Paul, whose entry is the first journal entry of the new year says that this is the (de facto) century where everybody you know is going to die.

I beg to differ.

From myself, December 31, 1999 to myself, January 1, 3000 It's not unusual for children to write letters to themselves and hide them away in a box of their possessions in the attic so that when they have grown up they find this "time capsule" of sorts to themselves when they are years or decades older. Thus, I am hiding this note in my "attic," in among the information I have placed in the global Internet as well as my personal archival materials, to find in the future. I am, of course, assuming the planet, species, information content of the 'net, and finally, the continual thread of consciousness that I call "me," survive to find this, open it and read when January 1, 3000 would roll around. I'm assuming that it's "me," or whatever the person writing this has become, that is reading this. If my individual thread of consciousness didn't survive, or my consciousness was still tied to my physical form and it died or was destroyed at some point, or the human species was wiped out at some point by its own stupidity or another entity seeking to stave off a potential competitor, then this is merely a curiosity, a note from the past to amuse those or that which remains. I hope that's not the case. I have every intention that "I" should still exist, at least a semblance of my consciousness; surely it's so different now that I could not comprehend its vastness. Rather than say you are "me," I should just refer to you as You. I am a member of the first generation of Homo Sapiens who should see all the tools come together to transcend our condition and evolve into a greater being, and it is my greatest hope for the short term (my human existence) to be one of those who uses those tools to leave this mortal coil for an immortal one. I and other transhumanists tend to believe we will use advanced computing machinery and nanotechnology to make the first moves to posthumanity. These technologies are dear to our hearts, and progress is followed quite closely by the informal community. I have to wonder what form You must take. We speculate about any number of forms posthuman entities such as Yourself could take, from cybernetic borganisms to jupiter brains to Moravec's bush robots or utility fogs that can take on any physical form. I have no idea if You even have a material form, perhaps You exist as part of the fundamental structure of spacetime (although the details of an existence of such a being is so far beyond my imagination that it seems as incredulous as any of the rest of these ideas probably seem to most of the mundanes on this planet). Whatever form, is surely a grand existence, and can only be hinted at in the tales that we write today to stretch our minds and inspire us onwards. The tales you could tell, if we could even understand them! To borrow from Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. We live in an age of growth and learning, being in the longest sustained period of learning and civilization this planet has ever seen. Technology's relentless march continues largely unchecked. Science is unlocking mysteries daily, but is also finding newer, deeper questions to ask. Unfortunately, the picture is far from idyllic. The winds of constant improvement and change are starting to find opposition from those small minds who would stop our advance. Wars continue to be waged across our planet for petty conquest or reasons that are lost largely to the sands of time. There are many who believe that the Great Experiments in representative rule of the last two centuries are coming to a close, to be replaced with tyrannical governments who surveil and control while maintaining the facade of rule by the People. To be perfectly honest, we're not even entirely sure that civilization won't collapse from a failure in the technologies we rely on in about eight hours because of our own short-sightedness. Time is of the essence in our work, but the transhumanist movement is splintered into many loose factions. I fear that more time is spent arguing about facets of the philosophy and what is possible rather than actually doing something or seeing where things can go. I have never been much of a "joiner," so I tend to sit on the sidelines, watch occasional threads of discussion that interest me, and leave them to the bickering, plying my own interests towards the ends I seek. I hope that moving beyond Your thousandth year, You have found more wisdom than your human ancestry could impart to you. Surely by now You've answered the question if there are others out there, or if this is a cold, vast, lifeless space that waits for posthumans to render it into life. And if there are other life forms out there, as surely there must be, then no doubt there must be many Others who took the same path and became self-styled Powers. I hope that You could learn from Them, and even teach Them a few things. If You will take some advice from such a primitive creature as me, then I offer these thoughts: Keep extending Yourself. You are not a final form yet, and will evolve many times yet, surely. There are always new technologies, places to explore, goals to reach, and as the universe ages and grows cold and even fundamental particles begin decay many billions of years hence, You will have new problems and obstacles, like escaping this universe for another to continue your existence, or find a way to exist without matter at all. Look on Others you encounter in your travels as allies, not rivals. One thing I have learned is that there little value in making enemies, but there is nothing finer than true friends; in fact, there is little meaning in my life without others, and I suspect that You may find the same is true. Always offer a hand, but if need be, make a fist. Some other Powers will be hostile, but to fight invites danger; the key for a posthuman entity is survival, to perpetuate yourself. And with respect to less advanced lifeforms: that stagnant civilization you just ran across is distinctive, and they may find their way out of their rut someday. It is not just spare atoms to feed your insatiable need for raw materials (even if you upload their consciousnesses!). Let them develop as they see fit. You may be great, but you're not a god. Finally, fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.

restlessmind