http://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/atom.aspxCommunity Server2005-12-15T23:20:00Zhttp://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2007/03/25/utopia.aspx2007-03-25T23:59:00Z2007-03-25T23:59:00ZI believe some pretty sketchy things: I believe that the premise of strong AI is sound. I believe that artificial life is already here. I believe the premise of molecular nanotechnology is sound. I believe the premise of cryonics . I believe the premise of brain taping . Given that I believe all that (I blame years of science fiction and an abortive career in physics.) more reasonable stuff like space elevators and the cure for aging are pretty tame. But what I never understood about these subjects...(<a href="http://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2007/03/25/utopia.aspx">read more</a>)<img src="http://www.betterhumans.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=14035" width="1" height="1">Mr. Farlopshttp://www.betterhumans.com/members/Mr.+Farlops.aspxhttp://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2006/08/25/education.aspx2006-08-25T19:40:00Z2006-08-25T19:40:00ZWhy is it that education seems so resistent to technological improvement?...(<a href="http://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2006/08/25/education.aspx">read more</a>)<img src="http://www.betterhumans.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=10211" width="1" height="1">Mr. Farlopshttp://www.betterhumans.com/members/Mr.+Farlops.aspxhttp://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2006/07/10/The-Emergence-of-Sapience-from-the-Internet.aspx2006-07-11T07:07:00Z2006-07-11T07:07:00ZHere I explain my reasons why true sapience won't spontaneously emerge from the Internet....(<a href="http://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2006/07/10/The-Emergence-of-Sapience-from-the-Internet.aspx">read more</a>)<img src="http://www.betterhumans.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=8863" width="1" height="1">Mr. Farlopshttp://www.betterhumans.com/members/Mr.+Farlops.aspxhttp://www.betterhumans.com/blogs/mr._farlops/archive/2005/12/15/Mr.-F-drops-a-little-science.aspx2005-12-16T09:20:00Z2005-12-16T09:20:00Z<p>This is the first of what is to be small number of blog posts here. The reason they are going to be rare is because I have my own site with its own blog and, frankly I can only generate a tiny number of novel thoughts on any given day. Sorry, my site gets most of them.</p> <p>I am upgrading my site blog tool however, and my live site is currently in stasis so, I&#39;ll put something here. That said, on to my first rant.</p> <p>My understanding of Vinge&#39;s singularity idea leads me to think that we&#39;ve already passed through several similar inflection points already. The society we live in now would only be vaguely conceivable to people living in medieval Eurasia. Our present is a future they never would have imagined. Our world is their vingian singularity. Medieval society is the vingian singularity to tribal people. Human tribal culture is the vingian singularity to other apes.</p> <p>Does that seem like a valid analogy to draw?</p> <p>If it is, take a look around. It&#39;s not exactly paradise is it?</p> <p>Our world has a lot of fun bits and some depressing and frustrating bits. It&#39;s a ball of confusion, in the immortal words of the Temptations. We&#39;ve conquered old problems so completely nobody even thinks about them anymore and yet we&#39;ve opened up new problems nobody a century ago would have dreamed of. Would visionaries like Verne or Wells have imagined something as trivially annoying as e-mail spam?</p> <p>So I ask, why do we assume the inflection points, the intelligence augmentations to come will bring paradise? Isn&#39;t it possible that it will just bring a new muddle that is superhumanly complex and contradictory? </p> <p>Please understand that I am not saying that Vinge&#39;s singularity idea is invalid. The logic of the idea seems pretty tight to me. I am not saying the future is going to be some sort of horrible dystopia either. There&#39;s probably going to be many wondrous things accomplished and many wondrous things done but, usually what happens when the miraculous becomes commonplace is that it stops being remarkable.</p> <p>I&#39;m just saying it&#39;s going to be a mixed bag.</p><p>Cross-posted from <a href="http://www.farlops.com/">Farlops Industries</a>! <br /></p><img src="http://www.betterhumans.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=3770" width="1" height="1">Mr. Farlopshttp://www.betterhumans.com/members/Mr.+Farlops.aspx