Week 15 Writing Assignment

Dear Professor Brooks,

Boy, that Mr. Kurzweil sure does have some kooky theories. Well, maybe the theories themselves aren't so far fetched, but the dates that he provides are probably a little off base. I think we're still a decade off from having retina screens and a virtual reality internet experience. However, I don't doubt that such things are achievable in the not too distant future. Kurzweil's vision of technology in the years to come does seem overly optimistic, but by the same token, Joy's vision is far too cynical.

Just because the human race can make advancements in technology, does that mean it should? I say why not? Roll the dice, take a gamble. If the world goes to Hell because of it, at least we'll all get to live out our last days in a virtual paradise thanks to our computer specs. If our robot slaves revolt and turn against us, at least I'll know how to reprogram them (assuming of course they're LEGO robots).

The reality is, no one can completely predict the future. I suppose we can assume that Moore's law will hold true, and our technological leaps will continue, but that could just mean more computer space and faster internet. Look how long it took for the telephone to evolve into the iPhone. We're talking hundreds of years. Surely computers have a much longer journey before they start implanting them into our brains. I'm pretty excited for the future, mostly just to see how things will turn out. The experts can predict all they want, as long as I have my flying car by 2020.

Love,
James