Making a true silicon-based lifeform is an extremely daunting prospect - I suspect developers will eventually tire of arguing whether their creations are or are not intelligent (and by what measures should be used), and divert their energies into building systems that are most definitely not "AI", but are powerful, useful, elegant and cool.
I'm not sure that I would want a really intelligent computer on my desk either, it would keep telling me to stop downloading pr0n and playing Quake 3. I think I'd prefer a sophisticated slave.
"They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them."
This is a just plain wrong. Strip yourself naked, walk out into the wilderness, and try and make a superweapon. Didn't think so. You'd be lucky to dredge together a bomb (Kaczynski), let along build a gene splicing lab from household items... unless you're McGyver. Tech is always going to require a massive level of support from society, which can then be curbed by regulation and control. Nanotech will (and should) be controlled. Biotech the same. At no point should we see "Junior Scientist Nanite" kits, or else we're all bound for the goo. Hboy
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Q3 under 98 = 68 fps
Q3 under 2000 = 62 fps
This is about 9% slower.
I wish the Linux games guys had tested against Windows 2000 as well.
Hboy
I'm not sure that I would want a really intelligent computer on my desk either, it would keep telling me to stop downloading pr0n and playing Quake 3. I think I'd prefer a sophisticated slave.
Hboy