"Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition: Science Slightly Over the Edge" is the long and drawn out title which author
Ed Regis stamped on this hilarious yet mind-opening book. Throughout, he details the different technologies that are being developed which are
pushing the envelope of both science and human development.
Nanotechnology,
cryogenics,
interstellar travel,
Artificial Intelligence,
transhumanism, and even more
ultratechnology is detailed in this wonderful
tome. Despite its heady content, Regis imbues the pages with a sense of
whimsy, and few who have read it will not agree that the next half-century of human achievement will be filled with realiziations of at least some of these fantastic technologies.
Some have criticized Regis for the humorous tone he took throughout the book, which suggested to them that he didn't want the reader to take the technology seriously. Others have even accused him of using the book to openly mock the scientists and researchers for being silly.
The theory that is generally preferred is that the humorous tone was a necessity to prevent the technologies being described in ominous ways. Your average Joe, upon reading about ultratechnologies such as nanotechnology and Strong AI, may be instilled with utter fear at the possibility of human error turning disasterous. Regis's humor allows us to sanely comprehend exactly what he is describing, and it comes across as all the more realistic, and even desirable.
It's a good thing he wrote this book. Now prominent members of the AI field, most notably Eliezer Yudkowsky, have stated that this book was what helped put them on the path to where they are today.