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NASA and Google To Back New "Singularity University"
Slatterz and Keith Kleiner were among several readers to send in word of Singularity University, announced at TED today by Ray Kurzweil. He and X Prize founder Peter Diamandis began talking about creating the school last year, after Diamandis read Kurzweil's 2005 book The Singularity is Near. NASA and Google are both supporting the project, NASA with space and Google with cash. The school aims to foster "disruptive innovation." As envisioned, Singularity U. will sponsor 3-day and 10-day courses for executives year-round, and its main offering will be a single 9-week course of study over the summer for 120 students, each of which will pay $25,000 for the privilege. Announced faculty so far includes Nobel Prize winning physicist George Smoot, NASA Ames chief scientist Stephanie Langhoff, Vint Cerf, and Will Wright, creator of the video games Spore and The Sims.
I don't think this is going to work because although these people are the top in their fields, it doesn't make them good teachers, which is important if you're paying $25,000 for a 10 day course.
What makes you say so? I'm not any kind of fan Kurzweil or his technology singularity concept (I've heard of it, but haven't read any of Kurzweil's writing on the subject), but the idea is absolutely intriguing. Not only that, it's entirely possible he may be right. Ray Kurzweil is a very smart man who has always been at the forefront of technological development.
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Not really. Cult = small, unpopular religion. Religion = large, popular cult. The basic idea is the same, of course; the difference is in magnitude and some popular form of legitimacy.
It is complete and utter nonsense. These people are so obsessed with the idea that science and knowledge and inventiveness can solve all our problems that they've neglected the actual process of technological development, which is filled with ideas that look good on paper but don't work when you try them in the real world. When it comes to solving problems, nothing beats hard work, not even the "singularity".
I believe we will reach a point when technical progress will create a society completely different from anything we have ever seen, before the mid of this century.
But this does not mean I believe any of the participants in this event has something significant enough to say to make it worth paying $25000 to listen to them.
Where the hell are grad and post-grad students supposed to dig up $25,000 for a 3 month course?
I'm surprised Google isn't putting up cash for an endowment that will allow the "singularity university" to pick students based on merit instead of means.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Don't even start.
The difference between a cult and a religion is 100 years.
What about Catholics? are they a cult? How about Lutherans?
All religions fell under the definitions you list at one point in their history.
Cult: A group of people who blindly follow a person or ideology with no verifiable evidence.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
A lever makes one man capable of lifting several tons by means of his own strength.
Where is the lever for the mind that makes thousands of brilliant technological advances out of a single man's half-baked brain fart?
Where is the force-multiplier for the mind?
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
Actually, it's not mine. I forgot to give the credit where the credit belongs. It was said by Michael Shermer
Oh, so at what point did the Catholics stop becoming a cult, as per the definitions you listed?
Same for Lutherans.
The term Catholic goes back to abput 105/6. It was meaning Universal...but some how I thinkg the Romans and Jews may have a different take.
This is obvious if you study the time, perios and events that were happening at the time the letter was written.
Of course, you have read the Letter to the Smyrnaeans ? and studied the founding of the church?
To say ANY christian* religion isn't a cult as per the definitions you gave is absurd.
All this brings me to my point:
Either define a moment when something moves from 'cult' to 'religion', or it's just a larger cult.
Stop trying to ahve it both ways.
I specifically mention Christian because that's what we are discussing, I can come up with similar historical examples for most religions.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
You seem to have some misconceptions about what the singularity is, it simply means things are improving a bit faster than before, as in, it's moving so fast we have trouble actually following the development, sortof like today, only that when you you visit slashdot you'll be facing two months content in todays rate in a single day.
We are already extremely dependant on machine and internet connections to keep up the rate today, our dependence and rate of immersion will simply increase along with the rate of progress. I don't really see where the loss of imagination, creativity and individuality comes into play here.
Also, religion usually lacks scientific basis and contains supernatural aspects, it's sortof what makes it a religion, the concept of the singularity may perhaps be a bit naive but it's not a religion. Sure it sounds a bit romantic and head in the clouds to dream of the Time of Change when the world will turn utopian but as a matter of fact we are living in a time of change and extremely rapid progress right at the moment, it's only the utopian part that's missing but the situation is rapidly improving for the average human.
For it to happen means mankind no longer has imagination, creativity, and individuality.
I don't understand this. None of those are necessarily eliminated by a singularity; if anything they're more likely to become stronger.
How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.