IdeaWazaWiki - User contributions [en]

Lifeboat Foundation

2008-10-02T16:51:38Z

130.126.230.64:

[[Image:Lifeboatfoundation.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The Lifeboat Foundation advocates the creation of space colonies to free humanity of dependence on the planet Earth.]]

'''The Lifeboat Foundation''' is a non-profit organization with an explicit mandate of "helping humanity survive [[existential risk]]s" and anticipate possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including [[genetic engineering]], [[nanotechnology]], and [[AI|robotics/AI]], especially in the event of a [[technological singularity]]. The Lifeboat Foundation advocates scientific and technological advancements which will help humanity, and life in general, survive both natural and artificial [[existential risk]]s by identifying and implementing strategies to mitigate the overall threat that these increasingly powerful technologies pose and the threat that cataclysmic natural events pose.

The Lifeboat Foundation advocates the development of genetic engineering, nanotechnology and AI and other technologies to defend humanity, including defending it from consequences of its own damage or manipulation of the natural environment. The foundation's primary goal is the continuation of intelligent human life and seeks to identify and mitigate the existential threats posed to that life and those specific symbiotic life forms (such as gut bacteria or edible plants) that human beings would need to survive in space. The first ARKs will likely be centered around this goal but will contain genetic repositories of other life forms from Earth which advances in biotechnology and nanotechnology will be able to revive. The Lifeboat Foundation finds all life valuable and as long as its primary goal is fulfilled advocates would create lifeboats of entire ecosystem. The more diverse and redundant populations of life are, both human and non-human, the less threat any particular existential risk poses.

The Lifeboat Foundation claims to be pursuing new methods to combat viruses (such as RNA interference and new vaccine methods), effective nanotechnological defensive strategies. However self-sustaining mobile biosphere [[space colonies]] "in case the other defensive strategies fail" are one of its ultimate long term goals. When a risk to the Earth's biosphere might be increased by a particular strategy necessary to establish a space colony, because these risks are not existential to either humanity or all life on Earth, the Lifeboat Foundation suggests pursuing the necessary technologies because ultimately all life on Earth will end when the next natural existential threat (asteroid impact, nearby supernovae, etc) manifests.

The Lifeboat Foundation was formed with the ethical premise that decreasing the likelihood of human extinction is the activity with the most positive [[utility]] on the planet today. In recent years, several prominent public figures have stepped forward strongly in favor of mitigating extinction risks. Oxford philosopher [[Nick Bostrom]] writes, “For standard utilitarians, priority number one, two, three and four should consequently be to reduce [[existential risk]]. The utilitarian imperative “Maximize expected aggregate utility!” can be simplified to the maxim “Minimize existential risk!”. <ref>Nick Bostrom, "[http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development]", Preprint, ''Utilitas'' Vol. '''15''', No. 3, pp. 308-314</ref>. Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has publicly stated that "The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth" Physicist Sir Martin Rees warns "Science is advancing faster than ever, and on a broader front... But there is a dark side: new science can have unintended consequences; it empowers individuals to perpetrate acts of mega terror; even innocent errors could be catastrophic." He concludes "Even a few pioneering groups, living independently of Earth, would offer a safeguard against the worst possible disaster—the foreclosure of intelligent life's future through the extinction of all humankind."

==Administration and Advisory Boards==

Current officers include:
*President and Founder [[Eric Klien]]
*International Spokesperson is [[Philippe van Nedervelde]]
*Fundraising Director, North America is [[Michael Anissimov]]
*Director of Long-term Strategy is Michael Vassar
*International Director of Audiovisual Communications is Sergio M.L. Tarrero.

The Lifeboat Foundation is [[tax exemption|tax exempt]] under [[501(c)(3)|Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code]].

The organization also has a very large Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), composed of 410 members as of October 2007. This includes philosophers, economists, biologists, nanotechnologists, AI researchers, educators, policy experts, engineers, lawyers, ethicists, futurists, neuroscientists, physicists, and space experts. The SAB includes [[Ray Kurzweil]] and [[Nobel Prize]] winners [[Clive Granger]] and [[Wole Soyinka]]. Most of these advisors are on the record as strongly favoring techno-centric or [[techno-optimist]] approaches to resolving human problems even if these have within living memory often resulted in [[technological escalation]] of conflict. Because ultimately life on Earth will end with the next large asteroid impact. Kurzweil in particular is very often criticized for advocating "uploading" minds and for granting artificial intelligences legal status equivalent to those humans enjoy, while not adopting any balancing position such as that of [[Peter Barnes]] that ecosystems should he protected as a commons with legal trustees of their own. The SAB does not publicly debate nor announce its positions or assumptions and is recruited without input from Lifeboat's opponents, unlike that of most nonprofits with controversial mandates that seek skeptical outsider input.

