sabato 14 febbraio 2009

- aspirazioni

"Se tu sei il sognatore, io sarò il tuo sogno,
ma quando vorrai svegliarti, io sarò il tuo desiderio,
e crescerò in tutta la mia gloria,
e mi trasformerò nel vasto silenzio delle stelle
sopra la strana e distante città, il Tempo."
Rainer Maria Rilke

- nei mondi dei "blog"

http://worldpress.org/blogs.htm



World Blogs
One of the Web’s largest and most comprehensive directories of World Blogs, sorted by country and region.
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Togago, Turks and Caicos, United States/Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela
Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chechnya, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom/Great Britain, United Kingdom/Scotland, United Kingdom/Wales
Middle East
Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/26/1064083180276.html



The world's best blogs
By David StonehouseSeptember 27, 2003Icon
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Blogs - the latest web craze - are springing up everywhere these days. Short for weblogs, blogs are online diaries penned by folks eager to share their thoughts, feelings or everyday lives with the rest of us.
There are personal "here's-what-happened-to-me today" blogs, blogs written by politicians, blogs about news and sports, photoblogs and even "moblogs" - photoblogs featuring snaps taken by those new camera-equipped mobile phones.
Some estimates say there are about 500,000 blogs in this new frontier called the blogosphere. Golly, even Barbra Streisand has one of them.
So we decided to wade through it and serve up the world's best. It's purely subjective, but what the hell?
We looked for sites that were crisp, clean and pleasing to look at, updated frequently and had original content as well as some kind of universal appeal (that is, not just about America and its politics). Some are sites that have been singled out for excellence before but most of them we found just by surfing the blogs until our eyes went wonky.

Here are our top 20, by category:
Personal insight
Introversion3.0
The slickest blog on the web, lovingly crafted by a 25-year-old New Yorker. Not a lot of words here - his stock is in pictures, slide-shows, video and music. It is an awesome online diary and provides lots of exploring for visitors.
Recent ramblings: The pics and graphics speak volumes. Check his July 12 entry.
Cool extras: Download his custom skins, wallpaper and screensaver. The dude even has T-shirts for sale.

Brainsluice
Beautifully designed site from New Zealand - weird news and links from all over the planet.
Recent ramblings: "Take a bottom-up approach to the real estate market and go buy yourself a missile base. Hey, it beats the average battery-hen-style apartment hands down and the best thing of all ... no neighbours. Bliss."
Cool extras: Go to miscellanea for gags - try DIY Jerry Springer.

Dandruff
From an Aussie born in Borneo recently transplanted to Canada, sly observations on the world around us.
Recent ramblings: "In the forest, the trees lean out in greeting, the undergrowth stretches and tugs at the seams of your skirt. The afternoon sunlight takes shelter beneath the unweeping willow, a butterfly shows off its vibrant wings."
Cool extras: The Morning Paper - photos of the front pages.

Life in L.A.
A 25-year-old woman writing beautifully about her life in Los Angeles. By far, the smartest, most elegant and most poignant words committed to a weblog we've seen.
Recent ramblings, two days after her father died: "I left the house finally, drove in my Dad's big, stupid Oldsmobile to the grocery store and the bank. Wandering up and down the aisles, numb and quiet, staring for whole minutes at the massive amounts of stuff on the shelves ... I feel so still inside ..."
Cool extras: Even more of her writing in the archives. Links to other fine blogs.

Tech talk
Techdirt
A straight-up, well-rounded blog posting news on issues in the tech sector.
Recent ramblings: "Just a sad reminder that, thanks to ridiculous software licensing practices, if you buy used equipment on eBay, you might not be able to use it ..."
Cool extras: Up-to-date tech news headlines.
Slashdot
The king of tech blogs, it has been around for at least the past six years and is the most famous of the genre. Loads of diverse entries from its faithful devotees.
Recent ramblings: "The Seattle Times has an article today on Tim Sanders, a Yahoo! exec who claims too much technology may be bad for your health."
Cool extras: Subject links allow you to narrow down the kinds of posts you see because there's a lot of them.

