Accelerating Change 2005-Update

File in the "Shameless Plug" Section:

Jerry Paffendorf (Community Director of Acceleration Studies Foundation, and a man whose name cries out for superhero treatment on City of Heroes) writes:

Preparations for Accelerating Change 2005 have hit their groove and registration is open. You can check out what’s recently been added at http://www.accelerating.org/ac2005 . We’ll still be nearly doubling the amount of speakers we have listed and adding events and tutorials, but we’re looking tight enough to get the word out. Virtual World-specific, right now we have confirmed Linden Labber Philip Rosedale, two architects from the Croquet project, and a full-day Second Life tutorial (which Cory will help run), and we’ll be adding more great folks in this area.

As an AC2005 Media Sponsor, we’ve added a $50 Terra Nova discount code that you’re free to publicize. We keep our conference prices down to begin with, and with the code “AC2005-TERRANOVA” (no quotes, all caps) registration is $300 until May 31st (then $350 for a time after that, then up $50, etc.—registration page at http://www.accelerating.org/ac2005/registration.html ). Student and Academic/Gov’t/Military/Retired registrants are always a flat $150 and $250, respectively.

Don't say we never give you anything.

Comments

[Edward Castronova]

1.

I am retired from my previous career as a respectable mainstream economist. $150 FTW!!!

[Trashcan]

2.

Doesn't that mean you have to pay $250...FTW!!?

" Student and Academic/Gov’t/Military/Retired registrants are always a flat $150 and $250, respectively."

[Jerry Paffendorf]

3.

Here's a question for everyone: who would you invite as a virtual world speaker for the Accelerating Change conference, and why? Who would best frame scenarios for the future development of persistent digital simulations from the technology side (nearer the Artificial Intelligence side) and the human social, political, economic side (nearer the Intelligence Amplification side)? Who has the right mix of vision and nuts-and-bolts knowledge? I ask because I might like to invite them :-)

I take for granted that the Terra Nova authors are all equally brilliant, so it would be best to think outside the blog for names. Your thoughts would be very helpful and very, very interesting. If you want to keep your suggestions private you can email them to me at jerrypaffendorf(at)accelerating(dot)org.

Thanks!

[Bart Simon]

4.

I gotta comment -- is there any connection between the concept of Intelligence Amplification and all this acceleration talk and the oh so California dreaming transhumanism movement (http://www.transhumanism.org/)? Where do yon TN pundits stand on Kurzweilian visions of the future?

hmm... I'd better get out my Virilio (see http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=72 for a snippet or just pick up Speed)... one possible end of accelerating change is apocolypse (metaphorically speaking of course).

[Jerry Paffendorf]

5.

Hi Bart,

>>>"I gotta comment -- is there any connection between the concept of Intelligence Amplification and all this acceleration talk and the oh so California dreaming transhumanism movement (">http://www.transhumanism.org/)?"

No transhumanist connection to the conference. But I guess they generally like the themes, which is cool. The few I've met have raised some interesting questions. Note we're generally using the AI/IA split to divide automation stuff from people in the loop stuff. So this is not a transhumanist Pimp My Biology show if that's what you were asking :-)

>>>"hmm... I'd better get out my Virilio (see http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=72 for a snippet or just pick up Speed)..."

No Fashionable Nonsense stuff either (I went to art school with teachers who assigned some Virilio...). I think the audience might run it off the stage :-D ! PayPal Founder Peter Thiel did a great talk called "Virtual Money" at last year's conference that just popped up on IT Conversations (downloadable here). At the end he playfully refuses to further address the topic of memes in front of the audience because specifics of his quick definition were being pressed so hard in the Q&A. Ah, it was cute :-)

>>>"Where do yon TN pundits stand on Kurzweilian visions of the future?"

For possible TN pundit reference here's Ray's evolution and technology timeline that's tucked into his 1999 book, "The Age of Spiritual Machines." One nice thing about Ray's work I'll point out is that it's very reasonably falsifiable on its timescales (not talking 100 years, he's due for his next check-up in 2009).

It's going to be very cool to have him at the conference for two sessions: one near the start of the first day and again after dinner in one-on-one conversation with Tech Nation's Moira Gunn. We'll also have time for the audience to throw him tough questions (which it sounds like you've got a couple of ;-). But Ray's only one speaker out of (eventually) 40+; all of them with something interesting to say about better understanding and managing our changing world. If you have more specific questions feel free to write me, or check back in on the conference page from time to time for updates.

Cheers,