Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Elites Gather at Google Camp to Discuss Calico Life Extension Tech
James HallActivist Post
When the billionaire tech jet-set decides to let down their hair, what
do they talk about around the campfire? According to the New Your Times,
"Google is sponsoring an elite conference this week at a golf resort in
Sicily, with a guest list of chief executives, investors and
celebrities, all of whom were invited to bring their families. On the
agenda are high-minded discussions of global issues — along with
relaxation by the Mediterranean Sea." How quaint! . . . For the real
scoop, Here's What Went On At Google's Exclusive Conference For The Rich And Famous In Sicily.
Sicilian blogger Tony Siino talked to an attendee about what went on, and told Business Insider via email that the conference, dubbed "The Camp,"
was three-days of intellectual discussions, relaxation, and
sight-seeing. According to Siino's source, morning discussions included a
wide range of topics, including how to extend human life and the design
of cities of the future.Reported by NBC local TV channel
in the Bay Area has "guests include Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd
C. Blankfein, executives from German and Spanish banks, Uber chief
Travis Kalanick, Tesla boss Elon Musk, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts and
Snapchat boss Evan Spiegel. Also on hand is Ben Horowitz, venture
capitalist with Marc Andreessen at make-or-break Silicon Valley fund
Andreessen Horowitz."
Spending quality time with the family
between sessions in the next round of tech discoveries hardly seems to
be the best use of time. Yet, time may well be the ultimate objective if
you can uncover the mysteries of anti-aging research. Life Extension
Magazine reports that Google Life Extension is investing in a venture called California Life Company, or Calico for short, and its goal is to extend human life by 20 to 100 years.
At this point, Google is being highly secretive about their plans for
Calico. All Google would reveal is that Calico will focus "in particular
on the challenge of aging and associated diseases."
Calico could produce startlingly counterintuitive breakthroughs as a result of Google’s strengths in the following areas:
Non-commercial dedication — rather than a focus on commercial marketing of mediocre drugs as pharmaceutical companies now do.
Vast
consumer access and core data-handling skills — with unprecedented data
gathering, pattern-matching, and causal-relationship detection.
Ability
to attract the brightest minds — potentially preferring to work on
life-and-death problems instead of cutesy apps and games. Further
speculation in an essay - How's Google Dabbling in Health, Life, DNA, and Immortality? – cites areas of research has cutting-edge technology pushing the limits of the wheel of life itself.
A CNN article listed a few common subjects,
like cryonics (a process where the body is preserved in liquid
nitrogen), cryotherapy (which exposes injured patients to very low
temperatures for short periods of time), cloning and body part
replacement, nanotechnology (deploying small robots to overcome the
problem of incorrect DNA replication, one cause of aging), and even
research into telomeres, the ends of a chromosome that protect cells
against degradation.Hidden within a "feel good" sentiment behind the
altruism to elevate the life span of the human race is an unconvincing
skepticism. In an article like Google Wants You to Live 170 Years, just does not seem believable to a rational observer.
What Google brings to the table is data. "Not just one set of data, multiple forms," says Harry Glorikian,
founder of life sciences consulting firm Scientia Advisors. "Search
data, GPS data, all sorts of other pieces, electronic breadcrumbs that
you produce all out there to get a picture of you."
This data could be paired with each person's genome — a partial genome can be mapped today for $99 via 23andMe (another Google investment), but many are hoping a full genome will cost as much
in the next few years.Even if such ambitious projections that life
extension might become commonplace for the masses, it does not guarantee
that everyone will be a candidate for future "Camp" invitations. Google
hardly needs to market the secrets of the gods in order to maintain or
enhance their cashflow. The Globe and Mail
describes the gathering, "Like the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland – an annual gathering of the elite at a snowy ski resort –
the upstart conference from Google projects an aura of exclusivity. Its
existence has not previously been disclosed."
Following the
example of other enigmatic elitist stratagems, "The Camp" shows no signs
of a charitable motivation when the onion is peeled. Michael Downey in
the account, Google Wants To Extend Your Life laments that not enough is being done to achieve the holy grail of Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth.
Tragically,
while the government spends over $3 billion annually on "health
concerns" of the elderly, it operates on the assumption that aging is
not a disease. Corporations lack the longer-term view needed. And
extremely few of the world’s 1,426 billionaires, with a total net worth
of $5.4 trillion, have included anti-aging research in their
charities.Do you really believe that the beautiful people, much less,
the corporatist return-on-assets crowd, or the great democracies of the
planet are eager to share any medical, genetic or nanotech leaps forward
with the chattel serfs? Attending boot camp for the peasants is quite
different from rubbing elbows with these Nouveau riche Sicilian Dons in
the global technocratic mafia. The blueblood patricians of the
banksters’ families will enlighten their newly made men into the rules
and ways of the global syndicate.
The Calico family franchise
promises to be more alluring than the temporary ecstasy of a drug high.
Most godless souls want to live forever, since rejecting an afterlife is
automatic to such atheistic masters of the universe. Google has proven
to be a "New Age" android. Hence, it is natural for apps, developed to
manage the life cycle, to become part of the smart set. The key question
is will the source code become available to the masses, or will the
elites maintain the restricted knowledge only for their devil witch
coven?
Original article archived here
James Hall is a reformed, former political operative. This pundit's
formal instruction in History, Philosophy and Political Science served
as training for activism, on the staff of several politicians and in
many campaigns. A believer in authentic Public Service, independent
business interests were pursued in the private sector. Speculation in
markets, and international business investments, allowed for extensive
travel and a world view for commerce. Hall is the publisher of BREAKING ALL THE RULES. Contact batr@batr.org
