OK, so Vernor Vinge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge) is giving a guest presentation in my CS class today. Any questions that I should ask? I'm not a fan, but I suspect there are hatrackers who are.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I really liked A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky. His zones in space are pretty cool.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Ask him whether he would like to see a transparent society or one that protects privacy with strong encryption.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
What technologies do you think are most likely to cause a singularity in our lifetimes? Is there anything we can do to avoid this? Is this something we want to avoid?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ask him where he gets his ideas!
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
quote:Originally posted by scifibum: Ask him whether he would like to see a transparent society or one that protects privacy with strong encryption.
I'd really like to hear his answer to this.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
I ended up chatting with him after the class for a bit about whether or not symbol manipulation is sufficient for intentionality, and if so then is it sufficient for qualia? We also discussed whether the singularity is something to be feared or not. Is it something that should be considered the next stage in evolution and embraced with open arms, or is it something that we should really attempt to prevent.
Posted by Wonder Dog (Member # 5691) on :
And his thoughts were...?
Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :
I'm pretty envious. A Fire Upon the Deep and Rainbow's End were both fascinating.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
He told me that he used to think that symbol manipulation was sufficient for anything, but not he's not sure anymore. Clearly it's good enough to function identically to a human, but does that mean intentionality? And qualia is even more difficult.
He said that he didn't think that the singularity should be feared, and that it should be encouraged. What makes our mind have more value than that of computers (if they get them)?
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
I'm jealous. Vernor Vinge is one of the most thought provoking sci-fi writers out there.