Topic: Um, yeah, this disturbs me... working towards the singularity

[EschelonOfJudgemnt]

I just noticed this article on Ars Technica:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/09/random-access-memories-my-time-at-a-singularity-conference/

Up until now, this was good fodder for science fiction, but these guys take this stuff very seriously!

I'll save my comments for later.  In the meantime, enjoy the article!

[Panzergranate]

Errrrr.......

Before developing the technology to live for ever, shouldn't they first work on fixing things so that life is worth living forever??

And there's the serius concern that something will probally go wrong because Microsoft is involved at some point.

So there you are driving along in your android avatar body and suddenly you black out because of a microsoft update....

[Panzergranate]

Or you buy a new car but can't drive it because of incompatability issues with your personal Microsoft Windows For Avatars....

What's the point of living for ever in a robot body without:

Sex.

Booze.

Food.

Farting.

Basically you'd have imortality with the lifestyle of a eunuc monk.

 

[maelstorm]

Or you buy a new car but can't drive it because of incompatability issues with your personal Microsoft Windows For Avatars....

What's the point of living for ever in a robot body without:

Sex.

Booze.

Food.

Farting.

Basically you'd have imortality with the lifestyle of a eunuc monk.

well considering everything will be hardware replacement let's look at what you're pointing out as missing.

sex - simulations that will give the sensations to the brain will not be destinguishable.

booze - again simulations by software will give these sensations.  never eat a badly made meal ever again. all will smell and taste perfect.  AND WON"T KILL YOU IN THE LONG RUN DUE TO CHOLESTEROL ect.

Farting - again a simple sound byte and software simulating such will be available.


Consider you will have all these and gaining the chance to explore space in it's vastness.

I will live to see the solar system colonized.
I will live to see the first time we enter another solar system (heck you could go yourself in a sub light ship since your lifespan won't be limited.)
I will live to to see our vast spiral galaxy while walking outside on the hull of your ship from a distance.
I will live to to see first contact made.
I will see things you people wouldn't believe. 
I will see Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I will see C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
As a mortal human All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain, when it is time to die.

where can i sign up?

[EschelonOfJudgemnt]

My main reservations with this fall under the 'Bones argument'.

Transferring the brain seems possible, although due to cellular deterioration the brain will eventually fail (copy of a copy of a copy etc. of cells...).  Brain Cancer won't be going away, and there are other disorders as well.  So I don't see a brain holding up for hundreds of years, let alone thousands.

Transfer of consciousness I'm not buying.  I can see a machine that perfectly copies your neuron patterns, etc. into an artificial brain, but it will be exactly that, a copy of a person's memories, not that person's memories.  Your copy will live on, but you still die when your brain does.  So your 'clones' may achieve relative immortality, but you still die.

A way around this would be some sort of artificial cell replacement of the brain that happens gradually (i.e. replace a 'less reliable brain cell with longer lasting/more robust cells, perhaps through DNA manipulation), so that your brain impulses remain 'homogenous' during the process instead of being copied, and indeed our bodies replace cells fairly regularly, but I don't see a 'transfer' being possible.  At least not in the next century or two.  Copy yes, but does the copy have a soul, etc.?

Then there is the whole Skynet scenario thingie...