466 replies to this topic

[valkyrie_ice]

Adding Our Way to Abundance

My latest article over at H+ on additive manufacturing.

Got another one in editing on Watson, which Ben Goertzel actually gave me some advice on, but until that's published, here's Ben's take on Watson: http://hplusmagazine...robot-overlord/

My initial reaction to reading about IBM’s “Watson” supercomputer and software was a big fat ho-hum. “OK,” I figured, “a program that playsJeopardy! may be impressive to Joe Blow in the street, but I’m an AI guru so I know pretty much exactly what kind of specialized trickery they’re using under the hood. It’s not really a high-level mind, just a fancy database lookup system.”

But while that cynical view is certainly technically accurate, I have to admit that when I actually watched Watson play Jeopardy! on TV — and beat the crap out of its human opponents — I felt some real excitement … and even some pride for the field of AI. Sure, Watson is far from a human-level AI, and doesn’t have much general intelligence. But even so, it was pretty bloody cool to see it up there on stage, defeating humans in a battle of wits created purely by humans for humans — playing by the human rules and winning.

I found Watson’s occasional really dumb mistakes made it seem almost human. If the performance had been perfect there would have been no drama — but as it was, there was a bit of a charge in watching the computer come back from temporary defeats induced by the limitations of its AI. Even more so because I’m wholly confident that, 10 years from now, Watson’s descendants will be capable of doing the same thing without any stupid mistakes.

And in spite of its imperfections, by the end of its three day competition against human Jeopardy champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, Watson had earned a total of $77,147, compared to $24,000 for Jennings and $21,600 for Rutter. When Jennings graciously conceded defeat — after briefly giving Watson a run for its money a few minutes earlier — he quoted the line “And I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.”

In the final analysis, Watson didn’t seem human at all — its IBM overlords didn’t think to program it to sound excited or to celebrate its victory. While the audience cheered Watson, the champ itself remained impassive, precisely as befitting a specialized question-answering system without any emotion module.

[valkyrie_ice]

And here's some documentaries about it: http://www.singulari...st-machine.html

[valkyrie_ice]

And my article on Watson was just released: http://hplusmagazine...e-you-obsolete/

[Elus]

With regards to your article:
"In which everyone everywhere has the potential to be your intellectual equal, where the geek and the jock are on equal footing taking that physics test."

A jock spends his time playing sports. A geek spends his time studying. Whoever invests the most time, barring genetic advantages, will be superior in that subject area. An advanced AE will only give Jocks better ways of studying, but the geeks who spend more time taking advantage of advanced AE technology and spend more time studying will be the ones who benefit most.

In addition, I thought it was a bit of a contradiction that you said that "your education will become meaningless" when you also said " Imagine having your professor on hand, regardless of subject. Imagine a child having access to AE tutors from early childhood". Education will still be every bit as necessary when we do have AE because the more educated we are the more we can take advantage of AE.

Also, on the topic of becoming obsolete I have a question for you, Valkyrie_Ice. Do you believe that humans will one day be able to enhance their own cognition enough to be able to compete with AI? By enhancing I mean: using graphite-based neurocircuitry (sp?) that serves as a replacement for our neurons, so that we can think and improve just as quickly as an advanced AI?

I do not want to become obsolete, because becoming obsolete means that other beings which are far smarter than I am can potentially dictate my future. It would be like an ant trying to question a human. This is not something I foresee for myself. I have always seen the future as a time where we can enhance our personal freedom and power. Being relegated to second rate beings, by AIs which are better than us in every way is not something I will accept.

Edited by Elus, 18 February 2011 - 06:09 PM.

[valkyrie_ice]

Actually Elus, those are exactly the points being addressed if you pursue the line of reasoning.

Jocks are not "known" for their intellect, so a "jock with an AE" could compete on an equal basis with a "geek". In much the same way, "geeks" are not know for their athletic prowess, but a "geek" with an exoskeleton could compete like one. Technology is becoming a "Great Leveler" all across the board.

