EAT CELEBRITY MEAT

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Why I cannot tells between satire and reality anymore? 

Is satire. Delicious, delicious satire.

Allegedly not:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-guy-who-want-to-sell-you-salami-made-out-of-james-franco-are-100-serious

I'll post the entirety of "Kevin's" emails below, because why not:

Our team is deeply interested in food-culture, celebrity & media as well as thinking about the future. Other than highlighting bioethical issues, we are also interested in the way celebrity culture is consumed and hope that there is some kind of back-handed commentary on that.  To develop Celebrity Meat, we're working with a group of bio-engineers and food designers, most of which have requested to remain anonymous due to the controversial nature of the product. 

As for our current campaign, we are hoping to generate celebrity interest and involvement so that we can develop a prototype with celebrity meat. In-vitro meat has the potential to revolutionize the meat industry, with both environmental, animal rights, and eventually economic benefits. We hope that our campaigning efforts will confront people with the very real possibility of a lab-grown meat future.

As for the response, all I can say is that twitter is blowing up, and we've been blown away.  We estimate BiteLabs has been tweeted about over 3000 times in the past 24 hours, and our site has gotten some 100,000 views at the time of this writing. I believe Jennifer Lawrence and James Franco are pretty neck and neck in terms of who has been tweeted at the most.  We've gotten some responses from people offering us biopsies, but no one on the level of our big 4 yet.  Most of the responses have been very positive, but of course some people are a bit uncomfortable with idea of BiteLabs--we think that's only to be expected when we talk about pushing the boundaries of tech and society.

Again, thank you for your interest in BiteLabs!

Kevin from the BiteLabs Team

bitelabs.org

thndr.it/1o2dG6S

* * *

On the subject of seriousness - we're not sure what the market is for celebrity meat. We're in startup mode at the moment though - our first goal is to connect with our user-base and find celebrities interested in participating. BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

We also think that prompting the cultural discussion around lab-grown meats and popular culture will acclimate people to the field. We're treating it as a cultural precursor for when our product eventually hits production.

The product is indeed salami. Each salami will have roughly 30% celebrity meat and 40% lab-grown animal meats (we're currently looking into ostrich and venison but it pork and beef are more popular in our early research). The rest will consist of fats and spices. This break-down comes from consultation with expert food designers and chefs.

Our process is very similar to existing methodologies used to make the Google Burger, just tailored to human muscle instead of cow. For more information, check out the 'process-learn more' section of our website.

It would be amazing to have lab meat in major retail outlets! Our early plans revolve around web distribution at the moment though.

If we receive major interest, we'll talk to investors, but we also think crowdfunding celebrity meat via Kickstarter might be a way for us to bootstrap.

We have reasons to remain anonymous at the moment due to the controversial nature of our product. We're a very small team right now (less than 5).

* * *

In terms of hard info, we are a recently formed startup that is trying to get off the ground to provoke a dialogue around what we see as an emerging market space. And while we are working full time on this, we don't want to misrepresent ourself as an established company that is prepared to bring a product to market.

We still feel like its too early to share anything personal. We understand that this generates a certain degree of skepticism and we're okay with that being expressed. Our primary goal right now is to create a public dialogue about around the potential for commercially available lab-grown meat.

If satire, I've seen worse and much more dull ways to attack celebrity culture.

If serious, it's the path to a horrifically hilarious future. "Side of latest pop star to go" territory. Considering some of our current cultural icons,  I bet some would consider it if the money was right. I've no idea where the relative cost effectiveness and other issues currently stand with cloned meat beyond it's possible and has been done.

Either way, I'd expect more to come sooner or later.

What a mouthwatering development.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

I don't recall it being posted here, if you don't mind restating some of the other reasons.

While I agree it's humorous, that doesn't exclude it from also being designed as a market research tool for selling lab grown animal meats.

It's a classic door-in-the-face technique.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

I don't recall it being posted here, if you don't mind restating some of the other reasons.

While I agree it's humorous, that doesn't exclude it from also being designed as a market research tool for selling lab grown animal meats.

It's a classic door-in-the-face technique.

