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Lifeboat News #61

#61

Lifeboat News

This issue published on 09/01/07. Copyright 2007 Lifeboat Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Support to Combat Existential Risks

The Lifeboat Foundation, a leading organization combating existential risks, has gained the support from key leaders worried about our future.
 
Jaan Tallinn, who is based in Estonia and is cofounder of Skype, the only major IM client that both securely authenticates conversation participants and encrypts the communication, donated $10,000. Jack Halpern, who is based in Japan and is CEO of The CJK Dictionary Institute (CJKI) in Japan donated $12,000.
 
The Lifeboat Foundation has earmarked funds for participation in the X PRIZE Cup '07 from October 26 to October 28 at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico where it will demonstrate Electromagnetic (EM) launch technology. This technology will allow rockets to be launched with no fuel onboard. Since most of the power in a rocket is used to launch the fuel and not the payload, this is a significant development. It also helps avoid the danger of being launched on a large chemical bomb AND reduces pollution as well. Such technology will be critical if an existential risk eliminates life on this planet. Information on this technology is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_gun and http://www.magneticsmagazine.com/e-prints/UT.pdf
 
In addition, the Lifeboat Foundation is earmarking funds towards a nanodefense fund which will focus on funding Robert A. Freitas Jr.'s research on developing defenses against nanoweapons. Thanks to generous funding by Sergio M.L. Tarrero who is based in Spain and has donated nearly $10,000, the nanodefense fund will begin funding Robert Freitas in Fall '07. The Lifeboat Foundation is soliciting more funds for this purpose. Donations may be made at https://lifeboat.com/ex/donations (Select Thermal Censorship of Ecophagy Study.)
 
Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil who is based in the U.S. has donated over $10,000 to the Lifeboat Foundation. The Lifeboat Foundation recommends that you follow his wise example and safeguard humanity against our uncertain future.
 
Ray Kurzweil says "A self-replicating pathogen, whether biological or nanotechnology based, could destroy our civilization in a matter of days or weeks. We cannot rely on trial-and-error approaches to deal with existential risks and that is why I support the Lifeboat Foundation."
 
The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards a technological singularity.
 
Lifeboat Foundation is pursuing a variety of options, including helping to accelerate the development of technologies to defend humanity, including new methods to combat viruses (such as RNA interference and new vaccine methods), effective nanotechnological defensive strategies, and even self-sustaining space colonies in case the other defensive strategies fail.
 
With a fund of $241,919.80, 392 Scientific Advisory Board members involved in 26 subboards ranging from Particle Physics to Neuroscience, including Howard Bloom, Aubrey de Grey, Ray Kurzweil, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, Nobel Laureates, and many other prominent thinkers, 23 programs, and 40 reports, the Lifeboat Foundation is making steady progress towards this goal.

Free Banners

The Millennium Project of WFUNA (World Federation of UN Associations) posts a free ad for us at http://www.millennium-project.org/mille...fhom.htm

Blog

Tom McCabe joins our blog team with his first post at http://lifeboat.com/blog/?p=90

Videos

Watch "The Immortalists: A Short Film" at http://lifeboat.com/ex/videos#the_immortalists
 
Watch "Nanotechnology vs. cancer!" at http://lifeboat.com/ex/videos#nanotechn...s_cancer

Reports

Our Scientific Advisory Board members have generated many interesting reports recently. They include:
 
"Considering Military and Ethical Implications of Nanofactory Level Nanotechnology" by Brian Wang at http://lifeboat.com/ex/military.and.eth...chnology
 
"Top Ten Transhumanist Technologies" by Michael Anissimov at http://lifeboat.com/ex/transhumanist.technologies

Growing Membership

Here are some of the recent donations/pledges we have received since the last newsletter:
 
Sergio M.L. Tarrero: $670, Stanley Pecavar: $500, Michael Anissimov: $425, Michael Fleischmann: $150, Anonymous: $95, Michael Dickey: $85, Thoughtware.TV: $85, Philippe Van Nedervelde: $85, Kenneth P. Weiss: $85, Matthew L. McGuirl: $50, James Blodgett: $25, Vincent A. Cate: $25, Adam Dobrin: $25, Rick Hubbard: $25, James William Taylor: $25, Mark A. Walker: $20, Tom McCabe: $20, Sylvia Engdahl: $10, George Garrett: $10, Glenn A. Miller: $10, Jeremy Shepard: $10, Pennye Shaw: $10, Kaj Sotala: $10, Michael Vassar: $10, and Donna Beck: $1.
 
Our Join Us page at https://lifeboat.com/ex/join.us now allows you to pay for your membership anywhere from monthly to every ten years.