Singularity Summit 2009: Thus Spake Kurzweil
Welcome to the main event. At the end of a day filled with many interesting, thought provoking talks (and a few that gave me some much needed sleep), the audience at the Singularity Summit 2009 sat content but exhausted. After all, contemplating the future of humanity really takes it out of you. Then came Kurzweil. He's the man everyone came to see, and they greeted him appropriately. After the standing ovation died down, the auditorium reached its quietest point yet, as the collected skeptics, crazies and disciples waited to hear from the first prophet of Singularity. Kurzweil's demeanor did nothing to betray his position in that auditorium. This was his yearly Sinatra at Caesar's, state of the Singularity moment, but rather than fill up the room with his presence, he mumbled, looked at his shoes, and carried on in a polite, if tired, manner. Before started in on his talk,...