[extropy-chat] "The Singularity Myth"

[Russell Wallace]

On 3/17/06, starman2100 at cableone.net <starman2100 at cableone.net> wrote:
>
> Is everyone here still a true believer when it comes to the
> Singularity?  I recall the past threads we have had here
> regarding "hard" and "soft" take-off Singularities.  And I can remember
> when people said it would happen around 2025
> but the date seems to keep on getting pushed back. lol


Yes; soft takeoff variety; I don't know when, but I'd guess late 21st
century is more likely than early.

Someone in a gaming group I was in back in the 90s told me that when an
aircraft is taking off, there are two critical points:

"V0" - when the plane is going too fast to stop before it hits the end of
the runway.

"V1" - when the plane is going fast enough to get into the air.

Somewhat awkwardly, V0 comes before V1.

My character in that game used this as a metaphor: the world is past V0. We
either reach V1 or we crash and burn. I don't know what the probability of
success is, but it doesn't matter; what matters is what we can do to improve
it.

Will the "Techno-Rapture" still save us or must we look to cryonics?  I
> realize being driven over by a bus or getting
> terminal cancer could make the Singularity a moot point anyway for an
> individual, and give great impetus to being
> signed up for cryonics.
>

*shrug* Nobody can foretell the future that accurately. It might come when
you're alive, it might not. If it does, being signed up for cryonics won't
do any harm. If not, it just might save your life. If continued life is a
high priority for you, this would suggest signing up for cryonics as the
best course of action.
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