h+ Magazine

When thinking about whether to publicly identify as “transhumanist”, “techno-progressive” or some other label in my work, it occurred to me that the idea of being a transhumanist would need clarification for any people who might view it as an unnecessary imposition.

The Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) commissioned a review of the health benefits of reducing salt intake, and a draft of the final report is available on line.  The take-home message is that salt, in the quantities consumed by most Americans, is no longer considered a substantial health hazzard.  The average American eats about 1½ tsp. per day.  What the CDC study reported explicitly is that there is no benefit, and may be a danger, from reducing our salt intake below 1 tsp per day  But even above 1 tsp, the evidence is tenuous and inconsistent.  It may be that we’re better off with more salt than less, up to 2 or even 3 tsp per day. How did it happen that such standard medical advice drifted astray, then went un-corrected for so long?

We do not seek to become machines, only to retain the capability of choosing to remain on equal footing with them. Fraco Cortese muses on some misconceptions about uploading and substrate independence.

When I heard the news, just a few short months ago, of Iain Banks’ terminal cancer, I found that I could not help but reflect on the influence his work had had on me. His was a voice with range: sometimes measured, sometimes raging; cutting gleefully into taut, small-world forebodings one book, and then – with the sci-fi gravitas of his middle initial ‘M.’ on board – piloting us to the stars in exaltation the next.

Have you ever heard anyone argue that life would be meaningless if it went on too long? Well, a thought experiment occurred to me which, I think, refutes such claims.

We know that cutting calories has multiple health benefits and makes you thinner. But suppose we play tricks to be thinner without eating less – is there still a benefit for health and longevity? This week we review Irvingia, Metformin, Pycnogenol, Green Coffee Extract, Acarbose, and old-fashioned amphetamines for weight loss. Also avoiding carbs and increasing fiber, intermittent fasting and bursts of exercise before eating.

I just finished reading Jaron Lanier‘s “Who Owns the Future” so I will share some of my impressions of this book.

Hubris is an ancient Greek concept meaning excess of pride that carries connotations of reckless vanity and heedless self-absorbtion, often to the point of carelessly endangering the welfare of others in the process.

Glass is the very definition of an augmented human, at least until the time hi-tech replaceable eye-balls, or non-obtrusive human augmentation technology becomes common-place.

The recent U.N call for a moratorium on the development of remotely controlled weapon systems has raised some interesting issues and debate. While the tone of the announcement by U.N Special Rapporteur, Christof Heyns, rather dryly refers to LARs or lethal autonomous robots the story was then picked up by numerous news sites with headlines pitting killer robots against the U.N.

Ben Goertzel converses with Hugo de Garis on his transhumanist argument for the reality of a Creator.