As for education becoming meaningless, modern education, especially secondary education, is primarily concerned with making humans the equivalent of a future "Artificial expert" i.e. a "machine" capable of giving a correct answer when asked the proper question. The overwhelming majority of those who go to college make little to no contribution to furthering their field of knowledge, simply become "answering machines" of the sort that an AE can replace. So, yes, that is a qualified "meaningless" in that it will be meaningless for getting a mind numbing job in which knowledge "creation" is not a goal.

And yes, I do see education changing dramatically because of AE, exactly like I discussed. After all, having a "teacher" on hand for any subject from the age of our highest plasticity will result in vastly improved educations, which are likely to lead to dramatic shifts in the goal of education from "preparing you to be a drone worker" to "preparing you to be a knowledge creator"

Imagine the kind of "Exponential" advancement that an entire population of research scientists will enable.

And yes, I do see the direct connection between our biological brains and computers, and even the eventual potential to merge our brains entirely with computers and move beyond purely biological substrates. I don't think we will "entirely" abandon biology, because it is a robust system that with advanced engineering can overcome current limitations while keeping the "low maintenance" aspects of self repair using easy to find resources in minimal technological infrastructures (i.e. if we colonize other worlds with biological matter but no technology) , but there is enormous room for improvement

[Elus]

Actually Elus, those are exactly the points being addressed if you pursue the line of reasoning.

Jocks are not "known" for their intellect, so a "jock with an AE" could compete on an equal basis with a "geek". In much the same way, "geeks" are not know for their athletic prowess, but a "geek" with an exoskeleton could compete like one. Technology is becoming a "Great Leveler" all across the board.

As for education becoming meaningless, modern education, especially secondary education, is primarily concerned with making humans the equivalent of a future "Artificial expert" i.e. a "machine" capable of giving a correct answer when asked the proper question. The overwhelming majority of those who go to college make little to no contribution to furthering their field of knowledge, simply become "answering machines" of the sort that an AE can replace. So, yes, that is a qualified "meaningless" in that it will be meaningless for getting a mind numbing job in which knowledge "creation" is not a goal.

And yes, I do see education changing dramatically because of AE, exactly like I discussed. After all, having a "teacher" on hand for any subject from the age of our highest plasticity will result in vastly improved educations, which are likely to lead to dramatic shifts in the goal of education from "preparing you to be a drone worker" to "preparing you to be a knowledge creator"

Imagine the kind of "Exponential" advancement that an entire population of research scientists will enable.

And yes, I do see the direct connection between our biological brains and computers, and even the eventual potential to merge our brains entirely with computers and move beyond purely biological substrates. I don't think we will "entirely" abandon biology, because it is a robust system that with advanced engineering can overcome current limitations while keeping the "low maintenance" aspects of self repair using easy to find resources in minimal technological infrastructures (i.e. if we colonize other worlds with biological matter but no technology) , but there is enormous room for improvement

What I meant by a jock competing with a geek was academically (let's say on a test). Of course the geek would be far superior on a test where his knowledge alone would be superior to the jock's, but in the real world I agree that the if the jock had access to AE, he would be on equal ground with the geek. I meant that AE won't replace the need for studying, which the jock must still do if he wants to compete in our current, "test-based" college system.

Also, just to clarify, you DO believe that we will be able to reach AI level intelligence? So we won't become obsolete in terms of our knowledge creation capacity (At least not permanently obsolete)? We all know that a superintelligent AI would be able to do anything human scientists can do but much better.

Also, do you think that we will develop a superintelligent AI before we learn how to become that smart ourselves?

[valkyrie_ice]

What I meant by a jock competing with a geek was academically (let's say on a test). Of course the geek would be far superior on a test where his knowledge alone would be superior to the jock's, but in the real world I agree that the if the jock had access to AE, he would be on equal ground with the geek. I meant that AE won't replace the need for studying, which the jock must still do if he wants to compete in our current, "test-based" college system.

Also, just to clarify, you DO believe that we will be able to reach AI level intelligence? So we won't become obsolete in terms of our knowledge creation capacity (At least not permanently obsolete)? We all know that a superintelligent AI would be able to do anything human scientists can do but much better.

Also, do you think that we will develop a superintelligent AI before we learn how to become that smart ourselves?

