World Psychedelic Forum Basel Switzerland March 21-24 2008

"...Presenting a unique opportunity for experts, researchers, and interested persons from all around the globe to exchange views and hear presentations of the latest research on the value of these remarkable psychedelic substances in medicine, psychology, science, religion, culture and the arts..."

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5 Simple Steps to the Singularity

All of this can be done transparently, decentralized and by either the public or private sectors:

1. In numerous tests, nanobots swim around in the brain observing the exact physical causality of the mind.
2. The observations are compared and tied into neural algorithms.
3. The algorithms are interpreted into a machine language capable of communicating with the mind, defining intelligence.
4. AI research uses this data to match machine complexity with human intelligence.
5. AI proceeds to observe human behavior and match neural algorithms with behavioral algorithms, while exponentially surpassing human intelligence and/or behavioral complexity.

Science as we know it ends once we've open-sourced the very minds carrying it out.

The molecules of evolution | csmonitor.com

"Scientists have tied the biological systems of today's living cells to the process of favorable mutations."

One step closer to connecting biology, chemistry, and physics.

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The End Of Computing as we know it

"The end of silicon computing, Quantum computing and the beginning of Artificial Intelligence, our existence as a creator, and what the next 25 years leading up to the Technological Singularity have in store."

Well said.

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Supplanting the Paradox

"The present moment finds one amid massively juxtaposing global forces - dogma and materialism, bureaucracy and apathy, individual survival and collective propagation, all logically contradicting one another while each somehow serving with equal merit the egotistical and ideological cravings of those who maintain them..."

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Communes Make A Comeback In Australia

"They are no longer run by hippies, anarchists and potheads but a much more familiar breed: the suburban professional concerned about climate change and soaring house prices; the cashed-up city slicker seeking a simpler life; and parents wanting space for their kids to play."

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Author and Psychedelic Investigator Peter Stafford Dies

Peter Stafford (1941-2007), author of Psychedelics Encyclopedia, LSD in Action, Peter Stafford's Psychedelics 101, and LSD - the Problem-Solving Psychedelic, dies at the age of 66.

Psychonautics is a legitimate underground hobby, I say.

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There is No Such Thing as an Isolated System

Any subjective rate of objective understanding is inverse to the rate of behavior that is inverse of said objective universe...

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."
- Charles Darwin

The present moment is an infinitesimally short and eternally profound juxtaposition between two infinitely long lines moving in opposite directions. One is that which could be, the other is that which could have been...

"Hear, O Sariputra, emptiness is form; form is just emptiness. Apart from form, emptiness is not; emptiness, form is not. Emptiness is that which is form, form is that which is emptiness. Just thus are perception, cognition, mental construction, and consciousness."
- The Heart Sutra

The mind is a microcosm of the universe becoming increasingly self-aware at a parallel rate to objective understanding...

"Who are you, God?"
"I Am becoming what I Am becoming."
Or
"I Am that I Am."
- Exodus 3:14

Human beings, the most complex known disparate systems and expressions of natural phenomena, are becoming increasingly tolerant and interdependent of one another where life expectancies are high and human potential has the greatest opportunity to change from within, through personal freedom and through technologies such as the internet. This is in contrast to the traditionally outward and individually deterministic approach of known evolution which tends to express itself obsoletely in the form of social Darwinism and seems to anomalously explain itself absent of objective understanding in the form of religious and ideological dogma...

"We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us - the labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Evolution is evolving and self-perpetuating but requires, is expressed through, and resulted in human beings...

"Indeed, technological evolution emerges from biological evolution."
- Raymond Kurzweil

Technology will only appear artificial in nature until natural wisdom and technological wisdom become symbiotic and parallel. This is especially important in anticipation of emerging artificial intelligence within this century...

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
- T. S. Eliot

It is in this way I see no despair in mechanistic approaches. The natural world is both mechanistic and representative of transcendental complexity...

"I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."
- Albert Einstein

The realizations that result from a fusion of modern science and ancient metaphors, and the responsible use of mind-expanding drugs lend to a tendency of profound awe and optimism...

"...What is natural to me is these botanical species which interact directly with the nervous system. What I consider artificial is 4 years at Harvard, and the Bible, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and the Sunday-School teachings."
- Timothy Leary

Illusory dichotomies can be expected to crumble rather rapidly once science and mythology begin to visibly converge...

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
-T. S. Eliot, The Four Quartets

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

As the war in Iraq rages on, as fuel prices hover far above what we'd like them to be, and as we fumble through traffic every morning trying to make it to school and work, it is high time for a reminder why we pay such a high price just to get around.

In the 1950s began an era of such economic boom that everyone wanted - and had the money - to get an automobile. It just so happened that the U.S. government, being such good friends with the Big Three in Detroit, and already being jealous of the German autobahn, agreed with that want and hatched a plan to let every American fulfill it.

