Category Archives: Extie lite.

..Where you will find abridged versions of some older essays.

THINKERS: END POEMS OF 2010

Posted on January 1, 2011 by

As regulars to Thinkers will know, I conclude each session with a little poem. Here are the poems for the topics we debated in 2010 (the ones I remembered to keep a copy of, that is). LECTURE 2010: I hate … Continue reading →

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THE FOURTH PARADIGM

Posted on November 16, 2010 by

The Singularity. One way to understand what that means is to consider how the Universe’s ability to rearrange matter/energy into new patterns has gone through paradigm shifts in the past. Any alien intelligences observing our solar system would find examples … Continue reading →

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RISE OF THE ROBOTS

Posted on October 25, 2010 by

Predicting the future is a tricky business, and there are two kinds of failure that really stand out in hindsight. The computer industry has fallen foul of both, in its time. One form of failure is to drastically underestimate the … Continue reading →

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WHO IS THE PUPPET?

Posted on August 10, 2010 by

(This essay was originally published as part of Bees And Flowers, available at Gwyneth Lewellyn’s blog. Some extra details have been added- Extropia DaSilva, July 15 2011) INTRODUCTION In his book, ‘The Beginning Of Reality’, David Deutsch explained how we … Continue reading →

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CREATORS.

Posted on July 6, 2010 by

Some scientists believe that six numbers are evidence that are universe anticipated the eventual emergence of intelligent life. Science, remember, advances by looking for patterns and regularities in nature. These allow more and more phenomena to be placed in general categories. … Continue reading →

Posted in Extie lite. | 6 Comments

WHAT IS ‘NORMAL’, ANYWAY?

Posted on June 24, 2010 by

In online worlds the everyday concerns that define real life coexist with experiences that can only be described as ‘surreal’. It is fairly safe to say that if you spend long enough exploring such worlds, sooner or later you will … Continue reading →

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The Universe Algorithm

Posted on June 18, 2010 by

Belief in the world as a virtual reality goes back a long way. Buddhism sees the physical world as an illusion, the allegorical tale of Plato’s cave suggested the reality we know is a mere shadow hinting at, rather than … Continue reading →

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THE SINGULARITY AND THE WEB

Posted on June 15, 2010 by

THE SINGULARITY AND THE WEB. (This essay is an abridged version of ‘Shades Of Grey’, originally posted on Gwyn’s blog). Transhumanists and related groups tend to imagine that the arrival of the Singularity will be unmistakable, pretty much the Book … Continue reading →

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THE STORYTELLING ANIMAL.

Posted on June 12, 2010 by

THE STORYTELLING ANIMAL. (This article was originally part of the essay ‘Bees And Flowers’, available at Gwynethllewelyn.net) “Why did this woman collect dolls? Was it one specific moment where she suddenly said, ‘I know: dolls’? Or was it a whole … Continue reading →

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