisi sopivaa puuhaa.
Universcale - Asioiden kokoeroja.
Victimless Leather - Soluista kasvatettu nahkatakki.
Singularity Institute $400,000 Matching Challenge 2007 - Peter Thiel laittaa jälleen rahaa älykkyyden edistämiseen. Jos saamme kokoon puolet summasta 45 päivän aikana, Thiel heittää vielä ylimääräiset viiskyt tonnia päälle.
The ideas of a singularity scenario and Friendly AI are powerful, but more importantly, relevant now. I support SIAI because they are making unique contributions to these critical areas of knowledge. I have pledged $200,000 in matching funds to the matching challenge to help grow the Singularity Institute, with an additional $50,000 available if half of the challenge is matched in the first 45 days. I hope you will join me as a donor, and support this important organization.
— Peter Thiel, SIAI Advisor, PayPal Founder & Former CEO
PopSci: The Memory Hacker - Ted Berger
Remedying Alzheimer’s disease would, if Berger’s grand vision plays out, be as simple as upgrading a bit of hardware. No more complicated drug regimens with their frustrating side effects. A surgeon simply implants a few computerized brain cells, and the problem is solved. -- Can a chunk of silicon really stand in for brain cells? I ask. “I don’t need a grand theory of the mind to fix what is essentially a signal-processing problem,” he says. “A repairman doesn’t need to understand music to fix your broken CD player.”
Eliezer Yudkowskyn puhe Singularity Summitista
In this world, there are well-paid, highly trained professionals whose job it is to sell lipstick, because the owners of the lipstick corporation care too much about selling lipstick to leave the job to amateurs or unpaid volunteers. The Singularity Institute was founded on the principle that the fate of the human species deserves at least one-thousandth the consideration we give to lipstick.
Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain - Vietä aikaa onnellisten ihmisten kanssa, koska onnellisuus on tarttuvaa.
MARS-500 - Kuusi vapaaehtoista sulkeutuu metallitankkeihin ja viettää 500 päivää simuloiden lentoa Marsiin.
Human Computer Interaction in Science Fiction Movies - Miltä näyttelijöiden näytöt näyttävät.
Mini-klinikka - Pieniä lääkäriasemia pieniin vaivoihin.
CCCs have been called a “disruptive innovation” because they are consumer-driven and they serve as a response to many health care patients who “are frustrated with the conventional health care delivery system,” which often provides little access to basic health care services when people need it the most.
Body Hacking & Functional Body Modification - Quinn Nortonin diaesitys. Lisäys: Video Quinnin puheesta (184mb), kertoo mm. omasta magneetti-implantistaan.
Hiiren aivot on mallinnettu kokonaan uudella ultramikroskopia-tekniikalla.
Kaikki veri muutetaan O-vereksi.
DIY Cancer Therapy - Syöpäpotilaat haluavat testata uusia lääkkeitä heti itsellään, lääkärit eivät anna, potilaat hankkivat lääkkeitä joka tapauksessa.
Would I take DCA if I had 6 months to live? But of course I would - what the hell would I have to lose? And what harm would I do to others? I think that, regardless of the outcome of the DIY trial, I would be contributing useful data that can help others making their own decisions on their own health.
Proposal to Sequence Genomes of Unique Interest for Research on Aging - Kun valitaan eläimiä tutkittavaksi, pitäisi valita pitkään eläviä eläimiä.
Nanotechnology: The Future is Coming Sooner Than You Think (PDF) - USA:n kongressin talouskomitean mietintöä nanoteknologiasta ja teknologisesta singulariteetista.
Of course, it is unclear how the standard advocated by Friends of the Earth could ever be met. Few products come with an absolute guarantee of safety for all portions of the population. Under this standard it would not be enough if a product’s cost/benefit ratio was positive or even very high. The question would be whether the product imposed any risks to society at all. And if there was even the possibility of a risk (and there would almost always be at least the possibility) then the product could be rejected. Proponents of growth should always remember that there is a certain section of the population that argues against the introduction of peanuts because exposure can be deadly to those with a strong allergic reaction to them.
Brain damage, evolution, and the future of morality
Since people with VMPC damage are "abnormally 'utilitarian,' " they argue, emotions are necessary to produce "normal judgments of right and wrong." In fact, the authors add, "By showing that humans are neurologically unfit for strict utilitarian thinking, the study suggests that neuroscience may be able to test different philosophies for compatibility with human nature."
How to Live Forever or Die Trying - Ote Bryan Appleyardin samannimisestä kirjasta.
Enhance - projektiblogi.
C,mm,n - Open-source auto, jolla on hieman kaksimielinen nimi.
Jacque Frescon videoita YouTubessa. Ja vielä lisää Venus-projektista: part 1, part 2
Richard Dawkins on valittu vuoden kirjailijaksi.
Ja päivän aprillipilat ovat: IRC-galleria myyty ruotsiin, Pirate Bay siirtää serverit Pohjois-Korean lähetystöön, Gmail Paper