RE: META: Frequently Debated Topics

Billy Brown (bbrown@conemsco.com)
Thu, 4 Mar 1999 11:53:11 -0600

Brent Allsop wrote:
> I'm on of the web administrator for the extropy site. If
> anyone puts together some html pages, sends them to me, and recommends
> where they be linked in, and there are no objections form Max or
> anyone else about such additions, I'm always happy to put them on the
> server. I'm sure we have the space for something like this. As
> usual, the big problem is having someone put together the actual html
> content..

Well, I'll volunteer to HTML-ize at least the first few topics, if we can get some agreement on what they should be. Here are a few suggestions that seem to stir up controversy:

What kind of government would Extropians prefer to see in the future? Is human-equivalent AI really possible?
How can we avoid being 'taken over' by future posthumans (especially SIs)? Is personal security possible in a nanotech world? Is personal privacy possible in a nanotech world?

What else should be on the list?

> Personally, I'd like some kind of system where we accumulate
> knowledge about such issues and make progress. I've written what I
> call an IFAQ system for interactive FAQ system. Here is a description
> of the system. Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see
> something like this set up for this list..

I love the idea. I'm not sure if this implementation would actually get used in this group or not - I suspect that a lot of our non-hacker compatriots would be put off by the interface. Still, it might be worth a try.

IMO, the ideal would be a program like yours with an interactive HTML front end. Of course, that calls for some pretty significant programming - I could do it on a PC, but I understand the ExI site is on a Unix server.

Billy Brown, MCSE+I
bbrown@conemsco.com