Wired on Transhumanists

Wired Magazine in this hilarious spoof analysis identifies two prevalent transhumanist species. A golden opportunity to check out your own geneology.

Know Your Transhumanists

"If the future can't be now, it should be as soon as possible." That's the creed of transhumanists, a growing geek subculture that can hardly wait for the first major academic confab about its beliefs to unfold at Stanford later this year. Also anticipated: Ray Kurzweil's next book, The Singularity Is Near. But not all transhumanists think alike. Here's a field guide to the two major types.

The Extropian (Transhumanus aeternis)

Wants to live forever in a free-market, libertarian paradise, his psyche augmented by the best technology and drugs. Currently reading BioMEMS: Fundamentals of Implant Microfabrication. Most recent meal Day 9 of calorie-restricted diet: 20 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 600 ml of water. Last sexual encounter On DMA at the Extro-5 conference. Favorite tattoo SPINAL IMPANT GOES HERE. Saved on his iPod Local copy of his own genetic code. Stored in his basement Complete set of Reason magazine and Mondo 2000 back issues. Biggest fears Death, taxes.


The Singularitarian (Transhumanus transcendens)


Believes people will soon merge with computers and become an immortal new life-form - a "singular" event in human history. Currently reading Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge and The Cyborg Handbook. Most recent meal Whatever is in the lab vending machine. Last sexual encounter In a Doom mod in 1996. Favorite tattoo EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (KURZWEIL). Saved on his iPod Algorithms - lots of algorithms. Stored in his basement Self-evolving AI network running on 42 linked PCs. Biggest fears Direct sunlight, women.
Source: Wired Magazine
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