"Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

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Last night I watched a documentary based on scientist, inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil’s book, “Singularity is Near.” If you’ve been following the advancements of Science and Technology, Kurzweil is a much revered figure in this field. He’s the inventor of the flatbed scanner and portable audio readers for the blind, just to mention a few significant achievements.

Here’s a few key points. The goal of this thread to start a discussion that stems from the following predictions and thoughts flavored with your thought process. Read carefully please.

  • The most powerful phenomena in the universe is intelligence.
  • Pretty much any problem can be overcome by leveraging science and technology.
  • There are 3 main areas that control our existence: GENETICS, NANO-TECHNOLOGY and ROBOTICS (artificial intelligence).
  • In a few years, a few decades, machines will match human intelligence.

GENETICS (a few examples for discussion):

  • Not too long ago, life expectancy was 25 years. That was our genetic “program” but we’ve been able to “re-program” our genetic set up and have increased the life expectancy.
  • Genes = sequences of data
  • The cell membrane is made of a certain substance that depletes with time so you can replace it with a supplement containing that substance.
  • The obesity gene can be “turned off.”

NANOTECHNOLOGY (a few examples):

  • tiny devices the size of our blood cells that will be planted inside of humans
  • they will download appropriate software and fix version 1 of our bodies, ailments, etc.

ROBOTICS (a few examples):

  • Best source of artificial intelligence: the human brain itself
  • We will recreate artificial intelligence that are real people
  • It is essentially an expansion of the mind by interfacing with technology

FInally,

  • These trends are exponential.
  • What is singularity? It’s much like the tear in the fabric of space-time inside a black hole…and then everything becomes one with each other.
  • Eventually we will transcend humanity.

Kurzweil has many critics who feel he is naive to think that there aren’t any possible negative consequences of such advancement. But then, there is this: It is not a matter of whether it is good or bad; it is going to happen. Anyone who resists it, resists evolution.

(The above points are based on my understand of what I have seen and read thus far. Please feel free correct me if I have misunderstood some points)

DISCUSS PLEASE.
(Madam CM, if you think this thread is more suited in Science & Nature, please move there. There’s a lot of technology in it so that’s why I chose this forum)

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

A very interesting thread. I will be keeping up with what people say.

I dunno. As much as I love science, technology, advancement and all that, I do think nature (God?) itself has placed certain laws that prohibit man kind from getting way ahead of itself.

Law of conservation of energy. Let's try and imagine a world where this law did not exist. Power would almost be free. We would have limitless energy and and the advancement of the human race would occur at a phenomenal rate. The dream that is deep space travel would become a reality. A feasible reality. It's hard to imagine a world where energy could just be created.

Relativity. The speed of light is the quickest anything (energy, mass, communication, information) can take place. If it weren't for this rule, time travel across great periods would be an easy reality. I can only imagine the implications that would have on humanity.

These are all I can think of off the top of my head.

As far as genetics goes, I'm not all that familiar with this field. However, the ultimate goal of immortality is beyond us I believe.

Just as these constants and laws have been eventually uncovered, I'm sure there are other boundaries in place that will prevent us from reaching a state of oneness with with technology and science. We may be able to see what needs to be done in order to achieve this, but man's reach exceeds his grasp. Call me a skeptic, but a universal equilibrium has never been farther, and it will never be closer. Pretty sure that's a law in thermodynamics too :D

But let's suppose we reached this singularity. The path to enlightenment would not be so cheap. Everyone would want it and companies could charge whatever they want because everyone would want it. I don't think humanity is mature enough to handle something so SACRED as this.

Kind of reminds me of a story of a journalist who goes to the house of a scientist working on the development of the atomic bomb. The scientist is at home with his young child and the journalist tries to convince him to abandon research on the nuclear bomb because mankind is not ready for something like this. Despite all his efforts the scientist refuses. The journalist gets ready to leave but asks the scientist for a glass of water. The scientist goes in the kitchen to get a glass of water and comes back to find that the journalist has gone but gave the young child a gun. The scientist carefully takes the gun out of the hands of the child and finds it to be fully loaded. Shocked, the scientist wonders "what kind of a mad man would give a child such a dangerous weapon?".

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Most things on this planet are not just expensive or inexpensive because of its rarity on Earth. Its also because of how much monetization people can get from it. Power and oil and other commodities and resources are given false values, but as long as people are paying for it.

But getting back to the topic, Kurzweil brings up an interesting point that technology is growing at such an exponential rate that it has become embedded in our lives.

Most writers and futurists, when they describe the days to come create a drama in it (or nobody would buy it) which contradicts our beliefs and shakes up the businesses of people who are used to free inflow of money. Including organized religions and traditional news media etc. (lookup Rupert Murdoch).

The actual future is already here. Look around you. The lives we lead already have so much technology built into it that we can't live without it. It crept in so stealthily that we didn't even feel it. The nanobots that Kurzweil talks about are going to come the same way. Its not going to fight us, its going to help us get to newer heights.
Ofcourse not everyone would agree with that (for now) but they'll be using it in the days to come.

