E23: The Singularity Is Near(ish)

Random Talkers

This week your Random Talkers Matt and Adam review Ray Kurzweil's epic 2004 treatise, “The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.” This book has everything, from nanobot-fueled virtual reality to the enticing possibility of life and no death. Timestamps below: 1:47 - Exponential growth fuels Kurzweil's bold predictions 5:43 - Always look for S-curves 7:41 - Do we really need to reverse engineer the brain? 10:12 - Genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics are key 16:54 - The Singularity and living forever 19:22 - Will you be “you” after the Singularity? 26:58 - What happens if and when everything goes horribly wrong 29:26 - Asymmetric risk tolerance, self-driving cars, and the conundrum of regulation 35:20 - Final thoughts If you'd like to support the show, consider buying us a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/randomtalkers You can check out this episode and more on the Random Talkers YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/RandomTalkers. Peruse our old segments, leave an Internet comment, and admire the new soundwave effect Adam spent far too long making.