Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 08:51:48 -0500
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Describe [TheMOPIreview] here.

This is a temporary wiki page which may disappear sometime after the big event do to its wordiness and C&P nature, so enjoy it while you can.
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Score this one up to Rhino, Mermaid, Walter, Myself, and especially :-)David(-:  I'm going to be there if at all possible.  I've had some software glitches from time to time that seems to get me punted a lot.  I'm going to try to work those out before then.  But even if not, you will still see me wandering in and out, and hopefully more in.

I may even drop into the #vbc channel to chat about the book between now and then.  Anyone going to be around at about 22:00CST Thursday.  I'm thinking about being there for anyone that wants to informally chat about the book.  Don't hold me too tightly to that time, but I don't see myself being too early or late.

Later this evening I am going to repost this message into the BBS, so this is the heads up for those that care for having a fun book chat with the author.  I would appreciate any promotion that anyone else feels like doing both in the CoV and in other transhumanist communities you may belong to.  I think this could be quite exciting :-)!

Love,

-JakeSapiens AKA "Shadow" in IRC

http://virus.lucifer.com/wiki/JakeSapiens

PS - Late happy birthday, Rhino, you old fucker! ;-) Love, -Jake
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Forwarded Message:


Subj: virus: Friday: Book chat with author
Date: 3/30/2003 3:58:49 PM Central Standard Time

From:    rhinoceros@freemail.gr (rhinoceros)
Sender:    owner-virus@lucifer.com
Reply-to:    virus@lucifer.com
To:    virus@lucifer.com


[rhinoceros]
The following topic line appeared today in our Virian Book Club IRC channel (#vbc)

Lucifer has changed the topic on #vbc to "Chat with the author! - Next meeting 04.04 2000h CST - The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/

Apparently, the author of the online book which we have been discussing in the #vbc channel for the past 3 weeks, Roger Williams, will be here to discuss the book on Friday, April 4, at 20:00 CST ( 03:00 GMT ).



For those who did not read the book yet and did not follow the chats, here is an appetizer. I hope this is not a spoiler, but you can always skip it and go straight to the book here:

http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/mopiidx.html



The book is a science fiction story where an incredibly powerful computer emerges, takes over, and acts for what it perceives as the best for the humans, according to some basic premises which had been programmed into it. (In this respect, the topic is somehow "singularitarian".) Of course, the way in which that happened can be questioned from a scientific standpoint, but there is much more than that to the story.

Humans find themselves practically immortal, eternally safe and unable to hurt themselves, with all their needs and whims taken care of. What do they do? What makes them move? How do behaviors, values, and ethics of our known society are affected under these conditions? Are all humans content? Did the author figure it out right?

What is a dissident human entitled to do? An anticlimactic (for some) ending comes when the final question is posed: What does it mean to be human?

Just in case this would-be-humanist presentation has given you the wrong impression, the main characters, the plot, and the style of writing are anything but dull. Lots of wild sex and violence, so don't bring your kids along with you next Friday in #vbc.
