Category Archives: Transhumanist

How to Pronounce Transhumanist
Learn how to pronounce Transhumanist correctly with EmmaSaying #39;s "how do you pronounce" free tutorials. @---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@---@...

By: Emma Saying

Visit link:
How to Pronounce Transhumanist - Video

Welcome to the Slashdot Beta site -- learn more here. Use the link in the footer or click here to return to the Classic version of Slashdot.

Before you choose to head back to the Classic look of the site, we'd appreciate it if you share your thoughts on the Beta; your feedback is what drives our ongoing development.

Beta is different and we value you taking the time to try it out. Please take a look at the changes we've made in Beta and learn more about it.Thanks for reading, and for making the site better!

Jason Koebler (3528235) writes One of the most important goals of transhumanist medicinepossessing a perfectly healthy hearthas so far remained elusive. This week, we came a step closer when for the second time ever, a French company implanted a permanent artificial heart in a patient. More than just pumping blood, future artificial hearts will bring numerous other advantages with them. They will have computer chips and wi-fi capacity built into them. We'll control our hearts with our smart phones, tuning down its pumping capacity when we want to sleep, or tuning it up when we want to run marathons. The patient who received the first of these hearts, though he survived for 76 days, died after the heart "stopped after a short circuit, although the exact reasons behind the death were still unknown."

Here is the original post:
In France, a Second Patient Receives Permanent Artificial Heart

Treatment for chronic pain has changed very little over the last fifty years. Now however it is feasible to identify molecules which can act as analgesics without entailing the notorious adverse side-effects.

While transhumanist thinkers hold out the promise of enhancing and optimising the human body by means of biotechnologies, at the other end of the scale the Analgesia Institute is working to promote a unified approach to the management of chronic pain using less invasive analgesics. Chronic pain affects on average one adult European in five, a percentage which increases with age. Medical practitioners in the 20th century became able to treat this type of pain with pharmaceutical products, from morphine (discovered in 1803) and aspirin (in 1899), to the more recent Ibuprofen and anti-depressants from the 1960s onwards. The cost of pain management worldwide, using solely the drugs available today, is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. Nevertheless these solutions are still inadequate and innovation is sluggish despite huge investment by the pharmaceutical industry. Now the Analgesia Institute, founded in 2008 as a part of the University of Auvergne at Clermont-Ferrand in central France a cluster of a dozen public and private institutions is conducting research which goes in the opposite direction to that usually taken by the pharmaceutical industry. Drawing on data from patient consultations, they have been tracing back the paths taken by different molecules with analgesic effect..

Analgesics are categorised according to the intensity of the pain they are able to treat, ranging from paracetamol to strong opioids of which the best known is morphine. The strongest morphine derivatives are undoubtedly no less effective than when they were discovered, but they do have the disadvantage of entailing serious side effects such as nausea and addiction, which means they cannot be widely prescribed except to treat acute pain. However, researchers working at the University of Auvergne have been trying to find a way to get rid of the side effects of morphine treatment. They have succeeded in isolating a particular potassium ion channel known as TREK-1, which inhibits neuronal activity, thus acting as an analgesic but without the usual side effects. Alice Corteval, Operational Director at the Analgesia Institute, explains that once you understand the path that the analgesic effect takes, you no longer need to actually use morphine because there are other molecules which can do the job just as well. In fact the teams working at the Analgesia Institute have already progressed from the research phase to successfully synthesising several such molecules.

Other innovations designed to treat pain use a similar approach, which consists in isolating neuron receptors activated by the passage of an analgesic that can then be re-activated by using synthetic molecules. For example neuropathic pain, which results when highly sensitive nerves are damaged, can be treated with medicine that is therapeutic but not in itself an analgesic. Moreover, quite apart from pain treatment, by taking research into pathology in general upstream, the Analgesia Institute is helping to create a new holistic approach to the medical treatment of both people and animals, which has over-used antibiotics, leading to widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is now rendering some once-powerful antibiotics ineffective. As Alice Corteval explains, this One Health concept takes a wider view of the food chain, focusing on the need to find new ways to treat pathology in farm animals as this is ultimately linked to human health through the meat we consume.

The rest is here:
Ending Chronic Pain the Key Medical Innovation of the 21st Century?

Joan Rivers once said, You know youre getting old when you buy a sexy sheer nightgown and dont know anyone who can see through it. No matter what your fashion preference, these magazine can help you choose something that you (and your audience) might appreciate.

