I’m really excited about the release of the Hieroglyph anthology.  I enjoyed the process of researching and writing my story, and I’m tickled to be part of the project.  The table of contents is fabulous, and includes many of my favorite writers.  Here’s a bit of the description from the back cover:
“Born of an initiative at the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, this remarkable collection unites a diverse group of celebrated authors, prominent scientists, and creative visionaries–among them Cory Doctorow, Gregory Benford, Charlie Jane Anders, David Brin, and Neal Stephenson–who contributed works of “techno-optimism” that challenge us to imagine fully, think broadly, and do Big Stuff.”
OFFICIAL SITES
–Official site: http://hieroglyph.asu.edu
–Free Excerpt on Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/book/237106434/Hieroglyph
PLACES TO BUY A COPY:
–William Morrow/HarperCollins: http://bit.ly/hieroglyph2014
–Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062204691
–Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hieroglyph-Stories-Visions-Better-Future/dp/0062204696
SOCIAL MEDIA
–Facebook: http://fb.com/hieroglyphASU
–Twitter: http://twitter.com/hieroglyphASU
There is no doubt that Ray and I differ in our views toawrd the future of work. I think a pocket Watson will handle any legal issue that might arise. I think lawyers will be one of those industries that will disappear. The same goes for medical and educational. Robots will have an amazing sensitivity to human states. Far more capable than a human without augmentation. There is no financial indenting to pay a human if a robot can do it virtually for free. The same goes for protecting intellectual property. This free model is a new thing and it will grow. Just wait till a 3D printer can print out all the parts to a vintage corvette, and a home healthcare robot can download the assembly instructions. Yea sure you can have a company that sells all that information, but if Watson scanned all the information it needed to win at Jeopardy, just wait till it can mine the required info from the web. All the details for automechanics can be deduced from self help info and the same is true of all the manufacturing specs. It’s sll described in detail. So which would you do? Buy the info or have your Watson datamine it. It could do it faster than you can reach that button to reply. Safeguarding intellectual property will be a nightmare. The question reduces down to what do you need in your day to day life and how might you produce that without an intermediary making money off that acquisition. Even if you like watching Oprah and you want her to interview Timothy Leary your pocket Watson super AI of the future could simulate that experience no problem. Complete with his lack of oratory continuity. Again I have to posit the question. What intellectual property couldn’t a super AI simulate? Or maybe more appropriately I should say that you will need to use in an average day to day experience? It’s related to another question that I have. What is this other worldly intellectual activities that we will be doing in the cloud for work. Why can’t that be done by an AI better. Notice I just used a narrow AI, cause a super AI will be able to print out a narrow AI optimized for that intellectual task far quicker than a typical pay cycle. I have no interest in asking this in a ask Ray where a simple one paragraph or less response is likely. I reslly wouldn’t ask him in a close personal conversation. I think time will answer that question to both our satisfaction if I’m wrong, well that’s good for everyone. If I’m right, snd I think I am, we will cross that bridge then. I don’t think humans working or guarding intellectual property is necessary for a healthy economy. Like everything else it will change forever. The singularity is near. Who’s to say how it will turn out? To me Ray is an unwittingTrojan Horse bringing the ultimate demise to the corporate world. Right now let’s marvel at this thing of beauty as we bring it through the city gates.