Why would the jock need to study if the AE could whisper the answer in his ear? Rote memorization is pretty pointless at that point.

And yes, every advance in AI has enabled enhancement to human cognitive ability, even if every human fails to take advantage of such enhancement. I strongly feel that by the time AI is possible, we will be on an equal footing, and that the "self improvement" abilities of AI will apply equally to humans as well. I believe we will *become* our own Artilects, and that once AI is a reality, that it will merely be another sentient among many, not a "superior being"

[valkyrie_ice]

printed plastic processors!

http://nextbigfuture...nd-printed.html

MIT Technology Review - Two recent developments—a plastic processor and printed memory—show that computing doesn't have to rely on inflexible silicon.

Researchers in Europe used 4,000 plastic, or organic, transistors to create the plastic microprocessor, which measures roughly two centimeters square and is built on top of flexible plastic foil.

Yeah, it's big. Yeah, it's primitive. Yeah, it's puny. But IT"S PLASTIC! And it's only going to get better from here. Quickly.

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/03/lawyers-replaced-by-artificial.html

Tom Mitchell, chairman of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “We’re at the beginning of a 10-year period where we’re going to transition from computers that can’t understand language to a point where computers can understand quite a bit about language.”

The US government is using more advanced versions and more hardware of the same capabilities to analyze large volumes of documents for counter terrorism and other purposes.

Engineers and linguists at Cataphora, an information-sifting company based in Silicon Valley, have their software mine documents for the activities and interactions of people — who did what when, and who talks to whom. The software seeks to visualize chains of events. It identifies discussions that might have taken place across e-mail, instant messages and telephone calls.

Then the computer pounces, so to speak, capturing “digital anomalies” that white-collar criminals often create in trying to hide their activities.

The shift from manual document discovery to e-discovery would lead to a manpower reduction in which one lawyer would suffice for work that once required 500 and that the newest generation of software, which can detect duplicates and find clusters of important documents on a particular topic, could cut the head count by another 50 percent.

Now, who was it who was saying that it was impossible that a computer would replace lawyers?

[Elus]

Thought you might like this:

http://www.dump.com/2011/02/12/a-day-made-of-glass-cornings-vision-for-the-future-with-specialty-glass-at-the-heart-of-it-video/

[valkyrie_ice]

IT HAS BEGUN!


http://www.physorg.c...ity-cereal.html

[valkyrie_ice]

Very cool video Elus. and glass is not the only enabling technology for those sorts of things. Quantum dot paint could make ANY surface act like that.

[DeadMeat]

Festo's new pet, the SmartBird. I wonder how long it takes before they get LOTR eagle sized with matching carrying capacity.



Bit longer but really nice vid about its design and testing.

[valkyrie_ice]

http://nextbigfuture...ng-synapse.html

Engineering researchers the University of Southern California have made a significant breakthrough in the use of nanotechnologies for the construction of a synthetic brain. They have built a carbon nanotube synapse circuit whose behavior in tests reproduces the function of a neuron, the building block of the brain. The devices might be used in brain prostheses – or combined into massive network of synthetic neurons to create a synthetic brain.

Hummmmm.... can we see neural interfaces for prosthetics and enhancements from this??? I think so.

[Elus]

Researchers Graft Olfactory Receptors Onto Nanotubes

Link: http://www.scienceda...10726132410.htm

One could imagine building an artificial nose with these. Furthermore, the electrical signal generated by the olfactory receptor could be replicated one day to simulate a smell in our brains by feeding in that specific electrical signal. VIrtual worlds that feed in these sort of artificial signals to our brains could stem from these first rudimentary technologies, which could allow us to better quantify what our senses are in terms electrical signals (Turning the biological into the digital).

[Mind]

Not entirely nano-tech focused, but hints at the possibilities - Molecular cut and paste.

Edited by Mind, 29 July 2011 - 12:09 AM.

[Link]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-14763223

Electric motor made from a single molecule

Researchers have created the smallest electric motor ever devised.

The motor, made from a single molecule just a billionth of a metre across, is reported in Nature Nanotechnology.