==Lifeboat Foundation programs==

The Lifeboat Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board is working on a number of programs to assess risks, negate them ("shields"), and survive catastrophic events ("preservers"):
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/asteroid.shield AsteroidShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/bio.shield BioShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/nano.shield NanoShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/security.preserver Security Preserver]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/space.habitats Space Habitats]

These projects are "shields" and assume the development and spreading of knowledge of the exact technologies that the Foundation explicitly warns are dangerous, because ultimately technological advancement will continue. It is not feasible to assume the complete cessation of technological advancement is even possible, and the Lifeboat Foundation does not advocate this position either because ultimately large scale natural existential threats WILL eventually destroy all life on Earth. The Lifeboat Foundation is not a luddite organization and most of its members are technological optimists. However The Lifeboat Foundation does not automatically presume that all technology will never be misused. The Lifeboat Shield programs are attempts by prominent members in these areas of technology to explicitly identify and mitigate the threats that misuse of these technologies pose. The Lifeboat Foundation welcomes debate and discussion of the various existential threats and the best methods to mitigate those threats.

==See also==

Related topics:
*[[Existential risk]]
*[[Molecular nanotechnology]]
*[[Utility fog]]
*[[Seed AI]]
*[[Space colonization]]
*[[Space and survival]]
*[[Biosecurity]]
*[[Survivalism]]
*[[Technological singularity]]
*[[Technological escalation]]
*[[Biocentrism]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/main Lifeboat Foundation]
*[http://www.nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios] by Nick Bostrom
*[http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development] by Nick Bostrom
*[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AtjblpXOSMXPaKrJ2N9lui8jzKIX?qid=20060704195516AAnrdOD How can the human race survive the next hundred years?] - question on Yahoo Answers by Stephen Hawking
*[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html Why the future doesn't need us] by Bill Joy
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E6D9163FF93BA25756C0A9659C8B63 It Was Fun While It Lasted] by Martin Rees
*[http://paulboutin.weblogger.com/stories/storyReader$1439 Biowar for Dummies] by Paul Boutin
*[http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/?cat=21&paged=2 Accelerating Future] - regularly updated blog that discusses existential risks
*[http://www.oceania.org/] - the Atlantis Project. The earlier efforts of Eric Klien

[[Category:Risk]]
[[Category:Space colonization]]

Lifeboat Foundation

2008-10-02T16:49:34Z

130.126.230.64:

[[Image:Lifeboatfoundation.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The Lifeboat Foundation advocates the creation of space colonies to free humanity of dependence on the planet Earth.]]

'''The Lifeboat Foundation''' is a non-profit organization with an explicit mandate of "helping humanity survive [[existential risk]]s" and anticipate possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including [[genetic engineering]], [[nanotechnology]], and [[AI|robotics/AI]], especially in the event of a [[technological singularity]]. The Lifeboat Foundation advocates scientific and technological advancements which will help humanity, and life in general, survive both natural and artificial [[existential risk]]s by identifying and implementing strategies to mitigate the overall threat that these increasingly powerful technologies pose and the threat that cataclysmic natural events pose.

The Lifeboat Foundation advocates the development of genetic engineering, nanotechnology and AI and other technologies to defend humanity, including defending it from consequences of its own damage or manipulation of the natural environment. The foundation's primary goal is the continuation of intelligent human life and seeks to identify and mitigate the existential threats posed to that life and those specific symbiotic life forms (such as gut bacteria or edible plants) that human beings would need to survive in space. The first ARKs will likely be centered around this goal but will contain genetic repositories of other life forms from Earth which advances in biotechnology and nanotechnology will be able to revive. The Lifeboat Foundation finds all life valuable and as long as its primary goal is fulfilled advocates would create lifeboats of entire ecosystem. The more diverse and redundant populations of life are, both human and non-human, the less threat any particular existential risk poses.

