The Singularity is Here: The death of time

by phil on Friday Sep 26, 2003 9:11 AM
Singularity

If the Singularity were already here or is almost upon us, surely we would experience at least parts of the irrelevance of time.

Indeed we do though in many of the following ways:

- day-to-day regularity of condition: for example, I was able to check the weather today on the Internet and choose what I wanted to wear in order to keep my external body temperature the same. Doing this consistently, or having the knowledge about areas like CA that have stable weather, would prevent my body from feeling temperature changes from hour to hour or day to day.

- stable jobs and the like: our ancestors gave great importance to time of day and time of year when it came to work, i.e. tilling the field. Now with workplaces where you come in late and at times sleep there, or possibly you telecommute, or with such efficient capitalism that gives stable jobs for 10 years on end (present time being the exception), doing things at specific time becomes irrelevant. Children are at least brought up with this by being in school (or at extracurriculars or doing homework) from 7:30am till later into the night from age 5 till age 24 (ppl are going to grad school in droves these days). Consistent forced schedules as well, such as the 9-to-5 also eliminate your dependence on timing... just punch in, do your thing, punch out, repeat.

- Life extension - standard age markers are disappearing. Someone who couldn't afford facial enhancements at age 20 can look age 16 when she is 30.

I think the emphasis is on how much of our lives stays unchanged. If time is the measure of distance between paradigm shifts, then ultra-routinization would eliminate time.

Comments

Philip Dhingra said on September 26, 2003 4:38 PM:

I'm sorry but I know this post is crap, interesting nonetheless.