"Life is too serious to be taken seriously." --Mike Leonard
"I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems
is just as dumb as the next guy." -- Richard Feynman
Regarding the notion that 'extropianism is a cult'.
I suggest that, if any religion or cult can make fun of itself, then
it really isn't really a religion or cult. I say this because
religious groups usually take themselves very seriously. In fact, we
have grisly evidence throughout history for some religions'
seriousness.
It's a good sign when people who believe in their lives are stepping
with music in their steps and smiles on their faces. It's not a good
sign when those people are stepping heavily.
I, for one, would be the first in line to see a theatre performance
of "The Life of Maxine", a Monty-Python-like spoof of extropianism,
performed along the lines of "The Life of Brian".
I think that it would be fun to speculate on some of the characters
and story plots. Some good satire, if you please! (Suggestions?)
And I offer to you the following thread of Extropian lightbulb jokes
initiated in June 1992 by Andrea Gallagher, and pursued
by Tom Morrow and others on the Extropians mailing list. It
might be a good time to add a few more.
================================================================
OK, you've got you Extropian logo, you've got your extropian
colors, you've got, heaven help us, your extropian handshake.
So, the only thing I think we're missing is the official
extropian lightbulb joke.
**********************************************************
How many extropians does it take to change a lightbulb?
**********************************************************
A. Don't worry about that! We'll just wait for the singularity.
A. None! In any properly run galaxy, we'll just MOVE THE STARS to put
their light exactly where it is needed.
A. None! Lightbulbs don't burn out in virtual-reality...
A. Extropians believe in dynamic optimism, which should hold that
with the availability of a suitably advanced nanotechnology
lightbulbs could become self changing, and indeed, self repairing.
Failing that, the standard 1 extropian will do to change the bulb,
while 12 stand by flaming.
A. 264. One to change the light bulb and 263 to argue about whether a
universe exists where the lightbulb is still burning.
A. One original, and as many copies as are necessary.
A. None. They've insured the lightbulb with their protection agency.
A. None. Why invest in such obsolete technology when nanotech is
imminent?
A. Wait, is it on an island?
A. What is an extropian, I mean, really?
A. None; they'll just switch their visual systems to infrared.
A. "Not now; we're trying to get free light from the quantum vacuum
fluctuation."
A. %^4FgT^hH%RR#$GH*857GHWr5@$%T 23$Tb@3546bskldvhj2934
(Hmmm, this answer appears to be encrypted...)
A. Two: one to install a perpetu-bulb, and the other to blame the
State for the crappy design of the first bulb.
A. None, because that would infringe on the neighbors' riparian right
to darkness.
A. None; we'll let the State do it and then explain how we could have
done it better.
A. I don't know, but with full nanotech we could make
as many Extropians as we needed...
A. Depends on what you want to change it into...
A. All of them: one to hold the bulb and the rest to rotate the
Universe.
Amara
********************************************************************
Amara Graps email: amara@amara.com
Computational Physics vita: finger agraps@shell5.ba.best.com
Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/
********************************************************************
"Sometimes I think I understand everything. Then I regain
consciousness." --Ashleigh Brilliant
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