the Foresight Institute

An interesting essay by Robin Hanson on highly advanced virtual reality (VR) systems ("How To Live In A Simulation") appears on the Kurzweil AI website. Hansonís theme: "If you might be living in a simulation then all else equal you should care less about others, live more for today, make your world look more likely to become rich, expect to and try more to participate in pivotal events, be more entertaining and praiseworthy, and keep the famous people around you happier and more interested in you."
The essay was originally published September 2001 in the Journal of Evolution and Technology. Robin Hanson is also the originator of the Idea Futures concept.

from the proficient-prognosticators dept.
A profile of computer scientist and noted science fiction author Vernor Vinge appeared in the New York Times ("A Scientist's Art: Computer Fiction", by K. Hafner, 2 August 2001): "Vernor Vinge, a computer scientist at San Diego State University, was one of the first not only to understand the power of computer networks but also to paint elaborate scenarios about their effects on society. He has long argued that machine intelligence will someday soon outstrip human intelligence." Vinge also developed and popularized the concept of a technological singularity — the lower slopes of which many now believe we are climbing.

Note: Access to the NYT website is free, but may require registration.

from the okay-who-talked dept.
Our secret is out: what some of us knew but didn't talk much about, except quietly among ourselves. German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reveals the influence science fiction has had on nanotechnologists and other high-tech researchers: "I was a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie," says Freitas. And those who want to get an idea of what is currently going on in the twilight zone between science, fantasy and politics must take such confessions seriously. Just as the German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann's generation was obsessed with Homer, so all the great sci-fi epics, especially those on celluloid, have left their mark on these 40-something scientists. And they now have the education and — thanks to the new economy — the enormous financial resources they need to pursue their version of reality. Er, some of us have the financial resources.

from the here-comes-Singularity dept.
Vernor Vinge, author of some of the best — many would say THE best — novels on highly advanced coming technologies, will speak at the Sept 8-10 Foresight Gathering. It was Vernor who came up with the term Singularity; come hear about it from the man himself. The good news is that Vernor has stopped teaching in order to write full-time, so we should be seeing more work from him. You need to read his writing whether you like sf or not: books such as his are some of the most useful future scenarios around.