"T.E. Lawrence, eponymously of Arabia, but very much an Englishman, favored pinching a burning match between his fingers to put it out. When asked by his colleague, William Potter, to reveal his trick -- how is it he so effectively extinguished the flame without hurting himself whatsoever -- Lawrence just smiled and said,

 

'The trick, Potter, is not minding it hurts.'

 

The fire that danced at the end of that match was a gift from the Titan, Prometheus, a gift that he stole from the gods. When Prometheus was caught and brought to justice for his theft, the gods, well, you might say they overreacted a little. The poor man was tied to a rock as an eagle ripped through his belly and ate his liver over and over, day after day, ad infinitum. 

 

All because he gave us fire, our first true piece of technology: Fire.

 

• 100,000 BC: Stone tools.

• 4,000 BC: The wheel.

• 9th century AD: Gunpowder. Bit of a game-changer, that one.

• 19th century: Eureka! The light bulb!!

• 20th century: The automobile, television, nuclear weapons, space craft, Internet.

• 21st century: Biotech, nanotech, fusion and fission and M-theory -- and that was just the first decade.We are now three months into the year of our Lord, 2023.

 

At this moment in our civilization, we can create cybernetic individuals who, in just a few short years, will be completely indistinguishable from us. 

 

Which leads to an obvious conclusion: 

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WE are the gods now. 

 

For those of you who know me, you will be aware by now that my ambition is unlimited. You know that I will settle for nothing short of greatness, or I will die trying.

 

For those of you who do not yet know me, allow me to introduce myself:

 

My name is Peter Weyland. And if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to change the world."

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Source: Prometheus Viral Peter Weyland TED Talk