Kuro5hin
A real user-driven blog. Posting of tech views and issues isn't just the domain of the bloggers themselves but the audience, too. Debates here on stuff beyond the realm of tech - politics, science and more - make it even more diverse.
Recent ramblings: "I am a dyed-in-the-wool tech weenie. Hardcore Cisco jockey. I got whacked from a classic tech company back in January ..."
Cool extras: Lots of commentary on the posts.
Gizmodo
The blog for gadgets - because we all want them.
Recent ramblings: "... there's yet another study gauging the dangers of driving while talking on the [mobile] phone. This one says that leaning over to reach for something and adjusting the radio are far more likely to be the causes of driver distraction than talking on the phone. It's just that talking on a phone is a lot easier to outlaw."
Cool extras: A search function comes in handy when looking for particular gadgets.

Hot gossip
Boing Boing
A must read, daily. A blog on blogs, tech gadgets and more. Links to compelling reading and must-visit sites.
Recent ramblings: "Now online at Nerve.com: 'Cold' is part two of The Dreampod Sessions, an erotic series by eminently cool Brooklyn geek photographer Siege ... Most certainly not safe for work."
Cool extras: A free download of a new book penned one of the Boing Boing bloggers - this bloke is devoted to the free web. Excerpts from a "guest" blog.

Gawker
Celebrity gossip from the streets of New York. If you like that kind of thing. A former British journalist and a Manhattan native team up to put out this diary. "Current obsessions include, but are not limited to, Tina Brown, urban dating rituals, Conde Nastiness, movie grosses, Hamptons gauche, real estate porn ..."
Recent ramblings: "Two nights ago at Da Silvano, former ER actress Juliana Margolies raising her glass and announcing to her table, 'There are no bad actresses, just bad scripts,' before asking her companions if any of them saw Scrubs, and then proclaiming that she does theatre for grocery money."
Cool extras: Not much - a few links. But if you are here, you're celebrity-obsessed and you don't care about much else anyway.

The Fray
For folks who don't have the ego or the technical savvy to do their own blogs but still have great stories to tell, there's The Fray. This sharply designed site posts your riveting stories for you.
Recent ramblings: "On the nights I spend alone, I sleep with the telephone near my head, just in case."
Cool extras: Holds Fray Days - events with free live performances where you can also spill your guts.

Kingblind
Music, news about the music scene, more music. This is one hip site, packed to the gills with all sorts of stuff for music lovers including links to free downloads.
Recent ramblings: "Supermodel Kate Moss becomes a pole dancer in the video for the White Stripes' new single I Just Don't Know what to Do with Myself ... And guess what - now we've got the whole video ..."
Cool extras: "Undeniable forensic proof that the Beatles legend Paul McCartney really was replaced with a look-alike in 1966." (Entry August 6)

News and opinion
Winds of Change
A blog focusing on global affairs. These days, it is war-heavy but still gives collections to make you think.
Recent ramblings: "Other Topics Today Include: tightening the noose around Saddam's neck; Hans Blix singing the same ol' song; losing to Al-Jazeera ..."
Cool extras: A ton of reading here for the worldly blogee.

Open Sewer
One of our absolute faves. A hip design with cool art and smart links to riveting reading. Dedicated to "questioning the follies of society".
Recent ramblings: "I haven't been following the recall donnybrook in California too closely and now it seems two big name candidates - Schwarzenegger and Huffington - are in ... How many other candidates have gotten stoned on camera?"
Cool extras: Albums of more awesome art and selections from featured writers.

Cagle's Web Log Hilarious collection of satirical newspaper and magazine cartoons, some by the host, a syndicated editorial cartoonist. A must-see.
Recent ramblings: "Yippee! Arnold is running for governor! Great news for cartoonists! We'll be putting a collection of Arnold cartoons up as soon as possible."
Cool extras: Loves to post cartoons that have been spiked by editors. Allows you to select cartoons by topic.