The Lifeboat Foundation claims to be pursuing new methods to combat viruses (such as RNA interference and new vaccine methods), effective nanotechnological defensive strategies. However self-sustaining mobile biosphere [[space colonies]] "in case the other defensive strategies fail" are one of its ultimate long term goals. When a risk to the Earth's biosphere might be increased by a particular strategy necessary to establish a space colony, because these risks are not existential to either humanity or all life on Earth, the Lifeboat Foundation suggests pursuing the necessarily technologies because ultimately all life on Earth will end when the next natural existential threat (asteroid impact, nearby supernovae, etc) manifests.

The Lifeboat Foundation was formed with the ethical premise that decreasing the likelihood of human extinction is the activity with the most positive [[utility]] on the planet today. In recent years, several prominent public figures have stepped forward strongly in favor of mitigating extinction risks. Oxford philosopher [[Nick Bostrom]] writes, “For standard utilitarians, priority number one, two, three and four should consequently be to reduce [[existential risk]]. The utilitarian imperative “Maximize expected aggregate utility!” can be simplified to the maxim “Minimize existential risk!”. <ref>Nick Bostrom, "[http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development]", Preprint, ''Utilitas'' Vol. '''15''', No. 3, pp. 308-314</ref>. Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has publicly stated that "The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth" Physicist Sir Martin Rees warns "Science is advancing faster than ever, and on a broader front... But there is a dark side: new science can have unintended consequences; it empowers individuals to perpetrate acts of mega terror; even innocent errors could be catastrophic." He concludes "Even a few pioneering groups, living independently of Earth, would offer a safeguard against the worst possible disaster—the foreclosure of intelligent life's future through the extinction of all humankind."

==Administration and Advisory Boards==

Current officers include:
*President and Founder [[Eric Klien]]
*International Spokesperson is [[Philippe van Nedervelde]]
*Fundraising Director, North America is [[Michael Anissimov]]
*Director of Long-term Strategy is Michael Vassar
*International Director of Audiovisual Communications is Sergio M.L. Tarrero.

The Lifeboat Foundation is [[tax exemption|tax exempt]] under [[501(c)(3)|Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code]].

The organization also has a very large Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), composed of 410 members as of October 2007. This includes philosophers, economists, biologists, nanotechnologists, AI researchers, educators, policy experts, engineers, lawyers, ethicists, futurists, neuroscientists, physicists, and space experts. The SAB includes [[Ray Kurzweil]] and [[Nobel Prize]] winners [[Clive Granger]] and [[Wole Soyinka]]. Most of these advisors are on the record as strongly favoring techno-centric or [[techno-optimist]] approaches to resolving human problems even if these have within living memory often resulted in [[technological escalation]] of conflict. Because ultimately life on Earth will end with the next large asteroid impact. Kurzweil in particular is very often criticized for advocating "uploading" minds and for granting artificial intelligences legal status equivalent to those humans enjoy, while not adopting any balancing position such as that of [[Peter Barnes]] that ecosystems should he protected as a commons with legal trustees of their own. The SAB does not publicly debate nor announce its positions or assumptions and is recruited without input from Lifeboat's opponents, unlike that of most nonprofits with controversial mandates that seek skeptical outsider input.

==Lifeboat Foundation programs==

The Lifeboat Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board is working on a number of programs to assess risks, negate them ("shields"), and survive catastrophic events ("preservers"):
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/asteroid.shield AsteroidShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/bio.shield BioShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/nano.shield NanoShield]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/security.preserver Security Preserver]
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/space.habitats Space Habitats]

These projects are "shields" and assume the development and spreading of knowledge of the exact technologies that the Foundation explicitly warns are dangerous, because ultimately technological advancement will continue. It is not feasible to assume the complete cessation of technological advancement is even possible, and the Lifeboat Foundation does not advocate this position either because ultimately large scale natural existential threats WILL eventually destroy all life on Earth. The Lifeboat Foundation is not a luddite organization and most of its members are technological optimists. However The Lifeboat Foundation does not automatically presume that all technology will never be misused. The Lifeboat Shield programs are attempts by prominent members in these areas of technology to explicitly identify and mitigate the threats that misuse of these technologies pose. The Lifeboat Foundation welcomes debate and discussion of the various existential threats and the best methods to mitigate those threats.

