Home > Archive > Cobol > April 2007 > Re: The Future
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
|
|
| Pete Dashwood 2007-04-12, 9:55 pm |
| Thanks Charlie,
I've ordered it from Amazon.
(Sounds like my kind of story...:-))
Pete
"Charles Hottel" <chottel@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MhATh.2380$3P3.811@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> What do you think the next 20 to 30 years will be like? If you are like
> most people you think it will be like the last 20 to 30 years and there is
> a good chance that you would be unprepared for the powerful changes coming
> and the the rapid pace of those changes.
>
> That is just a small part of the thesis of a book I have just read: The
> Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil. It
> describes the exponential nature of technology and gives a lot of
> predictions ( many seem at first to be too fantastic to be believed) for
> what the future holds along with the data and reasoning behind his
> predictions. In particular it discusses genetics (biotechnology),
> nanotechnology and robotics (hard AI). Along the way the book touches on
> cosmology, quantum physics, life extension, DNA, evolution and artificial
> intelligence and many other interesting subjects. There are extensive
> footnotes to references on the web and elsewhere. While he is an
> optimist, he understands and discusses the potential downside of these
> technologies and what we might do to avoid wiping ourseleves out.
>
> I personally experienced a major wake-up call from reading this book. The
> early part of this new century will certainly be a critical time for
> humanity and the sooner we start thinking about it the better prepared we
> will be. You may or may not agree with his reasoning and conclusions but
> this book will definitely give you a lot to think about. Well I just
> found it to be an extremely interesting book and so I thought some of you
> here might also like it. YMMV.
>
> Some of you have probably already read this book and if so I would be
> interested in getting your opinions and impressions.
>
| |
| Charles Hottel 2007-04-13, 6:55 pm |
| I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It always makes me nervous when
someone takes me up on a suggestion that costs money because there is always
the chance they will not like it they way I did.
"Pete Dashwood" <dashwood@removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote in message
news:5887r8F2g0d12U1@mid.individual.net...
> Thanks Charlie,
>
> I've ordered it from Amazon.
>
> (Sounds like my kind of story...:-))
>
> Pete
> "Charles Hottel" <chottel@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:MhATh.2380$3P3.811@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
>
| |
| Pete Dashwood 2007-04-13, 9:55 pm |
|
"Charles Hottel" <chottel@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:UoUTh.2692$3P3.514@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It always makes me nervous when
>someone takes me up on a suggestion that costs money because there is
>always the chance they will not like it they way I did.
>
Don't worry, I won't blame you :-)
Pete.
|
|
|
|
|