From: john grigg (starman125@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Mar 16 2000 - 16:18:12 MST
Robin Hanson wrote:
Yes, on a social level Bill "Long Now" Joy seems such a historically narrow
grumpy grandpa. If his descendants incrementally and voluntarily choose to
become more robotic, why Bill is horrified, and fears true human decency is
lost. That's now the way it was when he was a kid, by gum, why if God had
intended men to fly, he'd have given us wings.
(end)
Robin, I love your 'grumpy grandpa' phrase and analogy! :) It is so true.
I can just imagine...
grumpy great-great grandpa: I didn't have the internet when I grew up! We
got along just fine with telephones! Damn kids today are on that 'internet
thing' all the time!
grumpy great grandpa: What is wrong with the old style internet? Today kids
just have to jack themselves into the net! Something is just plain sick and
twisted about that! Bunch of zombies!
grumpy grandpa: What the hell is going on here!! I could can understand
temporarily jacking into the the net! But permanently uploading! Nature
gave us these bodies, modify them, don't abandon them! My daughter is going
to marry some damn sentient who is just an AI program! And he says he's
making a sacrifice by 'downloading' into a synthetic body so he can meet us
all in person and 'be there' for the wedding ceremony! Where did she meet
this wierdo? There are plenty of normal cyborgs and moreaus she could have
gotten involved with. There goes the family tree!!
There was a long-running and very popular skit on SNL several years back
with Dana Carvey. It had him as a grumpy grandpa who would angrily say how
back in his day they got by just fine without some modern convenience. Then
he would explain how with details that left the audience laughing and
gasping in horror at the same time! Very funny but somewhat twisted
material.
sincerely,
John Grigg :)
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