Dear List, for some weeks many write about TS (no explanation, seemingly all you physicists on the list know exactly what they are talking about. I don't.) So after 'enough is enough' I looked up Wiki. I found some 50 different items 'TS' may stand for, in physical sciences only some 20. It did not make sense when I substituted in the posts "T.S.Elliott, besides in the texts there are no periods in between. Nor Tectonic Slip. Or Teutonic Surrogates. Tyrannical Softness? I bet it does not stand on the Trafalgar Square. (maybe in texting lingo: *t^2* as in Time Square?). Somebody have mercy on me! John M
On 4/30/10, Sami Perttu <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi, I've been thinking about the political implications of TS. The > conclusions I've so far reached are quite pessimistic, but perhaps > they're realistic. I'm trying to come up with a detailed scenario, and > here are some starting points. All help is appreciated! > > I believe control is one of the paramount issues considering the > politics of TS, and the unfolding of TS. There are many factors that > point to the need for increased control, surveillance and > authoritarian forms of rule, and I still believe these will spill over > to the digital domain. But I may be missing some important component. > > -Interpersonal economic polarization is increasing. A threat from > below implies less democracy. > -TS is the biggest strategic issue of the 21st century. It can be seen > as the final race to global supremacy: if there are sufficient > computational resources available, then whoever will first achieve > brain digitization and emulation technologies will win the race, for > example by gaining a massive economic advantage, or by starting a > massive weapons research program. > -The huge potential for technological advance will fuel instability; > the major powers could attempt to resolve this by coming to an > agreement to create a global political organ to oversee all of digital > humanity. Rogue nations will be brought in line by economic or > military means. On the other hand, conflicts will likely remain > regional in scope, as > globalized capital won't tolerate a global conflagration. > -Digital communities can't simply be let loose. Previously most power > rested in the hands of an elite of analog humans, and they won't be > willing to relinquish their position so easily. The Luddite movement > will be exploited politically to this end. This will lead to strong > digital surveillance, a digital police force, and possibly STASI style > methods of enforcing control in the digital world. > -Such controls clearly impede productivity, which is another incentive > to establish global control over TS technologies. Otherwise some large > nation or power could hedge its bets, dispense with control and make > an alliance with a liberal digital community, achieving > a competitive advantage. > -Corporations will likely continue to increase their power. Strong > digital property rights will be established. Digital exploitation and > slavery will follow. > -Even more control is needed when most of analog humanity becomes > economically unviable: they will no longer be able to compete in wages > with digital humans. I have no idea how this question will be > resolved. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<everything-list%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