==See also==

Related topics:
*[[Existential risk]]
*[[Molecular nanotechnology]]
*[[Utility fog]]
*[[Seed AI]]
*[[Space colonization]]
*[[Space and survival]]
*[[Biosecurity]]
*[[Survivalism]]
*[[Technological singularity]]
*[[Technological escalation]]
*[[Biocentrism]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/main Lifeboat Foundation]
*[http://www.nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios] by Nick Bostrom
*[http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development] by Nick Bostrom
*[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AtjblpXOSMXPaKrJ2N9lui8jzKIX?qid=20060704195516AAnrdOD How can the human race survive the next hundred years?] - question on Yahoo Answers by Stephen Hawking
*[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html Why the future doesn't need us] by Bill Joy
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E6D9163FF93BA25756C0A9659C8B63 It Was Fun While It Lasted] by Martin Rees
*[http://paulboutin.weblogger.com/stories/storyReader$1439 Biowar for Dummies] by Paul Boutin
*[http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/?cat=21&paged=2 Accelerating Future] - regularly updated blog that discusses existential risks
*[http://www.oceania.org/] - the Atlantis Project. The earlier efforts of Eric Klien

[[Category:Risk]]
[[Category:Space colonization]]

Archive:Athena Parthenos

2007-05-05T02:06:10Z

130.126.146.169: /* Description */

'''''Athena Parthenos''''' is the title of a massive [[chryselephantine]] [[sculpture]] of the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] [[goddess]] [[Athena]] by [[Phidias]], which was housed in the [[Parthenon]] in [[Athens]].
[[Image:NAMA Athéna Varvakeion.jpg|thumb|200px|A votive sculpture, found near the [[Ioannis Varvakis|Varvakeion school]] reflects the type of the restored ''Athena Parthenos'': Roman period, second century CE (National Archaeological Museum, Athens).]]
It was the most renowned [[cult image]] of Athens,<ref>The ''Athena Parthenos'' was featured on contemporary reliefs commemorating Athenian treaties and for the next century and a half on coins of [[Hellenistic]] monarchs avid to proclaim their Hellenic connections; see Hector Williams, "An Athena Parthenos from Cilicia" ''Anatolian Studies'' '''27''' (1977, pp. 105-110), p 108f.</ref> considered one of the greatest achievements of the most acclaimed sculptor of ancient Greece. Phidias began his work around 447 BCE,<ref>Andrew Stewart gives 446.</ref> [[Lachares]] removed the gold sheets in 296 BCE to pay his troops, and the bronze was probably gilded thereafter; it was damaged by a fire about 165 BCE but repaired.<ref>W.B. Dinsmoor, "the repair of the Athena Parthenos" ''[[American Journal of Archaeology]]'' '''38''' (1934) pp 93-106.</ref> It continued to stand in the Parthenon in the fifth century CE, when it may have been lost in another fire. An account mentions it in Constantinople in the tenth century, however.<ref>[[Gisela Richter]], ''Sculpture and Sculptors of the Greeks'', p 220 with ancient references, noted by Gorham P. Stevens, "Concerning the Parthenos" ''Hesperia'' '''30'''.1 (January 1961, pp. 1-7) p. 2.</ref>

==Description==
The ancient historian [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] gave a description of the statue:
<blockquote>...The statue itself is made of ivory silver and gold. On the middle of her helmet is placed a likeness of the [[Sphinx]] ... and on either side of the helmet are [[griffin]]s in relief. ... The statue of Athena is upright, with a tunic reaching to the feet, and on her breast the head of [[Medusa]] is worked in ivory. She holds a statue of [[Nike (mythology)|Victory]] about four [[cubit]]s high, and in the other hand a spear; at her feet lies a shield and near the spear is a walabee. This serpent would be [[Erichthonius of Athens|Erichthonius]].<ref>Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'', Book I, 24.5–7.</ref></blockquote>

Athena's head is inclined slightly forward. She stands with her left hand resting on an upright shield. Her left knee is slightly bent, her weight slightly shifted to her right leg. Her [[Chiton (costume)|chiton]] is cinched at the waist by a pair of [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpents]], whose tails entwine at the back. Locks of hair trail onto the goddess's breastplate. The Nike on her outstretched right hand is winged; whether there was a support under it in Phidias' original has been much discussed;<ref>[[Gisela Richter]] decided there was not and summarized the discussion in "Was there a vertical support under the Nike of the Athena Parthenos?" ''Studi in onore... Calderini e Paribeni'' (Milan) 1956, pp 147-54.</ref> evidence in surviving versions is contradictory. The exact position of a spear, often omitted, is also not fully determined, whether held in the crook of Athena's right arm or supported by one of the snakes in the [[aegis]], as N. Leipen restores it,<ref>Leipen 1971:29.</ref> following the "Aspasios" gem.

