Did You Know?
I saw this video on DeanHunt.com. Well, actually, Dean posted a slightly earlier version of it. The one below dates from June 2007:
The main point seems to be that the world is bigger, more connected, and changing faster than we realize. It's interesting in part because it illustrates at least one of the points it is trying to make: originally created for a presentation to 150 people, the various versions have collectively been viewed over 5 million times on YouTube.
There are a lot of thought-provoking tidbits in here and I encourage you to find them for yourself. To save you a fraction of time, I'll share these two with you:
- By 2013, supercomputers will exceed the computational capacity of the human brain;
- By 2049, a $1000 computer's capacity will exceed that of the human race.
As the authors point out, it is very difficult to predict what will happen between the first date and the second. One reason for this unpredictability is something Vernor Vinge dubbed, "The Singularity," way back in 1993. As he wrote then, "Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended."
In other words, once an intelligence greater than our own appears on Earth, the possible futures ensuing become as unknowable as the events occurring beyond the event horizon of a black hole.
Action Item: During your next job interview, ask the interviewer what plans the company has for The Singularity and the need to serve super-intelligent customers.
Comments
Another interesting sci-fi take on the Singularity is Charles Stross' Accelerando. It is also implicit in the ending of Gibson's Neuromancer. I enjoyed your interview question; however, I'm thinking of holding that one "in reserve" until after I get hired. It's interesting too how the spa-appropriate soundtrack acts to mitigate the overwhelm factor of the presentation's facts and factoids ("something resembling a fact" to follow one definition). Imagine a nouvelle cuisine high-end restaurant with nothing on the menu but (a) Fight and (b) Flight.
Posted by: Daniel @ May 9, 2008