I have mentioned Vernor Vinge on this blog before in discussing the concept of a singularity. I was happy to hear Battlestar Galactica get a mention in the Q&A section of Vinge's keynote at the Accelerating Change conference. You can listen to the keynote via IT Conversations:
The idea that a superhuman machine intelligence could be created within our lifetimes is one that captures the imaginations and fears of many. How can we plan for something which, by definition, changes the world in unimaginable ways? Vernor Vinge is the popularizer of the term "Singularity" to describe the point at which technological progress advances so much that we cannot predict anything beyond that point. In this address from Accelerating Change 2005, he discusses how we could prepare for this type of event. [Accelerating Change audio from IT Conversations]
The context of the discussion centers around the different ways of reaching a singularity. In one method, it happens gradually. This is a "soft takeoff". The other way is one that happens quickly, in a matter of days or hours... this is called a "hard takeoff". If you look at Battlestar Galactica, it can essentially be described as a hard launch because one moment the world is one way, and a few moments later, the entire paradigm of existence is twisted on it's head. Sure, the "post-singularity" existence of the humans in BSG does not really represent the traditional transcendent existence that are typically expected of a singularity, but the metaphor is close enough for the sake of Vinge's keynote discussion.
If you are at all a fan of science fiction (primarily Vinge's work) and are into the concepts of the human singularity, definitely give this a listen.
Oh... and did I mention they say "Battlestar Galactica" at the end? :)
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