3 ms·

Love the techno-optimist vibe. Let's empower every misanthrope on Earth to mix and match pathogens at scale. I was hoping the covid crisis taught us a lesson o

Love the techno-optimist vibe. Let's empower every misanthrope on Earth to mix and match pathogens at scale. I was hoping the covid crisis taught us a lesson on the dangers of biohacking. Next: With this CAD for Warheads, You Can Design New Nukes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack

maj0rhn 5y ago
Yes, misanthropes are a hazard, but I worry also about a scientifically sophisticated teenager who gets jilted or suffers some other emotional shock, and then decides to end it all for everyone. A species is in trouble when its entire future depends on the emotional stability of adolescents.
- angelzen 5y ago
  Unstated assumption: I am hoping the pricepoint is high enough to eliminate 'random teenager in their parents basement' category. A single novel virus, possibly escaped from a one of a small number of elite professional labs, took down large swaths of the global economy and killed millions. Now multiply that by millions of amateurs playing genetic Russian Roulette in their parent's basement, with the rest of humanity in the cross hairs. This is the stuff of nightmares. After covid crisis it boggles the mind that we don't have a global treaty on non-proliferation of genetic technology. For better or worse the damage of a single nuclear weapon is geographically localized, vs. the damage of a novel pathogen crossing borders in a global whirlwind of death and suffering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferatio...
  - maj0rhn 5y ago
    A high price-point could eliminate random teenagers for some number of years, but it will not eliminate teenagers in well-to-do families -- especially if gene science experiments can get the teens into prestigious schools. A treaty would be great, but there's too much medical benefit that would be lost by restricting the technology. Very hard to balance that against a nightmare.

maj0rhn 5y ago

Yes, misanthropes are a hazard, but I worry also about a scientifically sophisticated teenager who gets jilted or suffers some other emotional shock, and then decides to end it all for everyone. A species is in trouble when its entire future depends on the emotional stability of adolescents.

angelzen 5y ago
Unstated assumption: I am hoping the pricepoint is high enough to eliminate 'random teenager in their parents basement' category. A single novel virus, possibly escaped from a one of a small number of elite professional labs, took down large swaths of the global economy and killed millions. Now multiply that by millions of amateurs playing genetic Russian Roulette in their parent's basement, with the rest of humanity in the cross hairs. This is the stuff of nightmares. After covid crisis it boggles the mind that we don't have a global treaty on non-proliferation of genetic technology. For better or worse the damage of a single nuclear weapon is geographically localized, vs. the damage of a novel pathogen crossing borders in a global whirlwind of death and suffering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferatio...
- maj0rhn 5y ago
  A high price-point could eliminate random teenagers for some number of years, but it will not eliminate teenagers in well-to-do families -- especially if gene science experiments can get the teens into prestigious schools. A treaty would be great, but there's too much medical benefit that would be lost by restricting the technology. Very hard to balance that against a nightmare.