singularity

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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The Singularity 101 Free eBook is Near

by Socrates
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I’ve been getting a lot of requests from people asking me for a quick overview of the technological singularity. Naturally, I always recommend Ray Kurzweil’s seminal book the Singularity is Near but a few seem to be either overwhelmed by it or simply don’t have enough time to go that deep into the matter. So, in order to make the ideas even easier to understand as well as to popularize them, I have decided to write a short series of blog articles covering the fundamentals of the technological singularity as well as other relevant information such as definitions of the basic terms and concepts, relevant books, movies, people, institutions, blogs, events etc. My plan is to write a couple of articles per week which will in turn become different book chapters. Once I have all of those written and thoroughly [...]

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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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Robert J. Sawyer on Humanity 2.0

by Socrates
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Robert J. Sawyer is one of my all-time favorite science fiction writers. Thus, when I heard that the Literary Review of Canada and TV Ontario’s Big Ideas are co-hosting a talk by Robert at the Gardiner Museum, I simply had to attend. Robert J. Sawyer is one of those very rare people who truly know a lot about everything and — even rarer ones — who can communicate clearly and convincingly about what they know. Below you can watch the recording of Sawyer’s very engaging, eloquent and empassionate presentation touching up on a variety of issues such as cosmology, SETI, transhumanism, the singularity, longevity, mind uploading and other ways of upgrading humanity to version 2.0. The event was held on November 21, 2011 in Toronto and it took a couple of months before it was eventually aired on TVO and posted online. Program Synopsis: When [...]

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No Illusions Podcast: Cameron Reilly Puts Socrates in the Spotlight

by Socrates
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It is only fair that every once-in-a-while Socrates - i.e. “the man with the questions,” ought to get the table turned on him, take the other side of the microphone and answer a few questions himself. So, when Cameron Reilly asked me to be the next guest on his popular and long-running No Illusions Podcast I was honored and agreed without hesitation. In 2004 Cameron co-founded the Podcast Network – Australia’s first social media company, which he built into one of the largest independent Australian media sites. In 2007, Reilly was called one of the “40 Biggest Players Of Australia’s Digital Age.” Currently he is a regular speaker on issues surrounding social media, social networking and the future of media in addition to consulting for a number of Brisbane-based companies as their digital strategist. During my conversation with Cameron we discuss issues such as: [...]

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Robopocalypse: Daniel H. Wilson’s Novel To Become Steven Spielberg’s Film

by Socrates
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I was in the middle of scheduling an interview with Daniel H. Wilson‘s agent when I got a last minute acceptance to Singularity University. I had to delay our interview and rush to NASA’s Ames Campus in Mountain View, California. As soon as I was back home I got in touch again with Willson’s representative but, unfortunately, was told that Daniel was not doing any more interivews. Daniel H. Wilson is the author of The New York Times best selling science fiction novel Robopocalypse and a columnist and contributing editor for Popular Mechanics magazine. He has also written: How To Survive a Robot Uprising, How to Build a Robot Army, A Boy and His Bot and Where’s My Jetpack?. Robopocalypse is not only one of Amazon’s top books for 2011 but, most notably, Steven Spielberg is directing a film based on the novel, scheduled for release on July 4, 2013. I [...]

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Will the “Geek Rapture” Nonsense Ever Stop?

by Singularity Utopia
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Recently I stumbled across an article about William Gibson’s Geek Rapture and Other Technological Musings. I’m not sure why alleged technological aficionados denigrate the Singularity but I often read about their hostility. It’s an odd situation where their notion of the Singularity is so provocative, so contentious.Some critics insist the Singularity constitutes a new religion for geeks, which is ironic because for me the Singularity is the opposite of religion. Instead of having faith in supernatural powers to create miracles, the Singularity is about having confidence in the powers of humans. Confidence in our human ability entails our skills in science and technology making our world a better place without Godly intervention. The Singularity makes Gods and religions redundant; it is the enlightenment of logic, intellectualism, the end of superstitions, prayers, and mystical incantations. If the Singularity must be categorised philosophically then it should [...]

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Vernor Vinge on Singularity 1 on 1: We Can Surpass the Wildest Dreams of Optimism

by Socrates
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Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is Vernor Vinge — the very person who coined the technological singularity as a term. Currently Vernor Vinge is putting the final touches on the sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. The new book is titled The Children of the Sky and is already available for pre-order on Amazon, though it is not expected to ship until October 2011. Despite his busy schedule Prof. Vinge still managed to give us over an hour of his time and during our conversation I ask him to discuss issues such as: his childhood and early interest in science fiction; his desire to make sense of the universe; his definition of the technological singularity and the story behind the term; his now classic 1993 NASA paper; his favorite science fiction books and authors; major milestones [...]

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