The technology blogs and news sites are buzzing (Newspond's Buoyancy Rating for this story is currently +131.7 and has risen 13% in the past hour) today about statements made by Intel CTO Justin Rattner at the Intel Developer Forum, including:

"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," Rattner said. "There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future."

This is copied and pasted directly from an Intel news release titled "Intel CTO Says Gap between Humans, Machines will Close by 2050". The release goes on to describe a few of the research projects Intel is undertaking, including human-machine interfaces. While a list of current research projects is not all that unusual in company releases, for such a well-known corporation to precede their list with a definition and acknowledgment of the Singularity most certainly is. That the definition is provided by Rattner, and by extension Intel, so nonchalantly and with no critique is frankly a little frightening. "Yep," they seem to be saying, "it is coming."

Rattner's comments are not merely passing quotes picked up by various news outlets, but part of a formal news release by the speaker's employer. Intel is backing his comments and even highlights them in the headline. Intel is announcing to the world that the Singularity is near.

I missed the obvious mistake in Rattner's statement until another h+ club member pointed it out: exponentials do not have inflection points. However, that this mistake is included in Rattner's statement suggests something about the larger impact of his message. We WANT there to be an inflection point, as some sort of guide, milestone, handhold, starting point on this shocking theory. He makes the same mistake many singularitarians make because the idea is grander than the movement. We are left fumbling with human words to try to describe this concept called the Singularity.

I do not want to suggest that Intel's news release is in any way "proof" that a Singularity will occur. According to some, the word "Singularity" has lost all meaning. I do think it is significant that a version of this idea has taken hold at one of the most closely followed industry drivers, it is informing their current research activities, and they are acknowledging it! If Intel is exploring within a framework that includes the idea of the Singularity, then it is time we sit up and pay attention.

CNET News Daily Debrief: Smart humans, smarter machines?

On Friday, June 27, 2008 from 4:00 PM through 8:00 PM PDT at UCLA, scientists and other anti-aging luminaries will discuss "Aging: the Disease, the Cure, the Implications," a Methuselah Foundation co-sponsored event. The ADCI event is open to the public and presents an opportunity for you to hear about the current state of radical life extension research. How close are we? What obstacles remain? What particular approaches are being taken?

While the event is free, registration is required. Simply click on the image above to register on the ADCI website. For $30.00, you can also attend a dinner that begins at 8:00 PM.

Why exactly should you attend? One of the goals of h+ Solutions is to show that transhumanism is not just about a far future of robots, nanotechnology, AI, and physical immortality. Instead, it is about what we do today, what breakthroughs are being made today, and what foundations are being built today that are expected to lead to some of these future predictions. One of the best things you can do today is attend these events and learn about what is going on around you.

Attending events like ADCI will give you a valuable perspective that separates you from most other people. I am astonished how many people do not know that several species healthy lifespans have been extended up to 10 times, and that this is actually old news. While the jump to human radical life extension is radically gigantic, the work in other animal models implies that it is not impossible. In fact, the research literature today suggests something incredibly profound about our every day lives in the near future.

Even critics of modern technological progress, transhumanism, and radical life extension have stopped treating these subjects as pie in the sky jokes and are instead treating them as real threats. Whatever your own opinion, you owe it to yourself to pay attention. There is no better way to start doing so than attending public events like ADCI.

This event is followed on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 by a technically focused Understanding Aging conference. Whether you are local with your own accommodations or traveling and in need of accommodations, there are a variety of registration options. However, the Friday event promises to be the public unveiling of a field of research undergoing rapid and promising progress.

Image caption: Screenshot of the Betterhumans website on April 24, 2008. The website was recently purchased by James Clement.

James Clement, Executive Director of the World Transhumanist Association (WTA), has purchased the transhumanist news website Betterhumans for an undisclosed sum, according to site founder Simon Smith. Smith announced the sale this afternoon on the Betterhumans website, as did his collaborator George Dvorsky on the Sentient Developments blog.

It is unclear what Clement plans to do with the online news property and how it may or may not fit in with his other activities at the WTA and the Innerspace Foundation, a neuroengineering advocacy organization. The WTA is currently exploring a branding and website redesign as well as a new digital magazine.

Betterhumans has undergone a series of new designs and directions over the past few years as it searched for monetary sustainability amidst audience growth. While Smith and Dvorsky suggest they will help with the transition to new ownership, they said they plan to pursue other opportunities.

Betterhumans currently consists of news headlines, an active blogging community, and some social networking features. Founded "almost seven years ago" according to Smith, the website has "attracted hundreds of thousands of unique visitors" in that time.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 was one of those days, one of those exciting days where life extension was in the news and an h+ club member had a chance to participate in the larger movement.

Life Extension on MSNBC

MSNBC's front page feature was "Longevity quest moves slowly from lab to life". Subtitled "Don't bank on anti-aging pills anytime soon — unless you're a worm", the article surveyed the current state of research into aging and possible solutions. The skepticism provided was mostly about when these technologies would become available for humans.

Reporters have been using centenarians as their angle in recent articles and television programs about longevity and this development is wonderful. This is the soft, humane, and friendly side of radical life extension discourse that until now seemed to be predominated by ethical debates and criticism.

GlaxoSmithKline to acquire Sirtris Pharmaceuticals

News broke on Tuesday that GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to acquire Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for US$22.00 per share (approximately US$720 million total.) Sirtris Pharmaceuticals was recently highlighted on the Barbara Walters' ABC News special "Live to 150, Can You Do It?" for their research into resveratrol and related compounds that may offer the health and life extension benefits of calorie restriction without the painful dieting.

