Extreme Futurist Festival: TED conference for the counterculture

December 20, 2011

Singularity/transhumanist zines at Extreme Futurist Festival (credit: LA Weekly Cult Stars)

At the Extreme Futurist Festival in Marina del Rey, Dr. Kim Solez expanded on an idea from AI researcher Ben Goertzel: Could a holiday — a “Future Day” — help bring the ideas bouncing around the scientific world to the masses?

Solez mentioned several recent pop culture events that have brought technological singularity and transhumanism closer to the mainstream eye. In early 2011, a Time cover story focused on Ray Kurzweil, who has been at the forefront of technological singularity and transhumanism. At around the same time, a computer named Watson came out as a winner on Jeopardy. Then there’s The Big Bang Theory, the popular sitcom about Cal Tech professors that’s now in its fifth season.

Source: LA Weekly Cult Stars