Dear Star0

Personally, I see the techno-salvationists at the same level as those monotheistic folks who believe that their specific God will come to Earth one day and save the believers.

Except that there's a big difference: techno-salvationism actually has a chance of succeeding. People who criticize it by comparing it to religion miss the fact that it doesn't rely on anything supernatural -- it is based in a secular, scientific worldview. Call it scientism if you wish, call it a religion, but be mindful of the difference between ``possible'' and ``impossible according to our present understanding of science''.

Perhaps I should scale back on my news postings, and only post one or two a week. They have been a bit excessive, haven't they? However, almost nobody posts any news anymore, and the things I post I feel are noteworthy, and in some cases, important. I am both excited by what I see developing in the world of technology and science, and am astounded at how little the average person seems to know about it. Just this evening, for example, I was at a dinner with several friends, and we talked about one of the recent newsletters I sent them (I send an informal tech newsletter to them each week), and I don't think they quite grasped just what some of these developments will mean in their lives. Take, for example, the 3D printing of artificial organs: if you have kidney failure TODAY, and need a replacement from an organ donor, good luck with that, because the waiting list is quite long from what I've read; but in just a few short years it will become routine for people to have artificial kidneys. It's like:

2011: Kidney Failure = YOU COULD VERY WELL DIE
2021: Kidney Failure = ROUTINE, YOU LIVE.

It's like a light switch. Let's do that again:

2011: Kidney Failure = YOU COULD VERY WELL DIE
2021: Kidney Failure = ROUTINE, YOU LIVE.

Now how's that for a ``religion''?

Or how about:

2010: Oil Spill Nearly Destroys the Gulf Ecosystem.
2020: Oil Spill Cleaned up in Days with a Fleet of Autonomous Ships.

None of the solutions to the world's problems posed by astrologers, psychics, or yoga mystics will have one iota of an impact. Maybe they will make a few people happy for a short while. A message of love tends to do that. But in the long run, the problems will remain, and what problems that were solved could have been done without the fancy packaging. We're talking here about the ``principle of parsimony'' or Occam's Razor: a mystic says a few prayers over a ``magic'' brew, and the receiver drinks it, and is cured. What do you think brought about the cure? Was it the chemical properties of the brew? Or was it the prayers? I think I would go with the former, while also being mindful of the placebo effect.

So all this probably leads you to ask: so why the fuck are you here, then? We're all ayahuasca, kudilani awakening, paranoid-of-government folks here.

And my answer is: at a basic level, I see our missions as one and the same. I see that there are problems with the world we have been dealt. There is tremendous suffering and inequality and pollution and crime and resource depletion, among other things. Something needs to be done. But whereas the New Age and fellow travelers see solutions like ``all you need is love'' and ``let's go grow a permaculture garden in our back yards'', I see 21st century technology as the solution, the only viable one, really. I mean, you can try the love program or the permaculture gardens all you want -- I'd like to see it succeed; but I'm afraid it will, at best, make a few extra people in this world a little bit happier -- not bad, but we can do better.

There are, of course, downsides to the ``techno-fix'', as it is often disparagingly called. In the short term it could lead to a world of bored, purposeless individuals who can offer little to their fellow man beyond what a machine can do; and it could lead to ``big brother'' type disasters. Both scenarios have been looked at in great depth by a great many transhumanists for many years now. There will be an adjustment in our worldviews and in our sense of identity, that's for sure, as the rate of technical progress picks up even faster in this and coming decades, especially this decade. The biggest risk I see is in people not being sufficiently AWARE -- or `conscious', if you prefer that term -- of all this change, so that it creeps up on them so suddenly that they react violently to it. Rather than seeing the technology as their potential savior, they will come to view it as an agent of evil... ``Technology is the new Satan,'' they will tweet to their Twitter accounts. More seriously, there could be riots and physical violence and/or destruction, like what we saw in Manchester England not so long ago.

We are passing through the eye of a needle, or an event horizon, if you prefer that term. And it's not something you or any single individual can stop. Take the Internet of Things, for instance, which is a key enabling technology for the coming Singularity: the plans have already been laid; and there are enormous sums of money, several major corporations, and even world governments behind it. There are something called the European Union and Intel roadmaps for the IOT, which are updated every year, I believe; and they lay out roughly what will transpire from now until 2020 and beyond. You really only have two choices at this point in how to view the IOT and other changes that have been long in the planning: either try to think on the bright side, or else accept that it's the end of the world. I choose the former.

Very well-said, Mr. Serpent.

Technology is progressing exponentially, and we're seeing more amazing things each day. But we also need our consciences to progress. People need to become more aware and appreciative of where our technologies come from, and we need to stop contributing to those that come from dark places, inharmonious with the planet. We also have to be conscious of how much waste this chase for the next big thing creates, and weigh all of the benefits with the hazards.

I do see technology as a natural part of evolution, but we have to be mindful of where that evolution is going. And as far as I'm concerned, these "all you need is love" ayahuasca drinkers are ahead of the game in that aspect. Scoff all you want, but consciousness-expanding techniques, in particular psychedelics, are very powerful tools. They can help people understand themselves and see how they're connected to their planet and the rest of the universe. Not to mention they unleash the imagination. The combination of those things is exactly what we need so we can move forward with new, creative technologies that incorporate a loving and respectful perspective.