@ orathaic

Well, if memory serves me, the East India Trading Company didn't have a cyborg army.

Also, what makes you think the red Chinese will bring their technology to everyone? They'll kill/enslave everyone else in a massive nationalistic killing/enslaving fest. The *last* thing we need is cyborg commies running around. I hope 7.62x51mm NATO is still effective if/when they come for me, otherwise I might need to re-think my whole strategy.

' They'll kill/enslave everyone else in a massive nationalistic killing/enslaving fest. '

Why, those people are natural resources for the new overmind to harvest and add to it's own processing power... killing them would be a massive waste...

Maybe the most advanced alien life does not bother with knowledge, thoughts or communication.

How do they live, then? What do they *do*?

They probably do nothing we would be interested in. Check this out:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/09/seti_we_need_to_search_for_planetary_intelligence_not_intelligent_life.html

Something tells me that a "planetary intelligence", one unified mind that has absorbed/overwhelmed/destroyed every other intelligence around it, probably isn't interested in talking. Probably keeps a low profile to avoid losing an interplanetary contest after winning the planetary contest.

Transhumanism is a Niezschean pipedream. The pace of innovation is slowing down, not speeding up. We're not going to be googling from our brains. Futurists can stick to science fiction.

@Putin33
The pace of innovation IN THINGS THAT ARE GOOD AND USEFUL is slowing down, not speeding up.

We're not going to be googling from WHAT'S REMAINS OF our brains.

FIXED TAHT FOR YOU

"SYnapse rejects all forms of medical care, up to and incuding simple aspirin for a headache. As an advocate of not working to extend human life, SYnapse rejects all forms of medicine and/or any form of artificial therapy to extend life."

The fact is, all the research and money put into molecular medicine and medical technology has only extended life expectancy by 4-5 years since 1980. Improved sanitation increased life expectancy by 35 years, by contrast.

Look at transportation. Transportation technology has absolutely stagnated in the past half century. Gone are the days when anybody dreamed about flying cars or supersonic train travel.

Look at innovations in household appliances. Homes look roughly the same as they did in the 70s, except for a flatscreen tv here or there.

The big things have already been invented and were invented in the early 20th century. We've largely been coasting since then.

Clearly we haven't had enough large scale wars recently.

@Putin33 stop focusing on positive innovations! You're confusing 1984 with the Jetsons.

"The big things have already been invented and were invented in the early 20th century. We've largely been coasting since then. "

What about the computer? Just a footnote to the toaster and the car?

Arguably, the jet and rocket weren't invented until roughly the middle third of the 20th century and the microchip was definitely I. The last third of the 20th century as part of the space race.

Computing is just an advanced form of writing

Let me compliment you on the consistency of your posts on this thread, SYnapse.

In Putin's defense, firearms technology has made no significant forward progress since WWI/the death of John Moses Browning.

Well, putin had a lot of good points in various fields, it's true. I just think he overstated the case *somewhat*. The computer represents one of the biggest technological advances in history -- only a handful of other inventions compare. For that alone -- for Moore's law -- the last half of the 20th century was among the greatest periods of technological advancement that man has experienced.

Putin33 is overly focused on technologies that provided a level of control over our physical beings. Health, transportation, etc.

More recent innovations are beginning to provide a level of control over our minds. Putin is not correct in dismissing these as being less significant than earlier innovations.

Granted, it's horrible, but it's not insignificant.

The computer represents one of the biggest technological advances in history

Citation needed

@SYnapse

Well here are some examples, the citations should be included in the articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science#Applied_computer_science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_aided_design

I don't see any proof that those things have improved anything

@SYnapse I suppose you're right. What now?

Now, let's stop looking for miracle cures, in technology as well as machines. The real changes we need to make are to our individual characters, not to our biologies

That should read; "in technology as well as religion"

"Now, let's stop looking for miracle cures, in technology as well as machines. The real changes we need to make are to our individual characters, not to our biologies "

SYnapse - maybe you have a problem with YOUR OWN personality, and need to make some miraculous discovery to change yourself and remove the self-loathing...but you can keep that to yourself.

Most of us live happy, contented lives with family and friends as productive members of society. Your personal failings are not our concern, thank you very much.

I'll take the miracle cure for cancer, or auto-immune disease or whatever and choose to spend some extra years with my parents and children.

And before you get in a huff, Mr. sociologist researcher or whatever you are - I reject your "science" - yes, your profession is a sham - and I reject most of your opinions. Your personal revelations in the past about your self-image, etc are enough to convince me you are sufficiently disturbed to the point that you should have no say on whether or not another human's character is good, bad or indifferent, as you don't even have yourself under emotional control (or otherwise...)

And this is no means is to suggest I am perfect - but I recognize my failings, I work on them, I love and care for my family, etc...so you can take your "humanity sucks" crap and stuff it up your ass.

"Most of us live happy, contented lives with family and friends as productive members of society."

This is a myth Krellin. You buy clothes manufactured by children in Malaysia and support wars that kill millions of people. Let's not focus on American culture, but you are human with human flaws. You lynched black people, you committed the Holocaust, you are Ghenghis Khan, Caesar and Mother Theresa in one. Unless you think all those people were mindless drones and you are a demigod.

"The big things have already been invented and were invented in the early 20th century. We've largely been coasting since then."

What about the smartphone, for heaven's sake? That's what, six years old? Or video streaming. Youtube did not exist until 2005, and Netflix switched into its current incarnation within the last four years I think. These are transformative technologies. Even the internet goes back, tops, to the 1970s! There probably hasn't been a more revolutionary invention than that since electricity.

"You lynched black people, you committed the Holocaust, you are Ghenghis Khan, Caesar and Mother Theresa in one."

Huh?

Humans I mean. Unless Krellin is claiming to be completely different to those individuals we have within us the traits to commit those acts in certain circumstances. Today we walk past homeless people or ignore plight in Africa etc, tomorrow we might murder each other on a battlefield.

Technology isn't going to solve that.