From: George Dvorsky (sentdev@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Aug 24 2002 - 20:06:11 MDT
Toronto Transhumanist Association: Inaugural Meeting
Date and Time
August 21, 2002, 7:00 PM
Location
187 King St. E., Suite 200, Toronto, ON
Attendees
Simon Smith, President
George Dvorsky, Vice-president
Mark Walker, Ph.D.
Jefreejon Lyon
John Leppik
Robin Helweg-Larsen
Eliza Helweg-Larsen
Meeting Summary
The Toronto Transhumanist Association got off to a great start,
holding its inaugural meeting on August 21, 2002 in downtown Toronto
with a total of seven people, which was a very encouraging sign. In
addition, at least five more people had hoped to make the meeting but
were unable to attend.
The attendees represented a diverse set of interests, backgrounds and
skills; there were authorities on the state of the cryonics industry,
a computer scientist endeavoring to create an implanted and fully-
functional PC and a prospective transhumanist artist. In addition,
Dr. Mark Walker, who is on the Board of Directors of the WTA,
attended.
Needless to say, this was a very enthusiastic and highly energetic
group, and the meeting went virtually non-stop for its four-hour
duration. The meeting started at 7:00 PM sharp and ended at 11:00 PM.
The atmosphere was open, energetic and amiable. The meeting itself
took place in the meeting-room of an IT and Web Development firm.
Defining the TTA
After introductions, TTA president Simon Smith and vice-president
George Dvorsky gave a brief history of the organization. After
several divergent and fascinating threads (including the potential
for transhumanist music, the state of the cryonics industry and the
general problem of the pre-Darwinian mentality that permeates popular
culture), the discussion finally got down to the TTA agenda.
The preliminary list of objectives and goals were discussed. All
items were approved except Objective 5 and Objective 8. Objective
5, "To assist people living in the GTA in adapting to, understanding
and applying advanced technologies," was an issue for some attendees
due to its overly broad scope. Further discussions will be necessary
to determine what is involved and what is meant. Objective 8, "To
help put into practice the principles of the World Transhumanist
Association," may be unnecessary since the TTA is a WTA chapter and
therefore the objective is implicit. The majority of attendees
believe this item should be removed. This was tabled for a future
administrative meeting.
Each member offered unique visions for the TTA, their role within it
and what they hope to get out of it. Some attendees were strictly
interested in the peer-group, discussion and think-tank aspects of
the group, some were interested in outreach and organizing public
speaking events and others sought support and advocacy from the
association. After discussion, the group agreed upon the following::
Ø There should be at least three meetings each month
Ø Administrative meetings should be separated from other types
of meetings
Ø Participation will not be mandatory for all meetings except
for specially designated gatherings
Ø Individual members can spearhead and organize various meeting
Membership fees, fundraising and outreach
Most attendees agreed that the TTA should become membership-based at
some juncture and charge a fee, but there was also general agreement
that this was not the best time. Mark Walker, in particular, doesn't
believe it is a good approach until there are more members and there
is more to offer. The entire issue of budgets and fundraising was
tabled until a fiscal need is required. Thus, it is not necessary to
appoint a treasurer at this time.
Some interesting and peculiar fundraising ideas were discussed,
including the possibility for a transhumanist bake sale that would
feature gateway transhumanist cookies, aka THCs. On a more serious
note, good ideas included public speaking events, funding from
technology companies and the solicitation of membership fees and
donations.
It was also agreed that the TTA should function as a media go-to
point. Simon's experience in the journalism industry will be to the
benefit of the TTA, and he has offered to help in this regard. A
brochure or package will be prepared for technology journalists in
the GTA (Toronto is one of North America's biggest media centres,
with no less than three major newspapers, and also the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation headquarters), the emphasis being that the
TTA can act as a one-stop shop for article ideas, resources and, most
importantly, perspectives. The TTA also hopes to put out a press
release in the near future.
Roles and responsibilities
Attendees eventually addressed roles and responsibilities. Mark did
not want figurehead or administrative duties. However, he will act as
a WTA go-between, provide the TTA with guidance, and provide the TTA
with insider WTA information that can assist in decision-making.
John Leppik will take on the role of discussion coordinator; the
first few sessions will be experimental and will require assessment
at some future point. John has experience with discussion groups and
says they should have fewer than 20 people per group if they are to
be successful.
Jefreejon Lyon wants to assist with communications-related
activities, and is willing to do such things as research. In
addition, Jefreejon will provide free dating consultation services
where one can expect to hear such good advice as: "Never discuss
uploading and immortality during a first date."
Upcoming events and activities
Not to be outdone by ExtroBritannia, it was agreed that the next TTA
meeting should be a discussion of the Singularity over curry. Thanks
in advance to Eliza and Robin Helweg-Larsen for offering to host this
event. More details will follow shortly.
Over the next few weeks, the TTA is aiming to do the following:
1) Media work
a. Issue press releases
b. Make press contacts
c. Distribute fact sheets
2) Brainstorm ideas for speakers and events
3) Hold our first discussion group (John Leppik is working on
this)
4) Hold our first social event: Singularity and Curry, hosted by
Eliza and Robin
5) Schedule once-a-month administrative meetings
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