The End of "Reality"...The Dawn of Truth

The fog of culture is beginning to lift, the bright rays of clarity are beginning to pierce through. As all things are deconstructed into their finest parts, their commonality is undeniable. Science is breaking the material world into its most fundamental essence, and in the process, it is empowering the technological advances needed to examine the most immutable aspects of what makes us human. We have wandered for millenniums in a hazy dream-world of culture and Newtonian physics, but now as we break the bonds of the macro world, we enter the sphere of our origin. Reality, as perceived by humans, has never really been real, or at the most, it has been a carnival fun house mirror reflection of what we really are. The basic needs for survival, the societal/religious constraints imposed to maintain order and the oppressive control of those that enjoyed a regional monopoly on knowledge, power and/or communications have imposed a barrier on our progress towards understanding ourselves without distortion.

Man has never had the opportunity to truly pursue the truth in an unfettered manner because the "scarcity" of basic needs, education, knowledge, technology, free thought/expression, freedom, and of the access to others, as well as access of others to us. These limitations have all conspired to distract, restrain, inhibit, stigmatize, coerce, enslave, intimidate or eliminate those that attempted the "virtuous journey".

The atomization of culture is upon us. The social alloy that our coming trials will render will be of such strength to make diamond appear as water, but with this atomization, disorientation is certain to occur. That is why now, more than ever, we must abandon petty battles, selfish interests and "zero sum game" mentalities. Life is not a "zero sum game", existence is an "infinite sum process". I do not believe we are just random packets of energy and matter swirling around in a stew of chaos, but I also believe we haven't begun to understand why the universe is not random and pointless.

As we strive to move beyond the carnal, material and status-based societies that have stained our existence up to this point, we must understand that others will be unwilling to listen and unwilling to relinquish the comfort of the rudimentary, but familiar, "meta-self-awareness" that they currently embrace.

We all have work to do with regards to adjusting our perspectives and promoting a cooperative framework to meet the challenges that our species will face in the coming "Near-Singularity" era:

The politician must know they no longer occupy the throne of power, but a bubble of scrutiny.

The tyrant must know their lies are transparent and their enemies united.

The exploitive opportunist must know their gains are fleeting, but their reputation tarnished and memorialized across the globe in an instant.

The leaders of religion must distill and refine the "truth glue" that has held their dogma together for so many years prior.

The scientist must become a philosopher, and the philosopher a practitioner of the scientific method.

The activist must not abandon their pursuit of justice, but they must learn tact, diplomacy and requisite patience. Do not your cause an injustice by imprudence.

The conservative must accept that their "established way" was once "radical and new" and that change is what created that which they hold so dear and are so reluctant to change once more. Nostalgia is entertaining, but it is toxic to progress and nourishes extinction.

To the rising poor, aspire to higher heights than the developed world, but avoid its lows at all cost.

All things are threatened by this change that are not of truth. All those who prematurely claim to know truth are endangered. One should not fear truth for it has no enemies. Yet, its victims are self-selected by their lust for proving that they are "right" before and above all others.

Step forward, together, in the virtuous journey with those you have previously disagreed, bath in the light & energy released by the atomization of culture, forge a social alloy born of symmetry and fit, but most of all, respect the path and pace of your fellow travelers. If you have the good fortune to make faster progress, leave a clear path for others to follow and perhaps a note saying "Keep going! You are going to make it! I will be waiting for you..."

Advance could speed use of genetic material RNA in nanotechnology

"Scientists are reporting an advance in overcoming a major barrier to the use of the genetic material RNA in nanotechnology -- the field that involves building machines thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair and now is dominated by its cousin, DNA. Their findings could speed the use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease."

ScienceDaily (2011-01-19) -- ... > read full article

Ray Kurzweil: A university for the coming singularity | Video on TED.com

I have posted this video previously, but I am re-posting it in celebration of the premieres of the documentary "Transcendent Man" this month across the nation.

Ray Kurzweil: A university for the coming singularity Video on TED.com

Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of personal robots | Video on TED.com

No, Cynthia is not related to me, but I certainly hope I have her genetics with respect to intellect!

About this talk (from TED):

"As a grad student, Cynthia Breazeal wondered why we were using robots on Mars, but not in our living rooms. The key, she realized: training robots to interact with people. Now she dreams up and builds robots that teach, learn -- and play. Watch for amazing demo footage of a new interactive game for kids."

Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of personal robots Video on TED.com