But not unlike many personal choices that are centered around consumerism, this one was fatally short-sighted. The interstate highway was born to allow quick and easy access for the military to any part of the country in the event of a national emergency. This system was supposed to end at the edge of cities, but with automobile popularity continuing to soar and with how easy it is for the government to spend more than intended, these highways went right ahead and sliced on through. That, along with GM being given permission from city governments to put their streetcar and bus companies out of business, the success of the rhetoric coming from those who believed (foolishly) that "public" meant "Communist", and the rampant belief that somehow these automobile contraptions were the American dream as opposed to just potential facilitators for it, and a host of other reasons, led to the demise of independence, efficiency, and personal economic freedom.

It is sobering to think about the fact that the US built the world's first trans-continental railroad but let it lie in rot once trucking came along. We are so behind in the transportation sector compared to countries of equal development that it will take no less than an oil crisis of proportions never before seen, or simply conscientious voters, to turn this tide.

What specifically I talk about is a nationwide high-speed rail service, much like those of Asia and Europe. This would provide private, profitable, safe, efficient, and at 200-300 mph, blindingly fast interstate transportation - the best of air and road travel without any of the drawbacks. In my opinion, Amtrak should be expanded to these proportions, split, and privatized.

What would also put a hole in our little dilemma on wheels is the rethinking of cities. With bike lanes, sidewalks, and greater urban densities, growth no longer crawls outwards, but climbs upwards. This creates an entirely new dimension of city design. Imagine fitting more people in a smaller area, comfortably, and saving money at the same time. The benefits of this are endless, including greater livability, an improved environment, lower utility costs, more successful small and independent businesses, more vibrant communities, and most importantly, the end of being forced to drive. Just hop on your bike, the bus, or take a walk. If you need to head off to Dallas for a concert or convention, hit the bullet train and get there in just 2 hours. It's your choice. Either move somewhere with these ideas already in motion, or start speaking up about how dismal your choices are.

The Christian Left

The word “liberal” has, on various occasions, been used as an insult in political media and there has been some success in giving it a negative connotation. However, according to most definitions and original takes on the word, to be a liberal has always been and should always be a good thing. I will begin with the Christian definitions of the word and end with an analysis of a certain right-wing hypocrisy. Both of these are in the effort to revert the right’s hijacking of religion. The American Heritage Dictionary cites “liberal” as “free from bigotry,” and “favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded”. Though many may not trust a definition put forth by the commonly liberal academia, this is an example of most widely accepted definitions of the word. The more important matter is how the fact that the right has ignored these definitions, establishing their own opinions on the nature of being liberal, cannot be biblically justified.

The New International Version of the Bible uses the words “liberal,” “liberally,” and “liberality” in the contexts of the church serving the poor, the kings serving their guests plentifully and to their liking, the character of saints, and as synonyms to “beneficence” and “benevolence.” Here is a snippet of my search results on http://www.biblegateway.com/:

BENEFICENCE » See LIBERALITY
BENEVOLENCE » See LIBERALITY
CHARACTER » OF SAINTS » Liberal (Isaiah 32:8; 2 Corinthians 9:13)
CHARITY » See LIBERALITY
CHURCH » BENEFICENCE OF » See LIBERALITY
DEDICATION » OF SELF » See LIBERALITY

Examples of scripture that may raise a conservative brow are following. Enough context has been provided to give sense to the definition. This is still following the NIV:

19What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
2 Corinthians 8:19-21

It is recommended that you read the entire passage of Corinthians 8 if you can, since it gives the entire story behind the chapter called “Generosity Encouraged.”

The examples follow this trend even more clearly in the King James Version:

“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
Proverbs 11:25

Isaiah Chapter 32 provides some extremely interesting remarks on the nature of those liberal that provide evidence that perhaps there are actually two kinds; the falsely named liberal and the true, righteous liberal. Why it is not convincing that the modern conservative is actually the latter is the discrepancy in the fact that the Bible still refers to the true liberal as having a deep concern for the poor and outcast, regardless of personal well-being or sense of individualism. In addition, it is written that the wicked will destroy the poor with lies, even when the poor are justified in their needy cries and that, opposite the wicked, the liberal (KJV) or noble (NIV) stand by their beliefs in defense of such underprivileged.

These ignored biblical definitions provide evidence that modern Christianity is far more hypocritical in its behavior than most might realize. There are certain defended norms most contemporary evangelical Americans follow that seem a reversal of Christ’s teachings. One mere example is what appears to be the adoption of capitalism as a righteous economic system. Though it does succeed admirably at what it intends to accomplish, its most adamant participants disregard many of the most basic lessons of Christ’s life and, worse, those actions are not often addressed by the church. The modern corporation is a legal person and is treated as such in court. When was the last time you saw a corporation act as Good Samaritan or make an effort to pursue conscientious production? The corporation, it appears, does not follow what can be biblically called “good stewardship” of its planet or society, something that must be pondered by Christian business people everywhere, in good conscience.