11 Reader Responses

1. MikeM Says:
   January 27th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

   A surprise might be useful, like a scientist giving away nanotechnology that creates clean, synthetic fuel. Or how about technology that cheaply and easily desalinates water, or that purifies dirty water? Something that’s practical, but so huge that it also turns peoples heads about what is possible.

2. Cfraser Says:
   January 27th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

   Personal Responsibility.

3. Peter Says:
   January 27th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

   It’s still love sweet love, but we need a ‘pearl harbor’ of love in order to spark the inevitable inner evolution and emergence of some sort of collective consciousness thats a comin’. Not some 2012 event, but a socio-political dilemma that necessitates ‘a new level of thinking’. How about we move corpo-capitalism into social business as propagated by Muhammad Yunus? (Most) People will love you lots if you feed them. Specifically, take Grameen Bank, Kiva.org, etc and institutionalize micro-financing. Carefully of course. All about the economy of value-transaction, not capital distribution.

4. Eric Says:
   January 27th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

   What I wanted to say also in the love/money topic, was “transformation” - lots of talk of alchemy in these circles, I think that might reflect a coming leap in capabilities. Just as the “old” alchemy lead to chemistry and science as we know it (right? I’ve just picked up bits and pieces through blogs and wikis), perhaps this “new” alchemy points towards a new level in material freedom. Personal fabrication, genuinely useful computers and information technology (interactive information with meaning in reality (”actionable” information), as opposed to the dominant mode of delivery, storage, and playback), a beneficial alliances between natural and synthetic (low energy or biological transmutation + universal recycling + distributed supersimulation = no need to eat up the earth). And of course, the whole idea of non-procreative sex or just sublimation saving us from drowning ourselves in ourselves.
   Did the “old” alchemy help develop minds to handle the level of power that the knowledge thus gained granted? Well, some minds, at least? What little I know suggests that it brought about a new level of symbolic thought, which I think of as holographic storage, so perhaps each “wave” compresses information?

5. Brooke Says:
   January 28th, 2008 at 3:06 am

   Personal Responsibility.

   ooh, that’s good. that + mature love (don’t ask me to define that. still working that one out. but I do know it’s an important distinction to make) + aware leadership + (other stuff… to be continued, because it’s never just one or two things).

6. Brooke Says:
   January 28th, 2008 at 3:08 am

   but yeah, there should definitely be some sweetness in there.

7. carlos Says:
   January 28th, 2008 at 5:12 am

   i’m with tool: an aenima

   i’m also with freeman dyson: our biotech future

   yeah love sweet love + personal responsibility sound great too

   like, yknow whatever

8. jwx Says:
   January 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

   True love. Compassion that extends to all of humanity through understanding of other’s weaknesses and strengths by understanding of same in ourselves.

   Many murderers, rapists, etc. “love” close family members and friends.

9. Julia Says:
   January 28th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

   That conversation sounds interesting. There’s a new and improved version of love?

10. Greg Says:
    January 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    Some sort of synthesis between Buddhism and Christianity. I know that stuff is out there, but I mean something that would turn the Pope’s head.

11. Greg Says:
    January 28th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    And the Dalai Lama’s