X-Message-Number: 30770 From: Mark Plus <> Subject: Great Mambo Disappointments Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05:08 -0700 Ed Regis back in 1990 published "Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition," which amounts to a book-length advertisment for transhumanism with cryonics as an important theme. Lately Regis has come out against the sort of futurology he profiled in his own book. For example, he wrote an Edge essay earlier this year dismissing efforts to predict the technological future: http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_2.html#regis And in 2001 he pointed out the persistent nonarrival of molecular nanotechnology (MNT), despite all the "conferences, books, theories, predictions, discussions, workshops, institutes, companies, scenarios, simulations, pictures, articles, initiatives, meetings, study groups, Web sites, magazines, newsletters, matching grants and unmatching grants, etcetera." Regis concludes that "The one thing we haven't seen is any substantial progress toward MNT." http://www.nanotech-now.com/ed-regis-interview-122001.htm I have to wonder now if we have chased after a technological mirage to make cryonics work. "Around 2010 the world will be at a new orbit in history. . . Life expectancy will be indefinite. Disease and disability will nonexist. Death wll be rare and accidental -- but not permanent. We will continuously jettison our obsolescence and grow younger." F.M. Esfandiary, "Up-Wing Priorities" (1981). Mark Plus _________________________________________________________________ Change the world with e-mail. Join the i'm Initiative from Microsoft. http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join/Default.aspx?source=EML_WL_ChangeWorld Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=30770