poly: Re: >H FTL and the whole book debate

Mike Ducker wrote:

> Transhuman Mailing List
>
> Okay, I feel intimidated and not for the first time on this
> list...the obvious level of knowledge, academic and practical,
> that people appear to have is astonishing.
> One thing I think this list desperately needs, or at least I'd
> like to see, is details of the backgrounds of its' members.
> I don't know if you guys go for the faceless anonymity
> that the net offers...but I'd at least like to know who has
> a background in what, academically or professionally....

I have a bachelor's in economics from the University of Chicago.
I spent ten years programming databases for various startup
companies. I'm currently returning to school to study biology.

My interest has always been spontaneous organization in
complex systems. I switched from economics as I've found
biology a more tractable experimental system (plus a touch
of biophilia). I just accepted a grad student position and am
currently deciding on a project to work on (I have long list).
My most likely choice is to study how genes can alter the
rate of aging based on environmental factors, such as
calorie restriction, larval crowding in fruit flies, and absence
of fish predators in some shrimp species.

Most of my knowledge is informal; I learn on my own rather
than in class. I suspect I'm not alone on the list. My own
advice is not to be intimidated. The most important thing
in web discussions IMO is to do your homework. Be prepared
to support your positions and read hard on what you're interested
in. It takes less time than you'd think to get to the edge of
human knowledge and *blammo*, you're an expert.
Received on Thu Apr 8 18:39:53 1999