Singularity

Digital Immortality: Uploading the Mind for an Endless Existence

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The concept of immortality has long fascinated humans, with many seeking ways to extend life or even achieve eternal existence. In recent years, the idea of digital immortality through mind uploading has gained traction, offering a tantalizing possibility of transcending our biological limitations by transferring our consciousness into a digital form[1]. In this article, we will explore the concept of mind uploading, the technological advancements and challenges involved, and the ethical considerations that arise from the pursuit of digital immortality.

The Concept of Mind Uploading

Mind uploading, also known as whole brain emulation, is the hypothetical process of scanning and transferring a human brain’s information, including memories, thoughts, and personality, into a digital substrate such as a computer or artificial neural network[2]. The ultimate goal is to create a digital replica of a person’s mind that can operate independently of their biological body, potentially allowing them to live on indefinitely in a virtual environment or even be transferred to a new physical form.

Current Technological Advancements

While mind uploading remains a speculative concept, there are ongoing efforts to develop the technologies necessary for achieving digital immortality. One such endeavor is the Human Connectome Project, which aims to create a comprehensive map of the human brain’s neural connections[3]. By understanding the brain’s structure and function at a granular level, researchers hope to lay the foundation for the eventual development of whole brain emulation.

Another promising avenue of research is the field of neural interfaces, which involves the development of technologies that enable direct communication between the brain and external devices[4]. Examples include brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neural prosthetics, which have the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the brain and facilitate the development of mind uploading technologies.

Challenges in Mind Uploading

Despite the progress made in understanding the human brain and developing neural interfaces, several significant challenges must be overcome before mind uploading becomes a reality.

  1. Complexity of the Human Brain: The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons, each connected to thousands of other neurons through complex networks of synapses[5]. Mapping and replicating these intricate connections in a digital form is a monumental task that will require significant advancements in neuroscience and computing.
  2. Consciousness and Self-Awareness: The nature of consciousness and self-awareness remains a subject of debate among philosophers and scientists. Understanding how to transfer these aspects of the human mind into a digital environment is essential for achieving true digital immortality.
  3. Computational Power: The processing power and storage capacity required to emulate a human brain are orders of magnitude greater than current technology can provide[6]. Developing the necessary computational infrastructure to support mind uploading will be a significant challenge.

Ethical Considerations

The pursuit of digital immortality raises several ethical questions that must be addressed as the technology develops:

  1. Identity and Continuity: If a person’s mind is successfully uploaded, will the digital replica be considered the same individual or a separate entity[7]? How will we ensure the continuity of personal identity in the transition from biological to digital existence?
  2. Access and Equity: As with any advanced technology, there is a risk that access to mind uploading and digital immortality will be limited to the wealthy and privileged, exacerbating existing social inequalities[8]. Ensuring equitable access to these technologies will be crucial for avoiding further societal stratification.
  3. Consent and Privacy: The process of mind uploading will likely involve access to a person’s most intimate thoughts and memories. Establishing clear guidelines for consent and privacy will be essential to protect individual autonomy and prevent misuse of personal information.

Conclusion

Digital immortality through mind uploading offers a fascinating glimpse into a potential future where humans can transcend their biological limitations and achieve eternal existence. While significant technological and ethical challenges must be overcome, the pursuit of this goal continues to drive research and innovation in fields such as neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and computing. As we progress toward a future where mind uploading may become a reality, it is essential to engage in thoughtful discussions about the implications of digital immortality, ensuring that we address the ethical and societal concerns that arise from this groundbreaking concept.

Source List

  1. Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Viking, 2005.
  2. Sandberg, Anders, and Nick Bostrom. Whole Brain Emulation: A Roadmap. Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University, 2008.
  3. Van Essen, David C., et al. “The Human Connectome Project: A Data Acquisition Perspective.” NeuroImage, vol. 62, no. 4, 2012, pp. 2222-2231.
  4. Lebedev, Mikhail A., and Miguel A. L. Nicolelis. “Brain-Machine Interfaces: From Basic Science to Neuroprostheses and Neurorehabilitation.” Physiological Reviews, vol. 97, no. 2, 2017, pp. 767-837.
  5. Herculano-Houzel, Suzana. “The Human Brain in Numbers: A Linearly Scaled-up Primate Brain.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 3, 2009, pp. 1-11.
  6. Bostrom, Nick. “How Long Before Superintelligence?” International Journal of Future Studies, vol. 2, 1998.
  7. Chalmers, David J. “The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis.” Journal of Consciousness Studies, vol. 17, no. 9-10, 2010, pp. 7-65.
  8. Harris, John. “Ethical Issues in Advancing Technology.” IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, vol. 24, no. 1, 2005, pp. 73-80.

