It’s been an exciting year for us at Humanity+. Our December conference at Caltech was a big success, and was mentioned in a TIME Magazine cover story. Our May conference at Parsons featured luminaries like public relations pioneer Howard Bloom and digital artist Scott Draves. We’ve gotten lots of cool new people on board, and are now hosting the Gada Prize, a $20,000 prize for better 3D printing technology. Ben Goertzel, our Chairman, also presented at Peter Thiel’s Breakthrough Philanthropy event- the world’s premier gathering for radical, technology-based charity to improve the human condition.

However, all of these things cost money – for web hosting, for travel, for food, for fees and taxes and prize funds. As a nonprofit, we recognize that without our donors and members, none of these things could have happened. We have some amazing people on the Humanity+ team, but at the end of the day, things can’t get done without the funding to support them. By donating to Humanity+, you help provide critical funds to support projects like H+ Magazine, Humanity+ conferences, the Humanity+ newsletter and H+ Press.

New Projects Your Gift Will Support

DNA Synthesizer

Current synthesis machines cost tens of thousands of dollars, and each gene then costs about $300 per thousand base pairs. By using new technology to design a more efficient synthesizer, and then putting the blueprints online, we will allow anyone to test new ideas in genetics and biology for less than a tenth of the current cost.

Open Source Vision Processing for Intelligent Robots

New computer vision software for the OpenCog AI architecture will allow OpenCog AI to control and experiment with physical, real-world robots, in addition to virtual characters.

Student Outreach

Grass-roots, future-oriented student groups at universities can influence critical-thinking young people at an important stage in their intellectual and career development.

What if there were a group of young, bright, energetic transhumanists traveling from university to university, holding one-day events on issues relating to science, technology, and society? A traveling band of young transhumanists to inspire students.

Humanity+ Conferences

Humanity+ conferences bring extraordinary people together from across the globe to discuss the ethical use of technology to expand human capacities. The discussions range from artificial general intelligence, to genetics, prosthetics, nanotechnology, life extension, cryonics, the singularity, global security, the environment, arts and entertainment. Humanity+ conference in Hong Kong this December will be the first-ever transhumanist conference in East Asia, and will help bring ideas which have primarily been developed by Western thinkers to over two billion people.

Humanity+ PR Initiative

We live at a fascinating and critical time in human history, when transhumanist ideas are rapidly moving into the mainstream media and the public eye. This presents both risks and opportunities. Humanity+ is working with experienced PR professionals to strategize methods for ensuring that this increase in publicity transpires in a positive way — for example, by sending appropriate H+ Magazine articles to mainstream media sources.

Give to Humanity+ Here!

Thousands of people worldwide already identify as transhumanists, but still might not know how they can contribute to building a better future with technology. That’s why we’re announcing the Humanity+ Aubrey de Grey Advocacy Prize, which will be awarded this summer to whoever can refer the largest number of new Full, Plus and Sponsor Members before July 1st. The Advocacy Prize includes:

- Lunch with Humanity+ Advisor Aubrey de Grey, a leading advocate for anti-aging research
- A free pass to any 2011-2012 Humanity+ conference, including the first-ever transhumanist conference in East Asia, this fall in Hong Kong
- Free Humanity+ Plus Membership for a year
- A free Humanity+ T-Shirt and mug
- A free transhumanist book of the winner’s choice, along with a copy of Aubrey’s book Ending Aging
- A page listing the winner’s name and biography on the Humanity+ website at humanityplus.org
- A personalized, engraved Lucite trophy

You can apply to win the Advocacy Prize today by emailing us at info@humanityplus.org, or by filling out this easy form. We’ll send you free tips on how you can market effectively, tell people about transhumanism and compete for the Prize. Apply today!

Why Join Humanity+?

With the power of technology, humanity has come a long way in the last five hundred years. In the future, we can do even more: make ourselves younger, smarter, and happier, and solve age-old problems like disease, poverty, and death that have vexed us ever since the dawn of civilization. However, we can’t accomplish something this ambitious alone. By joining Humanity+, you show your support for a world where we do not shun new technologies – like those who opposed the use of anaesthesia in surgery – but use them and develop them in an ethical way, to improve our lives and enhance our brains and bodies.

