Balder Ex-Libris

Author : Marrs Texe
Title : Robot alchemy Androids, cyborgs, and the magic of artificial life
Year : 2013

Link download : Marrs_Texe_-_Robot_alchemy.zip

Introduction. Will the Human Species Survive Past 2035? Are robots and computers alive? Soon this question will be affirmatively answered. Yes, they are alive. Today they can walk, talk, smell, hear, and reason. In the not too distant tomorrow, robots and computers will possess emotion, awareness, and consciousness. They will be alive, super-intelligent. They will replace human beings. Your universe will never again be the same. Ours is the last generation in which human beings have an edge. We are now in the process of building and creating our own successors. In Robot Alchemy, you will meet thousands of robots and computerized machines. Some are jerky, clunky, and metallic. A few are people-like, with soft “flesh” and body parts that move smoothly and efficiently. All are fascinating relics, examples of humans yearning to become creators of life. But you will also ironically discover in these pages, humans ambitiously striving to become machines—bionic men and women who strongly desire to become more than human; to extend their lives, to become transhuman, even to become a form of “God.” Eventually, the two groups, robots and bionic humans will merge. We will reach singularity. From that point, the planet will be run by artificially intelligent computer systems, some in the form of robots, which think and are far smarter than the entire human race combined. People are slated to become inferior, obsolete. Robots will be a “better breed,” and this will be their world. Dr. Paul Saffo of Stanford University poignantly asks, “What happens after we have truly intelligent robots?” After reflection, he answers: “If we’re lucky, they’ll treat us as pets. If not they’ll treat us as food.” Over twenty-five years ago in 1985, I was privileged to author the first ever book on personal and home robots, The Personal Robot Book. In that book, I stated: “Surely, the recent introduction of the personal robot into the homes of thousands of families ranks among the top technological achievements of all time.” I went on to author other cutting-edge technology books, The Great Robot Book; Careers in Computers; Careers With Robots; Mega Forces; High Tech Job Finder; High Tech Careers; and Project L.U.C.I.D., the first book to explore the implantation of the biochip into human beings. I have been very busy writing other books as well. ...