This is what started it all. By bringing some interesting philosophical questions to the table, this discussion got me seriously thinking about what impact not following a structured and continuous personal and professional development plan can have on both my quality of life and that of the world directly around me.

The FAQ on the Meaning of Life is an interesting concept and contains ideas from many diverse schools of thought. However, it’s not written for a wide audience: a science background – and specifically, one in computing – is beneficial, possibly required, to understand the concepts discussed.

So what is The Meaning of Life? I won’t spoil it, but suffice to say that it’s not actually 42, and the Technological Singularity will be the key moment in the evolution of our world.

Lambasting nanotechnology and advocating intelligence enhancement through an increase in research of both Artificial Intelligence and Transhumanism, it’s an interesting and thought-provoking read whether you believe none of the conclusions, some of them, or believe it devoutly…

If we could reconfigure our neurons and upgrade the signal propagation speed to around, say, a third of the speed of light, or 100,000,000 meters per second, the result would be a factor-of-one-million speedup in thought. At this rate, one subjective year would pass every 31 physical seconds.

The FAQ raises some interesting questions and will make you question – if only for a moment – where you’re going wrong (if you are at all) and what you can improve (if anything). The most important thing is that it makes you think.