tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post2167031624513885935..comments2024-03-19T02:31:02.140-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: A Celebrity Genome Sequencing QuestionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-60922557504126140222007-07-01T01:22:00.000-07:002007-07-01T01:22:00.000-07:00Did Arthur Miller really ever write anything that ...<I>Did Arthur Miller really ever write anything that memorable? Quote one memorable line from "The Crucible" or "Salesman" or anything else that he wrote. </I><BR/><BR/><B> A fart on Thomas Putnam!</B>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-9628300398924919292007-06-06T19:20:00.000-07:002007-06-06T19:20:00.000-07:00Paul Johnson.Paul Johnson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-89906211302324492042007-06-06T12:09:00.000-07:002007-06-06T12:09:00.000-07:00Burt Reynolds...Burt Reynolds...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-59941936849728082972007-06-06T11:55:00.000-07:002007-06-06T11:55:00.000-07:00Marilyn Monroe? What about Grace Kelly instead. Mu...Marilyn Monroe? What about Grace Kelly instead. Much prettier, and less psychological baggage. Of course, neither is as worthy as Norman Borlaug...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-54985379076265698802007-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:002007-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:00Kate Beckinsale. 'nuff Said.Kate Beckinsale. 'nuff Said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-66539815853208096202007-06-05T19:21:00.000-07:002007-06-05T19:21:00.000-07:00Freeman Dyson--brilliant, completely sane, and his...Freeman Dyson--brilliant, completely sane, and his children are pretty good, too.<BR/><BR/>There's probably some Richard Feynman tissue stored somewhere.Cedric Morrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10742163470873967511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-1209280877349375492007-06-05T18:13:00.000-07:002007-06-05T18:13:00.000-07:00Marilyn probably could have carried a pregnancy to...Marilyn probably could have carried a pregnancy to term if she'd started early enough. She evidently had first menses quite early and developed young, but never became pregnant until she was 30. She had severe endometriosis, which points to her basic problem being that she didn't bear a child early on.<BR/><BR/> There's other reasons to not want to clone her-she was a neurotic of epic proportions-but that she probably is the single celebrity more people would want to clone than any other bringa up a good point. Do we just want the physically sturdiest and stablest people or do we acknowledge that the gift of creativity often brings debts with it, debts in the great scheme of things well worth society paying? <BR/><BR/> It's probably academic with Monroe, because-ironically-she was embalmed and buried in the best of style: the "eternal protection" sealer coffins popular with upmarket funeral directors in the early 1960s. They seal the decedent so well that the corpse turns into a pressurized, disgusting "stew" that permeates even the long bones of the legs and the pelvis, making it a high probability there will be no recoverable sequenceable DNA at this point. Whereas with the cheap coffins and open liners, the chemicals outgas and the inner bone marrow may be "readable" decades later. <BR/><BR/> The best DNA recovery is probably from unembalmed corpses buried in permeable wood coffins in relatively dry soil. Several Civil War greats come to mind as likely to have surviving DNA, and in fact it's not impossible DNA can survive a thousand years in such a burial.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-42256152380956570312007-06-05T15:05:00.000-07:002007-06-05T15:05:00.000-07:00Good point about the second quartile. There are pr...Good point about the second quartile. There are probably a lot of neurological drawbacks associated with having an IQ of 180 or even 150. I wouldn't make too much of the social problems if you were going to use people as a baseline, though; remember, everybody would be like that, so quantum physics would just be normal conversation.<BR/><BR/>The idea of there being one optimal human being strikes me as a bit off, though. It may have been given a bad name by the PC crowd but diversity is actually a good thing from the genetic point of view, and is the point of sex, most likely. Monocultures of corn (ie fields of corn cloned from a single ear) are very susceptible to disease. And we'd probably want a good mix of intelligence, brawn, personality, resistance to disease... in particular since advanced societies need a variety of roles we need some nerds, some schmoozers, some guys who are strong, some people who are good with their hands...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-12323392201772449982007-06-05T14:56:00.000-07:002007-06-05T14:56:00.000-07:00Ernst Jünger:brilliant, scholarly,creative, surviv...Ernst Jünger:<BR/>brilliant, scholarly,creative, survived through two world wars , and lived over a hundred years.<BR/><BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_JungerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-50656582378828462352007-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:002007-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00"I also have to add that Buffett's children don't ...