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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Meanwhile, Back on Planet Earth

[via IEEE Spectrum Online]

Harry Goldstein is talking sense. Choice bits below, follow the link for the whole dismissal:
Google, NASA Blow Money on Singularity University

In the middle [of] ...economic crisis... comes word that Google and NASA are planning to bankroll and house Ray Kurzweil's Singularity University at NASA's Ames Research Center, not far from the Googleplex. Peter Diamandis, vice-chancellor of Kurzweil's Clown College and current CEO of the X-Prize was quoted by the Financial Times as saying, "We are anchoring the university in what is the lab today, with an understanding of what's in the realm of possibility in the future. The day before something is truly a breakthrough, it's a crazy idea."

We're right with you, Peter, at least the crazy part... As Diamandis says, anything is in the realm of possibility in the future. I might give birth to a litter of kittens when I'm 80. The sun might explode tomorrow. Rod Blagojevich might get a decent hair cut. And Ray Kurzweil might help usher in a beneficent Singularity, one where the machines that are smarter than we can ever even conceive of treat us, as Vernor Vinge once told me, like pets. And that's the good scenario: The machines turn the tables and go all Tamagotchi on us.

Hey, why not? We're already throwing what will wind up being trillions of dollars at an economic mess in part facilitated by financial risk algorithms, the crazy uncles of our future Machine Overlords. What's a few more million dollars, plus a few more good human minds sucked into the thrall of Mr. Kurzweil and his obsessive quest to deny Death...?

1 comment:

jimf said...

> Meanwhile, Back on Planet Earth

INT. DUANE'S BEDROOM-NIGHT

Duane, sitting on his bed, sees Alvy walking past the open door.

DUANE: Alvy.

ALVY (Walking in): Oh, hi, Duane, how's it goin'?

DUANE: This is my room.

ALVY (Looking around): Oh, yeah?
(He clears his throat) Terrific.

DUANE: Can I confess something?

Alvy sighs and sits down, leaning his arm on Duane's dresser.
Duane's face is big lighted by a single lamp.

DUANE: I tell you this because, as an artist,
I think you'll understand. Sometimes when I'm driving...
on the road at night... I see two headlights coming toward me.
Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly,
head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the
explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The... flames rising
out of the flowing gasoline.

ALVY: (Reacting and clearing his throat)
Right. Well, I have to -- I have to go now, Duane, because I --
I'm due back on Planet Earth.

He slowly gets up and moves toward the door.


--Woody Allen, _Annie Hall_