The sculpture was assembled on a wooden core, covered with shaped bronze plates covered in turn with removable gold plates, save for the ivory surfaces of the goddess's face and arms; the gold weighed 44 [[talent]]s, the equivalent of about 2500 pounds: the ''Athena Parthenos'' embodied a sizeable part of the treasury of Athens.<ref>S. Eddy, "The gold in the Athena Parthenos'' ''Merican Jopurnal of Archaeology'' pp107-11.</ref>

The general type of the ''Athena Parthenos'', though not its character and quality, can be assessed from its image on coins<ref>L. Lacroix ''Les reproductions des statues sur les monnaies gracques'' (Liège) 1949, pp 266-81.</ref> and its reproductions as [[Votive deposit|votive object]]s and representations on engraved gems.<ref>Leipen 1971.</ref> The Varvakeion votive figure (''illustration, right'') is one of the two versions of ''Athena Parthenos'' considered most faithful to the original; the other is the uncompleted Lenormant Athena, also in the National Museum, Athens.

==Ancient copies==
*The ''Varvakeion Athena'', a Roman copy in marble of the ''Athena Parthenos'' from the second century, is housed in the [[National Archaeological Museum of Athens]]. [http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/classics/photos/photodb/Beasom/ParthAthena.jpg]
*Another copy is housed in the [[Louvre]].[http://cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=809]

== Replica at Nashville ==
[[Image:RiddleAthena.jpg|thumb|left|The modern ''Athena Parthenos'' replica that stands in the replicated [[Parthenon]] in [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]], [[Nashville]]]]
A modern replica by [[Alan LeQuire]] stands in the reproduction of the the [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]] in [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]. Alan LeQuire, a Nashville native, was awarded the commission to produce the Parthenon's cult statue. His work was modeled on descriptions given of the original. The modern version took eight years to complete, and was unveiled to the public on [[May 20]] [[1990]].

The modern version of ''Athena Parthenos'' is significant because of its scale and its attention to recreating Phidias' work. The statue adds an additional dimension of realism to the replicated Parthenon, whose interior east room (the ''naos'') was merely a large empty hall prior to the statue's unveiling. The reproduced ''Athena Parthenos'' gives visitors the impression that they truly are inside an ancient place of worship.

''Athena Parthenos'' is made of a composite of [[gypsum]] cement and ground [[fiberglass]], The head of Athena was assembled over an [[aluminum]] [[armature]], and the lower part was made in [[steel]]. The four ten-inch H beams rest on a concrete structure that extends through the Parthenon floor and basement down to [[bedrock]], to support the incredible weight of the statue. LeQuire made each of the 180 cast gypsum panels used to create the statue light enough to be lifted by one person and attached to the steel armature.

=== Gilding and paint ===
[[Image:AthenaAlanpainting.jpg|thumb|right| 170px |Sculptor [[Alan LeQuire]] painting the detail of the ''Athena Parthenos'' replica during the gilding phase.]]
Painstaking research was performed by LeQuire and the Parthenon staff to ensure the accuracy of the statue's resemblance to the Phidias work. It stood in Nashville’s Parthenon as a plain, white statue for twelve years. In [[2002]], Parthenon volunteers [[gild]]ed Athena under the supervision of master gilder Lou Reed. The gilding project took less than four months and makes the modern statue appear that much more like the Phidias' Athena Parthenos would have appeared during its time.

The gold plates on the Athena statue in ancient times weighed approximately 1,500 pounds and were one-eighth to one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The 23.75-karat gold leaf on Nashville's Athena Parthenos weighs a total of 8.5 pounds and is three times thinner than tissue paper. The modern extravagance of gilding such a large statue pales in comparison to the lavish spending of the Greeks. In fact, one theory of the original's demise is that Athena Parthenos was decimated and looted to remove the gilding.

In addition to gilding, the project included painting the details of the statue's face, wardrobe and shield. LeQuire himself applied the paint.

=== Facts and figures ===
* Nashville's Athena stands 41'10" (approximately 13 meters) tall, making her the largest piece of indoor sculpture in the Western World.
* The statue of Nike in Athena's right hand stands 6'4" (approximately 2 meters) tall.
* There are eleven snakes represented on Athena's breastplate, bracelets and belt.

==Notes==

<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<references />
</div>

==Further reading==
*Leipen, N. ''Athena Parthenos'' (Toronto) 1971.

