From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Wed May 22 2002 - 19:08:38 MDT
NEWS OF THE WORLD TRANSHUMANIST ASSOCIATION
May 20, 2002
CONTENTS:
WTA BOARD ELECTION RESULTS
VOLUNTEER FOR THE WTA
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
TRANSHUMANIST EVENTS
NEW IN TRANSHUMANITY
NEW IN THE JOURNAL OF EVOLUTION AND TECHNOLOGY
BOOKS FOR REVIEW
TRANSHUMANISM IN THE NEWS
SEND US YOUR TRANSHUMANIST NEWS
__________________
WTA BOARD ELECTION
The full members of the WTA voted from May 6 through May 12 in the
first full Board of Directors election held by the WTA. Fifteen
candidates from six countries ran for ten seats. The new Board
includes some of the interim Board members, and some new faces.
Members of the interim WTA Board who were re-elected include:
Nick Bostrom - a philosopher teaching at Yale University (Connecticut
USA), co-founder and current Chair of the WTA
J. Hughes - a bioethicist and producer of Changesurfer Radio, teaching
at Trinity College Connecticut USA, current Secretary of the WTA
Mark Walker - a philosopher with Trinity College, University of
Toronto Canada, currently Publications Director of the WTA
Eliezer Yudkowsky - research scientist with the Singularity Institute
for Artificial Intelligence living in Georgia USA
Ziana Astralos - maintainer of Extrotech and Extropy Institute
websites, living in Texas USA, and an editor of Extropy journal
Mike Treder - an "incipient posthuman"
[http://www.incipientposthuman.com/] living in New Jersey, USA,
currently Treasurer of the WTA
Newcomers to the Board include:
Hal Finney - a software designer and extropian living in California,
USA, associate editor of JoT/JET
Giulio Prisco - a physicist living in Spain, serving as editor of
WTA's Transhumanity ezine
Mike LaTorra - a writer living in New Mexico, USA
Theo Ibrahim - co-founder and director of the British non-profit
Community Technology, living in London UK
A hearty thanks to all the candidates.
Candidates' statements can still be read at:
http://transhumanism.org/BoardCandidates.htm
_____________________
VOLUNTEER FOR THE WTA
For those who would like to participate in the organizational life of
the WTA, we have openings on all our committees. Contact the current
officers/chairs (although we will be electing new officers this week,
so
these may change) if you are interested.
Publicity/Media Committee
- Chair: WTA Chairperson <nick@nickbostrom.com>
- Develop press release list
- Develop speakers bureau
- Draft/pass/issue press releases in response to news headlines
that are relevant to transhumanism.
Publications Committee
- Chair: WTA Publications Director <mdwalker@quickclic.net>
- Produce Transhumanity
- Produce policy documents, pamphlets, other materials.
- Develop primers, study guides and educational materials
for students and paypeople.
- Update and expand WTA FAQ
Membership Committee
- Chair: WTA Secretary <jhughes@changesurfer.com>
- Manage membership lists
- Manage state and federal paperwork
- Keep in contact with members and chapters
- Respond to people who leave queries on our website
- Place advertisements for WTA membership in relevant publications
Finance/Fundraising
- Chair: WTA Treasurer <iph1954@msn.com>
- Manage WTA accounts
- Solicit sponsorships
- File appropriate tax forms
- Organize fund-raising/grant-writing.
Transvision Conference Planning Committee
- No chair as yet
- Hold an annual conference, possibly co-sponsored
with Extropy Institute.
___________________
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
The British Transhumanist Association has affiliated with the WTA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/btameeting/ and has been very active of
late. They met most recently conjointly with extrobritannia at the
Tate Modern in London on May 4 and are planning a monthly event.
Washington DC Transhumanists will be meeting for dinner at Hamburger
Hamlet, in the Crystal City section of Arlington this coming June 6
at 7:00 PM.
Extropian Michael Lorrey has started an activist-oriented
transhumanist organization called the Center for Transhuman
Development. Contact Mike Lorrey for more information
[mlorrey@datamann.com].
Brazilian WTA member Octavio Pineda had an article about transhumanism
published in the Mensa Brazil newsletter.
There is a new list for Polish transhumanists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transhumanizm
Dean Harvey of Johannesburg would like to start the South African
Transhumanist Association. Please email him at: denes@telkomsa.net.
____________________
TRANSHUMANIST EVENTS
Stock and Fukuyama to debate Posthuman Future in London
Date: Thursday 30th May
Time: 7.00pm (doors open from 6.00pm)
Location: Logan Hall, Institute of Education,
20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H
Tickets: £8 (£6 concessions).
For disabled access telephone in advance.
Telephone: (10am-8pm, Monday-Friday):
0207 269 9230/9229/9227/9220
Or visit http://www.instituteofideas.com
____________________________
WHAT'S NEW AT TRANSHUMANITY?
New Articles
"Artificial Intelligence: A Worst Case Scenario," by Ed Merta, May 18,
2002.
