A calling ...

"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims."

"Make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone."

- Buckminster Fuller

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Die virus!

I backed up all photos and music to Skydrive and backed up my other files to Google Drive and just hit the button for a clean installation of Windows 8. Drastic but necessary. Kurzweil's insight that the Cloud is becoming a prosthetic, i.e.,  that we are outsourcing neocortical functions at an accelerating rate, gives me a deeper appreciation of the computing power of my 3G Samsung Smartphone.

Argh! The anti-malware detector blocked Windows so I uninstalled it. Up to 37%. What a time killer. Instead of lesson planning or making a dump run,  I'm fighting a virus over Spring Break.
On the bright side, I've been forced to develop a plan to protect my precious files. 53%. From now on, no more surfing from an Administrative Account. Greater redundancy. 58%. I will still need to reinstall all programs. 67%
.
Skydrive, Google Drive,  and BitCasa will image my drive when I'm done. I will back up to my external drive. My files will be protected and I'll be able to access them from any Android or Windows device.

If Kurzweil is right, and inexpensive computers will be able to think and make decisions for themselves within the next 15 years,  will computers serve people as Kurzweil hopes?
Over the next 5 years, on the other hand, how many people will come to the conclusion that technology represents a mortal threat, and make a concerted effort to pull the plug? If the accelerating power of robots relative to humans continues, what economic roles will be left for ordinary people?

If Louis Kelso's 3 principles of economic justice continue to be ignored by current policy makers, despite overwhelming evidence of the diminishing contributions of people relative to machines, will a 21st century Robespiere emerge over the next 10 years as a result of the growing imbalance in the social order?

Round 1 goes to me. Virus terminated!  Windows 8,  Skydrive, Google Drive represent a taste of all that is great about what computers allow me to do today,  but as Francis Bacon warned, the tools need to be used "for the purposes of life," or we end up with Hal from 2001 Space Odyssey, or the Terminator.

Kurzweil offers no such guarantee. If social and economic justice remain moral omissions, the next 10 years will be interesting.

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