From: Mikko Rauhala (mjr@iki.fi)
Date: Fri Mar 30 2001 - 17:57:00 MST
Greetings
Figured I'd get around to introducing myself after a period of lurking.
Actually, I've been meaning to do that for some time, but it always got
delayed. Just as well, since this message is hardly a matter of life and
death, just some simple courtesy on my part. Expect me to mostly just
continue my lurking.
I'm currently both an undergraduate student and a teacher in the
department of computer science of the university of Helsinki. My plans
for the immediate future include graduation and getting myself involved
in certain research projects here, hopefully not in that order since I'd
like to get my hands dirty a bit sooner (besides, a suitable research
project could make nice thesis material). On the longer term things get
a little fuzzier, but I can't see myself going for much anything else
than an academic career path or something rather close to one.
I got introduced to the singularity last fall by stumbling on Eliezer's
web pages. After reading some of the texts in the Low Beyond and some
other places, things seemed to click together rather nicely. Actually,
I'd half expected somewhat more future shock from the site judging by
the comments of the person who referred me to the pages. I've probably
been too open-minded a fan of speculative fiction for too long a time
(not to mention being a writer wannabe, but let's not get into that).
Incidentally, a while after doing my reading, when I'd managed to
process and analyze certain motivational problems, I switched the focus
of my studies here to intelligent systems. The field has intrigued me
for many years, but I hadn't bothered to get really into it. Call it
lazyness on my part, specializing in distributed systems seemed an
easier choice - actually, it still seems that, but it also seems now
that there are some more worthwhile fields to play in.
I haven't yet made any comments on the discussions on the list, partly
because most times views closely enough resembling mine do surface
anyway without me having to come out and express them. I also have a
general tendency not to be very sociable nor to make a big fuss about my
views around strangers. I do semi-frequently indulge in boredom-induced
idle online conversations (sometimes of SL4 matters) that do have some
of that element in them, though. Also, you can't help becoming very
aware of some of my opinions on technical matters in areas that I have
some expertise in if you actually work with me. I can be rather
insistent when I know I'm right, though I'd at least like to think I'm
not completely without flexibility nor the ability to recognize my blind
spots.
So, that's it, I suppose. Keep up the conversation. Perhaps sometime I
might even be provoked into commenting on something. With any luck, it
might even be something intelligent.
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