Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't think we have a choice. In a sense as soon as the first modern computer was built in 1890 humanity was on this trajectory and nothing, not the world wars or the depressions or the economic booms, have caused it to slow down or speed up. That is why in time we will have to merge with computers if we want to remain as intelligent or we will be left in the dust.
How would our destiny have been formed then? The first computer was a tool and we still use them as tools. They do not use US as theirs. I would never agree to 'merge with a computer' and I'm not one of those who doesn't see why we need cellphones and so forth. The difference is the technology serves us. The reality is we must make sure it continues to. I'll bet a great majority of people would refuse to give up their humanity and be 'merged' and those who were would be the outcasts to them. And remember, a little monitor is not 'merging' with the machine as inside we still function the same. And the purpose of medical research is not to make a stronger better human but to make normal ones healthy and live longer AS humans.
If this joining is something you see and incredable and you'd be the first in line, then you'll never see that for most it is entirely repugnant and would lead to a wholesale destruction of the technology which led to it.
Our 'tools' today are much fanciier and complex than they were when the caveman made an ax, but they hare still 'tools' and their creation and use is under the control of the human being who holds them and it should ALWAYS stay that way.
So, since you speak theory, if you were to have to decide if a humanlike cylon was 'alive' or not what would you say? Would you equate them with humans and give them the rights they would be deserving if they were alive? Do we REALLY want to have to answer these questions?
If you look back at how computers advanced since the first modern one was built in 1890 its a smooth trajectory to now and the future singularity. Because of that had they knew how to forecast out then could of known when computers would have hit the singularity. However that was not understood at the time and not really until the late 80's and early 90's. However my point is once they built the first computer and since they advance exponentially it was only a mater of 140 to the singularity (1890-2030).
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightbird47
The first computer was a tool and we still use them as tools. They do not use US as theirs. I would never agree to 'merge with a computer' and I'm not one of those who doesn't see why we need cellphones and so forth. The difference is the technology serves us. The reality is we must make sure it continues to. I'll bet a great majority of people would refuse to give up their humanity and be 'merged' and those who were would be the outcasts to them. And remember, a little monitor is not 'merging' with the machine as inside we still function the same. And the purpose of medical research is not to make a stronger better human but to make normal ones healthy and live longer AS humans.
If this joining is something you see and incredable and you'd be the first in line, then you'll never see that for most it is entirely repugnant and would lead to a wholesale destruction of the technology which led to it.
Our 'tools' today are much fanciier and complex than they were when the caveman made an ax, but they hare still 'tools' and their creation and use is under the control of the human being who holds them and it should ALWAYS stay that way.
Honestly as I think about it I suppose how many people will actually choose to merge with the technology as envisioned is hard to predict. Yes we will be able to and people like me will do it right away while others never will. My educated guess is that the percentage will be high but this is one where only time will tell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightbird47
So, since you speak theory, if you were to have to decide if a humanlike cylon was 'alive' or not what would you say? Would you equate them with humans and give them the rights they would be deserving if they were alive? Do we REALLY want to have to answer these questions?
I don't think we will have a choice. This is something that is discussed in the movie The Singularity is Near and with how the technology is advancing it should be sometime between 2030 and 2045. Even people that choose not to merge with the technology will have to live work and play with advanced AI robots so I can see some major court cases on this in the next 3 decades.
New Plan of Attack in Cancer Fight: Two-Drug Combination, Under Certain Circumstances, Can Eliminate Disease
This is a great example as to why Ray Kurzweil says life expectancy will begin to go up faster then we age by the mid 2020's. When you think of the inplactions this research has its amazing.
Now I know in the article it says 50 years but given the implications of medicine advancing exponentially is why Ray says it will be a lot less, like 10 years. In fact Ray talks about this issue as researchers are so busy working on the current problem that its hard for them to see the long term forecasts because they are so focused on the short term goals.
