In the Air

"I'm up in the air about immortality. Maybe it will happen. Maybe humans will seize this "Singularity" thing by the reigns and conquer aging. Or maybe some of us will opt out of meat-based existence altogether, coexisting with long-lived carbon-based humanity in the form of mind-uploads. Of course, there's always the risk that I'll die before I can take advantage of such exotic future technologies.

So what I've decided to do -- more out of sense of fun than hubris -- is to leave behind a simulation of myself. It won't be sentient. It won't pass the Turing Test. But at least you'll be able to talk to it, and if I do my part well enough, it may even fool some casual users into thinking they're conversing with an authentic human being."

- Mac Tonnies, PHB post 11/8/05

(Photo: ? (accompanied post)

***

Actually, I hadn't planned for this post. But, when I saw to my dismay that my midnight post of last night clocked in, instead, at the time of my drafting of it, well, plans had to be modified. Just as well.

Thus far, around the web, I notice Kate Sherrod has posted a sonnet for this day. Any further activity will appear here as an update.

UPDATES: Rita J. King has posted a memorial at The Imagination Age. Richard Thomas has reposted his 2008 interview with Mac regarding Transhumanism over at UFO Mystic.

Below is Bjork's "All is Filled with Love", a video Mac uploaded to PHB July, 30, 2006, with the comment: "Wonderful! And easily the most romantic video I've ever seen."