Journey into the Unknown: What It Might Be Like to Enter a Black Hole

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Black holes are some of the most fascinating and mysterious objects in the universe. They are known for their immense gravity, which can pull in anything that comes too close, including light itself. The idea of entering a black hole might seem like a science fiction trope, but it’s a topic of intense scientific interest and research. In this article, we’ll explore what it might be like to enter a black hole, and what the latest research says about these enigmatic objects.

What is a Black Hole?

A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape it, not even light. It is created when a massive star collapses in on itself, leaving behind a point of infinite density known as a singularity. The area around the singularity is called the event horizon, which is the point of no return for anything that enters it.

What Happens When You Enter a Black Hole?

Entering a black hole is a one-way trip. Once you cross the event horizon, there is no turning back. What happens next is still a matter of speculation, but here are some of the leading theories:

  1. Spaghettification: As you approach the singularity, the gravitational forces become increasingly stronger. This can cause you to be stretched out into a long, thin shape, like spaghetti. The process is known as spaghettification, and it’s a result of the tidal forces acting on your body.
  2. Time Dilation: As you get closer to the black hole, time starts to slow down relative to the outside world. This effect is known as time dilation, and it’s a consequence of the intense gravitational field. The closer you get to the singularity, the slower time becomes, until it eventually stops altogether.
  3. No Escape: Once you cross the event horizon, there is no way to escape the black hole’s gravity. Even if you were to travel at the speed of light, you would still be pulled towards the singularity. It’s like falling into a bottomless pit, with no way to climb back out.
  4. Unknown fate: The fate of anything that enters a black hole is still unknown. Some theories suggest that you might be crushed to infinite density at the singularity, while others propose that you might emerge in another part of the universe through a hypothetical wormhole.

Latest Research on Black Holes

Black holes are still one of the most mysterious objects in the universe, but scientists have made significant progress in understanding their properties and behavior. Here are some of the latest research findings:

  1. Black Holes Can Merge: In 2015, scientists detected gravitational waves from two black holes that had merged into one. This was the first direct evidence of black hole mergers, and it confirmed a prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
  2. Black Holes Emit Radiation: In 1974, Stephen Hawking proposed that black holes emit radiation due to quantum effects. This radiation, known as Hawking radiation, is extremely weak and difficult to detect, but it’s a crucial prediction of modern physics.
  3. Black Holes May Hold Dark Matter: Dark matter is a mysterious substance that makes up about 85% of the matter in the universe. Some theories suggest that black holes may be a source of dark matter, as they can capture and hold onto it.
  4. Black Holes Can Spin: Like stars, black holes can spin around their axis. The speed of the spin can affect the properties of the black hole, such as the size of the event horizon and the strength of the gravitational field.

Conclusion

Entering a black hole might seem like a topic relegated to science fiction, but it’s a subject of intense scientific research and speculation. While the fate of anything that enters a black hole is still unknown, scientists have made significant progress in understanding their properties and behavior. Black holes are still one of the most fascinating and mysterious objects in the universe, and their study has led to breakthroughs in our understanding of physics and the nature of the cosmos.

Sources:

  1. “Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger” by B.P. Abbott et al. Physical Review Letters, 2016.
  2. “Particle creation by black holes” by S.W. Hawking. Communications in Mathematical Physics, 1975.
  3. “Black holes as dark matter detectors” by Maxim Pospelov and Adam Ritz. Physical Review D, 2009.
  4. “Black hole spin dependence of general relativistic multi-transonic accretion close to and far from the event horizon” by Dipanjan Mukherjee et al. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2020.
  5. “Black Holes: Gravity’s Relentless Pull” by Eric Weisstein. Wolfram Research, 2021.

New Plausible Theory of Black Holes: Gateways to Other Universes

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According to traditional physics, once you go far enough into a black hole, traditional physics simply ceases to be.  Any meaningful equation breaks down into nonsense. Insanity. Cosmic nincompoopery! Well, not anymore…

Einstein’s theory of general relativity states that if a person were to fall into a black hole they’d be shredded to the atomic level by a process called spaghettification, described as being stretched into an infinitely long strand of matter and energy by infinitely strong gravity.  This infinitely strong gravity is due to a singularity at the ‘end’ of the black hole, an infinitely dense area with zero volume.  A singularity is also used to describe the Big Bang.