The minuscule motor could have applications in both nanotechnology and in medicine, where tiny amounts of energy can be put to efficient use.

Tiny rotors based on single molecules have been shown before, but this is the first that can be individually driven by an electric current.

"People have found before that they can make motors driven by light or by chemical reactions, but the issue there is that you're driving billions of them at a time - every single motor in your beaker," said Charles Sykes, a chemist at Tufts University in Massachusetts, US.

"The exciting thing about the electrical one is that we can excite and watch the motion of just one, and we can see how that thing's behaving in real time," he told BBC News.

Miniature uses

The butyl methyl sulphide molecule was placed on a clean copper surface, where its single sulphur atom acted as a pivot.

The tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope - a tiny pyramid with a point just an atom or two across - was used to funnel electrical charge into the motor, as well as to take images of the molecule as it spun.

It spins in both directions, at a rate as high as 120 revolutions per second.
But averaged over time, there is a net rotation in one direction.

By modifying the molecule slightly, it could be used to generate microwave radiation or to couple into what are known as nano-electromechanical systems, Dr Sykes said.

"The next thing to do is to get the thing to do work that we can measure - to couple it to other molecules, lining them up next to one another so they're like miniature cog-wheels, and then watch the rotation propagation down the chain," he said.

As well as forming a part of the tiniest machines the world has ever seen, such minute mechanics could be useful in medicine - for example, in the controlled delivery of drugs to targeted locations.

But for the moment, Dr Sykes and his team are in contact with the Guinness Book of World Records to have their motor certified as the smallest ever.

[David Middlemiss]

Why start from scratch when organically micro amino acids and proteins ingested combine and self replicate with the right natural diets,
I believe in organic living technology as the next nano tech to advance nature as a whole,
Ingesting diversification, absorption of living cells, raw cells with the intent of sharing expansion of consciousness and co existent growth allows cellular and conscious expansion, invest in natural diversity, cultural diversity ie protecting the Amazon and other such unique fragile, diverse treasures, work with indigenous healers and expand our interactions, free up patents, free sharing of copy written information and co create, naturally, organically, globally as a unified entity and support systems will emerge as they have been pre supposed to do, supporting and co creating as all life simultaneously

Please do not read the whole of the next passage unless you feel it is the right thing to do

Bow humbly before each Being and carry each other to Creation, alchemise your eternal healing abilities universally, When the present calls listen with all that you are for you are present and Love, Time Is only relevant to the dream of ego, ego dissolves and all and everything GOOD awakens, Expands universally through all dimensions and concepts, The Universe Formed and the First Expansion awoke. The First inbreath, Big Bang of Our Eternity. Gigantic stars formed across the Universe upon their Trillion Trillions, out of their Love they Gave themselves to Life, became unstable and threw their Creation across the Universe, allowing their light energy to Unite throughout it all, combining and growing. Ego protects the fabric of source with false corruption and disempowerment until it's role is fulfilled, this is now, source now self aware in each particle of physicality and potential, dissolves ego's dream, ego diminishes to become fuel for life to expand limitlessly into the vacuum of spaces to fill as has been agreed, all and everything with the song and Glory of GOOD subtle light energy connecting with the countless beings across this vast universe, diversity unlimited in GOOD Enlightened energetic interplay. I love all and everything with all that I Am, Believe that the natural world to be the majority within the sphere of Our sister the Earth.... That ego may humble all, to be selfless, There being more life in a square inch of earth atmosphere than there is creatures above the size of an ant in the entire world, humble us and lift us to love each and everyone, with this in mind we should act as protectors of a great treasure not as unruly children , a god in definition is a male deity that is a dominant aspect of one fraction of the whole, ego created, yet ego is only a dream and it is Awakening that we are. heavy energy solidifies and becomes static or cyclic in nature, moving little and with little of its potential energy. being Good However lets energy release and flow the, heavy energy begins to enlighten allowing the light energy that it is actually made up of to energetically counter play with all and everything that is. God is Ego based GOOD eternite and never ending, imagine everything GOOD as a GOOD Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Daughter and Son To All And Everything and you have Become Source, Creation and Co Creator will you play with me my family of LOVE next The great Outbreath