I was thinking about something the other day, and it got me onto the idea that eventually we are going to build the fastest processor possible.
Most of our ideas of what the future will be like over the last few centuries have been of a more technically advanced world, but what if over the next few hundred years we reach the top as far as science is concerned.
What if suddenly the quest for knowledge was completed. Eventually either we are going to be wiped out, get sent back to the stoneage in an infinate loop, or figure out everything.
Anyway, to my point, what sort of effect do you think that would have on the generations to come afterwards?
ID:188800
 Jan 1 2004, 4:49 am
|
|
|
Jan 1 2004, 6:17 am
|
|
Nave
 |
Everyone would be Immortal, Humans would be living acrossed the entire universe, including what ever is in those black holes, I beleive its immpossible to know everything. Besides, something will happen to humans before that probably, like a huge war killing everyone, or the end of the world.
|
Not possible. After the fastest processor possible(economically) is complete, people will just be sold multi-CPU systems until such time when a quantum processor arrives on the market.
| |
DarkView wrote:
What if suddenly the quest for knowledge was completed. Eventually either we are going to be wiped out, get sent back to the stoneage in an infinate loop, or figure out everything. I suspect it would be largely like today, because where we are today is pretty close to your description. In one century we've doubled life expectancy, substantially reduced starvation, significantly increased the living standard all over the world, massively reduced pollution, increased the average education level around the world, and have computers with more amazing powers than we ever predicted. The result? Most people sit around and complain about how things used to be better and how now everything is falling apart. So in the future you posit, I suspect things will be much better on average than they are today, and most people will sit around and complain about how things used to be better and now everything is falling apart. This prediction assumes that certain groups trying to "improve" the world through inefficient farming techniques and the like don't get their way. If they do, then in fact things will get worse and billions of people will die needlessly, and it will be worth sitting around bitching. | |
I understand you can always just make it bigger. A processor the size of Texas using todays latest technology would be insanely powerful. However you wouldn't actually be advancing.
| |
See, that's what you think the future would be like, super advanced technology everywhere. However what if technology just couldn't go any further? You probably figure in a few hundred years we will have hovercrafts, teleporters and holograms, but the possibility hasn't entered your head that those things may not be possible, reguardless of how smart we are.
If they are possible, how about the stuff the genration that has them dream of be possible, or the generation of their dreams, and so on. | |
Anyway, to my point, what sort of effect do you think that would have on the generations to come afterwards? Well shortly after building my super chess AI it will inexplicably become sentient. Computers by nature are evil and hate humans(see http://hamsterrepublic.com/james/technomancy/) therefore it will try to wipe out humanity by its game logic. First it will seek out the king and try and get him into a checkmate position. After it fails to find a king the AI will resort to a brute force algorithm and just start attacking indiscriminantly. Microsoft will take this as some kind of twisted ploy to take out Windows and will respond by ceceding from the US. Next they will trigger the secret functionality in all Windows OSs and Microsoft products and will assume control of all electronicly controlled weaponry. Japan also feeling threatened will begin thier attempts at world domination early to try and thwart the machine tack over by activating their secret weapon. That being a high pitched noise transmitted world wide that finializes the brainwashing started by poorly done anime. Thus sets the stage for the third World War. Heh after ranting on I think I have a decent plot for an RTS game if I ever get around to making one :). I just need to change Microsoft to some ficticious corperation. But anyway that's what's going to happen in the near future :). | |
Humans are an arrogant species. We will continually find ways to best ourselves, even if thet means destroying everything in our path. I can guarantee we will bring about our own destruction, but until then, "technology" will continue to improve. If we can't make a processor faster, we make it smaller. If we can't make it smaller, we add an extra useless component to make it look cooler. Whether it's a step forward or not, it will always "improve".