There is a problem though; conventional physics cannot describe what occurs at a singularity point, so talking about the beginning of time or the core of a black hole has always been one-pointed, but pointless. Then quantum mechanics appeared.

Related Article: Life, It’s All Over the Place

By using the theory of loop quantum gravity, a merger of quantum mechanics and general relativity which describes space-time as a web of indivisible chunks about 10-35 meters in size, physicists have come up with a practical way to describe what occurs at the singularity point; the singularity isn’t there. 

There is no singularity. Gravity still increases as you get pulled into the black hole, but eventually it decreases, and you come out the other end. Although theories have postulated this idea before, the problem was that the singularity could never be bypassed. This is incredibly revolutionary because modern day physics has always taken the idea of a singularity for granted.  The universe had forever been filled with them; all of time and space began as a singularity.

Related Article: Ancient Galaxy That Shouldn’t Exist is Found Perfectly Formed

You are probably wondering what this means for you and me, what relevance this all has.  This opens the doors for even more science fiction to become science reality (consider: just about every piece of technology that exists today was written about as science fiction at one point).

According to the new theory, black holes are more likely doors to other universes, or incredibly distant areas of our own universe, or both.  Even more amazingly, using loop quantum gravity theory, if you were to rewind the big bang you wouldn’t be left with an infinitely dense point of mass and energy, you would cross a quantum bridge into another, older universe.

Related Article: Voyager 1: The Final Frontier?

This also helps explain what happens to information that approaches a black hole.  In a black hole with a singularity, the information would be lost forever as the black hole eventually evaporates after hundreds of trillions of years (give or take several hundred trillion years). As Jorge Pullin, lead researcher on the study at Louisiana State University, points out:

Information doesn’t disappear, it leaks out.

The infinite universe just became infinitely more infinite.

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghettification\

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_singularity

http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_quantum_gravity

http://mashable.com/2010/09/25/11-astounding-predictions/

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v96/i14/e141301

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v110/i21/e211301

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23611-quantum-gravity-takes-singularity-out-of-black-holes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse

https://wondergressive.com/2012/08/17/life-its-all-over-the-place/

https://wondergressive.com/2012/09/21/ancient-galaxy-that-shouldnt-exist-is-perfectly-formed/

https://wondergressive.com/2013/01/12/galaxy-geysers/

https://wondergressive.com/2013/03/21/voyager-1-final-frontier/

The Draw of Cell Phones

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everydaymomideas.com

everydaymomideas.com

Bzzzt! Bzzt! Did I just receive a text? Am I getting a call? Email? Facebook notification? Oh wait, I guess it was just my imagination. Or was it…

The other day I left my cell phone at home and worked a 12 hour shift only to find myself completely bored out of my mind during the slow periods. Nobody to text, no news to read, no status updates to follow/comment/post on facebook, but worst of all no Wondergressive articles to browse through! Oh the humanity!

In this day and age a cell phone deprived person seems to be at a great disadvantage. A prime example of this happened last week. My girlfriend forgot her cell phone at home and her house keys in my car while she was out running some errands.That got me thinking. Without a cell phone she could easily have gotten hurt or lost or needed assistance and there would have been no way of me reaching her. Needless to say, she showed up where I was and got her keys, but I was still left with the thought of how important and intertwined our lives have become with cell phones.

inthebestofhealth.wordpress.com

inthebestofhealth.wordpress.com

For those of us suffering from nomophobia, and for those that are in denial, let me ask you: could you really part with your digital friend? Think of all of your daily routines, think of all of your leisure time and what you spend doing during that time, think about what you do while driving or while you are stuck in traffic, and finally, think of how you reach your friends/family/lovers/doctors/Wondergressive authors etc. If you can honestly avoid using your cell phone for any of these activities then congratulations! You may not be a zombie like the rest of us. Yet. A preliminary study on cell phone addiction by Baylor University yields that:

mobile phones are conspicuous artifacts of acquisition and sometimes are viewed as extensions of the self.

 

How deep is THAT?! Cell phones as a part of ourselves! Or is it the other way around… In the same way that some would argue that people suffer from hoarding items because they project emotions, experiences, and self onto the items they are keeping, cell phones are now becoming an integral part of our body and mind! In a way, my cell phone is my best friend: it always listens and does what I want it to do, well most of the time at least, so it is no wonder that I feel lost if I am without it. Not too long now, and the singularity will be nigh upon us, at which point I wonder if we will greet it with open arms?

