Yes, and I think that many Extropians were, especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area. For many friends and acquaintances of mine, such as Terry Stanley, Andrea Gallagher, Robin Hanson, Mark Miller, Keith Henson, and Eric Dean Tribble, the label was adopted to describe a manner of thinking, and an attitude towards the future, that we already shared.
2) You have several pseudonyms. Extropians do believe names are very symbolic because they represent what you are. Is there any pseudonym with which you particularly identify yourself at the moment and are you always creating new ones? Do people sometimes mistake you because of the different pseudonyms?
I create different pseudonyms for different activities. These names are not ultimately representative of my being - as Lao-Tsu put it, "The name that can be named is not the unnameable name." They are a series of identities for different roles. And as the poet Walt Whitman said, "I am large. I contain multitudes." So far, they have not seemed to create much confusion. I probably will continue to come up with new ones.
3) Is cryonic suspension something important for you. And if you had to chose a body to come back, what would it be like?
Cryonic suspension is a back-up plan in case humanity is unable to conquer death in my lifetime. Death is an unsolved engineering problem, and a major challenge. Cryonic suspension compares well with other ways of dealing with death; at least there is a chance, however miniscule, that I may yet survive. It's a bet I'm willing to make. It's a way of saying, "I want to live", should I become unable to speak for myself. It's an active expression of my confidence in the future of science and engineering. If I do return, the body I would choose would have to be well adapted to the environment that I would wish to live in. If I had to choose now, I would choose to come back in a body much like my own, but not so fragile, much strengthened and improved; of course if I were brought back, a body I could recognize would be useful at first. I could always alter myself further later.
4) What's the most seductive thing for you about Extropians? Before getting in touch with them, did you have any kind of faith or belief in specific philosophies of religions?
I abandoned organized religion entirely by about age 14, and since then I have mostly been a scientific materialist with occasional bouts of pantheism. (I have been mostly rational, and occasionally irrational.) By the time I started calling myself Extropian I had no specific belief in a deity. A few years previous to that, I'd studied Sufism, which is a kind of philosophy or mysticism combined with a rather advanced folk psychology. They do have faith in a God, or rather Allah, but mystically define God to be the entirety of the universe and all things in it, the system as a whole. Since God is equally present everywhere, this belief tends to drop God out of the equation.
5) You actually look very Extropian. Is the body important for you only because it is the "packing"/"box" that carries information? Or there's also a more abstract idea behind it (concepts such as beauty)?
I'm not sure what "looking Extropian" means. Physical beauty is a positive value that I cultivate in myself. I enjoy seeing physical beauty in others, too. My body is much more than a box, it is my expression in reality. What you see is a result of my practice of self-transformation and the intelligent use of technology. I exercise creative power to choose how I'm going to look, what color my skin, hair, eyes, lips, nails are, what shape I am in. I have a quote from a magnificent body-builder, Laura Creavalle, hanging near my desk: "When I started bodybuilding I realized immediately that I had ultimate authority over my body and its appearance, and I loved that sense of power. You are what you wish to be."
5a)And how about fashion? Is it an important symbolic element for you? How important is it for you?
Usually my dress is merely comfortable and functional, but occasionally it has a purpose; sometimes there is something I wish to express or create, like power, or desire. I enjoy dressing up for photos, because it's a less of a transient expression. I enjoy looking at fashion magazines, for the entire beautiful experience; the models, the clothes, the makeup, the photography. I am consistently impressed with the creative vision of Thierry Mulger, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Evelyn Westwood. This fall I have a little more free time, so I'll be sewing some new clothes myself. I'm not attracted to most of what I see in stores; most designs seem to be aimed at an average body type that I don't have.
6) Extropian meetings do sound like celebrations. Do you attend most of Extropians meetings? Would you say they are exciting ceremonies or are they more like social experiences?
Many extropians are good conversationalists and thinkers. Extropian parties are pleasant, spontaneous social experiences punctuated by philosophical and technical discussions, games, massages, and hot tubbing. They're generally remarkable for the absence of cigarettes and alcohol; practicing Extropians try to avoid damage to their bodies. I dislike ceremony in general, as it reminds me too much of religious practice. I host parties and meetings at the Exclave, and frequently visit Extropians who live in other cities. Extropians are an intentional community of friends. I think that excessive identification with any group or organization may be a sign of a weak self-concept, or an obsessive nature; I am essentially an individualist. don't show up regularly at each and every meeting of other Extropians. When I do go to a meeting, I usually have a specific purpose in mind. I don't agree with everything that fellow Extropians do, and they don't agree with everything that I do.
7) Could you describe Nextropia: how people gather there, how many they are, what it is exactly?
There are two Extropian houses that I've founded, one is called Nextropia, and the other is called the Exclave. Nextropia is a house for single professional Extropians in Cupertino, near the headquarters of Apple Computer. Three Extropians live at Nextropia now, and the Extropy Institute began hosting meetings for members there last month. I'm not sure how many Extropians attended, because I wasn't there. Currently, there are just two Extropians at the Exclave - myself and Geoff Dale. The Exclave a nice large house, with a spacious kitchen and office, exercise room, and a very private back garden that features a pool and a hot tub. We frequently have spontaneous, informal small gatherings of Extropians here, and plan to have more in the future. There are many other Extropian households of two or three or more in the San Francisco Bay Area; they just haven't come up with fanciful names. Living together is a way of affording nicer housing than we could afford alone, and offers the attraction of living with others who share your values.
8) There's this kind of neverchanging perception of the Net and the electronic world as being male-dominated. However, you often deny it. But don't you think women in the Net are still underexposed (in the media for instance)? Are they more daring now?
I wonder, if you look at the history of other telecommunications media, such as the telephone, whether it was at first seen as a "male" thing, and how long it took for women to get comfortable with it. Women are experts at personal contact and communication, and that they're especially good with telephones, and I expect that, in time, they will realize the power of newer communications as well. Meanwhile, I don't feel underexposed at all; I get a lot of media attention and fan mail just from my world wide web page. Carla Sinclair just interviewed me for her new book, "Net Chicks", which will be published in a few months; it's all about women on the Internet.
9) What are the projects you are involved with at the moment?
I'm writing a magazine article, titled "Winning Through Innovation", that is based on Everett Rogers' sociological research on the diffusion and adoption of innovation. Innovation, trying new ways of doing things, is positively correlated with upward social mobility. However, trying new things can be risky, so it is important not to forge ahead blindly. To enjoy innovation's benefits while managing risk, it is necessary to not only experiment with innovation, but also to criticize it, to continually evaluate it critically, and to adapt it, to discover whether you can make it work for you.
10) Could you describe a bit of your daily life: are you into music, going out, film (Hollywood seems to be obsessed by computer technology now)... Do you spend most of your time reading/writing/speaking/working?
I've never been impressed by Hollywood's grasp of technology; they have to create interesting storylines somehow, and it's a no-brainer to demonize technology. So technology is often an evil, dehumanizing thing in the movies, while in life it's quite the opposite, it's an empowering, humanizing influence.
Mostly, I'm working on writing on Extropian topics, but I'm also getting a lot of offers for other interesting things to do. I'm launching a business selling information on the World Wide Web, and, in the process, learning how to use electronic commerce for a small business. I'm still modeling, too; I've got two shoots scheduled for the next two weeks. I just bought a new Macintosh Performa 6200CD, and I love it; it's hard to tear myself from it. My time-wasting vices these days are answering my email correspondence and web-surfing for fun, just to see what's out there.