I've been noticing a lot of examples of accelerating change recently, so I decided to add an 'Accelerating Change Watch' feature to my blog. Look for this feature from time time as I try to chronicle examples of scientific, technological and cultural accelerating change as we head inexorably towards a Technological Singularity and/or existential paradigm shift.
Today's entry:
'Supercomputer-on-a-chip' microprocessor revealed (New Scientist)
"At first blush I think it's safe to say that it will be 10 to 20 times faster than the fastest graphics cards and processors," [Richard] Doherty told New Scientist. "We think it is going to revolutionise computer science for entertainment and business."
3 comments:
Hi George, like your blog. Last time we met (a couple of years ago on sl4 chat i seem to remember) you were pretty skeptical about the technological singularity IIRC, i was wondering if your opinions have changed since then? Do you see it as more likely to happen now given current observations?
Also i wanted to point you in the direction of my blog: http://singularitynews.blogspot.com/ which has already started chronicling accelerating change since about Feb 2004. I wondered if you would be interested in collaborating?
You could join the singularitynews team (i already have a couple of team members who have yet to post), and you will be given blog admin status after youve made your first post (so that you change anything you think looks tacky :o) - OR - we could start a fresh blog with a better domain name like acceleratingnews.com if that isnt already taken, im thinking something on the lines of Nanodot.org in terms of presentation. What do you think?
Regards,
Simon Gordon.
Hi Simon,
Thank you for the offer to collaborate on http://singularitynews.blogspot.com. Let's do it--although my contributions might be light at times.
As for my feelings on the tech singularity, I can't recall exactly what I might have said on the IIRC, but what I believe these days is that i) accelerating change is happening, ii) there doesn't appear to be too many ceilings to contend with, and iii) all signs seem to indicate that we'll develop some pretty scary technologies in about 40-50 years that could lead to an existential paradigm shift (most likely in the form of postbiological existence and possibly collective intelligences).
Does that qualify as believing in the singularity?
Yes i guess so. 40 - 50 years would probably sound quite radical to most people. To me it sounds conservative, but thats just what studying the math does to you... and i dont know whether it is better to give people the shocking exponential truth or leave most people in their linear ignorant bliss and hope the experts can get us safely over the hill. But i do know that we should be perpetually encouraging optimism about the future. If society was full of happy people there would be less room for malevolence and thus less danger. Optimism can promote happiness and visa versa. So it goes that the fate of our future depends, at least partially, on our visions of it.
Lets hope, upon accepting this responsibility, that we can paint it marvelously.
Anyway, welcome aboard singularitynews!
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