<I>"I also have to add that Buffett's children don't seem to have accomplished much of anything, which possibly can be attributed to his loopy wife."</I><BR/><BR/>Mark, do just post extemporaneously or do you ever look things up first? Buffett's sons Peter and Howard Graham haven't achieved Buffett's level of prominence in their chosen fields (how many have?), but to say they haven't "accomplished much of anything" is ridiculous. Both have led productive and accomplished lives so far, Peter as a musician, and Howard Graham as a writer and conservationist.<BR/><BR/>Warren Buffett didn't decide to leave the bulk of his estate the Gates Foundation to "manage" it, but to spend it. Until the money is spent, it will be invested in Berkshire Hathaway stock. Buffett recently announced that his son Howard Graham will become chairman of Berkshire Hathaway after Warren passes away to continue the culture he has established at Berkshire. Howard Graham, and the rest of Warren Buffett's kids, all manage their own billion dollar foundations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-59792260323812944392007-06-05T10:42:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:42:00.000-07:00Ronald Reagan. Sunny, genial, good physical condi...Ronald Reagan. Sunny, genial, good physical condition, loyal. In fact, come to think of it, all the Presidents with second-rate minds but with first-class temperaments would be good fits. Washington, Roosevelt, Reagan. <BR/><BR/>Second-rate mind isn't an insult, by the way. That probably puts them in the top quartile of intelligence, which is probably perfect for the new human mean. Too much intelligence could have negative results if it were too widespread too fast.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-8325906677808079872007-06-05T10:34:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:34:00.000-07:00Ronald Reagan. Sunny, fit, loyal, capable but not...Ronald Reagan. Sunny, fit, loyal, capable but not excessively burdened with intelligence--that would be a great mean for the human race.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-69271008618218529612007-06-05T10:25:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:25:00.000-07:00More than likely, if there is a need for a "standa...More than likely, if there is a need for a "standard template" for human DNA, you'd take the averages from a large (100+) group of healthy, successful, and reproductively successful people, not just one, to control for any possibly harmful mutations - which <I>everyone</I> has.<BR/><BR/>And if you wanted to get even more exact, you'd select multiple groups broken down by race and ethnicity. In fact, you'd have to do so, because the public outcry would be enormous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-976609271075643482007-06-05T10:21:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:21:00.000-07:00Arthur Jensen - eminent, productive at an advanced...Arthur Jensen - eminent, productive at an advanced age, inveterately honest, and delightfully unpolitical. He's had a book dedicated to him, authored in part by people who vehemently disagree with his scholarship yet respect him all the same. I've yet to see someone speak negatively of his true character, i.e., after having met the man. He's half-Danish, half-Polish Jew, for what it's worth.<BR/><BR/>E.O. Wilson's a good pick too, of course. Only bad thing I can say about him, he is a bit too hung up on the environment, eg, refused a debate with Bjorn Lomborg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-32129222900515826212007-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00Did Arthur Miller really ever write anything that ...<I>Did Arthur Miller really ever write anything that memorable? Quote one memorable line from "The Crucible" or "Salesman" or anything else that he wrote. Of all the writers you could think of, you think of him?</I><BR/><BR/>I'd add that, as a high schooler, I actually enjoyed most of the literature we had to read: "Grapes of Wrath," "MacBeth" - even "Silas Marner." But I didn't much care for "The Crucible" and positively hated "Death of a Salesman."<BR/><BR/><I>Buffett's undeniably brilliant, but it seems a little strange - almost OCD, even - that he's done so little with his money.</I><BR/><BR/>I also have to add that Buffett's children don't seem to have accomplished much of anything, which possibly can be attributed to his loopy wife. Apparently he doesn't even trust his children to manage his estate - he's leaving it to Bill Gates's management.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-25011355127014496532007-06-05T10:09:00.000-07:002007-06-05T10:09:00.000-07:00Plus the ladies loved George! Before he shacked up...<I>Plus the ladies loved George! Before he shacked up with Martha, he scored more white women than Wilt Chamberlain!</I><BR/><BR/>I can't argue with George Washington, except, as with Marilyn, to note that he left no (known) children behind.<BR/><BR/>Once again: are you trying to make humanity infertile?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-82111832783526999892007-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:002007-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:00I've heard all about egomaniac Venter, but I haven...I've heard all about egomaniac Venter, but I haven't heard much about Watson. Steve, what's the story with Watson?