Argus Posted June 9, 2016 Report Posted June 9, 2016 (edited) In the nerd hierarchy of needs, the flying car is up there with downloadable brains and a working holodeck. http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-global-tech-inventors/#/welcome-to-larry-page-s-secret-flying-car-factories I was surprised that the nerd hierarchy of needs didn't include a cute blonde that plays World of Warcraft, but I guess nerds are more esoteric than that. Anyway, it turns out that while Google founder Jeff Bezos is building rocket ships, his co-founder, Larry Page is trying to develop the flying car, and thanks to another nerd, Elon Musk, he might actually be able to do it. Frankly, I'd rather have a downloadable brain or a holodeck. Why aren't these super internet nerds working on those? Humans could download their brain on to a computer and live forever inside a machine, a Cambridge neuroscientist has claimed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/11627328/Humans-could-download-brains-on-to-a-computer-and-live-forever.html Ian Pearson, head of British Telecom's futurology unit, told the UK's Observer newspaper that the rapid advances in computing power would make cyber-immortality a reality within 50 years. http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/05/23/brain.download/ While the technology needed to create a virtual reality chamber once seemed light years away, many technology companies are already working on early prototype designs for holodeck-style chambers, and technologists now believe machines worthy of bearing the name “holodeck” could be as little as 10 to 15 years away from realization. http://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/star-trek-like-holodeck-may-be-closer-to-reality-than-you-think Edited June 9, 2016 by Argus Quote "A liberal is someone who claims to be open to all points of view — and then is surprised and offended to find there are other points of view.” William F Buckley
Moonlight Graham Posted June 10, 2016 Report Posted June 10, 2016 (edited) Frankly, I'd rather have a downloadable brain or a holodeck. Why aren't these super internet nerds working on those? They are. Yes, they're saying around 50 years for immortality. i hope that's true, Edited June 10, 2016 by Moonlight Graham Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
Bonam Posted June 10, 2016 Report Posted June 10, 2016 Frankly, I'd rather have a downloadable brain or a holodeck. Why aren't these super internet nerds working on those? There's people working on all of those. And Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon, not Google. Realistically, a flying car is a much simpler engineering problem to solve with existing technologies than a holodeck or a brain download. However, it is necessarily quite energy intensive. Information technologies advance much more quickly than energy technologies so even though people will be playing with electric cars much sooner, mass commercial applications will be fleeting. On the other hand, as soon as holodeck technology becomes viable, you can bet it will be implemented, and same with brain downloading. First to embrace the holodeck will be the porn industry... Quote
Boges Posted June 10, 2016 Report Posted June 10, 2016 (edited) I would think a viable method of interstellar travel would be on top of the list. BTW one you have a downloadable brain, we'll just be living in the Matrix, if you're happy with that. Edited June 10, 2016 by Boges Quote
eyeball Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 What I want is a nano-swarm that I can upload my brain to - a supermind so I can be everywhere at once. I bet time dilation would feel pretty weird too. Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
eyeball Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 They are. Yes, they're saying around 50 years for immortality. i hope that's true, Don't worry, someone will invent a time machine and come back and rescue those of us who don't make it. They may already have and we're supposed to go into the light when the lights go out. That's probably our end of a wormhole or something. Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
Bonam Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 All in good time. Most of these kinds of sci fi ideas are closer to technical reality than most people realize. I haven't seen anything to convince me that the singularity won't happen before 2050 as was first predicted back in the 90s. Quote
Bonam Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 (edited) Don't worry, someone will invent a time machine and come back and rescue those of us who don't make it. Actually there's very good reasons to believe, based on the best current understanding of physics as well as observational evidence (why don't we see time traveling historians from the future), that time travel in the sense necessary to do this is simply not possible. That said, those of us who don't make it can always try to hedge their bets through cryopreservation... Edited June 11, 2016 by Bonam Quote
eyeball Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 (edited) Well that sucks...I guess the Singularity won't be all it's cracked up to be. In any case I bet you it'll always be an event that's 25 - 50 years too late. Edited June 11, 2016 by eyeball Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
Bonam Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 I would think a viable method of interstellar travel would be on top of the list. I would guess we have functional immortality before we have functional manned interstellar travel. Quote
eyeball Posted June 11, 2016 Report Posted June 11, 2016 Interstellar travel almost seems pointless without immortality, there's just too much to see. Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
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