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17 Definitions of the Technological Singularity

by Socrates
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The term singularity has many meanings. The everyday English definition is a noun that designates the quality of being one of a kind, strange, unique, remarkable or unusual. If we want to be even more specific, we might take the Wiktionary definition of the term, which seems to be more contemporary and easily comprehensible, as opposed to those in classic dictionaries such as the Merriam-Webster’s. So, the Wiktionary lists the following five meanings: Noun singularity (plural singularities) 1. the state of being singular, distinct, peculiar, uncommon or unusual 2. a point where all parallel lines meet 3. a point where a measured variable reaches unmeasurable or infinite value 4. (mathematics) the value or range of values of a function for which a derivative does not exist 5. (physics) a point or region in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have [...]

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Ruin: A Stunning Short Sci Fi Film by Wes Ball

by Socrates
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Ruin is a fantastic short sci fi film directed by Wes Ball. The movie is just 8 1/2 minutes long but is totally stunning both with its rich post-apocalyptic scenery and its action packed sequences. Reminiscent of some of the other great sci fi shorts that I have featured previously (see related articles bellow) Ruin is absolutely top-notch not only with its dazzling creative vision but also with its captivating, breath-taking execution: this short needs to be a feature film! Wes Ball is a (clearly very talented) graphics designer who has been working on Ruin at Oddball Animation for the last two years. I am very much looking forward to seeing what his current project – In Search of Humans, is going to look like when it is finished. If, like me, you enjoy short, action packed, animated sci fi films, chances [...]

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Is In Vitro The Future of Meat?

by Michelle A. Janeson
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We could soon be about to taste a different kind of meat – one produced without the need to butcher animals. For many years now, scientists all over the world have been trying to make meat in laboratories without animal slaughter. This meat, called “in vitro,” would be formed from animal stem cells, which would be put into a test tube environment that would allow them to grow and reproduce. The result would be a “meat” substance that would be indistinguishable from real animal flesh, and would be suitable for cooking and eating. This concept is becoming more of a possibility, and is gaining popularity. In the year 2000, NASA was the first to actually put funding behind manufacturing meat in a laboratory through “scientific tissue engineering.” More recently, animal rights campaigners – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [...]

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David Ferrucci on Singularity 1 on 1: Pursue the Big Challenges

by Socrates
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This Monday I interviewed Dr. David Ferrucci on Singularity 1 on 1. David is the IBM team leader behind Watson – the computer that succeeded in dethroning humanity’s greatest ever jeopardy champion – Ken Jennings. I met both Dr. Ferrucci and Ken Jennings during last year’s Singularity Summit where both of them spoke about Watson and the opportunities and challenges associated with it. It was then and there that I hatched my plan to get David (and Ken) on Singularity 1 on 1. I have to say that I learned a lot from and enjoyed talking to David very much. My favorite quote that I will take away from him is this: “Pursue the big challenges and do the big things that inspire people and make them scratch their heads.” During our conversation with Dr. Ferrucci we also discuss topics [...]

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Kara by Quantic Dream: Do Androids Fear Death?

by Socrates
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Kara is a 7 min long tech demo featuring sophisticated performance-capture technology by Quantic Dream. The clip was inspired by Ray Kurzweil’s book The Singularity is Near and was unveiled by David Cage last Wednesday at a Game Developers’ Conference. Said David Cage: “There will come a point where artificial intelligences are smarter than us, it’s inevitable,” Cage said in an interview with Wired prior to the grand unveiling. “This clip is about the moment that happens.” Kara is the story of an android named Kara becoming self-aware while being assembled and desperately insisting that her sentience is a feature and not a bug. I find the realism moving and the poignancy of the ethical questions raised with respect to the freedom of all sentient beings, no matter their substrate, totally heart-breaking. Short clips like that might be a good way to put the spotlight [...]

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David Chalmers on Singularity 1 on 1: We Can Be Rigorous in Thinking about the Future

by Socrates
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Yesterday I interviewed David Chalmers for Singularity 1 on 1. David is one of world’s best known philosophers of mind and thought leaders on consciousness and I was a freshman at the University of Toronto when I first read some of his work. Since then Chalmers has been one of the few philosophers (together with Nick Bostrom) who has written and spoken publicly about the Matrix’ simulation argument and the technological singularity. (See for example David’s presentation at the 2009 Singularity Summit or read his The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis) During our conversation with David we discuss topics such as: how and why Chalmers got interested in philosophy; his search in answering what he considers to be some of the biggest questions – issues such as the nature of reality, consciousness and artificial intelligence; the fact that academia in general and philosophy [...]

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Raymond McCauley on Singularity 1 on 1: Be Your Own Scientist – Try It And See

by Socrates
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Last week I interviewed Raymond McCauley for Singularity 1 on 1. I met Raymond last summer at Singularity University where he is the Co-Chair of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics. McCauley is one among many former hackers and computer scientists who went into the exploding biotech industry. He has an infectious passion for bioinformatics and a fantastic radio-voice that simply disarms skepticism. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Raymond’s background in hacking and computer science; his move to bioinformatics and his day-job at Genomera; his involvement in Singularity University and BioCurious; biology as the growth industry of the 21st century; the faster-than-exponential growth in genomic data; personal genomics and the promise of personalized medicine; the Oxford Nanopore DNA USB sequencer; DNA sequencing for less than a penny; synthetic biology and intellectual property rights; religion, philosophy and ethics. My favorite thought that I will take away [...]

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We Are The Gods Now: Prometheus Director Ridley Scott’s 2023 TED Talk

by Socrates
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Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade. Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow. Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott. Who is Peter Weyland? Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India at the turn of the Millennium. The progeny of two brilliant parents; His mother, an Oxford Educated Professor of Comparative Mythology, his father, a [...]

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