the weekly lynx, 2/7

• Eternal life could be achieved by procedure to lengthen chromosomes--Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity (the merging of humans and machines) is coming. I tend to believe him, and this development is but a step on the road. I hope it comes in my lifetime. We tend to forget that we're living in a science fiction world already. Keep your flying cars and jetpacks; I'll take the world we have any day...but I'd rather have the future. Make me King, and this stuff gets tons of funding. Get to work, science monkeys!
• see also One of the World's Top Aging Researchers Has a Pill to Keep You Feeling Young.
• How secular family values stack up--Food for thought. There's no reason not to be a good person...and people who blame bad behavior on stereotypes are more the problem than anything else. We're all stuck on this rock together (with the exception of the few ISS crew), and life is a whole lot nicer and easier when we get along. Make me King, and one of my priorities would be to eliminate stereotyping.
• Dave Wyndorf: why Monster Magnet 'Can't Get Arrested' in the US--There's a crisis in music here in the US. I'm not talking about the music industry dying. It might be dying, but frankly, I couldn't care less about millionaires. They are only a small portion of music anyway. Much more good stuff in fact happens at the street level. But people don't want to support good music. I have played to completely empty rooms. I have seen phenomenal bands play to single digits of people. We need to figure out how to get people interested in music (hell, in Art) again.We need to support art. It's good for the soul. Make me king, and I would tax the ever-loving wallet of the rich and start a national salary for artists.
• The Trip Treatment--With the exception of my mental health prescriptions, I don't do drugs. I am, however, completely sickened with this country's drug policies. They seem to be more about keeping people in jail than anything else. Make me king, and I would legalize everything. The money could be used for treatment and for research for this kind of thing.
• Astronaut: Here are all the sad things I realized while floating through space--Perspective can be a lovely thing. It can be depressing as well. But let's use that perspective to actually do something. Make me king, and...you know.
• Notice: Travelers from the Future--Someone knows more than they are telling. Make me king, and I would tell all.