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blues

Well, to be just a tad technical about the matter, the songularity of a black whole is by know means the whole hole. Absolutely not. First comes its event horizon, and this is the same for a super-giant black hole like the one that sits in the center of our galaxy, or for an itty bitty one that is about to evaporate into a puff of Hawkins radiation. The singularity is an 'infinitely' tiny centerpiece, that has the distinction of not having to obey any of the rules of the rest of the universe. People don't like to obey rules either. But they do love to make 'em! 0/0.

Elaine Meinel Supkis

Yup. But escaping the gravitational pull after the event horizon is impossible. The only way to 'escape' is for the black hole to explode. And they do explode. Very nastily.

Daliwood

By coincidence, before I read your article, I was watching a Science Channel program about string theory and the subsequent development of membrane theory, which postulates 11 dimensions and an infinite number of parallel universes. Our Big Bang, a singularity in itself, occurred--the cosmologists believe--when two rippling membranes collided in the 11th dimension.

Even though it was a toned down, general audience program, I was still confused by some of what I heard--those cosmologists seem to make it up as they go along when they get to the outer boundaries of their science (or perhaps it's a philosophy written in mathematics).

At any rate, when they discussed their theories, I was struck by the way that differences disappear in a singularity. Essentially, as you note in your article, opposites become the same. As a result, the unimaginable destructive ferocity of explosions (from the Big Bang on) can be creative as well as destructive. Hence too the mindset of the Hindus, who grasp quite well the concept that destruction and creation, death and life are the same thing.

The TV program ended with a scientist who believes that it will one day be possible to create a universe like our own one day--a sort of stirring up a singularity in the basement if you will like a kid with a chemistry set. The resulting universe would immediately begin to create its own space and "splice off" (his words) from our own universe without disturbing or altering our own space. As I listened to him and as I read about super-"intelligent" computers, I am forced to wonder if it's human intelligence that's unlimited or human ego. Perhaps both are nearly boundless, but I suspect they don't get along very well and one will end up trying to kill the other--maybe ending in a singularity in which they're the same thing?

Dervish

The Singularity is the point at which humans create something that is more human than human. It is the fruition of Genesis 3:22. At this point, the human project is done. We will eat from the Tree of Life. It will be as Heaven on Earth. The snake will eat it's tail.

blues

Elaine, dammit. You've got this topic all screwed up. I know all about Ray Kurzweil, and his "singularity" bullshit. This guy is a cyber rockstar, Marshall McLuhan wannabe. About ten years ago I paid $2000 for one of the very first Dragon Dictate voice dictation systems. It ran in DOS. There were three competing voice dictation products. One was Dragon Dictate, another was IBM Via Voice, and the third was the (Ray) Kurzweil Something-or-other. Well, Kurzweil's brainchild was unable to compete with the others, so... Every five years or so, this cyber rockstar launches some goofy new "the-future-is-coming-soon" franchise, and this is just his latest song-and-dance.

It's like this, really: The future really will come, someday. In fact, when I finish launching my anti-grammar linguistics project, I will look for someone to program it in Cyclone, and then any cheap home computer will be able to impersonate a human being. Of course, it will not really BE a human being, but just a cheap little home computer. I suppose the cyber-rockstar/goofball-philosophers will twist it all into some hellacious paradigm. To be exploited via tours of $5,000 speeches in the boardrooms of bemused corporate executives. I've seen how it's all done. Technology is not the source of the current social malaise that afflicts us. That disaster is just a side-effect of living in a fundamentally fraudulent, gangster directed pseudo-culture.

Elaine Meinel Supkis

OK, is this program going to make computers act like teenagers or adults? 14 year old girls? 50 year old husbands? Nagging mother in laws? Gads, the thought of all this is really encouraging!


Or will it be like me? Gab, gab, gab. :)

blues

The first model will be a Rush Limbaugh simulation that you can "call" any time you want.

Elaine Meinel Supkis

Great for target practice.

notgonnatellya

"Colossus: The Forbin Project"

blues

Would you rather have Bush or Colossus?

notgonnatellya

Bush. He's falling apart at the seams.

Although, Colossus might save the planet, which I love far more than humanity.

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It is an amazing picture. She and the horse with power in brownish colors.

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this whole discussion makes me think of the Venus Project... goshh... I think we humans should learn that technology is not the panacea of the our existence! It's all about conscience. if69

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The horse looks like on fire. A wonderful piece of art.

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Although, Colossus might save the planet, which I love far more than humanity.

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