There are many benefits to membership in Humanity+. As a member, you become part of a community of transhumanist thinkers that includes some of the most revolutionary minds of the last twenty years, such as Aubrey de Grey, Max More, Patri Friedman and James Hughes. To encourage discussion among this community, we have created a Humanity+ members-only mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/humanityplus-members.

Humanity+ is a democratically run organization, and the Humanity+ membership has ultimate decision-making power, since they elect the Board of Directors. Those who are interested can also take advantage of their Membership by running for a Board seat. Our next Board election is scheduled for January of 2012; to register to vote, members can go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humanityplusvote/ and click “Join This Group!”.

We at Humanity+ also try to support and encourage the development of local transhumanist communities. Once you join Humanity+, we will be able to put you in contact with the transhumanists and Humanity+ chapters in your local area, as well as inform you about conferences or other events nearby. We sometimes arrange for Humanity+ members in a certain area to get discounts to events; if a Humanity+ chapter, affiliate or other transhumanism-related group is holding an event you’d like to attend, just ask us at info@humanityplus.org.

Most importantly, joining Humanity+ will show the world that there are lots of people who think that we can do better, that the current world is not the best that we can do, that there is room for improvement and that many human problems are solvable. Join now to show your support.

What Do My Membership Dollars Support?

It’s been an exciting year for us at Humanity+. Our December conference at Caltech was a big success, and was mentioned in a TIME Magazine cover story. Our May conference at Parsons will feature luminaries like public relations pioneer Howard Bloom and digital artist Scott Draves. We’ve gotten lots of cool new people on board, and are now hosting the Gada Prize, a $20,000 prize for better 3D printing technology. Ben Goertzel, our Chairman, also presented at Peter Thiel’s Breakthrough Philanthropy event- the world’s premier gathering for radical, technology-based charity to improve the human condition.

However, all of these things cost money – for web hosting, for travel, for food, for fees and taxes and prize funds. As a nonprofit, we recognize that without our donors and members, none of these things could have happened. We have some amazing people on the Humanity+ team, but at the end of the day, things can’t get done without the funding to support them. By joining Humanity+, you help provide critical funds to support projects like H+ Magazine, Humanity+ conferences, the Humanity+ newsletter and H+ Press. The more people join, the closer we also get to launching these four, revolutionary new projects:

- Development of a new, open-source DNA synthesis machine. Current synthesis machines cost tens of thousands of dollars, and each gene then costs about $300 per thousand base pairs. By using new technology to design a more efficient synthesizer, and then putting the blueprints online, we will allow anyone to test new ideas in genetics and biology for less than a tenth of the current cost.

- New computer vision software for the OpenCog AI architecture. This software will allow OpenCog AI to control and experiment with physical, real-world robots, in addition to virtual characters.

- A Humanity+ conference in Hong Kong this November. This will be the first-ever transhumanist conference in East Asia, and will help bring ideas which have primarily been developed by Western thinkers to over two billion people.

- A high-quality, professional overhaul of the Humanity+ website. An organization’s website is the face it presents to the world, and a better website will enable us to get more support for transhumanism and the power of technological progress.

To support Humanity+ financially, join today as a Plus or Sponsor member. In addition to the benefits of Full Membership above, you’ll receive a free transhumanist book of your choice, as well as heavily discounted or free tickets to all Humanity+ events. If you are interested in giving Humanity+ a one-time donation, contact Humanity+ Executive Director Tom McCabe at thomas@humanityplus.org; all donations are 100% tax-deductible. We personally thank you for your contributions to the transhumanist cause, and hope that we can move forward together in ensuring a bright future for humanity.

