Why hasn't the Singularity gone mainstream (yet?) (power, advance, desktop)

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Canaan-84

I think it depends on the technology, I mean I don't see car prices getting lower they seem to have remained steady for decades.

Cars is not a form of information technology and that is why many predictions, like flying cars, are never accurate. That being said if you take inflation into account cars are much cheaper today then they were in the past. That is why when my dad was growing up in the 50's most families had one car where today families have multiple cars.

[Canaan-84]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

Cars is not a form of information technology and that is why many predictions, like flying cars, are never accurate. That being said if you take inflation into account cars are much cheaper today then they were in the past. That is why when my dad was growing up in the 50's most families had one car where today families have multiple cars.

I looked it up, Cars in the 1970s were apparently around 3,000-4000 and today that would be around 18,000-24,000 which seems about the same today.

As for multiple cars today, perhaps because when you buy a car you don't really own it until you pay off all the monthly payments which are much lower than the cars actual cost.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Canaan-84

I looked it up, Cars in the 1970s were apparently around 3,000-4000 and today that would be around 18,000-24,000 which seems about the same today.

As for multiple cars today, perhaps because when you buy a car you don't really own it until you pay off all the monthly payments which are much lower than the cars actual cost.

Good point. Honestly this is one area I don't study up on much as it has nothing to do with infiemation techbology and the singularity. The only thing I know is what I have seen in work and learned from school. I know cars are more common today and one of the factors is the cost.

[Canaan-84]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

Good point. Honestly this is one area I don't study up on much as it has nothing to do with infiemation techbology and the singularity. The only thing I know is what I have seen in work and learned from school. I know cars are more common today and one of the factors is the cost.

But Cars are integrating computers into their structures now more than ever, The Chevy Sonic even comes with Siri and in 5-6 years we'll have self driving cars (well I think they'll be very expensive).

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Canaan-84

But Cars are integrating computers into their structures now more than ever, The Chevy Sonic even comes with Siri and in 5-6 years we'll have self driving cars (well I think they'll be very expensive).

True. I have the Mercedes 500 ML and it has many computers in it. In fact the one that controls the climate control recently went out and it cost me $800 to fix it. Plus Mercedes is going to have a car that is driverless on the market this year. So yes the computer components are information technology but the basic mechanical working of a car are not.

[Josseppie]

It looks like computers are now taking over the mass transit industry. This is, also, why I talk about technological unemployment.

This is from Gizmag:

Should you be at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) sometime soon, and wish to take the shuttle bus to JTC Corporation's CleanTech Park, you might find yourself in a vehicle that drives itself. Plans call for just such an autonomous shuttle to start running the 2-km (1.2-mile) route, as a real-world test of driverless public transportation. The electric 8-passenger vehicle is a model already being made by France’s Induct Technology, and is known as the Navia.

The link: Singapore to try out driverless shuttle on public roads

[Josseppie]

I happen to see this and while it will take a while to read and look at all the videos I think it is well worth it. The biggest problem I have with it is this statement:

And at the current pace of advancement, processors won't be able to fully emulate the complexities of the brain until the 2050s.

This shows that even they do not fully appreciate the impact of computers advancing exponentially. Ken Jennings is in the same boat as he is very smart but does not totally grasp how computers will continue to get smaller and the knowledge will not be at our finger tips but will be accessed instantly once the computers are the size of blood cells. That will allow all of us to be as smart as Watson or Einstein. Finally it does have skeptics and I do understand that technology has its bad as well as its good side and of course it includes Ray Kurzweil and one of his lectures. Overall I think it is very good and worth the time it takes to read and watch the programs.

This is from Mobiledia:

There you are, ambling along a formidable stretch of the Great Wall of China. You speak no Chinese, and yet, though your translator, you're able to understand the nuances of its history and architecture. He not only interprets what the tour guide and fellow travelers say, but he also answers all your questions with a quick, yet comprehensive, store of knowledge.

He never tires and he doesn't complain, and after a few brief stops, he picks up on your fatigue and suggests a break to take in the scenery. As you gaze at one of the great wonders of the world, you realize his near-magical ability to sense your needs -- even before you can articulate them -- has enhanced the experience.

That's because, of course, he's a robot.

The link: Mind vs. Machine: Computers That Think Like Us | Mobiledia

[Josseppie]

This came across my Facebook and will help us in many key areas including living for a long time. Plus it will help us in a key component of the singularity, man merging with machines.

This is from Science Daily:

Aug. 20, 2013 — On August 20, JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments will publish a technique from the Capadona Lab at Case Western Reserve University to accommodate two challenges inherent in brain-implantation technology, gauging the property changes that occur during implantation and measuring on a micro-scale. These new techniques open the doors for solving a great challenge for bioengineers -- crafting a device that can withstand the physiological conditions in the brain for the long-term.

The link: Building better brain implants: The challenge of longevity

[Josseppie]

I happen to see this fun yet informative article on the singularithy so I thought I would post it.

This is from Las Vegas Guardian Express:

You may never have heard of the Singularity, but many scientists call its advent “inevitable,” and it has the potential-some would even say the promise-to deliver the human race to immortality. In order to understand how we can become immortal via the Singularity, we first have to understand what it is. According to Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near and co-founder of Singularity University.

I really like this quote they took from Ray Kurzweil as it's exactly what I talk about happening in the 2020's and 2030's and why I say the singularity will effectively start by 2030.

Biotechnology is providing the means to actually change your genes: not just designer babies but designer baby boomers…the nanotechnology revolution…will achieve maturity in the 2020s. With nanotechnology, we will be able to go beyond the limits of biology, and replace your current “human body version 1.0” with a dramatically upgraded version 2.0, providing radical life extension…As we get to the 2030s, the nonbiological portion of our intelligence will predominate.

The link: Immortality will be Delivered by the Singularity Say Scientists | Las Vegas Guardian Express

[Josseppie]

I have posted about the 2045 conference. This is a good write-up on the conference and it includes some videos.

This is from PHYS.ORG:

Part 1

Futurists, visionaries, scientists, technologists, philosophers, and others who take this view to heart convened on June 15-16, 2013 in New York City at Global Futures 2045 International Congress: Towards a New Strategy for Human Evolution. GF2045 was organized by the 2045 Strategic Social Initiative founded by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov in February 2011 with the main goals of creating and realizing a new strategy for the development of humanity – one based upon our unique emerging capability to effect self-directed evolution. The initiative's two main science projects are focused largely on Transhumanism – a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing the dynamic interplay between humanity and the acceleration of technology. Specifically, the 2045 Initiative's projects seek to (1) enable an individual's personality to be transferred to a more advanced non-biological substrate, and (2) extend life to the point of immortality – and those skeptical about the likelihood of achieving these goals should consider Arthur C. Clarke's laws of prediction.

The link: The world according to Itskov: Futurists convene at GF2045 (Part 1)

Part 2

The link: The world according to Itskov: Futurists convene at GF2045 (Part 2)