Simone Syed on MIT Radio

Simone Syed, h+ Tucson President, called into MIT's WMBR radio station during the "DJ Awesome & the Wonder Friends" show with guest host Luke Griffiths. Luke's topic was the Technological Singularity, and Simone brought some much needed clarity and respectability to the proceedings after a rather bizarre rant by the first caller. Luke and Simone discussed definitions, transhumanism, and the timing of the Technological Singularity and mind uploading. Later callers included Yonah Berwaldt, past CFO of the Stanford Transhumanist Association and volunteer at Singularity Summit 2007.

The show has already been archived: [Streaming M3U format] Tue Apr 22 06:00 pm.

It is always great when you find life extension news in unexpected places, and even better when it happens to be from one of your favorite writers at your favorite technology blog. Gizmodo is always good for a laugh, and excellent for keeping up with the latest technology gizmo news. Adam Frucci recently posted about new hope for a calorie restriction drug, in his humorous, witty, and supportive way.

The comments, as usual for this topic in more mainstream venues, are not so positive.

I plan to explore the following declarations in more detail in future h+ Solutions posts. These declarations are from "The Transhumanist Declaration" by the World Transhumanist Association and contributors ("Doug Bailey, Anders Sandberg, Gustavo Alves, Max More, Holger Wagner, Natasha Vita More, Eugene Leitl, Berrie Staring, David Pearce, Bill Fantegrossi, Doug Baily Jr., den Otter, Ralf Fletcher, Kathryn Aegis, Tom Morrow, Alexander Chislenko, Lee Daniel Crocker, Darren Reynolds, Keith Elis, Thom Quinn, Mikhail Sverdlov, Arjen Kamphuis, Shane Spaulding, Nick Bostrom".) The document was last updated and adopted on December 01, 2002.

The Transhumanist Declaration

(1) Humanity will be radically changed by technology in the future. We foresee the feasibility of redesigning the human condition, including such parameters as the inevitability of aging, limitations on human and artificial intellects, unchosen psychology, suffering, and our confinement to the planet earth.

(2) Systematic research should be put into understanding these coming developments and their long-term consequences.

(3) Transhumanists think that by being generally open and embracing of new technology we have a better chance of turning it to our advantage than if we try to ban or prohibit it.

(4) Transhumanists advocate the moral right for those who so wish to use technology to extend their mental and physical (including reproductive) capacities and to improve their control over their own lives. We seek personal growth beyond our current biological limitations.

(5) In planning for the future, it is mandatory to take into account the prospect of dramatic progress in technological capabilities. It would be tragic if the potential benefits failed to materialize because of technophobia and unnecessary prohibitions. On the other hand, it would also be tragic if intelligent life went extinct because of some disaster or war involving advanced technologies.

(6) We need to create forums where people can rationally debate what needs to be done, and a social order where responsible decisions can be implemented.

(7) Transhumanism advocates the well- being of all sentience (whether in artificial intellects, humans, posthumans, or non- human animals) and encompasses many principles of modern humanism. Transhumanism does not support any particular party, politician or political platform.

Some interesting neuroscience links came my way:

BBC say: Caffeine saves your brain, researchers agree

Autism has a political agenda (sociodemographic at least)

News! Men misperceive sexual interest in women! I can't believe that it took science so long to catch up on this one. Afterall questionablecontent had this comic years ago.

Drugs are bad, but really cool looking in the flash thingy.

The next modafinil? here.

Recently a few of the better known transhumanist websites were taken down by malicious hacking attacks, according to a post on the recovered WTA site. It is unclear if these attacks were ideologically motivated.

One of our chapter sites is down - CU Ethics and Emerging Technology Society (CUEETS) - also possibly due to a malicious attack, though so far this does not appear to be related to the earlier attacks. The sites hosted on hplusclub.com appear to be fine, which might indicates our newbie status in the transhumanist community or the randomness of previous attacks, or neither.

Yahoo! is announcing support for semantic web languages and microformats, potentially leading to more helpful searches and more capable web services and mashups. This mainstream support could be just the shot in the arm the semantic web requires. In recent h+ Tucson meetings we have talked about technologies leading to the semantic web and beyond, and we will devote an upcoming meeting to the topic.

Source: TechCrunch - "Yahoo Embraces The Semantic Web - Expect The Internet To Organize Itself In A Hurry"

Mark McAllister started The 2.0 Project a couple years ago to bring attention to the plight of those who cannot secure the insurance or funding required for cryonics preservation services due to pre-existing conditions. I interviewed him for a Frontier Channel article about his efforts and he has since become a good friend.

On February 08, 2008 the next version of The 2.0 Project website is expected to launch, with an expanded mission. I have seen some of the early concept art for Mark's new site and it is fantastic. The new placeholder hints at what is coming. I cannot wait to see the new site.

Mark recently posted a video on Marblejars, a fundraising site centered around video messages. Under the topic "Funding for Cryonics Suspension" Mark discusses Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and his efforts to raise US$80,000 (or marbles in Marblejars parlance) for cryonics suspension services from Alcor Life Extension Foundation.

I have highlighted other fundraiser efforts recently. If you have the funds to support occasional donations to worthwhile causes with a transhumanist bent, Mark's fundraising effort is one to seriously consider.