AdamSmith Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 So MsGuy and others have posted recently on the Singularity and other looming phenomena that may have less than desirable outcomes for H. sapiens. What do you think may be the greatest risk? Possibilities I can think of, in rough order of likelihood: Catastrophic climate change Food chain collapse Global pandemic -- too much human biomass on the planet, too well connected due to modern transportation Potable water crisis Nuclear annihilation Malevolent machine sentience In turn, possible saving developments: Cost-effective mass-scale desalination Terraforming to actively reverse climate change Nanomedicine, biomaterials/bioelectronics, etc. H. sapiens genetic engineering Neutral or benevolent machine supersentience Karellen ...? Quote
Members RA1 Posted January 13, 2014 Members Posted January 13, 2014 Only one politically caused catastrophe? Two, if you count climate change/global warming. Naturally, all of them can be affected by politics. They all are "in the works", only some of them seem to be more imminent than others. I used to actively worry about some of these. Now they are only a matter of intellectual or philosophical interest. Not to be uncaring but I shall not live long enough to deal with any of them at least not in extremis. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Members MsGuy Posted January 13, 2014 Members Posted January 13, 2014 H. sapiens genetic engineering And this is listed in column B rather than column A why? I used to actively worry about some of these. Now they are only a matter of intellectual or philosophical interest. ... I shall not live long enough to deal with any of them... Surely there's some beloved niece or favored escort for whom you might have some lingering concern? Quote
Members RA1 Posted January 13, 2014 Members Posted January 13, 2014 Oh, I have lingering concern for many but the key word is lingering. How long will it linger after I am gone? Best regards, RA1 MsGuy and AdamSmith 2 Quote
AdamSmith Posted January 13, 2014 Author Posted January 13, 2014 And this is listed in column B rather than column A why? Triumph of hope over experience? Quote
AdamSmith Posted January 25, 2014 Author Posted January 25, 2014 Inching closer... Supercomputer models one second of human brain activity http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10567942/Supercomputer-models-one-second-of-human-brain-activity.html Quote
Members lookin Posted January 25, 2014 Members Posted January 25, 2014 Inching closer... Supercomputer models one second of human brain activity http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10567942/Supercomputer-models-one-second-of-human-brain-activity.html Forty minutes and fifty petaflops later, Yoshi models the world's first brain fart AdamSmith and MsGuy 2 Quote
Members RA1 Posted January 25, 2014 Members Posted January 25, 2014 Will this "science" be advanced by the dog who not only has a "helpful" wrench but no doubt is peeing on the power cord? Best regards, RA1 MsGuy 1 Quote
