Dear Futurists

1.) TransVision 2019

There are just a few days remaining of early bird pricing for the event TransVision 2019: Humanity+ @ London.

A remarkable set of speakers have kindly agreed to take part and are confirmed:

This video previews the content of the event and the speakers:

For more information, and to register, visit the meetup page for the event.

I’m grateful, not just to the speakers shown above, but to everyone else who expressed a willingness to speak. The conference could easily have stretched from two days to four days!

Although I could not include everyone on this occasion, I look forward to finding other opportunities in the not-too-distant future to showcase the talents of a wider range of researchers and activists.

2.) The case for Longevity Politics – Sun 5th May, 8.30pm

Significant progress has been made over recent years in the scientific study of aging. Researchers now have a better understanding of how aging increases the likelihood and severity of many diseases. A number of promising techniques are under development, with the potential to slow down or even reverse many aspects of aging, resulting in healthier, longer lives. Unfortunately, this research faces a number of bottlenecks. However, political initiatives could resolve these bottlenecks, and accelerate the attainment of what has been called “the longevity dividend”.

That’s the view of Attila Csordas, who is standing for election as an MEP representing the UK’s East England region, on a platform of “advancing health and longevity”.

London Futurists will be holding a live video interview with Attila from 8:30pm UK time, Sunday 5th May. Viewers will be able to raise questions in real-time via the text chat window. It will be a good opportunity to explore the very thoughtful set of proposals Attila advocates.

To watch this discussion live, visit this YouTube link.

If you want to let people know in advance that you intend to participate, you can add your RSVP to this meetup page.

3.) Recordings from “The Future of Mental Health”

Video recordings from our event on 13th April, “The Future of Mental Health”, are now available at this YouTube playlist. You’ll see that a fascinating set of ideas and experiences were shared.

Many thanks to the speakers Darren Springer, Anya Oleksiuk, and Mathieu Gosselin for making this such a memorable afternoon.

Anya’s slides are available here (PDF).

I asked Anya what people could do next, after being inspired by her presentation. Here are her answers:

• Sign the petition to reschedule psilocybin,
• Consider becoming a member and actively helping to shape the Psychedelic Society,
• Join one of the society’s events,
• Watch the teaser and support (via Indiegogo) the forthcoming Psychedelic Renaissance documentary

4.) Online survey: Experience Edge 2025

Fast Future Publishing are running an online survey to collect insight about how the “experience edge” may be transformed over the next few years.

Everyone completing the survey will receive a free ebook of their choice from the current Fast Future range and a copy of the final Experience Edge publication.

The survey defines “experience edge” as follows:

The Experience Edge is the set of new customer and employee experiences that are being enabled by technologies that allow for the processing of data by devices at the edge of networks.

The edge is the place in the network where the users and devices are. It is where things connect to the network, whether that is wired or wireless. It is where actions take place and, over time, where these actions could become ever smarter.

The various questions in the survey provide more information. To take part, click this link.

Note that the survey closes on May 9th 2019.

5.) SomosMiel: Time for action!

Miel is a recently formed political party, which is taking part in Spain in the elections on the 26th of May to the European Parliament.

The word “miel” has two meanings. First, it’s the Spanish for “honey”. Somos Miel means “We are honey”. The association of honey with improved health exists in many cultures around the world.

Second, MIEL is the abbreviation for “Movimiento Independiente Euro Latino”. Translating from Spanish to English gives: “The Independent Latin Euro Movement”.

What’s of particular interest to London Futurists is the focus of the leader of MIEL, futurist José Cordeiro, on healthy life extension. I’ve heard him say that the ‘L’ in “MIEL” stands for “longevity”, as well as for “Latino”.

If elected, José will be a tireless public advocate for the cause of rejuvenation healthcare. He’ll promote studies of the economic implications of different scenarios for the treatment of aging. He’ll also champion the creation of a European Agency for Anti-Aging, to boost research on how addressing aging can have multiple positive benefits for the treatments of individual aging-related diseases, such as dementia, cancer, and heart failure.

You’ll find a number of articles on the Miel blog about these aspects of Miel policy. For example, see “Within 25 years, dying will be optional”. And read my personal blogpost on the subject here.

Despite the groundswell of popular support that Miel is receiving, it’s still in the balance whether the party will indeed receive enough votes throughout Spain to gain at least one member in the European Parliament.

I’m told that what will make a big difference is an old-fashioned word: money.

If it receives more donations, Miel will be able to place more advertisements in social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc). With its messages in front of more eyeballs, the chance increases of popular support at the ballot box.

In a better world, money would have a lower influence over politics. But whilst we should all aspire to move politics into that better state, we need to recognise the present reality. In that reality, donations have a big role to play.

To support Miel, visit the party’s donation page. Donations are accepted via credit cards, debit cards, or PayPal.

6.) PlatoWork brain stimulator

Is it possible for a neurostimulation headset to train your brain to be more focused, and creative, while boosting your cognition?

As shown in the above video, the PlatoWork headset utilises transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a topic that has featured in several previous London Futurists events.

PlatoWork is featuring in a crowdfunding project. You can read more details on Indiegogo, where there are also a number of videos giving more information.

I encourage you to look into it!

// David W. Wood
Chair, London Futurists