The Singularity and You: A Toy Soldier’s Brief Introduction
by Professor Falconer
The law of accelerating returns states that innovation in technology is advancing at an exponential rate. Things that were impossible even a decade ago, such as cheap cell phones that have cameras and internet access, are now extremely commonplace today; and in the next few years we will see innovations that will make the amazing achievements of today look commonplace, stuff that we can’t even fathom today will be so integrated in our society that we’ll wonder how we got by without them. The rate of this acceleration in innovation is theorized to reach such a speed that we will reach a point where humanity today cannot even fathom what will come afterward, thanks in part to the development of artificial intelligence, a man-made mind that far exceeds the capabilities of the human brain.
This phenomenon is known as the technological singularity, or simply “The Singularity”. Our dear founder waxed on about this topic at considerable length in his songs and videos, and for good reason. If the Singularity proved to be beneficial to mankind, it would usher in a new age for all of humanity, an age that even the Industrial Revolution would pale in comparison to. Every field of science would achieve breakthrough after breakthrough and reach levels of understanding and clarity that we can’t even begin to speculate about right now. It would open up a world, if not a universe, of new opportunities and challenges. To put it in simpler terms, the very moment before the Singularity occurs is our current barrier in all aspects of art and science. Once that barrier is smashed, however, humanity is taken to the next level.
As Toy Soldiers, our duty is to create fun, foster imagination, and nurture creativity. We strive to represent the optimistic possibilities of the Singularity with these three goals and in doing so we spread that positivity in our communities. We look for a Utopian Playland, but that isn’t a place. There are no fences or buildings or shrubberies there. The Utopian Playland that we search for, Toy Soldiers, is the Singularity. It’s our job to make sure that it truly is Utopian.
I’ll see you there.
I became facinated by the idea of the singularity when I started reading about Hans Morevec and his “uploading” concepts. (anyone who really wants to understand how robots WILL rule the world, cant go wrong by reading morevec.)
but one issue I had with morevec and with moores law (computing power doubling every 18 months) was that were fastly reaching a limit to how small we can make our computers. Super conductors are changing some of that, but were still inhibited… there will still be some extremely large leaps (quantum computing, AI etc.) that will need to happen before a singularity is possible. were talking generations here. I’d like to think that its possible within my lifetime…
but since I dont really believe immortality will be within reach for me… I plan on getting three life insurance policies… one to pay the cyrogenist to freeze my brain, one to pay the nano-surgon who brings me back, and one to pay for the really bitchen android body to upload my digital brain into…
The singularity has both utopian and dystopian potentials. Not only does the Alien Illuminati, also outlined by our founder, seek to form it in their own image, but well meaning individuals such as ourselves may be tempted into trampling freedoms of others in an attempt to fashion a perfectly positive singularity. Remember, bringing order to a chaotic universe can still lead to the dark side. Furthermore banning notions such as greed creates a clockwork orange of our descendants who may justifiably rebel against a structuring system for the freedom to be good or bad by their own choice. I would also like to mention that this curve of technology and time may just be a segment of another pattern the good doctor mentioned, Fibonacci spiral. Just because we have been moving forward in time and technology does not mean that the pattern cannot bend back through time and continue to grow as time regresses. Of course the pattern could then proceed back into prehistory until a technological apex marks the beginning of decline in technology. The infinite pattern would then round again moving us forward in time and eventually technology.
Thanks for the fat to chew Sgt. Dutch!
btw sorry if i don’t make any sense, just had a root canal.
Truly Genius.
Good stuff. ;)
The first time I was introduced to the idea of the Singularity was by reading books by Terence McKenna and looking into his “Timewave Theory”, 10 years before I became a Toy Soldier. :)
:salutes:
Hat tip to Usagi for name-dropping McKenna :D
not to sew discord…but i just got to thinking….once we achieve our utopian playland….will our children or grandchildren take it for granted, or will it not be as great in thier eyes because they where not thier for what the world once was?….its like taking evil out of the equation….how would we know joy unless we have tasted the bitter tears od sorrow……maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe i am over thinking this, its just a thought if anyone has an answer too (i have watched too many utopia shows and movies ^.^)
I will join you in thinking out loud too.. when I think about the utopia I don’t think it removes evil completely out of the equation but instead it will make people more aware of it and strive to have better control of it. If we take in consideration that the children will be raised in a more altruistic environment then perhaps taking things for “granted” as well as “evil” will be viewed as irrational and more like a hinder for progress.
I believe people do not need to know sorrow in order to know joy.I do believe that those who have tasted bitter tears in a sense have a more appreciative outlook on the joys of life.But I believe that children raised in an altruistic environment may learn the same appreciation without going through sorrow.In my opinion and experiences, things like sadness, sorrow,grief..etc are more outside factors that affect happiness.If in the utopia everything external is to change drastically and positively then we can hope for good consequences.
thanks for that, im always grateful for other people perspectives and wisdom’s. it some times gives you peace of mind ya know?
This article fills me with much positive motivation.. thank you for these words and information :)