Ray Kurzweil about GF2045 and 'Avatar'

[evoman]

Kurzweil is brilliant man. Among other things, he invented a device that a blind person can pass over any reading material, newspaper, magazine, etc and makes it audible.

[VanKlaunch]

I'm not holding my breath for cybernetic immortality anytime very soon, but Ray makes some very good points about Moore's law, and I think he understands that very well. Some people thought Moore's law was limited to the vacuum tube, when they stopped being able shrink them anymore, but then we cleanly switched to transistors and Moore's law persisted. Now in around 15 years (if I remember right), silicon transistors will reach their limit and allow the transition to quantum computing.

[stokepogue]

The Communists made the 20th Century the most barbaric of all mankind thanks to their "religion" which was a love of hating religions that were non-secular. Whenever someone falls in love with either an idea or the hatred against that idea (such as yours') because of reasons, it's a religion. Yet it's not religion that kills, it's power. Religion is a smoke screen to attain the power for the smaller group.

[Elround]

Thanks, It is sometimes hard to get the spelling right on words from languages you don't know. ^^ What is the grammatical difference "Buddha" and "Bodhi?"

[chairde]

Spell check is a good technology that you can use.

[evoman]

Christianity held back innovation and progress in Europe for over a thousand years!

[hallnuts]

I believe the term you were looking for is Bodhisattva(s). ? :)

[radscorpion]

I think there is probably a big difference between skepticism and even ridicule in the sciences and outright persecution from religion. You can't just conflate the two as being equal. All great innovators meet with resistance, its not just science or religion. But there's a big difference between resisting new ideas and actively persecuting people because of their beliefs. Can you name any scientific bodies who threw people in jail for their theories? I thought not.

[spiegel]

This guy thinks at a far higher level than most people. Not just 99% but 99.9999%

[jaieet]

Why not? It'll reduce health care costs, revitalise the work-force, and be immensely sought-after by the entirety of the population. Someone is *bound* to get it to the public eventually. That's just market trends. =p
Assuming it even comes to pass. A conservative view'd be choice when it comes to tech based on a scale we're still rather unfamiliar with.

[EnergyOM]

... a great and funny place, isn't it.

[Ristaak]

Its funny, I'm highly spiritual, highly religious, yet believe strongly in human self improvement, helping others, and even the 2045 project. I do admit religion is abused, and many fanatics do terrible things. However do not dismiss it as spirituality is one of the things that allows humanity to grow, and if the 2045 project does come to fruition, I believe it will be wonderful. However I find it insulting, that you consider all religious people cold blooded murders....

[Elround]

This. Ray rocks. ^^ But, if we are to use a metaphor for the role scientists play by using a religions concept, I'd say Scientists equals Buddhavista's (as in scientists "enlighten" others through their discoveries and thus vastly improve all of our lives and understanding).

[evanwilla]

It definitely halted progress in the past. We would have been farther along than we currently are. Even today it still happens, like the ban on stem cell research. Most of the opposition to stem cell research is made up of people using their religion as the reason to stop it.

[Xadreos]

Ya, that's it, try to assume a reason I'm wrong rather than reflecting on whether you're statement is actually grounded in logic.

That's interesting that you've got your own unique rewritten version of history where religion fuelled all these things; funny that there isn't one piece of evidence to support it. People like Galileo who discovered that the earth revolved around the sun instead of being praised were condemned as heretics & imprisoned.

[jaieet]

...What on *earth* is contradictory about those two (paragraphs - not sentences).
One clearly talks about atheism; the other talks about anti-theism.
Do you even know the difference? =P

[arfywarfy]

Kurzweil better hurry - he's not looking too good.

[LynchByInch]

LOL what happen You had so much to say!

[MrMondeller]

medicine?  that thing that got humanity sick in the first place?

[lSaif]

Your first and second sentences are a complete contradiction and second of all I didn't take this from anti-athiest sites, one can research this themselves.