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Ditch the body
I've got a few new ideas that I'd like to discuss, but they all depend on one precept that probably requires s little explanation: Removing our consciousness from our bodies. I've got a new essay out at Hubpages that talks about this idea, and it will serve as a basis for some further writing.
Kurzweil: Singularity overview
Just ran across this great short overview of accelerating technology (featuring Ray Kurzweil) at Wall Street Journal. Nice overview.
Advanced degrees
In the last couple of months Isaac has taken a renewed interest in cooking with me in the kitchen. It occurred to me the other day that it might be possible to enroll him into some kids' cooking schools or something similar, just to see if he likes it. It could end up being something he loves and sticks with and becomes a chef at age 17, or it could be just another thing to try. Who knows.
Anyway, today I ran across a site that sells robotic training kits, and I thought this would be another cool thing for him to try and see if he likes. What a step beyond my old Capsela sets! It's surprising to me sometimes how easily kids can adopt technologies, but on the other hand, they are largely encountering things that just work; we had to go through the growing pains of our first computers, our first VCRs, etc. so we have an inherent memory of these things failing. We also understand the complexity behind them better, which makes me wonder: when you stand on the shoulders of giants, how important is it that you know how the giants got there?
Anyway, today I ran across a site that sells robotic training kits, and I thought this would be another cool thing for him to try and see if he likes. What a step beyond my old Capsela sets! It's surprising to me sometimes how easily kids can adopt technologies, but on the other hand, they are largely encountering things that just work; we had to go through the growing pains of our first computers, our first VCRs, etc. so we have an inherent memory of these things failing. We also understand the complexity behind them better, which makes me wonder: when you stand on the shoulders of giants, how important is it that you know how the giants got there?
Nobody Likes the Smart People: Accelerated Thought and the Uncanny Valley
In my recent essay on hubpages.com, I look at the phenomenon of the "uncanny valley" and how it may apply as we approach a time when technological augmentation will begin to differentiate us (humans) at some pretty fundamental levels. I focus on differences in thought because to me, changing the way we think and behave is more potentially disruptive to our social nature than, say, super-strong arms or even amazing hearing abilities, which seem like more like parlor tricks. Give it a read -- I'll be glad to hear what you think!
Singularity Primer at Hubpages
In keeping with my promise for this space, I've published what I hope will be a first-of-several article regarding the Singularity out at hubpages.com. It's a pretty cursory overview of my impression of how the Singularity will come about, and it hints at some of the questions I hope to be able to answer in future articles/posts. Have a look if you're interested!
Singularity: The Movie
No blog talking about futurism, nanotechnology, and the Singularity can possibly avoid mentioning Ray Kurzweil at some point. So I'll get my initial mention out of the way right now.
http://singularity.com/themovie/index.html
What makes me think this might not be completely awful is the fact that the list of co-stars/featured people is like a who's who of real-world futurism and technology forethought: Marvin Minsky, Neil Gershenfeld, K. Eric Drexler... these are heavy hitters. So maybe a cross between "Nano" and "An Inconvenient Truth". But nerdier.
Much like the future itself, I'm quite uneasy but can't bear to make myself look away... :)
http://singularity.com/themovie/index.html
And now I'm cautiously excited 'cause apparently Ray Kurzweil's 2006 book "The Singularity is Near" (which I'm reading) is being released as a movie in 2008. I'm scared of the plot summary, which involves an avatar saving the world from self-replicating nanobots. Sounds like it could get kinda bad (c.f. "Nano" by John Robert Marlow), if they're really going to try and infuse a lot of drama into it.
What makes me think this might not be completely awful is the fact that the list of co-stars/featured people is like a who's who of real-world futurism and technology forethought: Marvin Minsky, Neil Gershenfeld, K. Eric Drexler... these are heavy hitters. So maybe a cross between "Nano" and "An Inconvenient Truth". But nerdier.
Much like the future itself, I'm quite uneasy but can't bear to make myself look away... :)
Lusty Airing? I don't get it.
The short answer is that it's an anagram of "Singularity", which is one of the topics that really interests me. I'll fill this space with occasional thoughts about the future of computing, the future of humanity, and the future of humanity's relationship with the technologies we've created.
This will NOT be a place where I talk about gadgets, stupid technology tricks, and things like that (though I may occasionally mention them or link to posts); there are already plenty of those out there. This is a place for talking about our "technological adolescence", which we continue to approach with more and more questions.
I'll also post links here to stuff that I write in other places, that doesn't nicely fit the blog format. Stay tuned.
This will NOT be a place where I talk about gadgets, stupid technology tricks, and things like that (though I may occasionally mention them or link to posts); there are already plenty of those out there. This is a place for talking about our "technological adolescence", which we continue to approach with more and more questions.
I'll also post links here to stuff that I write in other places, that doesn't nicely fit the blog format. Stay tuned.
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