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Transhumanism in the MetaverseGiulio PriscoTranshumanism in the MetaverseTransVision 2006, HelsinkiGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20061
Transhumanism in the Metaverse – Why?The Metaverse provides an ideal meeting space and workspace for thenon local, geographically distributed worldwide, scattered community oftranshumanistsThe Metaverse provides an ideal training and “edutainment”environment for futurists and students of advanced NBIC technologiesWe can make in the MetaverseAnd last but not least:The Metaverse is where we may well spend the rest of our very longlivesGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20062
What is the Metaverse anyway?Stephenson's Metaverse is a high definition 3D digital virtual worldwhere users, represented by their avatars can meet and interact just likethey do in the physical world. Instead of building websites like in today'sInternet, Metaverse developers build fully 3D virtual spaces (scapes)which can closely mimic the physical world, or be as different from the"real world" as the imagination of the developers permits. For example,in the Metaverse you can visit an accurate replica of a real city, a futureimaginary space settlement on Mars, a microscale world where you cansee individuel molecules and cells, etc.The term Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) is used moreand more frequently. I still prefer Metaverse because it is not always agame.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20063
What is the Metaverse anyway?A few years after writing SnowCrash, Stephenson said that his visionhad not emerged in reality. This may have been a premature statement.In 2006 we can see a growing number of operational implementations,with popular events taking place in a MetaVerse, and an emergenteconomy consolidating.I believe that the Web of the future, beyond the technologies knowntoday as "Web 2.0", will be a "Web 3.0", or better "Web 3.D", based onP2P online 3D Virtual reality.The situation is quite similar to that of the Web of the early 90s.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20064
The Metaverse is taking offRemember the late lamented VRML?It was proposed at a time (mid nineties) when very few users, if any, hadcomputer systems and network links powerful enough to permitaccessing a realistic VR world.Things are quite different today.Stephenson’s Metaverse is emerging from the computer gaming world.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20065
Computer gamesIt is not surprising that Stephenson's Metaverse is emerging from thecomputer gaming world.Quoting Rudy Rucker:"Academia hasn't quite caught on to the fact that computer gamesrepresent the convergence and the flowering of the most ambitiousfrontier efforts of the old twentieth century computer science: artificialintelligence, virtual reality, and artificial life.“The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the SoulGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20066
Why is 3D better?Philip Rosedale (CEO, Linden Lab): "if you were trying to recall thelatest three files accessed in your 'My Documents' directory, youprobably can't remember them, but you can remember a list of the itemsin your kitchen, most likely. This is because you've been building a spacein your mind three dimensionally, and storing information in it“In other words, 3D is a much better user interface. This is not surprising:while we have been working with documents for only a few hundreds ofyears, we have evolved fast responses to the real 3D universe, likerunning from predators and hunting prey, for hundreds of thousands ofyears. Now that technology permits doing so, 3D VR will become thepreferred online interface for users with powerful PCs and enoughbandwidth.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20067
Being thereMore and more users do not consider virtual worlds as a means to escapereal life but, on the contrary, as useful means to complement andenhance real life and enabling technologies to support "real world"social, educational and business activities.Those who have participated in voice enabled events in a modern virtualworld know that the feeling of being there, meeting other people andtalking to them, is much more pronounced than with IRC chat, phone orvideo meetings.Vivox staff meeting invoice enabled SL roomGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20068
Real virtual communitiesUsers of a modern MMOG where the sensation of being there is above acertain treshold can form real virtual communities, much tighter thantoday's social networks and virtual communities.I am persuaded that the establishment of tight global, trans nationalvirtual communities, held together by a common worldview rather thanby geography, will do a lot of good to the world.VR is an enabling technology for the emergence of planetary (andbeyond), global, trans national communities of reasonable persons for abetter world. For this I cannot think of a better slogan than "Avatars ofthe World, Unite!".Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 20069
