Immortality: Here I COME!!

[TheMalcolmConnection]

By the middle of the 21st century it will be possible to download your brain to a supercomputer, according to a leading thinker on the future. Ian Pearson, head of British Telecom's futurology unit, told the UK's Observer newspaper that the rapid advances in computing power would make cyber-immortality a reality within 50 years.

Pearson said the launch last week of Sony's PlayStation 3, a machine 35 times more powerful than the model it replaced, was a sign of things to come.

"The new PlayStation is one percent as powerful as the human brain," Pearson told the Observer. "It is into supercomputer status compared to 10 years ago. PlayStation 5 will probably be as powerful as the human brain."

Pearson said that brain-downloading technology would initially be the preserve of the rich, but would become more available over subsequent decades.

"If you're rich enough then by 2050 it's feasible. If you're poor you'll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it's routine," he said.

"We are very serious about it. That's how fast this technology is moving: 45 years is a hell of a long time in IT."

Pearson also predicted that it would be possible to build a fully conscious computer with superhuman levels of intelligence as early as 2020.

IBM's BlueGene computer can already perform 70.72 trillion calculations a second and Pearson said the next computing goal was to replicate consciousness.

"We're already looking at how you might structure a computer that could become conscious. Consciousness is just another sense, effectively, and that's what we're trying to design in computer."

Pearson said that computer consciousness would make feasible a whole new sphere of emotional machines, such as airplanes that are afraid of crashing.

By 2020 Pearson also predicted the creation of a "virtual world" of immersive computer-generated environments in which we will spend increasing amounts of time, socializing and doing business.

He said: "When technology gives you a life-size 3D image and the links to your nervous system allow you to shake hands, it's like being in the other person's office. It's impossible to believe that won't be the normal way of communicating."

But Pearson admitted that the consequences of advancing technologies needed to be considered carefully.

"You need a complete global debate," he said. "Whether we should be building machines as smart as people is a really big one."

Source: CNN.com



I'll be downloading MY brain to the PS5!

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I'm going to pimp my ride with TWO PS5s in my car. I'll have two clones of my brain arguing with each other over who is better: Washington Redskins or Moon Mooninites.

[MTK]

Sounds like the Matrix may be a reality some day, the article is definitely right about one thing, 45 years is a long time in IT. Lord only knows what crazy technology will be around in the next 50 years.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I've already seen something on TV about people moving a mouse with their minds. Then again, they said we'd have flying cars by now too.

[Beemnseven]

Until they come up with a cure for cancer, all the most advanced technological marvels in the world won't impress me.

[itvnetop]

well, i've always had the impression that technology is a two-headed coin... progress definitely has it's advantages (anything from the automobile to the refrigerator to the Internet), creating a more efficient lifestyle.

But at the same time, we become (what some argue) de-humanized. For example, we shop more and more online. This replaces our everyday interactions with retail assistants, cashiers, etc... which may seem minute, but in the grander scheme remain an important part of socialization.

But then again, (others argue) that socialization is just transforming- like how the article above mentions the virtual society. Kids nowadays communicate with their school mates through IM as a primary communication tool. It's becoming more of a faceless environment.

I think we're also headed towards a cashless society as well. This whole RFID thing is definitely going to play some part in identification.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

I've already seen something on TV about people moving a mouse with their minds. Then again, they said we'd have flying cars by now too.

We Do there called airplanes!LOL

[RedskinRat]

Am I the only one who's seen The Terminator series of movies?

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I know. I get worried too about "the ghost in the machine".

[skinsguy]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Until they come up with a cure for cancer, all the most advanced technological marvels in the world won't impress me.

Yep...and a cure for diabetes!

Just look at how far the internet has come from in ten years! I remember the internet being mostly text...maybe some javaScript thrown in.

Now, you have flash sites, sites programmed with ASP, PHP, Coldfusion, etc..

I have to admit, as an IT major, I get excited over new software, Operating Systems, and computers when they come out!