The study goes on to say that

Much in the same way as consumers who use materialistic pursuits to cope with stress, anxiety, and feelings of low self-worth, cell phone and other technological addictions are likely similar attempts to cope with the exigencies of life and self esteem struggles.

A lot of people resort to cell phone sexting instead of real human interaction and that may be partially caused by stress and low self worth. Digitally displaying something is easier than having to deal with real life encounters and embarrassment.  I think, at least, that its easier to get rejected digitally than it is in person.

Lets re-rail this focus train and stop with all the sexting talk for a second. Speaking of re-railing thoughts, Multi tasking while using your cell phone has almost become impossible not to do. Just think of all those recipes you looked up on your smartphone while cooking or those soundtracks you listened to while working on something. One would think headlines like “Brain and Spinal tumors caused by cell phones” would put a stop to our obsessions but then again why do we continue to smoke, and not the good kind, when we know it is killing us?

I am as guilty as the rest of you, however this is my conscious effort at lessening my cell phone dependency. Here are a couple of tips to help with our digital addictions, but the most important thing to remember is to be as involved with other humans as we are with our electronic devices. Remember, when your battery dies, it is comforting to know that the person next to you will keep you not only interested, but also as warm as your cell phone does when it overheats in your hands from overuse. And for those of us that prefer to live in denial, check out this awesome tablet/phone concept designers are working on! Cheers!

 

Research:

Baylor University Preliminary Cell Phone Study

Nomophobia – Wikipedia

Tips to Overcoming Digital Addiction

Wondergressive – Cannabis Cures Cancer

Wondergressive – Singularity is Nigh Upon Us

Wondergressive – TVs, Brains, and Zombies

Wondergressive – Sexting

Wondergressive – From Multi to Mono

Wondergressive – Cellphones Cause Tumors

Wondergressive – Lumpy Tablets

Robotic Sense and Feel

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As you may have already noticed, us writers of Wondergressive are obsessed with robots, and when new news of robotic improvements surface, you better believe that we are reading about those new developments with both vigor and ecstasy. Most of the time.

Anyway, there was early talk of a bionic hand that can feel and transmit the sense of touch to the user. It is being developed later this year so it seems the technology is finally surfacing! Amazingly, the bionic hand is getting an additional upgrade: it will soon be able to dig in your pocket (get your mind out of the gutter) to find the right amount of change needed for the toll booth you are sitting at. Soon, very soon.

Researchers of the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology have created and successfully used a robotic arm which identifies items based on how each object feels. This new robot can maneuver around an area to reach a certain goal; even when lightly coming in contact with structures or objects the robot simply redirects its movement to get to the goal. The idea is to allow the robot to move without too much force when coming in contact with humans at a workplace, or when searching for an item that is out of the robot’s viewpoint. In this way, the robot does not have to be completely careful and can still gently come in contact with objects. Without damaging anything, it can then continue its work by redirecting its movements.

With this new robotic arm, robots could potentially be used to assist the elderly and handicapped in daily routines. Or what about those dangerous and sensitive rescue missions that need delicate care and specific precautions? Robots everywhere!

The best part? The researchers have made the robot’s “feel” skin as well as the robot’s software open source and readily available for all others working on and interested in robotics.

So why not move forward with this technology to better our lives? Why not find ways to better our AI counterparts? Why not become cyborgs that don’t feel emotion, are as strong as Metallo with evil intent, and (matrix spoiler) enslave our fellow human breatherin after a grueling war of humans and AI where the sun is blotted out in order to stop the machines from getting energy from the sun but it backfires and we humans lose the war only to become the machines’ new source of energy? Okay maybe not any of that cyborg spiel but instead the creation of a real bicentennial man.

As before and always thereafter, the singularity is nigh upon us!

 

 

Research:

Reaching in clutter with whole arm tactile sensing

Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech

Wondergressive: Bionic Hand That Can Feel

Wondergressive: The Singularity is Nigh Upon Us

Wondergressive: Kid Allergic to Everything Attends School

Wondergressive: Cyborg Lobsters Power a Digital Watch

Wikipedia: Metallo

Bicentennial Man

The Singularity is Nigh Upon Us: The Merging of Humans with Technology

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watson_003-607x607

IBM’s Watson Avatar

The big bang, arguably the single most important achievement in the existence of everything, has clever ways of duplicating itself. The creation of the universe, the creation of life, the ability for said life to communicate, the agricultural revolutions, the industrial revolutions, the cultural revolutions, the age of the internet, and the amount of open tabs on my web browser have all seemed to explode out of the obnoxiously complete lack of themselves. But they were all of them deceived. The singularity is nigh upon us. Despite the forewarning voice of Galadriel now ringing through your head, the singularity is only potentially terrible. If we can keep the folks over at Skynet in control of their mechanized goons perhaps we will actually benefit from this new age.

