August 2010

PBS Reports On Ray Kurzweil and The Singularity

by Socrates
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The technological singularity is indeed going mainstream. A few weeks ago it was the New York Times publishing an article called Merely Human? That’s So Yesterday. Today it is PBS. The first video is the full PBS report on some of the issues surrounding the singularity. The second video is part of Ray Kurweil‘s interview where he talks about God, the Universe and the evolution of intelligence. Enjoy! Related articles by Zemanta Ray Kurzweil at the Daily Show with John Stewart (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Justin Rattner on the Singularity (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Singularity Podcast: Barry Ptolemy on Transcendent Man (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Singularity Goes Mainstream: NY Times Says Humans Are “So Yesterday” (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Aubrey de Grey’s Singularity Podcast: Longevity Escape Velocity Maybe Closer Than We Think (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com)

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Singularity Podcast: George Dvorsky on Transhumanism and the Singularity

by Socrates
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In this edition of Singularity Podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with prominent Canadian transhumanist and animal rights advocate George Dvorsky. George is both a passionate and fascinating interlocutor and, even though I spend over 1h 15 min interviewing him, I feel that I could have easily spent double that time while still remaining highly interested in what he has to say. (So do not be surprised if I invite him for another podcast.) Just one of the thoughts that I will personally take away from my conversation with Dvorsky: “Mass extinction is the simplest explanation for why we are seeing an uncolonized galaxy.” George Dvorsky’s Short Bio: Canadian futurist, ethicist and animal rights advocate, George Dvorsky has written and spoken extensively about the impacts of cutting-edge science and technology—particularly as they pertain to the improvement of human performance [...]

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Is Blio eReader the future of reading?

by Socrates
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Here are 3 videos about the upcoming eReader from Ray Kurzweil called Blio. The first video is a virtual tour of Blio while the 2nd and 3rd are Steve Balmer and Ray Kurzweil talking about the software. So, what do you think? Is Blio the future of reading? I think it is a great start but we can definitely do better… Related articles by Zemanta Ray Kurzweil Vows To Right E-Reader Wrongs (bits.blogs.nytimes.com) Nuance Vocalizer Brings Voice to Blio eReader (eon.businesswire.com) Blio eReader software to have Nuance text-to-speech technology (zdnet.com)

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Justin Rattner on the Singularity

by Socrates
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I have sometimes been confronted by the position that the technological singularity is a crazy sci fi idea that is completely divorced from reality and is created and popularized by science fiction authors such as Vernor Vinge and futurists such as Ray Kurzweil. Well, Justin Rattner is neither a philosopher nor a futurist. He is, however, the chief technology officer at Intel and you can watch the videos below to see what he has to say about the singularity. Just don’t be surprised if he sounds a lot like Ray and Vernor…

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Ray Kurzweil at the Daily Show with John Stewart

by Socrates
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This is a funny video of Ray Kurzweil on the Daily Show with John Stewart. While the video is anything but serious, some of the points it makes are. Warning: Rated at least PG 13. Viewer Discretion is Advised.

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Will Technology Replace Biology?

by Socrates
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As you probably know, Singularity Weblog’s tagline is Will Technology Replace Biology? Thus, when I saw this YouTube video ad on the evolution of technology, I was completely unable to resist posting it. Plus, I thought I’d give you something short, smart and interesting for the weekend. So, what do you think? Will technology replace biology? Related articles by Zemanta Hamlet’s Transhumanist Dilemma: Will Technology Replace Biology? (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) The Future is Smart, But What About Us? (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Gregory Stock: To Upgrade is Human (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com) Introduction to Synthetic Biology (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com)

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Singularity Podcast: Barry Ptolemy on Transcendent Man

by Socrates
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In this edition of Singularity Podcast I was privileged to do a phone interview with Barry Ptolemy, the director and producer of Transcendent Man. Barry was very generous to make time in his busy schedule and share his thoughts on the making of the movie, the technological singularity in general and Ray Kurzweil in particular. Listen to the podcast and watch the trailer but be forewarned — if you do so then you may feel compelled to go and watch the movie   Transcendent Man is a new documentary film about the life and ideas of inventor, futurist, singularitarian and transhumanist Ray Kurzweil.  About Barry Ptolemy At age 12, Barry Ptolemy was first inspired to create films on the set of E.T. where he worked closely alongside Steven Spielberg for the duration of the production. After attending USC Film School, [...]

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Kevin Warwick: The First Cyborg

by Socrates
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This is another cool video of Kevin Warwick (aka the first cyborg). In 2002, under the heading Project Cyborg, a British scientist and university professor, Kevin Warwick, had an array of 100 electrodes fired into his nervous system in order to link it to the internet. Then he successfully carried out a series of experiments including extending his nervous system over the internet to control a robotic hand, a loudspeaker, amplifier and to communicate with his wife. That neural connection is a form of extended sensory input and the first direct electronic communication between the nervous systems of two humans. (For more watch the documentary Building Gods) Related articles by Zemanta Kevin Warwick’s Cyborg Experiments (singularityblog.singularitysymposium.com)

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