| |
mmm....Quantum processing....I can taste the power now.....*drools*
Man, a Quantum processor at even like 500Mhz could theoreticaly match the speed of even something in the 3-4Ghz range (today's linear processing) | |
Well, Untill
NanoMachines are smaller than/equal to the size of atoms Multiple atoms can be manipulated in real-time and on a large scale Quantum Processing/processors we will never reach the limit of technological advancement. Such Theories or abilities such as Individual Atom Manipulation (multiple atoms at a time) Will almost never be invented, because just now by manipulating atoms a certain way, with our primitive technology, we can only make huge explosions. When I talk about IAM(individual atom manipulation), I mean having a watch on, holding up your hand, light a match, and then use the watch which has the ability to manipulate the fire into a ball, and/or Have a watch like device Shape A stick of metal from a Precision sharp blade(sharp on the atomic level) To a Memory Device(information on it recorded like a CD; ie very small indentations in the metal which when read by a laser eye can be translated into data) Just some of these Ideas are so far ahead of our time that by the time we are even CLOSE to ever touching the basic principals of these abilities, we will have already discovered new theories which are even more far fetched and difficult to reach. The Ultimate Question is, at super high speeds, can You pass up time itself? Time travel backwards is almost impossible, if you intend to travel by speed. You would have to go into negative speed to travel backwards, which just couldn't happen by the laws of physics(hence new technologies, super far in future). Theres so many things out there that are to be discovered(in space, such as Black Holes and Worm Holes, etc), some of which we are not certain (can't prove) their existance. Such things would take so long, An end to technological advancement will never be in sight. By the time one advancement is conquered, another will arise. For example, The study Of atomic structures, as well as advanced study of the laws of Phsyics Brought about the famous Equation, E=MC2(squared, dunno the superscript html/key) Before it was discovered, It was never even have known to exist, that such power could be amassed in one area at any one time. Say back when Electricity was first 'discovered' for it's usefulness. No one really new how it worked, nor did anyone have an idea of it's existance/importance. Now it's so common that most people dont know the inner details of how it works. Point being, By the time we hit one limit, new ones arise at a higher standard. There will be no end to 'advancement' | |
Actually, it would surpass that was well. I believe at 500Mhz would be pushing around 5-6Ghz I had a book with exact calculations for these kinds of things, but I have no idea where it is.
| |
FenrirXIII wrote:
Well, Untill What is to say those things are even possible? I mean right now they could have sound theories behind them (I don't know, not my forte), but a theory doesn't mean anything until it has been proven right. Even once proven right it just makes one less discovery to make. I mean we can still have goals, it's just a matter of are these goals achivable. It's like a video game. You have secret ships to unlock by doing special tasks in levels, and eventually all the ships are going to be unlocked- no matter how many new theories you have about a possible task to complete for another ship. Albeit you may not know that you've got them all, but reguardless you'll still have them all. Before it was discovered, It was never even have known to exist, that such power could be amassed in one area at any one time. Yes, but the bottom line is it existed all along. E=MC^2 didn't magically appeared because we mastered the wheel and had nowhere else to go. E=MC^2 isn't going to just stop making sense so that a new theory can move in and be proved (unless it was wrong all along). I agree with everyone that Humanity will probably never reach "the final word" for one reason or another, but what would happen if we did. | |
Awesome. If you feel like maybe tellin me some of the stuff in the book, I'd be more than willing to know more about it, I love technology and new theories and pushing the limits of knowledge.