Examples of Metaverses and MMOGSSecond LifeEntropia UniverseRed Lights CenterGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 10
Second Life400.000 members and growingvery fastReal economy, in world itemsales, “Linden Dollar” exchangeCity sims, pubs, discos, clubs,fashion, sex, .Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 11
Second Life“Serious” things happening inSecond Life:Global, trans nationalcommunitiesDistance educationSales of real world products andservices, advertisingBusiness meetingsArtPrisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006Social and political actionGiuliogroups12
Entropia UniverseTypical FPS –like MMOG500.000 membersHunting, mining, commerce of in world items (quite dull if you askme)Real economy (PED), advertising,cash card (!)Much less freedom to create thanSecond LifeEmerging “serious” applicationsGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 13
Entropia UniverseClub NeverdieAuctioned for 100.000 US The Greatest virtual night club inthe UniverseVery transhumanist name!I think CND is the “right place inthe wrong universe”Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 14
Red Light CenterPorn MMOG in betaBusiness model: chat for free, pornfor Porn is often the firstcommercially successfulapplication of new onlinetechnologiesWhere porn pioneers go, otherswill followCENSOREDGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 15
Transhumanist works in Second Lifeuvvy island in SL: VR meetingpoint and workspace fortranshumanistsTranshumanist Day, June 7 IEETPresentation, June 30 VirtualTransVision 2006, August 17 19Presentations and meetings withIRC gateway and voice chat“Being There” in VR can unitetranshumanists separated bygeographyGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 16
More transhumanist works in Second Lifeuvvy island will become a world class VR environmentWorldwide transhumanist socialnetwork in VRMixed reality events (you areattending the first)Museum of transhumanist art andfilmPresentations, distance educationAvatars of the World, Unite!Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 17
Effective VR distance education in NBIC technologies3D concepts in engineering,chemistry. can be visuallyexplained in VR, also withanimationMolecular and nanoscaleengineering, biotechnologyMicro and nanoscapes: trainingenvironments where students seeand interact with cells, moleculesand nanoscale devicesProject: WTA distance educationcourse in VRGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 18
Case study: Church of Virus in Second LifeVirus is a collection of mutually supporting ideas (a meme complex) encompassingphilosophy, science, technology,politics, and religionSee churchofvirus.org20 members in Second LifeWeekly chat in SL with IRCgateway (same we are using)VR enabled “transhumanistreligion”?Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 19
Living forever in the MetaverseThe Metaverse is where we may well spend the rest of our very longlivesMind uploading:making a complete copy of the important information contained in thebrainstoring the copy (mind file) on suitable mediauploading and "running" the copy on a new support different from theoriginal biological brain.The devil is in the details: what is the important information?Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 20
Living forever in the MetaverseGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 21
Living forever in the MetaverseSome persons will feel nopermanent need for a physicalbody and migrate theirconsciousness to virtual reality.A computational consciousness issomething that you can cut, paste,edit, backup, and reload frombackup as needed.So this is practical immortality:Neverdie.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 22
OA Metaverse: a mature hard SF MMOGThe OA Metaverse will be aMassively Multiplayer OnlineGame (MMOG) based on theOrion's Arm science fictionaluniverse.Orion’s Arm: an on going, open ended, multi authored, hard SFshared universe or “future history”developed and maintained over theInternet by a dedicated communityof science fiction enthusiasts,creative writers and artists.Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 23
Transhumanist ideas in OA MetaverseA consistent, realistic vision of apossible post singularity future,based on speculative but plausibleadvanced technology (germlineengineering, nanotech andfemtotech, personality uploads,megascale engineering, navigablewormholes, etc), avoiding popularSci Fi cliches, and incorporatingcultural along with technologicaldevelopment.OA art by Juan OchoaGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 24
Development of OA MetaverseSome similarities to EntropiaUniverseMuch better and more detailedhard SF backgroundState of the art videorealisticgraphicsAdvanced AIBusiness and development plan inelaborationLooking for , see me in coffeeGiulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006break25
Giulio Prisco Transhumanism in the Metaverse, TransVision 2006 23 OA Metaverse: a mature hard SF MMOG The OA Metaverse will be a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on the Orion's Arm science fictional universe. Orion's Arm: an on going, open ended, multi authored, hard SF