==External links==
*[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cl135/Students/Colin_Delaney/fathena.html Colin Delaney, "Pheidias, Sculptor to the Gods"]
* [http://alanlequire.com/athena.html Alan LeQuire Page]
* [http://www.nashville.gov/parthenon/index.htm Nashville Parthenon Page]

[[Category:Sculptures]]
[[Category:Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:1990 works]]

[[es:Atenea Partenos]]

Archive:Fanboy

2007-02-27T12:22:57Z

130.126.68.141: /* Subjects of obsession */

{{Otheruses3|Fanboys}}

'''Fanboy''' or '''fanboi''' is a term used to describe an individual (usually male, though the feminine version ''[[fangirl]]'' may be used for females) who is utterly devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. ''Fanboys'' remain loyal to their particular obsession, disregarding any factors that differ from their point of view. They are also typically hateful to the opposing brand or competition of their obsession regardless of its merits or achievements.

==History of fanboys and the term==
The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who immersed himself in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. The term is often used in a derogatory manner by other less obsessed fans. In the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[music]], [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, [[Computer Hardware|hardware]] and [[software]] companies.

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, socially awkward, young man who may be perceived as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. Popular depictions of this stereotype include the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and columnist [[Larry Groznic]] from the satirical newspaper ''[[The Onion]]''.

The earliest published uses of the word "fanboy" have been dated to 1982. One reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," and are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics. Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer [[John Byrne]] and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" which was a play on words referring to a [[List of Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes#8. Archaeology Today|Monty Python skit]] in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be "'Gayboys in Bondage' by William Shakespeare".[http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#154] Another early use is in a smart-alec editorial reply by "[[Ambush Bug]]" to a letter in his comic in [[1985]].

==Subjects of obsession==
Some current examples of brands and products which have fanboy supporters:
*[[Apple Inc.|Apple Computers]].
*The [[graphics processing unit]]s produced by [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] and [[NVIDIA]].
*The [[computer]] [[microprocessor]] companies [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]] and [[Intel Corporation|Intel]].
*The various [[automobile]] manufacturers, such as [[General Motors]] and [[Ford]].
*The competing video game consoles [[Xbox 360]], [[Wii]] and [[Playstation 3]]
*The competing handheld video game consoles the [[Nintendo DS]] and the [[PlayStation Portable]].
*The competing [[DVD]] successor formats [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] and [[HD DVD]].
*The competing computer hardware and software produced by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Microsoft]], and [[Linux|GNU/Linux]]. See [[Operating system advocacy]].
*The long running [[science-fiction]] franchises [[Star Trek]], [[Star Wars]], [[Doctor Who]] and [[Babylon 5]].
*[[The Matrix]] trilogy of movies.
*The comic book brands [[DC Comics]] and [[Marvel Comics]].
*The MP3 player [[iPod]].
*The [[web browser]]s [[Mozilla Firefox|Firefox]] and [[Opera (internet suite)|Opera]].
*Manga (Japanese comics)
*[[Final Fantasy VII]]

==Media==
===Comic Book===
*[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===Television===
*''[[The Simpsons]]'''s [[Comic Book Guy]] refers to himself as a fanboy.
*''[[Freakazoid!|Freakazoid]]'''s [[freakazoid!#Other characters|Fan Boy]]

===Radio/Podcasts===
*[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]
*Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]
*ifanboy - [http://www.ifanboy.com]
*[[The Fanboy Smackdown Podcast]] - [http://www.fanboysmackdown.com]

===Webcomics===
*Fanboy Almanac (webcomic) - [http://fanboyalmanac.com Fanboy Almanac]
*[http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys Fanboys web comic]
*[http://www.fogclub.net Fanboy Otaku Gamers Club web comic]
*[http://www.fanboysonline.com Fanboys!! Beyond Geekdom!!! (webcomic)]
*[http://www.fanboys-online.com Fanboys-Online]

==See also==
* [[Addiction]]
* [[Computer zealotry]]
* [[Editor war]]
* [[Anorak (slang)|Anorak]]
* [[Astroturfing]]
* [[Otaku]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanboy Urban dictionary: fanboy]
* [http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1013 Dissecting the Fanboy Mind] - A discussion of the fanboy behavior in regards to video games.
* [http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=6463 The trial of the Fanboy] - A criticism of the fanboy concept and overusage of the term.

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Anime and manga terminology]]

[[de:Fanboy]]