[extropy-chat] Kurzweil's radio talk

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

I am listening to a radio speech of Ray Kurzweil on Here and
Now<http://www.here-now.org/shows/2005/08/20050801_2.asp>.
He talks of the content of his forthcoming book and of the prospect of fast 
forwarding evolution through technology. Kurzweil does not like the term 
"transhumanism" and "transcending human nature" too much: he thinks that 
pushing beyond current limits is exactly what human nature is all about, and 
that we will still be humans after transcending biology. Therefore he 
prefers the term "transbiological".
Asked about the future of computing technology, Kurzweil, who has developed 
techniques to predict how technology evolves, says that we will have 
information processing inside our bodies and brains, and eventually manage 
to create non-biologic intelligences that will merge and co-evolve with us.
Abstract: Kurzweil invented the first print-to speech reading machine for 
the blind, the first music synthesizer, and, in the early 90's, he predicted 
a world wide computer network, the dominance of intelligent weapons in 
warfare, and the defeat of a human chess champion by a computer. So when 
Kurzweil speaks, people listen. Now he's saying that in the near future 
blood cell sized robots called nanobots will travel our bloodstreams making 
repairs. He sees this as one part of a larger trend of achieving immortality 
through technology.
Kurzweil's new book, which is coming soon, is titled "The Singularity is 
Near, When Humans Transcend
Biology<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670033847/wburorg-20/002-4766736-5240027>
."
 Here and Now is Public Radio's noon news magazine. Produced every weekday 
at WBUR <http://www.wbur.org/> in Boston, Here and Now is a fast-paced 
program that covers up-to-the-minute news and also provides regular features 
on food and cooking, science and technology, and personal finance, as well 
as cultural stories about film, theater, music and more.
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