"Transhumanism - The convergence of evolution, humanism and
information technology," by Jos de Mul, May 5, 2002
"The Transhumanist Case for Space," by George Sowers, May 5, 2002
"Democratic Transhumanism," by James Hughes, April 28, 2002
Reviews
Chris Hables Gray's "Cyborg Citizen," reviewed by Amanda Seipel, May
5, 2002
David Brin's "Kiln People", reviewed by Hal Finney, April 27, 2002.
Vernor Vinge's "Fast Times," reviewed by Hal Finney, April 27, 2002.
__________________
WHAT'S NEW AT JET?
"Vasculoid: A Personal Nanomedical Appliance to Replace Human Blood,"
by Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Christopher J. Phoenix
________________
BOOKS FOR REVIEW
If you are willing and able to write a 300-1000 word review for JET or
Transhumanity, I have books available:
Designer Food: Mutant Harvest or Breadbasket of the World? by
philosopher/bioethicist Gregory Pence - Greg is a transhumanist but
doesn't know it yet. A defense of biotech and militant attack on deep
ecology and "eco-fascists".
Times of the Technoculture, by Kevin Robins and Frank Webster - a
leftist critique of technohype, and argument that the information
economy will be just as unequal and exploitative
First come first served. Contact jhughes@changesurfer.com
_________________________
TRANSHUMANISM IN THE NEWS
Melanotan - a drug that gives you a safe tan, suppresses your
appetite, is a pain-killer, and increases libido. Coming to the
market soon.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.06/melanotan.html
Tolkien the Ur-Luddite of modern sf/fantasy, and Attack of the Clones
likely to add to Luddite anxieties
http://www.prospect.org/webfeatures/2002/05/mooney-c-05-16.html
British Labour PM Tony Blair condemns protesters who thwart science;
says its time to "speak up for science"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-301724,00.html
Debate on Human Cloning Turns to Patents
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/17/science/17CLON.html
Jeremy Rifkin attempts to patent a "humouse" in order to force limits
on gene patents http://www.reason.com/rb/rb051502.shtml
Congressional Republicans to increase nanotechnology spending within
the National Science Foundation over and above the increase President
Bush called for in his 2003 budget.
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=3750
DNA nanoballs as vector for gene therapy
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999225
A Swedish PhD research student is developing organic polymer
components structured to allow severed nerves to grow right into them
and connect with electrodes in a prosthetic hand.
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020513S0042
Better source of neural stem cells discovered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/05/020510074808.htm
Enter the Cyborgs: Promise and peril in a marriage of brains and
silicon by Nell Boyce.... "Do we want to allow humans the possibility
to upgrade?" Warwick asks. "From my point of view, why not?"
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/020513/misc/13brain.htm
The "Butterfly Grid," a distributed supercomputer games network, could
allow more than a million people to play graphics-rich games together
via the internet.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=965&m=2596
Life Expectancy To Soar
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1977000/1977733.stm
Journey Toward Sight - Artificial Retina Brings Light to the Blind
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica/GMA020508Artific
ialRetina.Html
To Enhance Or Not To Enhance - When Is It Moral To Genetically
Engineer Your Offspring?
http://www.reason.com/rb/rb050802.shtml
ID Chips Implanted Successfully In Florida Family
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_chipfamily020
510.html
Researchers find embryonic chemical signature for clones that are
likely to fail, allowing them to cull most of the defective embryos
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/releases/2002/Q2/scholer.html
Scientific American has issued a "Position Statement on Human Aging":
- A conservative scientific assessment of Life Span and Life
Expectancy; Immortality; Geriatric Medicine versus Aging; Antiaging
Medicine; Antioxidants; Telomeres; Hormones; Caloric Restriction;
Determining Biological Age; Are There Genes That Govern Aging
Processes?; Can We Grow Younger?; Genetic Engineering; Replacing Body
Parts; Lifestyle Modification and Aging.
http://www.sciam.com/explorations/2002/051302aging/
_______________________________
SEND US YOUR TRANSHUMANIST NEWS
Send all your news of transhumanist events and activities to the
wta-talk list [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wta-talk/]. (Please join
and post; if the message volume gets too heavy, you can set your
member options to "no email".)
Otherwise send them to me, J. Hughes at jhughes@changesurfer.com.
_____________
ABOUT THE WTA
The World Transhumanist Association is a nonprofit membership
organization which works to promote discussion of the possibilities
for radical improvement of human capacities using genetic, cybernetic
and nano technologies. The WTA was founded in 1998 by Nick Bostrom
Ph.D. and David Pearce. Its first task was organizing an
international group of transhumanists to write The Transhumanist
Declaration and the WTA FAQ.
In 2002 the WTA incorporated as a nonprofit organization and elected
a Board of Directors. The WTA is now growing faster than ever, and we
invite you to join us in this important work. You may also enroll in
one of our discussion lists and join one of our local WTA chapters,
which can be found in countries and languages all over the world.
The WTA speakers bureau can provide someone to answer questions on
the transhumanist perspective to the media or to your group. Also,
take a look at our Journal of Evolution and Technology and our new
ezine Transhumanity.
Join us in working for a brighter future!
http://www.transhumanism.org/join.htm
----------------------------
James J. Hughes Ph.D.
Secretary, World Transhumanist Association
jhughes@changesurfer.com
www.transhumanism.org
PO Box 128, Wilington CT 06279
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