Kissmyrobot

I finally read the book “Snowcrash” by Neal Stephenson, and I’ve realized that the ideas behind things like Second Life and Google Earth are not so novel after all. It’s a good, prophetic book, written in 1994 – a fact that I had to check several times while reading. The words didn’t flow as quickly as I wanted to read, but I guess that’s part of the mood.

Now, I’m on to another page-turner called “Factoring Humanity” by Robert J. Sawyer. It gets a bit flaky at times – too many coincidences – but it’s an interesting story and the words flow quickly.

Ah… So many books to read and so little time.

Five tips to help protect your privacy online:

1. Paranoia pays
2. Don’t use Internet Explorer
3. Use a temporary credit card number
4. Use an anonymizer
5. Don’t use Google

Surprised? Well, Dennis O’Reilly explains in his “Workers’ Edge” blog on CNET.com. There are lots of useful tips there for those of us stuck behind a computer most of the working day.

They’re coming.

This week, the New York Times published an article “In the Future, Smart People Will Let Cars Take Control“, and I have to say, I don’t really believe it. I believe that cars will soon be able to drive themselves, but I don’t believe smart people will be the first to jump in.

“By around 2030, according to some believers in Moore’s Law, there will be computers more powerful thatn the human brain, leading to the emergence of superintelligent ‘post-humans’. If these being do appear, I have no doubt how they’ll get around. They’d never be stupid enough to get in a car driven by a member of Mr. Magoo’s species.”

Uhm… if I were the smartest being on the planet, I think I’d rather drive myself.