Last week at AGI-09, I chaired a one-day workshop on the future of AGI. (“AGI” means Artificial General Intelligence, which is essentially what the term “AI” meant before 1980: the attempt to build a system that would be the equivalent of a human in its thinking abilities, displaying a robust ability to think, converse, exhibit… Continue reading Early Retirement
This the sixth essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part VI: The heavily-loaded takeoff The fastest software I ever used ran on some of the slowest computers I ever had. Circa 1980,… Continue reading Singularity, part 6
Many thanks to the Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Tech Report for permission to reprint the following interview with Steve Jurvetson “Writing the Code of Life”, which appeared in their February 2009 issue. There aren’t many investors as sharp, quick or multi-disciplinary as Steve Jurvetson,Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. His firm is a leading venture capital firm… Continue reading Steve Jurvetson on nature's nanotechnology
Charlie Stross, the British science fiction writer, recently posted a “21st Century FAQ” on his blog that has aroused some reaction in futurist circles. Let it be noted that I’ve had a few drinks with Charlie, and he is a pleasant, engaging, and very intelligent guy, and writes really excellent science fiction. But I have… Continue reading Forward to the past
Those interested in the economic-trends style of futurism will enjoy How the Crash Will Reshape America in the Atlantic. For background you might look at this 2006 essay by Paul Graham — they both embody some of the same theory of innovation as a driver to urban (or perhaps regional) vitality. Hat tip to Philippe… Continue reading Post-crash economic trends
Over at IEEE Tech Talk, Dexter Johnson points out a flurry of interest in “nanobots” over the past week, casting quite a wide net that ranges from Nadrian Seeman’s experimental lab work to Ray Kurzweil’s hopeful dreams for the far future. He also tosses a bit of credit in my direction — thanks! — and… Continue reading The audacity of nano-hope
This the fourth essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part IV: When So when is all this going to happen? To quote Mark Twain, I’m gratified to be able to answer that… Continue reading Singularity, part 4
This the second essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part II: What is this thing called Singularity? Since I was trained, originally, as a mathemetician, I never really liked the term Singularity.… Continue reading Singularity, part 2
This the first essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part I: The Singularity and its Discontents The concept of the Technological Singularity is so clearly part of the zeitgeist that it surely… Continue reading Singularity, part 1
Last September we wrote that one insurer would “no longer insure against bodily injury, property damage, or personal and advertising injury related to the actual, alleged, or threatened presence of or exposure to nanotubes or nanotechnology in any form.” Now Christine Peterson passes along this item from Rhitu Chatterjee writing in the American Chemical Society… Continue reading Insurance industry looking for more data on nanotechnology risks
