- Three arguments against the singularity
No surprise why I like this post on Charlie Stross’ blog. He presents arguments against the likelihood of a massive acceleration in the capabilities of AI if they ever reach human equivalence, mind uploading, and massive simulation. On top of being well researched and cited, Stross goes beyond a flat denial. Earning his writer’s card, he offers some interesting notions for how the current trends he debunks as seeds of the Singularity may in fact play out more plausibly down the line. - Is the rise of wearable electronics finally here?
Speaking of post humanism, Make has an illustrated timeline of a trope dating to around the birth of the Cyberpunk genre, that of the wearable computer rig. The post is much broader than I had anticipated, covering a genuine wealth of gear. The author, Phil Torrone, also weaves through it his own personal experiences with wearables. Well worth a read even if you have some familiarity with the space. - Dutch government enacts net neutrality law, with a slight mistake
Slashdot links to a translation of an article originally on nu.nl explaining how in voting for a proposed network neutrality law, the labor party did so while adopting a web censorship provision they did not intend. The translation is a bit rough, it isn’t clear whether the error will be fixed and if so, how. The party does intend to fix the error regardless and hopefully will be successful in doing so. - Verizon Wireless to start charging by bits, end flat-rate plans, Washington Post
- FBI seizes web servers, knocking sites offline, NYTimes
- Bitcoin developers say the currency will recovery in wake of market hack and crash, BBC