From: micah glasser (micahglasser@gmail.com)
Date: Mon Aug 07 2006 - 12:35:16 MDT
I have no background in computers or programing. I came to an understanding
of exponential technological advancement through the study of philosophy and
economics. I think the key is that most people who believe in a near future
technological singularity have a very broad and interdisciplinary
understanding of human history and how that history is connected to the
natural order.
On 8/7/06, Dani Eder <danielravennest@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Perhaps greater exposure to the high speed of
> development in computers has something to do with it.
>
> In the early 1970's I helped build the world's slowest
> computer (max speed of 2 Hz), as a teaching tool in
> high school. It used electromechanical relays to
> operate. Circa 1930 this would have been the fastest
> available technology.
>
> The 'real' computer we had in the computer lab was
> an IBM 1620. I don't remember it's speed, but it
> had 16K of ram in a console the size of a large
> rolltop desk, and 10 MB hard drive the size of
> a washing machine.
>
> Since my current PC has 50,000x the memory and
> 12,000x the storage in something like 1/1,000th
> the volume, it's reasonable to me to extrapolate
> similar large jumps in the future.
>
> I don't know if the average computer user has
> as visceral a feel for the improvements that
> have been happening. To them the change in
> screen size from 13" to 19" over 10 years might
> seem like a doubling of screen real estate, and
> Windows takes as ong to boot up as it did 10
> years ago, so it doesn't feel like a big change.
>
> Daniel
>
> > Joshua Fox wrote:
> >
> > > I note that the great majority of SL4 members have
> > computer software
> > > as their primary profession. Why is this?
> > >
>
>
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