RE: so here's what I think this list needs...

From: Reason (reason@exratio.com)
Date: Mon Jul 21 2003 - 02:37:22 MDT

  • Next message: Reason: "[GKES] getting this miniFAQ/resource sheet kicked off"

    Ok, votes of agreement much appreciated. Since the other frequent posters
    and ExI members here seem to be, ah, otherwise engaged at the moment, I
    figure we'll just get on and do this. Lead from the front and all that. If
    the ExI board folks want input on the miniFAQ and whatnot that'll be posted
    to the forum, they're welcome to jump in :) I'll start a separate thread for
    that.

    Since I tend to ramble if I don't bulletpoint, I'll bulletpoint (in a
    rambling way as it turned out):

    1) Dan Fabulich [dfabulich@warpmail.net] is hereby dubbed the GKES.

    2) In answer to Aubrey's question, the F stands for something that only my
    subconscious mind truly knows. I really thought I was typing K until I saw
    my remarks quoted.

    3) I am quite happy to take the position myself, so that's a nice backup.

    4) We'll hack out the mini-FAQ and resource list document in a separate
    thread, which is about to be started by yours truly. Everyone gets to have a
    say, and hopefully some interesting comments will emerge.

    5) I will be starting a third (ambitious, me) separate thread for the
    purpose of discussing what it actually is that us folks are doing out in the
    world, as mentioned in item #3 quoted below. This will be a combination of
    declarations, prodding various folks, and so forth. Dan and sundry parties
    can of course take that part of it offline if they so desire, but it seems
    far more entertaining and useful to keep it public. After all, I've been on
    this list for three years or so and I still haven't a clue as to what half
    of the active people here are actually doing to bring on the brave new world
    they're looking for.

    We shall see how this goes. In theory, a week or so should see a pair of
    nice tidy, living documents in Dan's hands that will be posted once a month.
    Or once a week. Or some similar frequency. Let's go do it.

    Reason
    http://www.exratio.com/

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
    > [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Aubrey de Grey
    >
    > Reason wrote:
    >
    > > In the spirit of getting things done, here is the low-cost
    > organizational
    > > solution to this particular problem:
    > >
    > > 1) Someone becomes Grand Keeper of Extropian Secrets.
    > Democratic process and
    > > whatnot not really required; duties are not onerous. Should be someone
    > > responsible and reliable.
    > >
    > > 2) The GFES gets a mission statement/miniFAQ/resource list written. Two
    > > pages should do it. This is posted to the list once a month. I
    > refer to you
    > > to the CR list at www.calorierestriction.org for a truly
    > excellent example
    > > of this sort of thing. The purpose of this thing is a) to help
    > the newcomers
    > > find context, b) to help the oldtimers remember the context.
    > >
    > > 3) The GFES finds out what people are doing. I mean *doing*. Like I run
    > > www.longevitymeme.org. There are at least twenty or so other
    > transhumanist
    > > webmasters I know of who can be said to be *doing* things. Mike
    > has the Free
    > > State Project, there are WTA cells all over the place, people organizing
    > > conferences, two or three nanotech advocacy groups, some of us are even
    > > figuring out the internals of the human body or building better
    > rockets. I
    > > mean, there's a lot going on.
    > >
    > > The list of *doing* gets formalized and posted once a month.
    > With contact
    > > information, brief project descriptions, and How To Help
    > paragraphs. As it
    > > progresses and shows value, the GFES stops having to prod
    > people, because
    > > they come to the GFES with their updates.
    >
    > Sounds great to me. One great asset of such an initiative is that there
    > are many (such as myself) who are spearheading key aspects of the futurist
    > agenda but to whom reading high-bandwidth lists is a major time sink that
    > competes with our (presumably valuable) main occupation. Replying to
    > questions that are directed to me personally (and copied to a list if the
    > questioner chooses) is a much more efficient approach that I never shirk
    > from, and I bet numerous others in my position feel the same. Having my
    > name/website/activities on such a list would thus be a move in the right
    > direction from my point of view.
    >
    > Aubrey de Grey
    > (who is curious what the word beginning with "F" that was replaced by
    > "Keeper" was...)



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