I chose to read Ray Kurzweil’s The Age of Spiritual Machines Chapter Nine: 2009. I picked this particular chapter because I was interested in Kurzweil’s predictions about a time period that is now only 2 years away. Initially I had intended to read 2099, but since it is not likely that I will be around to see 2099 I decided to go to the opposite extreme.
The first section on actual computers is interesting and it’s what I’d like to focus on since there are so many new computer products being released right now that are comparable.
Already, we can see things like Bluetooth, which connect various gadgets wirelessly. Products that are Bluetooth compatible (and thus, are able to communicate with one another) include headsets, office equipment, laptops, handhelds, video game equipment, cell phones, automotive parts, etc. etc. This reminds me of Kurzweil’s “Interactivewear” cartoon at the beginning of the chapter where all the things a man is wearing communicate with each other and with the man himself. Our cars tell us when they are low on certain fluids or if parts are broken. Adding the ability for these things to talk to each other could provide an avenue to determine problems more quickly and find solutions to those problems easier.
Although I don’t think we are as close to ditching the traditional laptop just yet, they are getting much smaller. Sony has a Vaio that is small enough that you literally hold it in your hands to use it. This computer could be described as book-size or smaller, which is a description Kurzweil uses. Also, this computer does not have an external keyboard, but does have an integrated camera and microphone, and uses Flash memory rather than a “rotating platten” such as a hard drive or CD/DVD ROM (Kurzweil 189). Kurzweil’s 2009 computer is not so far off.
Kurzweil also discusses jewelry becoming computers. We now have watches with computers in them that are comparable to what Kurzweil describes. The Suunto company sells watches that keep track of a person’s heart rate, can be used as a personal trainer, a GPS, and measures a golf swing, among other things. I don’t see how it is much of a stretch to incorporate these things into earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, hair clips, etc. By 2009, perhaps my earrings will be able to talk to my Bluetooth headset and tell it that I need to lose a few pounds, and then the headset will send this information to my computer, which will then send me an email or perhaps simply tell me that I’m chubby and recommend a new diet and exercise regimen. Really, it boils down to simply combining these three technologies to produce the level of technical communication Kurzweil predicts. I believe that is not only realistically possible, but almost inevitable within the next 2 years.
Works Cited:
Kurzweil, Ray. The Age of Spiritual Machines. New York: Penguin, 1999.
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