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2001 profile of Vernor Vinge, the brilliant science fiction writer and computer scientist. By Katie Hafner at The New York Times:
A linchpin of his thinking is what he calls the “technological singularity,” a point at which the intelligence of machines takes a huge leap, and they come to possess capabilities that exceed those of humans. As a result, ultra-intelligent machines become capable of upgrading themselves, humans cease to be the primary players, and the future becomes unknowable. Dr. Vinge sees the singularity as probable if not inevitable, most likely arriving between 2020 and 2040.
Vinge passed away in 2024, after a struggle with Parkinsons. I wonder what he would have made of AI today. Would he have thought we were truly on the verge of the singularity? Would he have thought we had already passed it? Or would he have thought it was all a Ponzi scheme?
Via Cory Doctorow @pluralistic@mamot.fr — thanks!
2026-08-03
My TV these days is deeply middle-aged. Reruns of Buffy, Stargate, Grimm, The Mentalist, Justified, Inspector Morse and the occasional Golden Girls episode. Last night, we watched the series finale of Grantchester.
I think maybe the only new show we’re currently watching is “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which is essentially a reboot of a TV series that debuted midway through the Johnson Administration.
2026-08-03
My TV these days is deeply middle-aged. Reruns of Buffy, Stargate, Grimm, The Mentalist, Justified, Inspector Morse and the occasional Golden Girls episode. Last night, we watched the series finale of Grantchester.
I think maybe the only new show we’re currently watching is “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which is essentially a reboot of a TV series that debuted midway through the Johnson Administration.
2026-08-03
Arsenic and Lace: The trial of the Yorkshire Witch. The true tale of Mary Bateman, the villainous Yorkshire Witch, who sold spells and enchantments to the desperate in the late 18th Century. Tim Hartford is joined on the Cautionary Tales podcast by Maddy Pelling, co-host of the After Dark podcast and author of “Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment.”
2026-08-04
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