Singularity
A day will come where we'll experience more change in an hour than in the whole history of humankind.
The endpoint of this extreme growth of information in a very short period of time is called the Singularity, a point where that time I just mentioned and space are no longer functioning according to our rules, everything connected in one singular point.
The endpoint of this extreme growth of information in a very short period of time is called the Singularity, a point where that time I just mentioned and space are no longer functioning according to our rules, everything connected in one singular point.
Would this singularity be the starting point of something new? A big bang perhaps?
Artificial Intelligence
As discussed before artificial intelligence can be a great assistance as well as our doom. We'll have to be very careful about simulating brains. Including connecting them, together through a computer or with a computer alone.
Copying or simulating brains will be the same as creating a complex real human being, or poses the power to make itself and the outer world believe it is, and isn't that exactly what we do?
A project where they've installed brain cells of a mouse on a plate with sensors and stimulants, they trained the brain network to fly a simulated aircraft perfectly, even with incredible sidewinds by rewarding it.
The brain datastream is quite comparable with a computer code, compiling in both directions would be possible.
Copying or simulating brains will be the same as creating a complex real human being, or poses the power to make itself and the outer world believe it is, and isn't that exactly what we do?
A project where they've installed brain cells of a mouse on a plate with sensors and stimulants, they trained the brain network to fly a simulated aircraft perfectly, even with incredible sidewinds by rewarding it.
The brain datastream is quite comparable with a computer code, compiling in both directions would be possible.
Space exploration
Hive mind
SInce Elon Musk introduced his concept for a Neural Lace (2017) allowing direct interaction in between the brain and technology (BCI), the general knowledge and understanding of the potential impact of such devices is growing. If not properly regulated (not by politics - by ethics) before implementation, the loss in privacy, abuse in advertisement & commercial appliances can all be enormous. Yet these neural interfaces carry so much positive feats; a list.
The most important evolution this neural lace will bring is the communication in between two people without the need of vocal or non-verbal communication. If thoughts are properly (universally and individually) translated in machine language, it's the trick to have the other person experience what the sender is feeling; in the world concepts for a hive mind are emerging; human beings not thinking individually but experiencing and contributing to a greater goal they collectively experience.
- Think about a certain song and have your neural device immediatly play it from Spotify.
- Send a message by thinking of your contact, the content of the message and oh yeah, think 'send'.
- Summon your car from the parking lot as it drives automatically in front of you - just. by. thinking.
- Shifting your gear up and down of your bike (actually exists for a few years - 2011 - already)
The most important evolution this neural lace will bring is the communication in between two people without the need of vocal or non-verbal communication. If thoughts are properly (universally and individually) translated in machine language, it's the trick to have the other person experience what the sender is feeling; in the world concepts for a hive mind are emerging; human beings not thinking individually but experiencing and contributing to a greater goal they collectively experience.
Kardashev scale - The energy consumption of civilizations
Have you ever heared of something called the Kardashev scale?
The soviet astronomer Nicolai Kardashev proposed the scale in 1964 as a way of measuring a civilization’s technological advancement based upon how much usable energy it has at its disposal.
For the search of life in the universe, this scale is divided in observable differences from an astronomer's point of view.
Everyone agrees that as a civilization grows the need for energy will grow also. It is therefor that we have to secure the future for ourselves and our children today in terms of renewable non polluting energy sources to share and progress with everyone without damaging nature.
Type 0: Subglobal Culture — This civilization on the Kardashev scale extracts its energy and raw-materials from crude organic-based sources such as wood, coal, and oil. Any rockets utilized by such a civilization would necessarily depend on slow chemical propulsion, a civilization at this level would be (for the most part) confined to its home planet.
This is where we are. We haven’t quite made it to Type I yet.
Type I: Planetary Culture — This advanced civilization would be capable of utilizing all available resources on their home planet, skillfully harnessing the energy output of an entire world (10^15 watts). With any luck (if we don’t blow ourselves to oblivion and turn the Earth into an uninhabitable wasteland) we will reach this stage in 100-200 years.
So your grandkids will be around to see it; there’s some hope in that (assuming you have kids).
Type II: Stellar Culture — This civilization would be a few thousand years beyond our stage of evolution. Such a society would be able to harnesses all the energy of its star (in our case, about 10^26 watts). This culture might resemble the Federation of Planets, as seen on Star Trek.
Type III: Galactic Culture — This civilization would be able to harnesses the energy output of a galaxy (10 billion times the energy output of Type II civilizations, and about 100,000 to 1 million years more advanced than we are). They have colonized the galaxy itself, extracting energy from hundreds of billions of stars, traveling across interstellar space, and populating innumerable worlds. This civilization may resemble the Borg (but hopefully not as mean and “resistant-is-futile-like”), or perhaps they would resemble the Empire from Star Wars (but hopefully not so Darth-Vader-choke-hold-like), or maybe they would be more like the Reapers from Mass Effect (but hopefully not so break-your-body-down-into-biogoop-like)…
did anyone else notice that the civilizations at this level all seem to have so much potential for inhumane evil?
Type IV: Universal Culture —This civilization would be an intergalactic culture, spanning the breadth and width of the Universe. They would travel across the cosmos, commanding the power of a billion trillion suns. These societies would be capable of attempting projects of gargantuan, superhuman proportions, such as changing the structure of space-time or the deliberate slowing of entropy (or even its reversal) to achieve ultimate immortality. (Or, said civilizations may ultimately become capable of living INSIDE the event horizon of extra-massive black holes!) For humanity, such accomplishments might be forever beyond our reach. This level may be achievable only by starivores or incorporeal beings, such as members of Star Trek’s Q Continuum, or the Gallifreyans from Doctor Who.