Where is Raed?
This anonymous young blogger, known only as Salam Pax, became famous during the Iraq war. The 29-year-old Iraqi engineer's dispatches before, during and after became a sensation, providing insight on the ground in Baghdad from the perspective of an ordinary Iraqi. His diary, named after his initial desperate quest to track down a missing friend (since found), is still riveting reading.
Recent ramblings: " 'I know what we have done is right and we had to do it but there must have been a better way to do it.' When a soldier starts his conversation like this you can't help but really, really like him ..."
Cool extras: A photo diary. Cracks Pax: "I am working my way up to Pax TV."

Home-grown
What's New Pussycat?
A witty 25-year-old Aussie redhead takes Scotland.
Recent ramblings: "I'd heard Ewan McGrrrrregor was in town for the premiere of his saucy new film. Just my luck, I'd bump into the lusty lad while wearing baggy pants and a hint of that morning's Weetabix on my T-shirt."
Cool extras: Mac Moron - diatribes on her adventures in Apple land.

Jinky Art
For those who'd rather look at cool pics than read pesky words.
Recent ramblings: Um, none. But some pretty creative photos from a family crazed over its new digital camera.
Cool extras: 26 Things - collection of favourites.

Ubersportingpundit
An impressive collection of blog writing on sport.
Recent ramblings: "It's absolutely outrageous that players ask supporters to fund their footy trips. Here's a novel concept - spend your own money!"
Cool extras: Not just one sport ranting but a few. Tons of links.

LoobyLu
A self-employed illustrator in Melbourne on domestic life and the adventures of a newborn.
Recent ramblings: "Amelia J likes birds. If she hears them while she's eating her dinner she stops and listens. If she sees a magpie on the road when we're out on a walk she waves her arms around and says, 'Ya ah!' "
Cool extras: Snazzy, crisp art.




- INOLTRE :


1. The world's best blogs - smh.com.au
2. The world's 50 most powerful blogs Technology The Observer
3. Technorati Popular: Top 100 blogs
4. Best Blogs - Forbes.com
5. 50 Coolest Websites 2005: Blogs - TIME
6. Best Blogs from PC World « Sophisticated Dorkiness
7. Best Blog
8. http://www.blogitalia.it/top100.asp

- accesso alla stampa internazionale -world press

http://www.worldpress.org/


World Newspapers and Magazines
One of the web’s largest and most comprehensive directories of World Newspapers and Magazines, sorted by Country, region, and political affiliation.
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Korea, South, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United Nations, Uruguay, Venezuela
Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, North, Korea, South, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia and Montenegro/Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro/Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom/England, United Kingdom/Northern Ireland, United Kingdom/Scotland, United Kingdom/Wales, Vatican
Middle East
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

