The Singularity: The worst of Twitter and /b/ combined, apparently

[Cramulus]

now that's a scary thought!

but don't you think people will just keep picking at the stuff they understand?

Or is it going to be that you need a lifetime of education just to roll the boulder back up the hill?

[P3nT4gR4m]

To be quite honest, I see the singularity as something more of a plateau, pragmatically speaking.

As pattern makers, we are assaulted by vast reams of information, and we pick and choose our way through it.

The singularity, as I see it, is a point where the technology and knowledge base becomes greater than our ability to understand it.

At that point, we will fall back to our null state, and no more advancements are made.

If that's the case then we've already reached it. Name one person on earth that understands everything? People choose fields and specialise. If those fields become too complex then they are further subdivided - molecular biology, organic biochemistry .. etc

The knowledge base, even in my field of computing, is already greater than my ability to understand it but I don't need to. Everything is documented in digital format. We are using machines to make up for the shortcomings of our brains, organising information in ever more accessible ways. Developing ever more sophisticated algorithms for retrieving it.

There's a hell of a lot of things that get done on a daily basis that would be impossible without technology, including designing and building that technology itself.

To me the singularity occurs when humans completely lose touch with the design process. Then you have a real runaway train on your hands.

[Elder Iptuous]

can we get back to Roger's testicles?
'cause that was where the thread was getting good...

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

can we get back to Roger's testicles?
'cause that was where the thread was getting good...

Yeah, that was an interest sparker for me, the rest leans towards new age dribble.... 

I thought I'd logged on to the wrong board at first.

[Elder Iptuous]

sombody WOMP ten nuts on him, stat!

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Wait.

It's just a feedback loop?

I wanted a fucking black hole that would suck the world into it while I laugh maniacally until the tidal forces pull me into an infinitely long leering face covered in long-delayed satisfaction.

And it's just some new agey term for increasing technical development?

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Different kind of singularity. You're talking about the one they expect to be in the middle of a black hole. Which will do the infinite suckage. Unfortunately, you will never get to see the singularity inside a black hole either, because the event horizon will always be in front of it, which is also called the Cosmic Censorship Hypothesis, thought up in '69 by .. that other Roger.

Technological Singularity is basically the new age version of "Kids these days ...", when they're not praising them and calling them indigo kids, the new agers suddenly realize they can't program their VCR and don't understand fuck about all this complicated technology anymore. So this all gotta fit in the grand cosmic scheme, so obviously this meaning that technology is accelerating and we'll all be poomped into enlightenment at an accelerated rate!

Funny.  That other Roger is also the other Roger Penrose.  Our names are identical.  He's my 2d cousin or some shit.

And yeah, I figured as much.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Concerning the above, there's nothing wrong or unlearnable about technology.  It just requires additional specialization in the given field, and it's not like we have a shortage of people.

But what's funny is, less and less people enter the trades each generation.

Who's gonna fix that power station when it goes off line?  Don't worry, the singularity will handle things.  Honest.

TGRR,
Knows that we'll all starve to death in the cold and dark, because we will no longer know how to change a switchgear.

[LMNO]

What's a switchgear?
  \

[P3nT4gR4m]

Concerning the above, there's nothing wrong or unlearnable about technology.  It just requires additional specialization in the given field, and it's not like we have a shortage of people.

But what's funny is, less and less people enter the trades each generation.

Who's gonna fix that power station when it goes off line?  Don't worry, the singularity will handle things.  Honest.

TGRR,
Knows that we'll all starve to death in the cold and dark, because we will no longer know how to change a switchgear.

It's an increasingly dangerous level of dependency. Gears and valves and flywheels are the base of a pyramid that ends in subroutines and dynamic classes. Eventually the pyramid will be too tall for the human race to manage.

... then lulz

[The Good Reverend Roger]

What's a switchgear?
  \

Some unimportant thing dealing with boring, prosaic stuff that isn't nearly as exciting as an undefined hippie "singularity"/2012 knockoff/new age religion.

Really.  It has grease in it, and is thus beneath the notice of the Eloi.

TGRR,
Morlock.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Concerning the above, there's nothing wrong or unlearnable about technology.  It just requires additional specialization in the given field, and it's not like we have a shortage of people.

But what's funny is, less and less people enter the trades each generation.

Who's gonna fix that power station when it goes off line?  Don't worry, the singularity will handle things.  Honest.

TGRR,
Knows that we'll all starve to death in the cold and dark, because we will no longer know how to change a switchgear.

It's an increasingly dangerous level of dependency. Gears and valves and flywheels are the base of a pyramid that ends in subroutines and dynamic classes. Eventually the pyramid will be too tall for the human race to manage.

... then lulz

H.G. Wells was an optimist.  In the end, the Morlocks all disappear, and the Eloi starve to death.

Who's left tending the great machines that keep everything running?  Me, Curley, and a few dozen guys in their early 60s.

[Jasper]

When I get my vacuuming robot Imma name it Morlock.