Wait just one second, you silly hippy, what, in all of Tarnation, are you talking about?! 

Vernor Vinge is a retired mathematics professor from San Diego State University. Famous for his novels and novellas, Vinge also wrote an essay entitled The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era. The essay, written in 1993, proposes that: 

Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended.

The singularity refers to that moment when artificial intelligence becomes smarter than human intelligence or, as Vinge would say, the end of the human era. A spark of awareness, not unlike the big bang, will ignite the quasars of artificial intelligence and computational machines will awaken. According to the article there are several causes likely to usher in this era:

 

The development of computers that are “awake” and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, most controversy in the area of AI relates to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is “yes, we can”, then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly thereafter. Large computer networks (and their associated users) may “wake up” as a superhumanly intelligent entity. Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent. Biological science may find ways to improve upon the natural human intellect.

That sounds all well and good but how can something come from nothing? Well our flat universe likely did exactly that. There are several observable developments in technological growth that, with extrapolated analysis, lead to a point where advancements in technology happen in seconds.

As we get closer and closer to this supposed milestone humans and computers will become more and more integrated until BOOM the singularity hits and the human race has evolved into something completely new. Just recently the United States was stared down by its First Bionic Eye. Why stop at just sight? The Bionic Ear plants a chip attached to an accelerometer that picks up sound waves. Hearing, check. The sense of feel, a very difficult thing to replicate, is probably a long way away. Even so, Mind Controlled Robotics are becoming a dream, not of the future, but of the immediate present.

We’re only a few robotic developments away from mechanized droids, for Winston’s sake. Holy wow, though, seriously! Imagine the possibilities of a mainstream consumer having access to such technology. The age of  the cyborg is now.

Recreating the computational abilities of the human brain has been a goal of science for a long time. Machines like IBM’s Watson and their SyNAPSE program aim to use parallel processing instead of the old 0-1 binary logic from the 1940’s. SyNAPSE, which is:

…a cognitive computing project called Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE). By reproducing the structure and architecture of the brain—the way its elements receive sensory input, connect to each other, adapt these connections, and transmit motor output—the SyNAPSE project models computing systems that emulate the brain’s computing efficiency, size and power usage without being programmed.

Of course this singular reality does come with some major concerns. You’ve heard them and seen the movies about them. As much as there is poetic justice in the enslavement of an entire race, Hu-Mons, by a new superintelligent race, Cyborgs or machines, it seems as though we can prevent this before it happens. As Nick Bostrom from Oxford university puts it:

…it would be up to the designers of the superintelligence to specify its original motivations. Since the superintelligence may become unstoppably powerful because of its intellectual superiority and the technologies it could develop, it is crucial that it be provided with human-friendly motivations.

And, fortunately for the Hu-Mons races, organizations like the Singularity University exist. Their goal is to usher this new age of integration and radical technological advancements with a warm handshake and a nice smile. Which will be nice, because if Arnold becomes a machine-even more of a machine, rather, I would greatly appreciate it if he were on my side. With all of that said, it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine a future in which humans and robotics are totally independent. For better or worse our fates are tied together. Hopefully we can keep our consciousness free from matrix-esque enslavement. Hopefully we aren’t already inslaved.

For additional information and insight regarding the singularity that will merge humans and technology, check out Ray Kurzweil‘s book The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.

Interested in the merging of biology and technology? Well you’re in luck! Wondergressive also enjoys the topic. Here’s a few links to past articles:

Implantable Telescope Restores Elderly Vision

Brain Implants Increase Intelligence

Controlling Dreams and Implanting Memories 

Robotic Legs Controlled by the Brain

First True Cybernetic Tissue Created

 

 

 

Sources and Extra Readings:

San Diego State University:  The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era

Beta News: First Bionic Eye Sees Light of Day in the U.S. 

Extreme Tech: A giant leap for BCIs: Paraplegic woman uses mind-controlled robotic arm to feed herself

Singularity University

Ray Kurzweil: The Singularity  is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology