From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Tue Mar 11 2003 - 17:01:58 MST
On measurement here, I do agree the problem is fuzzy, but isn't it akin
to deciding where, say, the forest ends and the meadow begins? We do
know when were deep in the forest. We also pretty much find it easy to
pick up when we out in the meadow away from the forest, but there's that
fuzzy area where there's less trees than in the deepest forest, but it's
not all meadow.
But I've always thought a singularity would be a discontinuity. Of
course, on one scale, it might seem a smooth transition, but on the
usually scale we're used to measuring [technological] change -- days,
months, years, decades -- it will seem almost like a quantum jump to a
new state. (Of course, in a way, technological and other social changes
are, on some level, grainy. A new invention released today was no here
yesterday and now becomes part of our technological landscape.)
As for Michael Anissimov's question on definitions: I haven't the
foggiest, though I'd be interested in hearing his and other people's.
Perhaps in the flux of definitions, some progress can be had.:)
That's my two cents!
Dan
http://uweb.superlink.net/neptune/
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