Let us count the ways we love Cosmopolitans truly fearless and hilarious approach to fashion. We wouldnt describe it as wearable, but its eye-catching fashion spreads are designed for maximum wow along with a good laugh. One such spread is shot from the top of a Times Square tour bus with little inside jokes. A Jackson Pollock-inspired graphic dress shot outside the Met Museum touts Charles James (known for his sophisticated styles.)

A geometric print dress (in leather) with a photo of Lady Liberty amuses. And how can you not pick up this magazine with headlines like: Get The Ass you Deserve, and Men Only Need Two Things Grilled Cheese and Sex, a line uttered by sexpot actress Emmy Rossum, its cover girl. Shes braless in a tuxedo jacket paired with spray-on red pants, and inside models silky bras including one with metal studs and another paired with zebra print gladiator sandals. Too much for ya? Its what youre going to shop for in October, it says.

Considering Marie Claire is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with this September issue, its hard to understand why the mag serves up Vogues warmed-up leftovers aka cover girl Blake Lively. The actress already told Vogue in August about her new Martha Stewart wannabe lifestyle Website and appeared on its cover last month. Are there too few starlets to go around? Since its fall, we expect creative fashion spreads but MCs are way too conceptual for us. How many sleepless nights must creative director Nina Garcia have spent to achieve the kind of hallucinations that appear on its pages?

No one can convince us that Christmas snowflake sweaters are cool. Tweed-encircled Chanel glasses? Blankets as coats?Nope. Not buying it. The magazine grabs an interview and a fashion spread with NBC News Chief Deborah Turness showing up in a white dress and unflattering black booties. We dont think shes quite ready for the victory tour yet though. MC must have gone to press before Meet the Press host David Gregory stepped aside. In its closing 20 Questions for Gwyneth Paltrow, we find her greatest indulgence is not diamond jewelry or expensive footwear but fried food.

Glamour attempts to one-up Marie Claire by offering 1001 fall upgrades in its own September fashion special. Marie Claire has a skimpy 951 in case you are counting. Glamours big scoop this month is a photo of its cover girl actress Olivia Wilde in full breast-feeding glory. She tells the crusading womens mag, It feels like Otis should always be on my breast. Revelation.

What to wear in the city this season? Outfits that look like you just stepped off the tractor upstate. Many womens magazines push feminism but then tend to feature too few female fashion designers. Glamour gets behind Jason Wu at Hugo Boss and Joseph Altuzarra. Walk the Talk please, Glamour.

This months More is less: the thinnest of the four fashion mags we grabbed from the newsstand. Given its older target, More editors spend less attention on clothing and more time on money and health problems.

But rather than give us wearable Oprah magazine fashion spreads, the mag again gives offerings that are a little too fashion forward for our liking. Hate to sound like mom, but would a coat done up with safety pins keep you warm in the snowy canyons of midtown Manhattan? Or the full-length coat with an entire panel cut out of the front be something to wear with your ballgown in the limo? More, where are you? We expect something More real from you.

See original here:
The top 4 magazines to read at Fashion Week

Today, let's take a moment to stop and revel in how amazing, terrifying and grand the world is. Our lives are composed of dark, light and every shade in between. That's why, when we get serious shade thrown our way, we can absorb it and move on.

Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs.

Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.

The Rock is obviously Black Adam

The Rock, known by the normal-people name of Dwayne Johnson, will play Shazam's adversary and noted antihero Black Adam in DC and Warner Bros' coming Shazam film. Mr. Rock tweeted the news, including the quote, "Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot." He said it was his "honor to become" Black Adam.

Darren Lemke, author of Turbo and Jack the Giant Slayer scripts, is set to write the screenplay for Shazam.

Telepathy is a thing now

...

Oh, you didn't receive this story in your mind bank? OK, we'll write it out (like peasants): Two people telepathically communicated the words "ciao" and "hola" to each other across a distance of 5,000 miles, with one participant in India and the other in France. They were hooked up to robotic emitters and receivers, and the words were translated into binary over the internet before making it to the recipients.

That's obviously a very pared down explanation of the procedure, but the whole thing is outlined on PLOS One.

