Blog and Website Updates
2024 January 24 : CNN ran a news article entitled The Doomsday Clock reveals how close we are to total annihilation but it fails to mention synthetic biology altogether, and emphasizes the nuclear arms race and climate change, which are both not existential risks. Artificial intelligence is mentioned in one sentence, and generally. Further, it notes the dilution of the purpose of the Doomsday Clock as no longer focused on existential threats. "The clock isn’t designed to definitively measure existential threats, but rather to spark conversations about difficult scientific topics such as climate change, according to the Bulletin." It makes me wonder whether we should research any funding support of its "Board of Sponsors" for climate change issues. The article starts with a photo of one cheerful smiling journalist next to the names of the three authors. That's the best that 3 professional journalists for CNN can come up with for a clickbait article title like that?
History of This Website
~1980 to 1996 -- Wrote a lot of material on how to do space settlement as quickly as possible. Much of that was under the name PERMANENT, an acronym for Projects to Employ Resources of the Moon and Asteroids Near Earth in the Near Term. I received a trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for PERMANENT in the late 1980s. As the web didn't exist back then, it was mostly paper and online BBS presentations, plus a book published in 1998.
1996 to 2022 -- Operated websites on space settlement and human extinction threats.
2022-November -- Moved everything from my previous space settlement domain of permanent.com from 1996-2022 to the new domain SpaceSettlement.com and stopped using permanent.com altogether, for more than one reason, but the domain name SpaceSettlement.com is more descriptive of the goal.
2023 -- Worked on a plan to rebrand the website and internet presence of some of my new content focused on human extinction threats. Starting in 2009, I had moved some material to a new domain name, GAINextinction.com whereby GAIN is Genetics, Artificial Intelligence, and Nanotechnology, and started to develop that. It discusses the threats of human extinction driven by the prospects of commercial "gains" and other incentives to "gain" new capabilities which are, unfortunately, dual use. However, I became concerned that use of the word "gain" might be misunderstood ... I have left gainextinction.com nearly as it has been for years, and haven't moved much from it, and instead focused on creating a new website on another domain name, but I later switch to a different domain name with the word "help" in it, on 2023-09-14 (see that update).
2023-09-14 -- Registered the domain name HelpHumankindSurvive.com and made it primary for a lot of material I had created in 2023 on other domain names, switching to this domain name. The new domain name was chosen to emphasize a request for action for people to help out, such as in your own ways, rather than a domain name just discussing issues.
2024-01-11 -- Created a Facebook page at @help.humankind.survive whereby you can Follow, submit a Friend request, and/or view future postings on the timeline such as relevant news.
The menu at the top of the page lists the pages of this website, shows you exactly where you are within, and suggests the next page to read.
Please note that you can rate this page at the bottom. Any feedback is appreciated. This is a lot of work and a huge challenge, so encouragement is appreciated.
This website is intended to be a brief summary. Much further details can be found in two other websites written and curated by the author of this publication:
https://www.SpaceSettlement.com -- details on the best solution for survival of humankind, for a wide range of people, from newcomers needing an introduction to engineers looking for the state of the art. It includes a professional publications database, and tries to track who is doing what, for collaboration, coordination, and working efficiently to reach our goals.
https://www.GAINextinction.com -- further details, where G.A.I.N. is an acronym for Genetics, Artificial Intelligence, and Nanotechnology, which are extinction threats we must try to prevent for the survival of humankind.
You can reach this website by any of the following:
HelpHumankindSurvive.com
HelpHumanitySurvive.com
HelpMankindSurvive.com
If somebody types either "humanity" or "mankind" instead of "humankind", they will still be redirected to this Humankind URL, so it doesn't matter which of the three you type. While "humanity" is stated more often, sometimes habitually, I think "humankind" better applies to this context. I also agree with this analysis of usages of humankind and humanity. Nonetheless, you can put any of the three between "help" and "survive" and you'll still get this same website. (Of course, uppercase/lowercase doesn't matter.)
The author of the text of this website is Mark Evan Prado. Copyright © 2023 by Mark Evan Prado, All Rights Reserved. If you want a printable, PDF copy of this presentation, such as for printed distribution rather than an electronic link to this website, please send me a request. I am trying to keep it within a few dozen pages of size A4 or 8.5x11 inches, in reasonably large print, and in simple to understand language. I'm not doing this for money nor ego, I'm doing this to try to help humankind survive, i.e., not go extinct. It is our responsibility within this generation. Please contact me for any collaboration or uses.
If you have any requests or comments, you can also connect with me, Mark, at +66-811357977 (+66-8-1135-7977) and I am on WhatsApp and Line, plus other apps. I am in Thailand but you can send messages any day at any time.
In the purpose and meaning of life, we are parts of something astronomically greater than just ourselves individually. (The author sees individuality as just temporary, and has a panentheistic outlook on the Universe. That's somewhat typical for some of us physicists.) The author is easygoing and is trying to selflessly help create a sustainable collaboration of individuals, companies, governments, academic institutions, and other organizations for the survival of humankind.
As President John F. Kennedy ended his inaugural speech in 1961, I'll end this the same way:
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on Earth God's work must truly be our own." [End of speech. Bold and italicized emphasis added.]
If you choose to submit feedback, then I wish to thank you in advance. After you click on Submit, the page will jump to the top.
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