A Christian’s Take on “The Transcendant Man”: A Documentary About Ray Kurzweil

By Josh Aronoff | June 6, 2011

Over the weekend, much to my excitement I found a documentary on Netflix Streaming about Ray Kurzweil, a futurist whom I’ve been following for quite awhile now.  He adopted a term from Physics called The Singularity, in which the point where machine intelligence would surpass the understanding of humans. Another theory of his is that technology grows not in a linear path, but grows exponentially. An example of this is called Moore’s Law, where computer processors double in speed and lessen in cost every two years. This has been happening since the 70s and will continue till about 2020.

According to this documentary, Man and Machine will become indistinguishable from each other by 2029. We’ll have developed AI and robotics will be able to repair themselves, build better versions of themselves, etc. Imagine what the self help section of your local bookstore, (or, hard drive in your brain.) when we have robots with just the same amount of neurosis that humans have.

What I find fascinating about this is Ray Kurzweil’s level of optimism. According to him, we’re use machines to solve the Earth’s problems, become god-like, as we expand our consciousness and jack into the internet through our cerebral cortex, living forever by recreating our memories online, downloading our brains into machines and shucking off this mortal body for a newer body.

While I WANT to believe that this is feasible, as a practicing Christian, I dont think I’m able to. I think I would be able to ethically justify hardwiring my brain to make myself smarter, or learn Mandarin Chinese in 3 hours like in The Matrix, but I dont think that it’s Biblical that we are able to live forever.

In Hebrews it says: “Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” I don’t think I would necessarily be putting my faith in Christ, if I chose to NOT die but to abstain from dying on this Earth. To me, trying to hack mortality flies in the face of what Christ offers in Eternal Life spiritually.

That being said, I can definitely relate with his enthusiasm about technology. I think that humans are given the gifts to conquer our environments. No other species adapts as well as we do to our environment, and I really do believe that technology can help shape humankind for the better, as it has for thousands of years. And I do see a place where one day, we could live alongside robots and it be perfectly acceptable to have robots and humans working together in a sort of diversity like we’ve never seen.

I draw the line at death. I think that we should have to die, for the simple fact that none of us except Jesus Christ has conquered it. That being said, everything else I see as fair game, in that I think that technology can enhance our lives, help us reach places we’ve never dreamed or imagined, and cure illnesses we thought were incurable.

Near the end of the film, there is a monologue that Kurzweil gives that I’m paraphrasing where he says, “we will have explored nanotechnology and we will shoot nanobots into the outer regions of space to collect and breathe collective life into the universe, which we will all share. People ask me if I believe in God, I do, I just don’t think he’s been invented yet.” This sums up where Kurzweil and I diametrically disagree. I cannot NOT disregard my belief in God, just as he can’t discount his firm belief in that humans will transcend ourselves and become one with the universe and in essence create God.

Still, I love his over optimistic enthusiasm, and share in his zeal for humanity bettering itself with technology. I just hope our intrinsic nature doesn’t cause of to make ourselves extinct before we colonize other planets… I’d like to vacation on Mars someday. Vacation Mars, not Mine Mars from Starship Troopers.

Watch this for more cool concepts:

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Everything I learned from business I learned from video games.

By Josh Aronoff | May 5, 2011

I was never one for school. I was in gifted classes growing up, would sit and read for hours out of the encyclopedia at night, and played games and later video games since I could walk and move things. Growing up, I would play boggle with my mom, i think it’s how I learned to read and spell, and later have used games (and still do at work.) to create experiments and ways of learning for myself and the people around me. Needless to say, I’m a giant nerd.

I’m also crazy into fixing things and businesses. I can see holes in things. Its from playing games growing up. Which is why I wanted to share what I’ve learned about business from games and video games.

You can be someone else for so long, but eventually you revert to your true self. Be true to yourself. – fallout 3

In fallout 3, you can either save a town by disarming a nuclear bomb, or you can blow up the town (and everyone in it.) by detonating the bomb. Point is, your outcome affects the game. You can try to improve yourself in business and change, but these are lessons your mama shoulda taught ya and if she didn’t chances are you won’t learn on the job. Be nice. Or don’t. But know thyself. And be true to you.

Count your coins, but moreso save the princess, and break some bricks. – super Mario bros.

In super mario bros. Its easy to focus on getting all the coins in a level without looking at time or forgetting your objective of getting the princess. Don’t get bogged down with how much you make or where your at in your job. You have to save the princess (eg. Do your best, make something good., increase roi, etc.) have a goal and stick to it.

