Three Major Schools
(Originally appeared on the Machine Intelligence Research Institute blog, September 2007.) Singularity discussions seem to be splitting up into three major schools of thought: Accelerating Change, the Event Horizon, and the Intelligence Explosion. Accelerating Change: Core claim: Our intuitions about change are linear; we expect roughly as much change as has occurred in the past over our own lifetimes. But technological change feeds on itself, and therefore accelerates. Change today is faster than it was 500 years ago, which in turn is faster than it was 5000 years ago. The thing about these three logically distinct schools of Singularity thought is that, while all three core claims support each other, all three strong claims tend to contradict each other. I find it very annoying, therefore, when these three schools of thought are mashed up into Singularity paste. Apocalyptism: Hey, man, have you heard?
Singularity Theory May Explain Fermi Paradox
The Drake equation demonstrates that due to the vast scope of our universe, it is highly unlikely that there is not intelligent life other than us. The Fermi paradox ponders why (considering the results from the Drake equation) we have not yet detected any other intelligent life. Singularity theory anticipates a point in time where rapid growth in intelligence and replication create a border that is like an asymptote or singularity threshold beyond which lies an undefinable area that is not comparable to what we currently know as intelligence. The Schwarzchild radius describes the limit of the ability of light to escape a black hole singularity, or the “edge” of the black hole where it becomes totally black. The answer to the Fermi paradox may lie in the idea of a singularity-like expansion in intelligence that rapidly moves beyond our ability to understand it or detect it. By Omar Fink on September 22nd, 2010 Stumble It!
A solar cooled air-conditioning system
Why the Word "Transhumanism" Should Bother You, Too
Want to have the ability to move things around with your mind, print out any new body parts you might need, including organs, and be able to work from home every day via a completely convincing virtual reality setup? All of these things are not only within reach, according to a movement that is gaining traction more rapidly than almost any other in history, but they are inevitably happening within the next 30 years. Many authors (myself included) struggle to give a name to this incredible movement, instead deferring to the event where all of this converging technology culminates in a brand new way of life for all human beings, utterly different in ways we aren't capable of imagining with our "unaugmented" human brains: the Technological Singularity. The world we live in is not one of linear growth, nor has it ever been one.
Contact lenses upgrade your eyes to enable true immersive VR
Our eyes are just not built for the future. It sucks, but it's true. We can't physically focus on things that are very close to us, which is why we're not all rocking high-resolution immersive virtual reality displays built into our eyeglasses. We've posted about head-mounted VR displays a lot around here, but there's always a compromise going on: you can have a small, slick system that projects a little image with a narrow field of view, or you can have a gigantic bulky system that projects a big image with a wide field of view. The obvious solution, then, is to modify our eyes to enable them to focus on objects that are much, much closer. Innovega's iOptik contact lenses have special filters and secondary lenses built into them that block out all of the light from close-up displays except for a narrow beam that's refocused by the lens itself and fired straight back into your pupil. Via Innovega
Technology Review: Long-Distance Wi-Fi
Intel has announced plans to sell a specialized Wi-Fi platform later this year that can send data from a city to outlying rural areas tens of miles away, connecting sparsely populated villages to the Internet. The wireless technology, called the rural connectivity platform (RCP), will be helpful to computer-equipped students in poor countries, says Jeff Galinovsky, a senior platform manager at Intel. And the data rates are high enough–up to about 6.5 megabits per second–that the connection could be used for video conferencing and telemedicine, he says. The RCP, which essentially consists of a processor, radios, specialized software, and an antenna, is an appealing way to connect remote areas that otherwise would go without the Internet, says Galinovsky. Already, Intel has installed and tested the hardware in India, Panama, Vietnam, and South Africa. One node is usually installed at the edge of an urban area, wired to a local-area network cable, he explains.
Evolution of evolvability
Evolution of Evolvability This paper shows how evolution tunes the content and frequency of genetic variation to enhance its evolvability. Genetic evolution is not random or entirely blind. Genetic systems are like nervous systems and brains—they have been structured and organised by evolution to enhance their ability to discover effective adaptations. (For a more general approach to the evolution of evolvability, see Chapters 8 to 12 inclusive of the on-line book Evolution's Arrow. It examines in detail how evolution itself has evolved. (a final version of this paper was published in the Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems (1997) 20: 53-73.) The cognitive ability of a genetic system is its capacity to discover and perpetuate beneficial adaptations. Cognitive ability will be influenced by genetic arrangements which affect the range and types of variant genotypes which are produced and trialed within the genetic system. Are genetic arrangements which have these features feasible?
The Columbus Dispatch : GM envisions driverless cars on horizon
GM envisions driverless cars on horizon - DETROIT (AP) -- Cars that drive themselves - even parking at their destination - could be ready for sale within a decade, General Motors Corp. executives say. GM, parts suppliers, university engineers and other automakers all are working on vehicles that could revolutionize short- and long-distance travel. And Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner will devote part of his speech to the driverless vehicles. "This is not science fiction," Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, said in a recent interview. The most significant obstacles facing the vehicles could be human rather than technical: government regulation, liability laws, privacy concerns and people's passion for the automobile and the control it gives them. If people are interested. "Now the question is what does society want to do with it?"
Ray Kurzweil Speaking at Geek Park Innovation Conference, Beijing, China - Futurism
Ray Kurzweil Speaking at Geek Park Innovation Conference, Beijing, China Share This Tweet This Join .wp-social-login-connect-with{}.wp-social-login-provider-list{}.wp-social-login-provider-list a{}.wp-social-login-provider-list img{}.wsl_connect_with_provider{} Connect with:
Ford's New Car Parks Itself
In these difficult times for the U.S. motor industry, Ford is evidently hoping that it can win back customers with technology that could take some of the stress out of getting behind the wheel. The company’s new Active Park Assist system automatically maneuvers a vehicle into even the tightest parking space. Parallel parking on a crowded city street is no easy task. Ford’s Active Park Assist is similar to a Toyota feature called Intelligent Parking Assist that was first available on the 2007 Lexus LX, but in Toyota’s system, the driver still has to identify the exact parking spot using a navigation screen, as well as operate the brake. The video below is a demonstration of how Ford’s system works. Ford’s system will be available in mid-2009 as options on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and new Lincoln MKT crossover, but the company says that by 2012, 90 percent of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models will be equipped with the technology. Video by Ford
