Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Coming Singularity

My dear husband recently forwarded an Article from Time magazine on Ray Kurzweil and The Coming Singularity (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular). Talk about some seriously mind-blowing stuff!! I'm not sure how much of it I believe, but Kurzweil is one seriously smart dude and if he and big-brains like him truly think that the coming Artificial Intelligence Boom will change mankind forever, then I guess it's time to re-watch I, Robot and prepare for the massively awesome technological explosion that said big-brains believe will change life forever in this little rock called Earth. 

In 1965, at 16 years old, Ray Kerzweil appeared on the television show I've Got A Secret, where he played a piano piece written by a computer he designed and built. check it out here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Neivqp2K4on YouTube.WOW in and of itself. 
A that Young Kurzweil could build the computer at all, and 
B that in 1965, 1965!!, a computer wrote NEW original compositions of music- 
AND it wasn't crap either!

Since that time, Kurzweil has written several bestselling books on The Coming Singularity including The Singularity Is Near - available in print and Kindle format.

Frankly, I have little doubt that computers will transcend human intelligence, but I had always assumed that this would happen FAR FAR FAR after I pass from this mortal coil. Kurzweil and the other Big Brains seem to think however that the Singularity is imminent... by 2045... I may very well live to see the day that humans inject their consciences into computers, androids, whatever-the-hell they will be called. And they will! If the technology exists, many many "mere humans" will be quick to shed their mortal bodies for the cold indifferent immortal "flesh" of machine. NOT I! And oh how I hope not any of mine. I sometimes wish I were smarter more intelligent, better able to clearly speak what goes on in the echoing canyon of my skull... maybe then I could convey how very much the thought of the human race consigned to immortality is a frightening prospect.

OK I'm done... read the Time Article... it's fascinatingly frightful. 

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