First Session, Re-Imagining Humans: Mind, Media and Methods

Conference Intro by Ben Goertzel
Information + Transformation: How Digital Media Accelerates the Future Evolution of Humanity by Robert Tercek
Exploring the Infinite Frontier by J-Walt
How Mobile Technology is Transforming the World by Amy Li
Human Enhancement: Emerging Designs for Wearable Selves by Natasha Vita-More
Problems Solved: What’s Next for H+ Magazine by RU Sirius
Mediating the Transition- can art minimize a backlash from techno-phobic fundamentalism? by Michael Masucci
Panel Discussion

Second Session, Radically Increasing the Human Healthspan

Longevity for the Long Term by Gregory Benford
Is There a Maximum Human Lifespan? by Stephen Coles
Building Methuselahs by Michael Rose
The Holy Trinity of 21st Century Biomedicine: Genomics, AI and Experimental Evolution by Ben Goertzel
Strategies for Engineering Negligible Senesence: A Response to the Previous Speakers by Aubrey de Grey
The Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry by Ryan Bethencourt
Panel Discussion

Third Session, Redefining Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, Intelligence Enhancement and Substrate-Independent Minds

The 25 Watt bio-computer: Lessons for Artificial Human Intelligence and Substrate-Independent Minds by Randal Koene
Pavlov’s AI: What do superintelligences REALLY want? by Suzanne Gildert
Finding the essence of an object using a quantum annealing machine by Geordie Rose
Autocatalyzing Intelligence Symbiosis: what happens when artificial intelligence for intelligence amplification drives a 3dfx-like intelligence explosion by Alex Peake
Speculations on robots, cyborgs and telepresence by Adrian Stoica
From Cognitive Architectures to Virtual Humans by Paul Rosenbloom
Building Better Minds: A Path to, and Architecture for, Beneficial Artificial General Intelligence by Ben Goertzel
Advanced brain-machine interfaces – Experimental Data and Possibilities by Moran Cerf
Panel Discussion

Fourth Session, Business and Economy in the Era of Radical Technomorphosis

Harnessing Increasing Technological Progress in Business Performance by John Hagel
How to Optimize Disorder in Today’s Organizations and Tomorrow’s Corporate Selves by Max More
The Growth, Memory and Democratization of Science by Alex Backer
Lifehacking for Rationalists: Old Ideas + New Technology by Patri Friedman
Networks, Hierarchies and the Vingean Singularity by Michael Vassar
Re-Imagining Humans – Using video games to cultivate mind body awareness and natural intelligence by Gino Yu
Accelerating Resilience by Tom Munnecke
Personal Manufacturing and the Gada Prize by Bryan Bishop
Panel Discussion

In order to facilitate communication within the futurist community, Humanity+ affiliates and Humanity+ will share information about events and other items of interest with the members of both organizations, and will cooperate in other ways mutually deemed appropriate. Our first Affiliates under the new program are the Singularity Institute, the Foresight Institute, and the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and they have our sincere appreciation for volunteering to work with us. If your organization is interested in affiliating with Humanity+, you can email us at info@humanityplus.org.

2pm-4pm, Saturday 28th November

Lecture Room B20, basement level, Birkbeck College, Torrington Square, London, WC1E 7HX

Shannon Vyff, chair of the The Immortality Institute, will answer audience questions on topics including:

*) The creation and the operation of the Immortality Institute:
Home: http://imminst.org/
FAQ: http://www.imminst.org/faq
Forums: http://www.imminst.org/forum/forums.html

*) The book “The scientific conquest of death”

*) The case for cryonics

*) Becoming a Methuselah Foundation 300 Member

*) Calorie restriction: Case for; Quick Overview of how to do it

*) Introducing people of all ages (including children) to transhumanist topics

** About the speaker:

Shannon Vyff is chair of the Immortality Institute, a Life Boat Foundation Advisor, an Alcor Area Readiness Team Coordinator, a Venturist Director, an author of “The Scientific Conquest of Death”, author of the children’s transhumanist adventure book “21st Century Kids”, and mother of three young children.

Many thanks to Shannon for providing links to some suggested (optional, but useful) pre-meeting reading material.

** There’s no charge to attend, and everyone is welcome. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and to make comments.

Discussion will continue after the event, in a nearby pub, for those who are able to stay.

** Why not join some of the Extrobritannia regulars for a drink and/or light lunch beforehand, any time after 12.30pm, in The Marlborough Arms, 36 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HJ. To find us, look out for a table where there’s a copy of the book “The scientific conquest of death” displayed.

** About the venue:

Lecture Room B20 is on the basement level in the main Birkbeck College building, in Torrington Square (which is a pedestrian-only square).
Torrington Square is about 10 minutes walk from either Russell Square or Goodge St tube stations.

www.extrobritannia.blogspot.com
www.transhumanist.org.uk