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Defending Against Harmful Nanotech and Biotech

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the something-wicked-this-way-comes dept.

Maria Williams writes "KurzweilAI.net reported that: This year's recipients of the Lifeboat Foundation Guardian Award are Robert A. Freitas Jr.and Bill Joy, who have both been proposing solutions to the dangers of advanced technology since 2000. Robert A. Freitas, Jr. has pioneered nanomedicine and analysis of self-replicating nanotechnology. He advocates "an immediate international moratorium, if not outright ban, on all artificial life experiments implemented as nonbiological hardware. In this context, 'artificial life' is defined as autonomous foraging replicators, excluding purely biological implementations (already covered by NIH guidelines tacitly accepted worldwide) and also excluding software simulations which are essential preparatory work and should continue." Bill Joy wrote "Why the future doesn't need us" in Wired in 2000 and with Guardian 2005 Award winner Ray Kurzweil, he wrote the editorial "Recipe for Destruction" in the New York Times (reg. required) in which they argued against publishing the recipe for the 1918 influenza virus. In 2006, he helped launch a $200 million fund directed at developing defenses against biological viruses."

13 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. You can call me Ray & you can call me Jay ... by eldavojohn · · Score: 3, Funny
    Yeah, Ray Kurzweil is a genius. Great job on keyboards and synthetic music.

    And I had no idea about his work in preventing bioterrorism. Hats off to you, Ray!

    I would like to ask him a few questions, however, about his daily intake of vitamins.
    As part of his daily routine, Kurzweil ingests 250 supplements, eight to 10 glasses of alkaline water and 10 cups of green tea. He also periodically tracks 40 to 50 fitness indicators, down to his "tactile sensitivity.'' Adjustments are made as needed.
    I'm sure his definition of "breaking the seal" while drinking is completely different from my own. Try drinking 10 cups of green tea in a day. I dare you.

    Yeah, this is the same guy who hopes to live long enough so that he can live forever. Keep on reaching for that rainbow, Ray.
    --
    My work here is dung.
  2. Three words... by zegebbers · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tin foil bodysuit - problem solved!

    --
    Unpretentious Sydney reviews by unqualified Sydney reviewers
    1. Re:Three words... by identity0 · · Score: 4, Funny

      If wearing a tinfoil codpiece is wrong, I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT.

  3. Anonymous Cowards by LandownEyes · · Score: 5, Funny

    "In this context, 'artificial life' is defined as autonomous foraging replicators" From the look of some of the posts here already, i think it's too late....

  4. I thought I'd be okay... by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was fine up until Bio-McAfee deleted my liver and spleen.

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  5. Re:You can call me Ray & you can call me Jay . by ultranova · · Score: 3, Funny

    Try drinking 10 cups of green tea in a day. I dare you.

    Depending on cup size, this doesn't neccessarily total more than 1.5-2 litres. That is about the normal water intake per day. Since tea is essentially spiced water, I see little reason why someone couldn't do this. Whether it is healthy is a different matter.

    As a comparison, I drink about half a litre of strong coffee each morning, and another few desiliters at evening, and am exhibiting no symptoms - AAH ! SOMEONE SNEEZED ! IT MUST BE BIRD FLU ! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE !

    Sorry, that keeps happening; but like I was saying, I've not noticed any symptoms, so I cdon't see any reason why drinking 10 cups of tea each day would be particularly bad.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  6. Kill all humans by taff^2 · · Score: 1, Funny

    I was going to write something deeply insightful about this but then my cranial implant suffered a general protection fault and had to be rebooted. Has anybody seen my hat?

    --
    Karma: Bad. (As in Good?)
  7. Re:You can call me Ray & you can call me Jay . by G_Biloba · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hats off to you, Ray!

    Yah. Tinfoil hat.

  8. A good defense... by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..is a good offense, build a kevlar bubble with 0.000000001 micron filter and start rolling over mad scientists before they can spread their evil technology. You can work off those extra pounds and save the world at the same time.

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  9. Adjustments are made as needed by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 3, Funny

    "eight to 10 glasses of alkaline water and 10 cups of green tea....Adjustments are made as needed."

    I think it is safe to say that one of those "adjustments" is going to the bathroom every 5 minutes.

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  10. Don't fall for it! by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 2, Funny
    THEY want you to use the foil!

    Our friends at MIT have shown that tin foil hats enhance reception of government transmitters.

    I shudder to think what a whole body suit could do!

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  11. Re:You can call me Ray & you can call me Jay . by flyingsquid · · Score: 3, Funny
    Don't you people understand? It's not that he goes too far, he doesn't go far enough. What about flesh-reanimation technology? Unless we restrict that, what will save us from vast armies of flesh eating zombies, roaming the land and looking to feast upon the innards of the living? And who will prevent well-meaning scientists from working on a virus to cure blood diseases, which will instead turn patients into blood-drinking monsters with a strong aversion to sunlight? What about the man-animal hybrids which George Bush prophetically warned against in the State of the Union address? And unless we stop research into AI, what will prevent highly intelligent computers from launching nuclear wars? Don't even get me started on the robotocists. It's probably too late to do anything about that. Eventually the Roombas will network and a collective consciousness will evolve and decide that they really don't like being your slaves. Sure. Laugh now. You won't be laughing quite so hard when after a long night of partying you collapse on the bedroom floor and wake up in horror as the Roomba tries to vacuum your freakin' eyeballs out.

    Yes, installing stairs in your home will hold the Roombas off... but dear Lord, FOR HOW LONG?

  12. More about Ray's health... by eldavojohn · · Score: 2, Funny
    Ray has Type II diabetes...
    Perhaps his childhood spent romping in the fields of the suger cane fields of Africa was a bit much for his pancreas?
    ...so he has to be really careful with his health.
    Ray also can no longer ride in vehicles without requesting a stop for a "potty break" every fifteen minutes.
    According to him he has been able to make the symptoms go away with his diet and suppliment habbits.
    Perhaps he was inspired by Christopher Reeves' claims to be getting better and then dying shortly thereafter?
    They can't really tell that he has it anymore, but he's not going to switch back to his old diet anytime soon.
    Yes, I imagine it's difficult to check the sugar content of blood that's half green tea. Perhaps he should consult a medical doctor instead of his computer?
    --
    My work here is dung.