RexMundi Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Re: The Singularity? What gives you the idea that all smart women are naggy? Careful....I didn't SAY "All smart women are naggy." now. Just pointed out a trait, that one can chain to an intellectual event and evolution. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Careful....I didn't SAY "All smart women are naggy." now. Just pointed out a trait' date=' that one can chain to an intellectual event and evolution.[/quote'] With intellect' date=' comes Nagging[/quote'] That's a really thin line you're drawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Re: The Singularity? It's still a Line though not a circle. I didn't even specify Gender even. Now, it's a Blurry Line, which makes it a perfect application for the entire Singularity model methinks. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? No need, I can swing back on to the tangent. There's actually a James P. Hogan novel if I recall that deals with a point of the Singularity, but I can't remember the name of it (been looking for it this week as well)......Something about making the AI then trying to turn it off. Someone fess up to it's title so I can find the thing heh......Rounding out a few Sci Fi books for a reading assignment to my players and I want them to at least be able to understand the Singularity Backdrop in "Beyond Wikipedia" terms...... ~Rex I thought it was mentioned near the beginning of this thread, but the novel you're thinking of is THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW. It starts with a disaster on the moon. A computer (with control of a lot powerful equipment) was assigned a job and went about it a completely logical--but unexpected and destructive--fashion that might well have killed a LOT of people in different circumstances. The characters were concerned that such accidents would become more common as computers got smarter, but not "human" smart, so they were thinking of creating an Artificial Intelligence which WOULD be, well, intelligent. But what if it turned hostile? Would they be able to pull the plug on it? They decided to install said system on a space station and experiment, essentially goading it into coming into conflict with humans--if that was possible. If worse came to worst and they lost control, they could limit the damage...and know not to build a system like that again. Things did not, I'm sure you will not be surprised to learn, go according to plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Didn't Simmons Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion touch on a lot of the possibilities of just Insanely high levels of computing ability with the way the AI's where in those books? ~Rex Ayup. Although the AIs in that world never seemed terribly smart, despite their gigantic computing power. In Ian Bank's Culture novels, the most advanced society is run entirely by AIs (called minds) and people don't actually worry about it too much since they mostly assume they couldn't work out what was going on anyway. One of the nasty background elements to the Culture novels is that it's very clear that human society (actually all of the societies described) only continue to exist because the minds want them to. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Ayup. Although the AIs in that world never seemed terribly smart' date=' despite their gigantic computing power. In Ian Bank's Culture novels, the most advanced society is run entirely by AIs (called minds) and people don't actually worry about it too much since they mostly assume they couldn't work out what was going on anyway. One of the nasty background elements to the Culture novels is that it's very clear that human society (actually all of the societies described) only continue to exist because the minds want them to.[/quote'] It's a rather dystopian setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? It's a rather dystopian setting. I wouldn't call it dystopian: for the vast majority of people it's utopian. If I could swap my current life - which is pretty good, by Earth standards - for citizenship in the Culture, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Never grow old (unless you want to) never get sick (unless you want to), change your body, if you want to, an almost infinite variety of things to explore and do? The ability to spend a lifetime being an artist, then start again and be a business man, or a scientist, or an extreme sports instructor or a librarian? Sounds pretty good to me.... However, it's both clearly related to our current society and also alien enough that it seems kind of creepy: a sort of uncanny valley effect. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Yeah but I definitely lean Utopian from that viewpoint as well. Still, would that be the end result of something like the Singularity? Utopia? Or Dystopian replacement by something else? ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Who knows? The whole point about the singularity is that it's indescribable to ordinary meatbrains like us cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? It'll be a utopia for the alpha geek who hits the "god mode" code first, and a dystopia for everybody else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Who knows? The whole point about the singularity is that it's indescribable to ordinary meatbrains like us You're made out of meat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: The Singularity? ... And you're made out of beard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Could be a meat beard. Technically, Cthulhu could be said to be bearded. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Could be a meat beard. Technically' date=' Cthulhu could be said to be bearded.[/quote'] That would takes some serious stones, to beard Cthulhu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Imagine the shaving cuts. Yeurgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? What gives you the idea that all smart women are naggy? Probably because he's been nagged by smart women. My experience has been very similar, unfortunately. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? It's a directly proportional thing I believe. I am sure, those guilty of it will send one of their brow beaten minions to nag us about how inaccurate it is. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? So anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StGrimblefig Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Imagine the shaving cuts. Yeurgh. Great Cthulhu demands another barber! . . . and some mustard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? So in essence, the Singularity happening, is effectively, Cthulhu waking up and rising from the Depths? ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? No. Not sure how we got onto Cthulhu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? With the Singularity there is a lot of Not Sure. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StGrimblefig Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. If or when the technological singularity occurs, from most people's perspective we will have entered an age of magic. It is only an horrific step sideways to Cthulhu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? Or, since we wouldn't be able to keep up with, conceive of, or even scratch the surface of understanding it, to the point of trying so would mean a complete psychotic breakdown, one could easily say, that in addition to the Magic/Advanced Technology point of view, that such a thing happening, would make the Singularity, very much something like Cthulhu or one of his Peers. Alien contagious magical Insanity..... ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Re: The Singularity? The Singularity seems to be an article of faith for transhumanists, and I think the handwaving away any mention of practical impediments is telling. That said, I do think humanity at some point will assume complete control of its own evolution, and when we do there will be one humdinger of an ethical debate taking place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.