Kay McClanahan (r) congratulates her Lower Richland buddy, David Coward, on his talk at the Torch Club.

David Coward sold his communications technology business five years ago and became a "kept man," tending to his wife's needs and his children's homework. In his spare time, he delved into the depths of the Internet, the World Wide Web, and String Theory. He presented a sample of what he has discovered to the Torch Club April 25.

Human communications, Coward said, began when an early homo sapien struggled to alert his mate that a saber-toothed tiger was at the entrance to their cave. Now we are on the verge of a nanotech revolution that might just turn magic into reality. This technology has created new risks that, if we fail to communicate properly, might destroy us.

This stay-at-home dad studies the work of artificial intelligence techno-visionary Ray Kurzweil with an eye on advances in human augmentation, mental enhancement, and biological engineering. Coward believes the digital technology is the future, but human dignity and basic humanness can't be found in a computer.

The Torch Club is an organization of men and women who enjoy presenting ideas to a forum for discussion. Each month one member speaks following a dinner at The Palmetto Club and the other members attempt to tear his presentation apart. What fun! For information on the Torch Club contact Ed Latimer, 803-776-4765.