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-74716634066637267862007-06-05T09:10:00.000-07:002007-06-05T09:10:00.000-07:00The Derb is on a roll:"Now elite types like the WS...The Derb is on a roll:<BR/><BR/>"Now elite types like the WSJ editorial crowd are getting the terrible feeling they can no longer hold that line, and they're panicky. That's the side that most of the vitriol is coming from; and it's coming because they feel they're losing control of the immigration debate. <I>Peasants with pitchforks (I'm appealing to those mystic chords of memory here)</I> are storming their gated communities, and they're upset about it. U.S. public debate on this topic is rank with class snobbery."<BR/><BR/>Game, set and match. How can you <I>not</I> want to clone this guy? His DNA is the standard for humanity. (He even had a minor role in a Bruce Lee movie.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-44009891689955984122007-06-05T08:56:00.000-07:002007-06-05T08:56:00.000-07:00As much as I like Bach, how many musical genuises ...As much as I like Bach, how many musical genuises does a society need? Sans wig and breeches, how many women are going to be attracted to a Bach descendant? <BR/><BR/>Assuming that genetic engineering doesn't entail arranging marriages, this uberman has gotta have some sex appeal. Let's avoid the lonely, misunderstood genius types. You don't want offspring skewed towards the unibomber personality.<BR/><BR/>Have you considered Tom Selleck? Affable, handsome, strong, healthy, man's man yet appeals to women, excellent communication skills, success in career path, wealthy, good conservative values, no problem attracting mates. <BR/><BR/>-fifiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-20047254381328915382007-06-05T08:40:00.000-07:002007-06-05T08:40:00.000-07:00Tom Brady. Maybe he's too young - then probably Ba...Tom Brady. Maybe he's too young - then probably Bart Starr. You really can't breed creative genius, so why not at least go with a physically fit, stable, intelligent person with drive and leadership skills? Of course Brady seems well on his way to spreading his genes widely with no help from science...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-91367822471118247372007-06-05T08:24:00.000-07:002007-06-05T08:24:00.000-07:00Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan YewUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987673828766436312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-76294236457725508292007-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:002007-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00I will second Ron Paul Highly moral MD so must be ...I will second Ron Paul Highly moral MD so must be fairly smart.<BR/><BR/>Steve Wozniak briliant and humble. <BR/><BR/>What about:<BR/> <BR/>David Robinson all A's highly moral and a professional baskbell player.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-6282715960836149992007-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:002007-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:00Just to make clear ... I'm not at all positive abo...<I>Just to make clear ... I'm not at all positive about genetic engineering and eugenics. As I wrote in VDARE in 2005:</I><BR/><BR/>I like the idea of voluntarily eugenics: offering incentives for the less successful to have fewer kids and offering incentives for more successful individuals to have more kids. I'm not too keen on genetic engineering humans for all but the most serious medical problems.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-77788074733011745152007-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:002007-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:00I suspect true genius -- e.g., Newton -- tends to ...<I>I suspect true genius -- e.g., Newton -- tends to come from unstable lucky combinations of genes and wouldn't be good this kind of thing.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, and environmental circumstances play a role also. Newton was a poor student until he was bullied over it. He ended up beating up the bully who was troubling him and started taking his studies much more seriously thereafter.<BR/><BR/>If you are looking for a population that displays a high percentage of such geniuses, then digging up that set of Hungarian Jews that included Neumann and Erdös might a good idea. Of course, most of them were terribly neurotic. I would nominate Nikola Tesla, but he was nutty too.<BR/><BR/>I could name hundreds of worthwhile candidates that are dead, but very few that are living today.<BR/><BR/>Maybe we should resurrect Vonnegut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-67865503988611315362007-06-05T07:18:00.000-07:002007-06-05T07:18:00.000-07:00Just a follow-up on my Paul Graham comment. You ma...Just a follow-up on my Paul Graham comment. You may want someone on the younger side: that way their DNA is still in good condition. No sense copying horribly mutated and degraded DNA into people.<BR/><BR/>And looking at ones family is a better way to find early death/disability/etc genes anyway.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18038672100224769247noreply@blogger.com