domenica 1 febbraio 2009

- Leaving forever

Ecco un suggerimento di letture (che ha anche una ormai decennale sviluppo e quindi è possibile verificare il passaggio da molte ipotesi di lavoro,idee a iniziative pratiche nell'ambito delle cure sanitarie ma anche della immissione delle nuove tecnologie nelle pratiche socioeconomiche ) sul tema del "prolungamento dell'esistenza".
Living Forever
Is immortality coming in your lifetime? Medical advances, cryonics, cloning, genetic engineering, and other advances offer tantalizing promises. We'll look at the possibilities. Also see Fantastic Voyage and Biomed/Life Extension news.
Bootstrapping our way to an ageless future By Aubrey de GreyBiomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey expects many people alive today to live to 1000 years of age and to avoid age-related health problems even at that age. In this excerpt from his just-published, much-awaited book, Ending Aging, he explains how. (Added September 19th 2007)
Press ignores bias in study of multivitamins and prostate cancer By Ray Kurzweil and Terry GrossmanIn a recent paper reporting on the National Cancer Institute study of multivitamin use and the risk of prostate cancer, the NCI authors cited several possible bias factors. An analysis by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman shows why the study’s biases should be considered before drawing conclusions. (Added May 25th 2007)
Strategic Sustainable Brain By Natasha Vita-MoreThe human brain faces a challenging future. To cope with accelerating nanotech- and biotech-based developments in an increasingly complex world, compete with emerging superintelligence, and maintain its performance and sustainability as people live longer, the fragile human brain will need major enhancements: a backup system, eliminating degenerative processes, direct mind-linkup to ubiquitous computing networks, error-correction for memory, and a global Net connection with remote neural access. (Added March 31st 2006)
Nanoethics and Human Enhancement By Patrick Lin and Fritz AllhoffRadical nanotech-based human enhancements such as bionic implants and "respirocyte" artificial red blood cells will become technologically viable in the near future, raising profound ethical issues and forcing us to rethink what it means to be human. Recent pro-enhancement arguments will need to be critically examined and strengthened if they are to be convincing. (Added March 31st 2006)
Reprogramming your Biochemistry for Immortality By Ray KurzweilScientists are now talking about people staying young and not aging. Ray Kurzweil is taking it a step further: "In addition to radical life extension, we’ll also have radical life expansion. The nanobots will be able to go inside the brain and extend our mental functioning by interacting with our biological neurons." (Added March 8th 2006)
Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Nanosurgery By Robert A. Freitas Jr.The ability to build complex diamondoid medical nanorobots to molecular precision, and then to build them cheaply enough in sufficiently large numbers to be useful therapeutically, will revolutionize the practice of medicine and surgery. (Added February 13th 2006)
Ray Kurzweil's Plan for Cheating Death By Terry GrossmanA cure for aging may be found in the next fifty years. The trick now is to live long enough to be there when it happens. In his two new books, Ray Kurzweil has painted a clear picture of the future and provided a blueprint for how to get there. (Added February 3rd 2006)
Interview with Robert A. Freitas Jr. Part 2 By Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Sander OlsonThere are very few diseases or conditions--including infectious diseases--aside from physical brain damage, that cannot be cured using nanomedicine, says nanomedicine pioneer Robert A. Freitas Jr. He believes nanomedicine's greatest power will emerge in a decade or two as we learn to design and construct complete artificial nanorobots using diamondoid nanometer-scale parts and subsystems. (Added February 2nd 2006)
Ray Kurzweil's Dangerous Idea By Ray Kurzweil"What is your dangerous idea?" Over one hundred big thinkers answered this question, as part of The Edge's Annual Question for 2006. Ray Kurzweil's dangerous idea? We can achieve immortality in our lifetime. (Added January 17th 2006)
Open-Source Biology And Its Impact on Industry By Rob CarlsonTechnology based on intentional, open-source biology is on its way, whether we like it or not. Distributed biological manufacturing is the future of the global economy and will occur as inexpensive, quality DNA sequencing and synthesis equipment becomes available to anyone. In 2050, garage biology hacking will be well under way. Fear of potential hazards should be met with increased research and education, rather than closing the door on the profound positive impacts that distributed biological technology will have on human health, human impacts on the environment, and increasing standards of living around the world. (Added March 3rd 2004)