Type V: Multiverse Culture — This civilization will have transcended their universe of origin. It would be capable of universe-scale manipulation (jumping between multiverses that contain varied forms of matter, physics, and space-time). A civilization such as this would be home to beings of unimaginable power and ability.
Dr. Michio Kaku suggested that humans may attain Type I status in 100–200 years, Type II status in a few thousand years, and Type III status in 100,000 to a million years.
Astronomer Carl Sagan suggested defining intermediate values (not considered in Kardashev's original scale) by interpolating and extrapolating the values given above for types I (1016 W), II (1026 W) and III (1036 W), which would then produce a formula.
I agree, it is a little disheartening that we haven’t even reached Type I yet. I would like to say something inspiring, like “given our lowly position, there’s nowhere to go but up!” Yet, it is entirely possible that some major catastrophe (be it natural or human induced) will send us spiraling back into the Stone Age.
So, what’s the ultimate take away from all of this?
If we want to advance beyond a Type 0 civilization, we’re going to need to play nice with one another (and maybe invest in science and education; that helps too)
source edited Kardashev scale article: www.fromquarkstoquasars.com and www.wikipedia.com
The soviet astronomer Nicolai Kardashev proposed the scale in 1964 as a way of measuring a civilization’s technological advancement based upon how much usable energy it has at its disposal.
For the search of life in the universe, this scale is divided in observable differences from an astronomer's point of view.
Everyone agrees that as a civilization grows the need for energy will grow also. It is therefor that we have to secure the future for ourselves and our children today in terms of renewable non polluting energy sources to share and progress with everyone without damaging nature.
Type 0: Subglobal Culture — This civilization on the Kardashev scale extracts its energy and raw-materials from crude organic-based sources such as wood, coal, and oil. Any rockets utilized by such a civilization would necessarily depend on slow chemical propulsion, a civilization at this level would be (for the most part) confined to its home planet.
This is where we are. We haven’t quite made it to Type I yet.
Type I: Planetary Culture — This advanced civilization would be capable of utilizing all available resources on their home planet, skillfully harnessing the energy output of an entire world (10^15 watts). With any luck (if we don’t blow ourselves to oblivion and turn the Earth into an uninhabitable wasteland) we will reach this stage in 100-200 years.
So your grandkids will be around to see it; there’s some hope in that (assuming you have kids).
Type II: Stellar Culture — This civilization would be a few thousand years beyond our stage of evolution. Such a society would be able to harnesses all the energy of its star (in our case, about 10^26 watts). This culture might resemble the Federation of Planets, as seen on Star Trek.
Type III: Galactic Culture — This civilization would be able to harnesses the energy output of a galaxy (10 billion times the energy output of Type II civilizations, and about 100,000 to 1 million years more advanced than we are). They have colonized the galaxy itself, extracting energy from hundreds of billions of stars, traveling across interstellar space, and populating innumerable worlds. This civilization may resemble the Borg (but hopefully not as mean and “resistant-is-futile-like”), or perhaps they would resemble the Empire from Star Wars (but hopefully not so Darth-Vader-choke-hold-like), or maybe they would be more like the Reapers from Mass Effect (but hopefully not so break-your-body-down-into-biogoop-like)…
did anyone else notice that the civilizations at this level all seem to have so much potential for inhumane evil?
Type IV: Universal Culture —This civilization would be an intergalactic culture, spanning the breadth and width of the Universe. They would travel across the cosmos, commanding the power of a billion trillion suns. These societies would be capable of attempting projects of gargantuan, superhuman proportions, such as changing the structure of space-time or the deliberate slowing of entropy (or even its reversal) to achieve ultimate immortality. (Or, said civilizations may ultimately become capable of living INSIDE the event horizon of extra-massive black holes!) For humanity, such accomplishments might be forever beyond our reach. This level may be achievable only by starivores or incorporeal beings, such as members of Star Trek’s Q Continuum, or the Gallifreyans from Doctor Who.
Type V: Multiverse Culture — This civilization will have transcended their universe of origin. It would be capable of universe-scale manipulation (jumping between multiverses that contain varied forms of matter, physics, and space-time). A civilization such as this would be home to beings of unimaginable power and ability.
Dr. Michio Kaku suggested that humans may attain Type I status in 100–200 years, Type II status in a few thousand years, and Type III status in 100,000 to a million years.
Astronomer Carl Sagan suggested defining intermediate values (not considered in Kardashev's original scale) by interpolating and extrapolating the values given above for types I (1016 W), II (1026 W) and III (1036 W), which would then produce a formula.
I agree, it is a little disheartening that we haven’t even reached Type I yet. I would like to say something inspiring, like “given our lowly position, there’s nowhere to go but up!” Yet, it is entirely possible that some major catastrophe (be it natural or human induced) will send us spiraling back into the Stone Age.
So, what’s the ultimate take away from all of this?
If we want to advance beyond a Type 0 civilization, we’re going to need to play nice with one another (and maybe invest in science and education; that helps too)
source edited Kardashev scale article: www.fromquarkstoquasars.com and www.wikipedia.com
© Wout D