More here:
Barely Related: The Rock is Black Adam, telepathy exists

In general, how has technology helped you live with ALS? The short answer is totally. Frankly, with out all this technology to control a computer, and the access it gives me to internet communication, I would have allowed myself, to simply succumb myself to ALS years ago. With the technology available now, I am able to keep myself occupied both professionally, albeit volunteer, as well as socially. I am able to be of service to others and to the cause of finding an effective treatment for my own disease. This keeps my perceived quality of life quite high. I can talk with visitors but I can also schedule their visits. I can manage my own finances and health care. Outside of the physical paralysis that I am still nearly as independent and potent as before diagnosis. What are three of your biggest challenges right now. Like turning off light, controlling temperature, and how do you currently manage those challenges? I have an infrared transceiver which coupled with software on my computer I can control my television and stereo. I use various network tools to control other computers around my house and to help other patients around the country with their own computers. I have attendants who help with lights, temperature, windows, etc. And what was your experience wearing the Emotive Insight Brainware? It is very lightweight and comfortable in its current, second incarnation. The training of the device requires a little patience but it's surprisingly natural in feel. We use our interface devised the Philips POC product is a work of art. I am very impressed with the work done to ensure flow and feedback. If it were to hit the market, how do you see it improving your life? There are critical limitations if one wants to use eyes. Also eyes can fail. Medication interferes with pupils. In ALS, the eyes are relatively spared, but I've lost two friends whose eyes succumbed to the disease, and they could no longer communicate. With this product they could have continued living, that alone demands a market for this. How do you hope technology can improve to help other ALS patients? We have amazing technology and commodity consumer goods. That power must be delivered to the average person in a way they can use and at a price they can afford. This product can achieve both, while also being the most noble form of technology, restoring lost ability and personal independence. We, as people, are the expression of our minds. Our physical bodies are just a vessel for a manifestation of the mind. Therefore, loss of physical ability does not diminish our persons. All it does is limit the ability to manipulate the physical world. I am somewhat of a transhumanist and believe that technology can not only enhance abilities but also restore lost abilities due to trauma or disease. So until medical science catches up technology is the cure for [INAUDIBLE]

Originally posted here:
ALS patient more independent with tech

Extropy Institute continues to support critical research and development of sciences and technologies of human enhancement. For further information on our 2004 Vital Progress Summit please follow this link: About the VP Summit

In late 2006, Extropy Institute closed. ExI's Strategic Plan explains the details of this decision and the potential for the future of ideas that were generated during ExI's lifetime.

The philosophy of Extropy continues on into the future.

This website is the "Library of Transhumanism, Extropy and the Future". The Extropy e-mail list continues to be very active and is the main venue for transhumanists and one of the best places on the Internet to meet transhumanists for challenging and creative discussions about the future. ____________________________________

Welcome to website of Extropy Institute, the original force behind the philosophy and global cultural movement of transhumanism. We welcome you to join our efforts in promoting The Proactionary Principle.

The world needs critical thinkers now! What is Extropy Institute? Extropy Institute is a think tank ideas market for the future of social change brought about by consequential technologies.Our Board of Directors, Advisors and Proactive Supporters bring together diverse ideas about the future.Our approach is proactive, our focus critical, and our ideas are principled in addressing social concerns and questions that will make or break the future of humanity. Extropy Institute has been pioneering critical and creative thinking about the future for the past 17 years.

The Mission of ExI has been to serve its members by ensuring a reputable, open environment for discussing the impacts of emerging technologies and for collaborating with diversely-skilled experts in exploring the future of humanity.

As a philosophical and cultural organization, our goals include being an international resource for strategic thinking about the future. Specific outcomes of our vision over the years have been recognized through publications, conferences, virtual summits, university courses, extropy-chat email list, and members' projects; working toward designing our future. The outcomes are located on our resources page. _______________________________________________________________]

Support the ideas vital to our future by participating in the globalcommunity and become proactive and support the Proactionary Principle.

The current project: ExI Project No. 1 - PROACTIONARY PRINCIPLE As human lives and the global environment become ever more interconnected with technology, we become increasingly responsible for making wise decisions about how to use it. We need a balanced opinion on how to apply technology to human needs. We should not reject the products of applied science; neither should we implement powerful new technologies without foresight and proactive preparation. Above all, we must not tackle the decisions of the future with the cognitive habits of the past. We need new, smarter ways to evaluate the opportunities and dangers issuing from nanotechnology, genetics, machine intelligence, climate engineering, or neurological modification. The Proactionary Principle (ProP) is designed explicitly for this purpose.

Read more from the original source:
Transhumanism's Extropy Institute - Transhumanism for a ...

