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NASA and Google To Back New "Singularity University"

Posted by kdawson on from the can-that-be-taught dept.

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.

11 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. Doing != Teaching by LingNoi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:Doing != Teaching by genner · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

      It will work because it looks great on a resume which is all modern education is good for anyway.

    2. Re:Doing != Teaching by collinstocks · · Score: 5, Informative

      ...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...

      You obviously missed that part.

      Other than that, you make a good point, though.

    3. Re:Doing != Teaching by martin-boundary · · Score: 5, Funny

      However, it *is* going to work because at the end of two weeks, those guys will have collected 120 * $25,000 = $3m from a bunch of idiots.

  2. But the real question is... by zerospeaks · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will it blend?

    --
    http://wwww.zerospeaks.com
  3. here we go by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is it just me or is Kurzweil turning his cult into a religion?

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:here we go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

    2. Re:here we go by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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 /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:here we go by durrr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

  4. The Singularity is Nonsense by mosb1000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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".

  5. buzz by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Blah blah blah singularity blah blah blah TED blah blah blah NASA blah blah blah Ray Kurzweil blah blah blah Ames blah blah blah disruptive blah blah blah innovation blah blah blah Nobel Prize blah blah blah Vint Cerf blah blah blah information technology blah blah blah Will Wright blah blah blah $25,000 blah blah blah executives blah blah blah Google blah blah blah Singularity U blah blah blah tackle huge issues facing humanity blah blah blah San Francisco Bay Area blah blah blah cross section of emerging disciplines blah blah blah nanotechnology blah blah blah biotechnology blah blah blah pandemics blah blah blah global health care concerns blah blah blah.