From: Eliezer Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Thu Nov 28 1996 - 22:53:48 MST
> HAHAHAHAHA, Oh yeah. This is optimistic!
I'm not sure quite what you meant by that, but really, the whole thread
was the last straw. Can't you guys just walk out and do something? Are
you going to be struck by lightning if you look up his email and send
him some? For crying out loud, what's the worst that can happen? He's
not going to send out hit squads. I have to deal with this kind of
insecurity and inaction in myself and I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH
IT IN ANYONE ELSE. You guys have mental energy to burn and you're
sitting around doing less than I am.
Can't I even get a rise out of you people? Do you think you're going to
get to the Singularity by sitting around and doing nothing? Someday I
may want minions or advice or even constructive criticism, and I'm not
getting it. I've gotten more constructive criticism from my
technophobic grandparents.
You're Extropians. Say something new! I haven't heard anything new on
this list that wasn't quoted from an article. Where's the new ideas? I
live off of new ideas. New ideas are all that's important because it is
new ideas that cause technological progress. My bookmarks are chosen
for information density and information density is measured in new
ideas. What's the censored point of flipping through all this flipping
email if I'm not going to come out knowing more than I came in?
There is a time for for talking, a time for planning, and a time to just
go out and do something. The time for talking was over when the first
computer was switched on. The time for talking was over when it became
possible to find out the Meaning of Life by building superintelligences
instead of philosophizing. Now is the time for serious, practical
plans, and occasionally the time for action. Soon the edge of the
Singularity will be in full bloom, perhaps before the next summer. By
that time you'd damn well better have all our plans in place because the
instant it becomes possible, I am going to go out and do something!
You think Marc Andreessen would be a valuable recruit? Send him email.
Send him a letter. Plan it, design it, or just go out and DO it. Don't
talk about it. ONE POST saying that he'd be a valuable recruit is ALL
that's necessary in the way of talk. After that, start discussing
practical aspects of the letter ("Should we stress the Singularity, the
Extropian culture, or that philosophical question he couldn't answer?"),
or else just send the damn thing.
> The question is how do we get to him? Anyone know ANY POSSIBLE way of
> contacting him? Does anyone have his email and does he actually read it?
A practical question! Unfortunately, it's fairly clear that nobody
tried to look him up via Alta Vista. "Does he actually read it?" No,
maybe a secretary does. But I'm sure someone reads it. If that
doesn't work we can corner him at a convention.
DO SOMETHING!
DO SOMETHING!
DO SOMETHING!
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky.
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/singularity.html
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/algernon.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I know.
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