Posthuman Blues

Here's how Paul Kimball remembers it:

The final speaker of the morning was author and essayist Mac Tonnies. A native of Independence, Missouri, Mac tells it like it is, much like another (more) famous Independence native, Harry S. Truman (of MJ-12 fame, and apparently also a former President - who knew??). Mac spoke on the subject of Transhumanism, i.e. what the near future holds for the development of humanity. His lecture, however, was more than a simple recitation of Kurzweil-ian predictions - if there is a philosopher amongst those who research and write about the paranormal, it is Tonnies. He makes people think, and challenges their perceptions and beliefs. His presentation was as much a fireside chat as a lecture, a thoughtful and at times cryptic appeal to those in the audience to take the future seriously, and to make a difference before it's too late.

Although to be fair, my presentation probably garnered mixed reviews. I rambled a bit, but it was arguably better than a "straight" approach. And if it was a "fireside chat," it was a rather nervous one -- at first, anyway.

I actually got some reassuring feedback from the audience; the highlight was a woman who claimed I'd induced "intellectual whiplash." And a couple people asked to buy my Mars book, which I hadn't brought along. (So much for the insidious Face on Mars "cottage industry" I keep hearing about from Michael Shermer wannabes.)