This is from Science Daily News:
July 19, 2013 — New research conducted by Harvard scientists is laying out a road map to one of the holy grails of modern medicine: a cure for cancer. As described in a paper recently published in eLife, Martin Nowak, a professor of mathematics and of biology and director of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, and co-author Ivana Bozic, a postdoctoral fellow in mathematics, show that, under certain conditions, using two drugs in a "targeted therapy" -- a treatment approach designed to interrupt cancer's ability to grow and spread -- could effectively cure nearly all cancers.
Helping Robots Become More Touchy-Feely, Literally: Paper-Thin E-Skin Responds to Touch by Lighting Up
This is a fantastic new invention that will change things a lot from cell phones to wallpapers that double as touchscreen displays and dashboard laminates that allow drivers to adjust electronic controls with the wave of a hand.
This is from Science Daily News:
A new milestone by engineers at UC Berkeley can help robots become more touchy-feely, literally. A research team led by Ali Javey, UC Berkeley associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, has created the first user-interactive sensor network on flexible plastic. The new electronic skin, or e-skin, responds to touch by instantly lighting up. The more intense the pressure, the brighter the light it emits. "We are not just making devices; we are building systems," said Javey, who also has an appointment as a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "With the interactive e-skin, we have demonstrated an elegant system on plastic that can be wrapped around different objects to enable a new form of human-machine interfacing."
The link: "http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130721161716.htm
"The Atlas robot looks something out of the post-apocalyptic future, or maybe a Will Smith blockbuster. It's a 330lb cyborg with eerily human-like hands and a head equipped with a laser. It lunges forward with a grim, deliberate clatter on curved slices of metal for feet.
This bot will be a first responder in times of crisis, says the Pentagon – it's designed to use tools and trudge through difficult terrain, heading into smoky, dangerous areas that humans can't. With its human capabilities it could also, not coincidentally, be a good soldier. This robot – named Atlas after the Greek mythological hero who supported the world on his back – is part of the Pentagon's quest to create a humanoid robot that can do everything from turning knobs in nuclear plants to driving a car.
Atlas sits on his massive hydraulic haunches at the leading edge of robotics. And the US military wants more like him. Starting today, the Atlas is the center of a $2m robot beauty pageant – the Darpa Robotics Challenge – held by the US government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Darpa is the technical-innovation arm of the US military; its purpose is to "create strategic surprise for US adversaries by maintaining the technological superiority of the US military." The internet, for instance, started out as a Darpa project."
You'll soon be able to tag photos with your vitals signs
^
That is a big step towards the singularity!
Another step is this:
Have you ever taken a picture and thought, “Man, this is great, but it’d definitely be a whole lot better if it somehow included my blood pressure and temperature?” Well, apparently, someone has, because Sony is filing a patent to solve that very problem (the problem of not being able to do this).
The device would be a sensor attached to a mobile device’s camera, and it would take all vital stats: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygen level, respiratory rate, etc. Then, it would store it in alongside traditionally saved photo info, like date and time.
Have you ever taken a picture and thought, “Man, this is great, but it’d definitely be a whole lot better if it somehow included my blood pressure and temperature?” Well, apparently, someone has, because Sony is filing a patent to solve that very problem (the problem of not being able to do this).
The device would be a sensor attached to a mobile device’s camera, and it would take all vital stats: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygen level, respiratory rate, etc. Then, it would store it in alongside traditionally saved photo info, like date and time.
Also, I was listening to NPR the other day in which they said that some companies are trying to release TVs, cell phones and game systems (Xbox, PS3, etc) that will monitor everything you say or do and based on that a computer will send you a commercial ad through text or through the TV based on your behavior. For example, say your head hurts the computer would then send an ad advertising headache medicine.
I don't like that idea as it seems like such an invasion of privacy and a form of manipulation. Although, a senator is trying to get a bill passed that would force these companies to state on their boxes that such a technology is on the device, that way the consumer would be able to determine whether or not to buy it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
New Plan of Attack in Cancer Fight: Two-Drug Combination, Under Certain Circumstances, Can Eliminate Disease
