From: Christian L. (n95lundc@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Jun 19 2001 - 13:28:01 MDT
Samantha Atkins wrote:
>Also, I think it is a serious mistake to think that technological
>singularity is inevitable. A serious cultural revolution, a world war,
>America being overrun by a repressive fundie government, changing the code
>of the internet enough to make it a tool of massive regulation and
>oppression - these and other things could wipe out a lot of our most
>cherished dreams and assumptions for at least our lifetimes and that of our
>children.
>
>
>- samantha
I must agree fully. This weekend I watched in horror as a good part of
Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, was totally wrecked by left-wing
extremist terrorists. They used a command center with computers, police
radio surveillance equipment, and directed the "troops" on the streets via
SMS-messages. They even had radio scramblers to jam the police radios. They
worked in groups who targeted individual policemen and bombarded them with
2-kilogram cobblestones in order to kill one must assume. They
systematically destroyed shops, restaurants and other houses in the area.
Gothenburg was a war zone; the police had to respond by opening fire.
This shows that freedom, democracy and technological progress cannot be
taken for granted. It also clearly shows that we will have strong fanatical
enemies who oppose all that we stand for. The only reason we are not being
targeted today is that these groups do not know about us yet (and if they do
they probably don't get it).
Just out of curiosity: has the SIAI discussed these matters? Worst case
scenarios?
/Christian
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