Just maybe Email me or Msn something, [email protected] I'll give ya a pat on the back if you find that book, or a link to a site that talks about the quantum calculations and such that are being worked on for computers(ie research) | |
FenrirXIII wrote:
Well, Untill Why would any of those be limits? Sometimes you can't see the next barriar to break down until you clear the current one. I'm sure back when swords were decent weapons they didn't even have the idea of using tiny metal projectiles sent at super sonic speeds much less consider figureing out how to do it. Such Theories or abilities such as Individual Atom Manipulation (multiple atoms at a time) Will almost never be invented, because just now by manipulating atoms a certain way, with our primitive technology, we can only make huge explosions. Well I'm sure going faster than sound didn't seem reasonable before aircraft but it happened. When I talk about IAM(individual atom manipulation), I mean having a watch on, holding up your hand, light a match, and then use the watch which has the ability to manipulate the fire into a ball, and/or What seems like magic now will probably be reality in the future. Just some of these Ideas are so far ahead of our time that by the time we are even CLOSE to ever touching the basic principals of these abilities, we will have already discovered new theories which are even more far fetched and difficult to reach. Just consider what technology was like a century ago and think of it now. The Ultimate Question is, at super high speeds, can You pass up time itself? Time travel backwards is almost impossible, if you intend to travel by speed. You would have to go into negative speed to travel backwards, which just couldn't happen by the laws of physics(hence new technologies, super far in future). The moon is also made of cheese right? Chances are we'll only know all the details once we get there. Theres so many things out there that are to be discovered(in space, such as Black Holes and Worm Holes, etc), some of which we are not certain (can't prove) their existance. Such things would take so long, An end to technological advancement will never be in sight. By the time one advancement is conquered, another will arise. What's so mysterious about a black hole :P? You just have a large amount of mass in a small area so the escape velocity is greater than light. Thus any light that gets close won't reach earth for us to see. I haven't heard anything of wormholes other than in sci fi movies so I don't anything about them. For example, The study Of atomic structures, as well as advanced study of the laws of Phsyics Brought about the famous Equation, E=MC2(squared, dunno the superscript html/key) That's just some first order approximation of an endless equation. There's also velocity components that come after that but are so miniscule you almost never need to consider them unless you're approaching the speed of light then they explode to be infinite in size(infinite at light speed). This is why it seems impossible to travel at light speed since unless you're massless you need an infinite amount of energy. Point being, By the time we hit one limit, new ones arise at a higher standard. There will be no end to 'advancement' D'oh I thought I was argueing with you :P. | |
I thought of something like this while watching my brother play Quake 3 the other day. As it relates to this, It would say that humans advance to the pinnacle of technology. From there, humans figure that the only improvement they can make is to turn back, and revert to a society like ours, and even more primitive. And then humans would then hit the rock bottom of technology and then work their way back up to the top.
I thought of it because in Quake 3, players use tactics like rocket jumping to travel along paths that are more unpredictable. However, I figure that eventually players would be able to anticipate these jumps by other players, and the unpredictable paths would end up being the simple ones, like walking down the middle of a hallway. Then once those simple paths become the predictable and obvious routes, it would go back, and continue the cycle. | |
"He jim! I just found an unexaustible, safe supply of energy!"
"Cool, let's go play some videogames and get stoned!" That is EXACTLY how it would go! *snigger* I think that some cult, like the mormons (;P) would come along and outlaw technology, and work the fields, and as we sat in our airconditioned homes, growing soft, we would pollute the land, causeing the "mormons" to grow angry, and have to migrate to a safer place, which eventually would be destroyed as well, and then they would become hardened, cannibalistic warriors and DESTROY OUR COUCH-MOLDED SPECIES!!!!! *snigger* We would eventually turn on ourselves over some small, riddiculous reason. That's how humans go, we were meant to bicker and argue, and with how far we've become, we still have Springer! | |
I believe it's the Amish that live off the land and despise technology. Ironically, all the tools they use to farm land are a form of technology. Plus, its against their nature to be violent, so I doubt they would conform into cannibalistic warriors.
| |
I could see how you would think this, but in actuallity there are infinate ways you could use the Quake 3 system to change movement and paths, and they technically wouldn't have to just go back to normal paths besides finding a slightly different way to play. I'v been playing a game called Desert Crisis for about 3 years now, I'v constantly changed my gameplay style to suit melee combat updates and to just keep good on its final update, I have never had to go back to how I first started playing. The thing with people thinking we will peak technology is also a bit different since the human imagination is limitless, and as long as it exists new things can be made. Just because we can't comprehend anything different than now in a sensible manner doesn't mean it wont happen, I'm sure the Egyptians 2000 years ago had no idea that we would have boxes which would be powerful tools of communication across the world.
I prefer seeing math as an example of our existence, numbers never end at any point, they can keep getting greater and greater since there is no last one unless you stop counting. If you look at it like that, technology could never end unless we stop advancing it. | |
Don't ruin my fantasy, friend.
(I was actually looking for the word, but forgot I knw it had an 'ah' sound, but I said mormon, because, well, MORMONS. (I don't hate mormons, just rip on 'em occasionally, I live in kansas, we are the #2 mormon state in the US, naturally I know and am friends with a TON of mormons.) | |