Foreword to Electronic Reporting in the Digital Medical Enterprise By Ray KurzweilDoctors in the year 2012 will have access to full-immersion virtual-reality training and surgical systems, microchip-based protein and gene analysis systems, knowledge-based systems providing automated guidance and access to the most recent medical research, and always-present visual displays of patient data for instant interaction via voice. (Added June 6th 2003)
The Future of Life By Ray KurzweilA coming era of personalized genetic medicine, breakthroughs that radically extend the human lifespan, nanomedicine, and the merger of our biological species with our own technology were among the future visions presented at TIME's "The Future of Life" conference. (Added March 31st 2003)
Human Body Version 2.0 By Ray KurzweilIn the coming decades, a radical upgrading of our body's physical and mental systems, already underway, will use nanobots to augment and ultimately replace our organs. We already know how to prevent most degenerative disease through nutrition and supplementation; this will be a bridge to the emerging biotechnology revolution, which in turn will be a bridge to the nanotechnology revolution. By 2030, reverse-engineering of the human brain will have been completed and nonbiological intelligence will merge with our biological brains. (Added February 17th 2003)
Death is an Outrage By Robert A. Freitas Jr.Each year, we allow a destruction of knowledge equivalent to three Libraries of Congress with an average value of about $2 million dollars for each human life lost. The solution: "dechronification"--nanomedicine tools that can arrest biological aging and reduce your biological age. (Added January 10th 2003)
Human Cloning is the Least Interesting Application of Cloning Technology By Ray KurzweilCloning is an extremely important technology--not for cloning humans but for life extension: therapeutic cloning of one's own organs, creating new tissues to replace defective tissues or organs, or replacing one's organs and tissues with their "young" telomere-extended replacements without surgery. Cloning even offers a possible solution for world hunger: creating meat without animals. (Added January 4th 2003)
Dialogue between Ray Kurzweil, Eric Drexler, and Robert Bradbury By K. Eric Drexler, Ray Kurzweil, and Robert BradburyWhat would it take to achieve successful cryonics reanimation of a fully functioning human brain, with memories intact? A conversation at the recent Alcor Conference on Extreme Life Extension between Ray Kurzweil and Eric Drexler sparked an email discussion of this question. They agreed that despite the challenges, the brain's functions and memories can be represented surprisingly compactly, suggesting that successful reanimation of the brain may be achievable. (Added December 4th 2002)
The Alcor Conference on Extreme Life Extension By Ray KurzweilOn November 15-17, 2002, leaders in life extension and cryonics came together to explore how the emerging technologies of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and cryonics will enable humans to halt and ultimately reverse aging and disease and live indefinitely. (Added November 21st 2002)
The Vasculoid Personal Appliance By Robert A. Freitas Jr.Robert A. Freitas Jr. (author, "Nanomedicine") visualizes a future "vasculoid" (vascular-like machine) that would replace human blood with some 500 trillion nanorobots distributed throughout the body’s vasculature as a coating. It could eradicate heart disease, stroke, and other vascular problems; remove parasites, bacteria, viruses, and metastasizing cancer cells to limit the spread of bloodborne disease; move lymphocytes faster to improve immune response; reduce susceptibility to chemical, biochemical, and parasitic poisons; improve physical endurance and stamina; and partially protect from various accidents and other physical harm. (Added October 22nd 2002)
External Counterpulsation -- A New Paradigm for Treating Heart Disease By Terry GrossmanExternal Counterpulsation (ECP) is an ingenious method for treating angina that doesn't use drugs, is non-invasive, inexpensive and safe -- unlike conventional surgical procedures such as angioplasty and bypass surgery. Physicians should inform patients of all the treatment options available for ischemic heart disease, including FDA-approved ECP, says physician Dr. Grossman. (Added June 17th 2002)
Predictive Human Genomics Is Here By Terry GrossmanThanks to breakthroughs in genomics testing, physicians now have tools for true preventive medicine. Gene chips and genomics test panels can predict one’s predisposition towards many serious -- and often preventable -- genetic diseases and allow doctors to modify gene expression through precise, targeted, individualized interventions. (Added May 29th 2002)
Respirocytes By Robert A. Freitas Jr.An artificial nanomedical erythrocyte, or "respirocyte" -- intended to duplicate all of the important functions of the red blood cell -- could serve as a universal blood substitute, preserve living tissue, eliminate "the bends," allow for new sports records, and provide treatment for anemia, choking, lung diseases, asphyxia, and other respiratory problems. (Added May 20th 2002)
