I went into Borders (no more) looking for a book on swarm intelligence. The book jockey I talked to lead me to The Singularity Is Near. The book has nearly nothing about swarm intelligence but it is a science-fiction writer’s gold mine.
There is a chapter dedicated to genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. In it he addresses the idea of self-replicating robots and the fear that is a favorite of science fiction, the nanobot hoard. We are assured that precautions would be put in place to keep the human race from being overwhelmed by clouds of nanabots (fogglet) by programming the little suckers to replicate a finite number of times. If the thought has crossed your mind that you could be disassembled by a horde they would be programmed to break down only specific molecules and not just whatever they came across. He concludes with “…this approach should be reasonably effective against inadvertent dangers, although it could be circumvented by a determined and knowledgeable adversary. Page 229”
Damn you determined and knowledgeable adversaries of the world. Twisting the good ideas of mankind to your own evil ends. A determined and knowledgeable adversary. I thought it was the funniest idea. You never have to worry about the stupid and unmotivated getting in your way. I think determination is a primary requirement if you plan on being a part of the council of evil or the Legion of Doom.
Anyways, this book is a science fiction writer’s gold mine, lots of great leaping off points. Pick one and see what happens, I bet it will be pretty cool. Mr. Kurzweil seems to have a belief in mankind’s inherent goodness (something I’m not so sure about.) The future is certainly bright with The Singularity on the horizon.
There is a chapter dedicated to genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. In it he addresses the idea of self-replicating robots and the fear that is a favorite of science fiction, the nanobot hoard. We are assured that precautions would be put in place to keep the human race from being overwhelmed by clouds of nanabots (fogglet) by programming the little suckers to replicate a finite number of times. If the thought has crossed your mind that you could be disassembled by a horde they would be programmed to break down only specific molecules and not just whatever they came across. He concludes with “…this approach should be reasonably effective against inadvertent dangers, although it could be circumvented by a determined and knowledgeable adversary. Page 229”
Damn you determined and knowledgeable adversaries of the world. Twisting the good ideas of mankind to your own evil ends. A determined and knowledgeable adversary. I thought it was the funniest idea. You never have to worry about the stupid and unmotivated getting in your way. I think determination is a primary requirement if you plan on being a part of the council of evil or the Legion of Doom.
Anyways, this book is a science fiction writer’s gold mine, lots of great leaping off points. Pick one and see what happens, I bet it will be pretty cool. Mr. Kurzweil seems to have a belief in mankind’s inherent goodness (something I’m not so sure about.) The future is certainly bright with The Singularity on the horizon.
RSS Feed