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Re: “Singularity is Near” by Ray Kurzweil

Please watch:

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

I can see his singularity concept taking place right now. Admittedly when i was reading through his spiritual machines book some of the stuff was a bit over my head. But the singularity concept is based on the idea that humans and machine/computers will become a single entity in the future. And this is happening at quite an alarming pace. If you think back to the 80s, computers (im taking about the gigantic old fashioned ones) was a big thing. The idea of ipods and iphones was far-fetched Then fast forward some 30 years and the iphone etc is not just invented but taken for granted. Plastic surgery is an example of where the singularity concept really comes into play cuz you have un natural elements entering the human body. Just the other day i seen something on the news - research was being conducted about a chip of some sort which is supposed to numb the feeling of pain once injected into the patient(didnt know how they did it but they did). Once it was injected into the patient in this case it did just that (If i can find the clip ill post it at some point).

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

This 2005 book Singularity is Near is an update of The Age of Spiritual Machines. I haven't read either of the books, but will do so now. I'm very fascinated by the confidence in his beliefs. He says this "will" happen and not "may" happen. He handles criticism very well and his demeanor is one where you want to believe him. Of course, many of his predictions are now reality so one takes that into account as well.

And I don't think he wants to play God or is suggesting that we do. He is just stating what is obvious. The hardest part is us humans finding comfort in where the future is going.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Anyone smell the New Age Movement?

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

I think it's true. If you look at someone like Professor Kevin Warwick, who was able to implant chips into his body and have a robot mimic his movements, or Harvard bioengineers who were able to store 700 Terebytes into 1 gram of DNA, we can see that research on integrating man and machine has already progressed very far. I have also read about artificial eyes that are able to interface with the brain and allow blind people to see, albeit at a lower resolution.

It's interesting to think about how far we will integrate with technology.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Today In Marrow show the topic was 2 Republican Congressmen who were in Science committee. One believes earth is 1000 or 5000 yrs old. Other believes a woman who is draped wont get pregnant.

One giant step back many steps forward.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

I just had a discussion with a friend about sci-fi and I remembered this interview I heard of a sci-fi writer, Larry Niven. Somebody asked him, "Larry, how do you come up with ideas so many years before the thing is even invented?"

So Larry replies, "Son, you have this thing backwards. Kids read my novels, they grow up and then they invent the things they read about when they were younger"

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

^^ That's pretty much like what we've seen in shows like Star Trek for example. So many years ago, they were using "tablets" and portable scanning devices, "beaming" and voice recognition technology that are all a reality today.

We have to give credit to the genius minds that create these and those that actually go on to invent them. So then who's to say that what Kurzweil or other futurists aren't too far from what's to come?

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Can someone please summarise? :o

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

"Welcome to the future"!

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Re: “Singularity is Near” by Ray Kurzweil

Huma, you of all people could use this advancement in nano-technology and robotics towards your forensics. Think of how quickly and accurately you can unravel murder cases :eek:!

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

the divide between haves and have nots will be massive for some time because all these advancements are not cheap and ability to use them universally will be low.

with this nanotechnology empowered genetic manipulations/management etc against disease, and AI enabled capabilities. those who can afford it, and want to afford it will be at odds with the huge majority of have nots who will not have access to these things.

The chances of abuse are not remote either, today hackers attack your PCs or those of banks and govts, tomorrow they can hack al this nano tech implanted or injected in population bodies, leaders, soldiers..with a possibility of turning people into unwilling and unaware spies or worse yet, turn them into the hackers tool, or simply kill them from inside.

what about regulations around use of nanotechnology, breath in something at an employers office during interview and they determine genetically how close you are to an ideal candidate? a twist on sorts on gattaca.

you think security of your mobile device and online banking is important?
you aint seen nothing yet.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Short of saying, "Biden did it" you came up with everything else you could think of to diss the idea.

Aaj neend nahin aa rahi kya?

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

I am surprised to see you view it as a diss.

fully supportive of technological evolution. Critique, impact assessment and contingency reviews are not being opposed to an idea, but often to further the idea. I am noting types of challenges, opportunities and decisions that need to be made.

do you think the guys who try to estimate challenges that social media, online transactions or even augmented reality present are dissing the idea or are they fully vested and looking beyond the basics? cybercrime, cyberspying all that stuff? or concerns with others to control telecom infrastructure?

Yes it was different than what was being said, but why parrot what everyone has said already? falling in line has never been my cup of tea, niether has been to be an echo chamber or captain obvious.

In a few years refer back to this thread and bow to my obvious intellectual superiority. Until then you guys can continue worshipping at the altar of Ray :p

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Bidden did it. He kicked Ryan ash today.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

Huge fight between X2 and Baba re: pros and cons of nanotechnology. Somehow Bidden crashed the party. Hope this was helpful.

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Re: "Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil

fight? no no... thats just his way of having me educate him.