Supercomputer Earth

The Future of Civilization

(& Africa's part in it)

December 4th 2008, Goethe-Zentrum Windhoek, Namibia Christian Heller ( http://www.plomlompom.de )

The last 500,000 years

 speech, language (500,000-50,000 years)  graphical symbols, writing (35,000-5,000 years)  abacus, library (5,000-2,500 years)  printing (1,500-500 years)  digital computing machines (350-150 years)  real-time telecommunication (150 years)  computer networks (40 years)  world wide web (15 years)

“Internet map” Source: Wikimedia Commons / Matt Britt ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Matt_Britt ) ( http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Internet_map_1024.jpg ) License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.5 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ ) Evolution of the Web / Web 2.0

 participation made easier, standardized − usability standards, friendly design − standards for data formats & interconnections  more ways and new scales of participation − anyone can publish, comment on, edit, rate, name, tag, sort, link anything anywhere anytime  wiring massive user input into intelligence − “people who bought x also bought ...” − new intelligence methods as business models

Sections from “LOGO 2.0” by Ludwig Gatzke ( http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/ )

Licensed under Creative-Commons-BY-NC-SA http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/93136022/ http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/101793493/

Some techniques & examples

 uploading media ...... YouTube.com, Flickr.com  open source design ...... SourceForge.net  wiki ...... Wikipedia.org  feeds ...... Blogspot.com, Bloglines.com  social networks ...... Facebook.com  social bookmarking & tagging ...... del.icio.us  crowdsourcing ...... MTurk.com  anything ...... Google.com

Twitter.com

Growth of the global supercomputer

 thinking brain matter − more humans, more intelligent brain matter − growing % flows into global intellectual enterprises  artificial information storage & computing − Moore's law − improving problem-solving algorithms  synthesis − wiring up growing intelligences of brain & machine − extend intelligence network to other matter

“nabaztag” Source: Flickr / David Haberthür ( http://habi.gna.ch/ ) ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/habi/288065866/ ) License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ) Everything interfacing everything

 new user interfaces − from keyboards to touchscreens − from joysticks to accelerometers − from mouses to direct neural interfaces

 the internet of things − mobile devices − GPS (Global Positioning System) − RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

“Reigh's Brain rlwat2b” Source: Flickr / Reigh LeBlanc ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblanc/ ) ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblanc/1372175973/ ) License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ) Supercomputer Earth at work

 physical production − open source 3D printing; RepRap.org − extend to future nano assemblers  energy − intelligently self-organizing energy grids − centralization vs. decentralization  biotechnology − crowdsourcing science; InnoCentive.com − Freeman Dyson: bio-engineering kits for every child

“'Paradigm Shifts for 15 Lists of Key Events” Source: Wikimedia Commons / Ray Kurzweil ( http://www.kurzweilai.net/ ) ( http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:ParadigmShiftsFrr15Events.svg ) License: Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/ ) Development models

 Teilhard de Chardin − Noosphere, Omega Point  Ray Kurzweil − Accelerating Change  Vernor Vinge − Technological Singularity

Africa's part?

“leapfrogging”

 jumping directly into newest technology − by-passing older forms − avoiding certain intermediary problems − avoiding the burden of old infrastructure

 examples & opportunities for Africa − internet adress space: IPv6 − decentralized, alternative energy − wireless telecommunication

“'SMS till you drop' -- mobile phone ad on van in Kampala, Uganda” Source: Flickr / FutureAtlas.com ( http://futureatlas.com/blog/ ) ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/87913776@N00/305425495/ ) License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ) Mobile telecommunication in Africa

 explosive growth  original, unexpected uses

 examples for use − collective use of devices & pre-paid credits − information & help services via SMS − micro finance / banking via SMS

Africa's Supercomputer support

 acceleration through leapfrogging  technological ideas through special situations  unexpected contacts  crowdsourcing potential?  solar energy?

Links

 Wikipedia.org on “Web 2.0”, “Technological Singularity” and just about anything else  InternetWorldStats.com  “The Impact of Mobile Phones in Africa” − http://commissionforafrica.org/english/report/background/scott_et_al_background.pdf  JanChipchase.com  Ubuntu.com