Even if you are sceptical about Ray Kurzweil’s claims, and believe the following to be nothing more than a flight of fantasy, or an overgenerous estimation of modern science, you still must agree it demonstrates terrific foresight and passion.
“Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively.
“Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen.
“Heart-attack victims – who haven’t taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts – will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive.
“Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes.
“If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening. “
More at the indepedent.
i don’t particularly like this view of the future. it’s not just the disturbing notion of ever-lasting human life (in a world already full to brimming with our kind) or the vastly improved abilities for which we must attribute completely to technology and not to ourselves… it’s primarily the scary prospect of becoming more robot than man, more built than born, perpetually dead while perpetually alive instead of dying while living. who would we be then?
i think i’ll be one of those idiots who keeps my own blood and my own heart and chooses to die when it fails me.
September 24, 2009 @ 1:43 pm