DARPA, on the back of the US governments BRAIN program, has begun the development of tiny electronic implants that interface directly with your nervous system and can directly control and regulate many differentdiseases and chronic conditions, such as arthritis, PTSD, inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohns disease), and depression. The program, called ElectRx (pronounced electrics), ultimately aims to replace medication with closed-loop neural implants, which constantly assess the state of your health, and then provide the necessary nervestimulation to keep your various organs and biological systems functioning properly. The work is primarily being carried out with US soldiers andveterans in mind, but the technology will certainly percolate down to civilians as well.

The ElectRx program will focus on a fairly newarea of medical therapies called neuromodulation. As the name implies, neuromodulation is all about modulating your nervous system, to improve or fix an underlying problem. Notable examples of neuromodulation are cochlear implants, which restore hearing by directly modulating your brains auditory nerve system, and deep brain stimulation (DBS), which appears to be capable of curing/regulating various conditions (depression, Parkinsons)byoverriding erroneous neural spikes with regulated, healthystimulation.

A state-of-the-art retinal implant and its controller/battery. Current implants are not particularly small things.

So far, these implants have been fairly big things about the size of a deck of cards which makes their implantation fairly invasive (and thus quite risky). Most state-of-the-art implants also lack precision the stimulating electrodes are usually placed in roughly the right area, but its currently very hard to target a specific nerve fiber (a bundle of nerves). With ElectRx, DARPA wants to miniaturize these neuromodulation implants so that theyre the same size as a nerve fiber. This way they can be implanted with a minimally invasive procedure (through a needle) and attached to specific nerve fibers, for very precise stimulation.

Read our featured story:Brown University creates first wireless, implanted brain-computer interface

While these implants cantregulate every condition orreplace every medication at least not yet they could be very effective at mitigatinga large number of conditions. Basically, a large number of conditions are caused by your nervous system misfiring most notably inflammatory diseases, but also potentially brain and mental health disorders. Currently, a variety of drugs are used to try and cajolethese awry neurons and nerves back in-line by manipulating various neurotransmitters but the same effect could be created with an electronic implant that catches themisfire, cleans up the signal, and then retransmits it.

DARPAs ElectRx program

The technology DARPA plans to develop through the ElectRx program could fundamentally change the manner in which doctors diagnose, monitor and treat injury and illness, says DARPAs Doug Weber.Instead of relying only on medication we envision a closed-loop system that would work in concept like a tiny, intelligent pacemaker. It would continually assess conditions and provide stimulus patterns tailored to help maintain healthy organ function, helping patients get healthy and stay healthy using their bodys own systems. [Read:Brave transhumanist pioneer self-implants a computer into his arm.]

Despite requiring a lot of novel technological breakthroughs, DARPA is planning to perform human trials of ElectRx inabout five years. The initial goal will be improving the quality of life for US soldiers and veterans though theres no word on which condition DARPA will focus on. Something simple like arthritis is most likely, but Im sure theres a lot of interest in curing/regulating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well. Earlier in the year, DARPA announced a similar program to develop a brain implant that can restore lost memories and experiences.

While DARPAs ElectRx announcement is purely focused on the medical applications of miniatureneural implants, there are of course a variety of other uses that might arise from elective implantation both for soldiers, but also for civilians. With a few well-placed implants on your spine, you could flip a switch and ignore any pain reported by your limbs, allowing you to push your body harder and faster. With precision-placed implants around the right nerve fibers, youcould gain manual control of your organs you could slow down or speed up your heart, turbo-charge your liver, or tweak just about any other function of your body. Transhumanism here we come.

View post:
DARPAs tiny implants will hook directly into your nervous system, treat diseases and depression without medication

Little Inferno OST 12 - Transhumanist Connects
I DO NOT OWN THIS SOUNDTRACK ALL COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO KYLE GABLER Exactly what is a transhumanist? Google it, folks. Or find out more when you buy and play L...

By: TheZetoso

Read more:
Little Inferno OST 12 - Transhumanist Connects - Video

The Intellectual Saviors: Interview w/ Zoltan Istvan, Author of The Transhumanist Wager
The boys are joined by author Zoltan Istvan to discuss his book "The Transhumanist Wager". They discuss the philosophy behind tranhumanism, along with the po...

By: The Intellectual Saviors

Go here to read the rest:
The Intellectual Saviors: Interview w/ Zoltan Istvan, Author of The Transhumanist Wager - Video