It was about six months ago... it's marginally possible that the conversation was actually on another forum, but I don't think so as I don't recall having time for any other forums in the last year.

I am working on a final project, if I decide I have time to fuck off I'll try to dig up the original conversation so I don't have to retrace my steps, but all the clues that it's satire designed to stimulate dialogue are in the interviews.

Could it be a market research tool? I suppose if you want to reach it could be just about anything. I'm just saying what it's not, which is a real product under development.

[Bruno]

Couldn't they just sell it with a big disclaimer on the side that says "Not for consumption. External use only."?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Couldn't they just sell it with a big disclaimer on the side that says "Not for consumption. External use only."?

No, because there are really stringent regulations on the sale of human tissue. It's kind of a big deal if you work in research that uses human tissue, for a variety of reasons. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is a good (and really interesting) book to read if you're interested in the florid history of human tissue in research.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

You should go through their website and see if you can find their promotional video, it's hilarous.

[P3nT4gR4m]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

I came to the exact same conclusion, based on the exact same line you've bolded. However, the current bioethics legislation only applies to the scientific, medical and corporate establishments. Once the tech to print dna and vat-grow tissue hits the mainstream, I don't expect the hackersphere being any more compliant with legislation than they ever were. I envisage a porn industry, awash with vat-grown celebrity bodyparts 

[minuspace]

Whatever, I wont feel at home until they serve that caviar with teat-fresh creme

[Reginald Ret]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

I came to the exact same conclusion, based on the exact same line you've bolded. However, the current bioethics legislation only applies to the scientific, medical and corporate establishments. Once the tech to print dna and vat-grow tissue hits the mainstream, I don't expect the hackersphere being any more compliant with legislation than they ever were. I envisage a porn industry, awash with vat-grown celebrity bodyparts 

Allow me to onetwo-up you.
Vat-grown animal parts.
Vat-grown children parts.

Hell, why not a Vat-grown whole body but with a disabled CNS.
Slightly horrible yet still quite horrible alternative: Narcissism to the wall.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

No, really, it's satire. It's totally excellent satire. For so many reasons I am pretty sure I went over the last time someone posted it, not least of which being the degree of totally illegal-and-not-gonna-get-legal it is to sell human cell tissue for consumption.

BiteLabs is 100% serious in prompting widespread discussion about bioethics, lab-grown meats, and celebrity culture - this is very important to us. Making celebrity meat a reality from there will all depend on our ability to build a user-base.

I came to the exact same conclusion, based on the exact same line you've bolded. However, the current bioethics legislation only applies to the scientific, medical and corporate establishments. Once the tech to print dna and vat-grow tissue hits the mainstream, I don't expect the hackersphere being any more compliant with legislation than they ever were. I envisage a porn industry, awash with vat-grown celebrity bodyparts 

Unfortunately, your imagination doesn't have any association with the conditions of science and technology in reality.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Laser printing of DNA start file - Check
Cold booting resultant stem cells - Check
3d printing dangly parts scaffold - Check

What we missing, exactly? We're a year or two (max) away from 3d printed organs based on recipient genome. You honestly think Linsey Lohan's anus is going to be much more difficult?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Laser printing of DNA start file - Check
Cold booting resultant stem cells - Check
3d printing dangly parts scaffold - Check

What we missing, exactly? We're a year or two (max) away from 3d printed organs based on recipient genome. You honestly think Linsey Lohan's anus is going to be much more difficult?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Laser printing of DNA start file - Check
Cold booting resultant stem cells - Check
3d printing dangly parts scaffold - Check

What we missing, exactly? We're a year or two (max) away from 3d printed organs based on recipient genome. You honestly think Linsey Lohan's anus is going to be much more difficult?

While we're able to work with DNA, and we've sequenced the (generalized) human genome, it's not always exactly that easy. You can't quite laser print a genome on demand, and then assemble the composite atoms in the appropriate places. Usually when we create genes of interest, it's through mass cloning of that specific gene. And that's just one gene. Humans have a sequence over 3 billion nucleotides long. And remember, it's not just all 0s and 1s, it's A, T, C, G.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

We can't even create viable clones of other species, 100% of the time.