Be ruthless and competitive. Or, understand when people are trying to be – Call of Duty: any of them via multiplayer

Like a good chess player, you should always have a backup plan or 6 backup plans. Adjust accordingly. It doesn’t matter what gun your using in multiplayer, if someone knows the map better than you your screwed regardless.

Know your maps.

Also, take no prisoners in the work you do. You don’t owe anyone anything and they certainly don’t owe you. Dont shoot people in the back but stick to your guns and dont compromise. If you have a clear vision, no one can take that from you. Do the best you can and let the chips fall where they may. In the end, everyone will be ok. And you’ll all level up together.

It’s all about the journey and the idea. – any final fantasy game or role playing game.
Think of every job you have as a time in your life you can tell your grandchildren. After all, your only living to pass down jokes and stories to kids when your older. It’s your job to pass the baton to the young ones. When your in the crap, realize it’s only for a season. When your facing a huge project, get your party together and work to people’s strengths. Don’t put your Mage with ice spells in your parry if your in the tundra fighting ice dogs. That’s just dumb. Don’t you know ice spells don’t work on ice animals?

You’re not an island. Even Donald Trump doesn’t work alone; he has his hair as his second in command.

Look for patterns and know the rules. – tetris or Texas hold em
Remember the first time you realized you could build up a wall of blocks in tetris and get those long rail pieces and slam em down in there and delta like 5 rows at a time? Remember when you realized that everytime your friend got up to use the bathroom he had a monster hand in poker? Same thing with business. See the patterns and connect the dots. Then build out the solutions in multiple scenarios. (see above and backup plans.)

Realize its supposed to be fun. – any game and any job.
Unfortunately you spend more time at work then you do anywhere else on earth. Kind of sucks but you do. If you hate it or don’t wanna go, do something else. Your life is too short and your not promised tomorrow. If you don’t wanna play this game, play another. Just don’t take your ball and go home. Then no one else can play.

Well, that’s it. If you enjoyed this comment! Or repost or send via refitted or Facebook. See you guys online or on xbox live as ‘jammylegs’. I’ll be playing the new escalation maps of cod. Or maybe we can play some words with friends sometime.

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We Own the Aesthetic and make the swords: why every designer should reign over products and commercialism

By Josh Aronoff | April 20, 2011

I’ve been thinking about design as a tool in business and I’ve come to the realization that every designer and design firm has in them baked into their essence the desire to make the world a better place. We as designers are usually brought in after the product or business design is locked in and we essentially just pretty something up and make it appealing to the masses.

My argument is that we’re doing ourselves a disservice as designers by JUST doing client work. We act like someone else other than the designer has a sense of business or change making and I cry BS TO THAT!!

Design is a subconscious decision maker for consumers of everything, from coffee to books to websites to that kierug coffee machine I pay 35 cents per cup or more to make instant no mess coffee. Stop acting like you need to wait for someone to have a backbone of an idea that you can put skin on.

We’re not blacksmiths. We don’t need the Kings army to have an order to justify making a slew of swords. (game of thrones reference.) WE ARE THE ARMY! and we own the aesthetic and the pulse of what people want.

Last night I went to an AIGA roundtable and we brought up the fact that businesses don’t always understand the value of design. How can we make them understand it. I’m starting to realize that you never will. And we may be playing to an audience that doesn’t care and will never get it.

The only one who seems to is Apple. They understand that consumers want things that make them feel more than what they are currently. I have a identification with owning a iPhone, just like a finely tuned Swiss watch or Italian sports car.

The minute we realize we’re not beholden to our clients and we create for the sake of a new audience will be the only time that the business community will HAVE TO listen to design as a viable business need because they will have no other choice.

We own the ability to make the swords which cut the caul away from the eyes of the masses. No one can do it better, you were born to do it, cuz if you weren’t, you’d be an accountant.

Stand up and make, regardless of if someone else is paying you do so. Stop letting someone who doesn’t get our craft, validate our craft by merely paying for it.

Make things that change the world and business will be like a irrelevant player in a game that we make the rules in, not following theirs.

Why should we wait for the auto industry to wise up to fuel efficiency? Why can’t we build a better EKG machine ourselves? Why can’t we come up with the next thing that will rock everyone on their butts and change the world for the better? We need no validation, just the courage to step out, create and create and create and create and the strength to persevere when everyone tells you your crazy.

Make your sword for yourself.

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Posted in Blog, business, Graphic Design, Life-Lessons | 4 Comments