We Are Becoming Cyborgs By Ray KurzweilThe union of human and machine is well on its way. Almost every part of the body can already be enhanced or replaced, even some of our brain functions. Subminiature drug delivery systems can now precisely target tumors or individual cells. Within two to three decades, our brains will have been "reverse-engineered": nanobots will give us full-immersion virtual reality and direct brain connection with the Internet. Soon after, we will vastly expand our intellect as we merge our biological brains with non-biological intelligence. (Added March 15th 2002)
Radical body design "Primo Posthuman" By Natasha Vita-MorePrimo 3M+ is a prototype future body, a conceptual design with superlongevity in mind. Primo by design is multi-functional. It is reliable, changeable, upgradeable, and complete with enhanced senses. Primo is the new designer body. (Added February 25th 2002)
Why Sleep? By Terrence SejnowskiThe 5th Annual Edge Question reflects the spirit of the Edge motto: "To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves." Terrence Sejnowski asks: why sleep? (Added January 21st 2002)
Why is religion so important to most Americans and so trivial to most intellectuals? By David GelernterThe 5th Annual Edge Question reflects the spirit of the Edge motto: "To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves." David Gelernter asks: why is religion important to some? (Added January 21st 2002)
Food For Thought By David DalrympleTen-year-old college student David Dalrymple recently spoke at the International Food Policy Research Institute's "Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020" Conference, sharing some suggestions about solutions to world hunger and regulation of food and drugs. This paper, written months before his presentation, has some of the ideas he shared at the conference. (Added September 27th 2001)
The End Of Time: A Talk With Julian Barbour By Julian BarbourIn this talk with the Edge's John Brockman, Julian Barbour takes on the absolute framework of time. And if time truly doesn't exist, could we, hypothetically, live forever? (Added August 3rd 2001)
Foreword to 'Dark Ages II' (book by Bryan Bergeron) By Ray KurzweilOur civilization's knowledge legacy is at great risk, growing exponentially with the exploding size of our knowledge bases. And that doesn't count the trillions of bytes of information stored in our brains, which eventually will be captured in the future. How long do we want our lives and thoughts to last? (Added July 26th 2001)
Say Ah By Robert A. Freitas Jr.Nanorobots the size of bacteria might one day roam people's bodies, rooting out disease organisms and repairing damaged tissue. (Added May 23rd 2001)
Diary of an Immortal Man By Richard DoolingWhat would it be like to live forever? Writer Richard Dooling explores this question in this fictional piece from Esquire. (Added May 22nd 2001)
The Transhumanist FAQ By Nick BostromThis FAQ, written by Nick Bostrom (with the help of others—see endnote), outlines the principles of transhumanism and provides definitions of transhumanist terms and resources. This is one of many versions of the "Transhumanist FAQ" that can be found on many websites, per organization or individual. (Added April 30th 2001)
Immortality By Swami VivekanandaVivekananda attempts to answer the question: are we mortal or immortal? If we are mortal, no further questions need be asked. But if we are immortal, what are the logical arguments that support this idea and what is it that endures after death? From his talk delivered over a hundred years ago. (Added April 26th 2001)
Life Extension and Overpopulation By Max MoreThe prospect of life extension raises fears of overpopulation. Extropian Max More argues we should focus on reducing births, not on raising or maintaining death, since population growth and pollution are slowing down (from growing wealth) and in the future we can create new habitats in space. (Added April 9th 2001)
Why Cryosuspension Makes Sense By Terry GrossmanWe're all genetically programmed to die, but advances in nanomedicine are expected to allow for "radical life extension" by 2050. Meanwhile, there's cryostasis--freezing the body immediately after death with a view toward resuscitation in the future. (Added April 3rd 2001)
The Transhuman Singularity By Terry GrossmanTherapeutic human cloning, stem cell therapies, synthetic organs, molecular nanotechnology, and the digital-cerebral interface may allow us to achieve immortality in this century. But keeping bionic transhumans alive until immortalilty is achieved may prove very expensive. And not everyone will want it. (Added March 27th 2001)
Human Cloning is the Least of It By Ray KurzweilIn this message posted to the WIRED Future List, Raymond Kurzweil asserts that cloning--replicating animals, organs, and cells--has profound implications for health and well-being of both humans and animals, including a possible solution for world hunger. He also sees no problem with human cloning. (Added February 22nd 2001)