Dear Singularity,
How are you doing? I’ve been hearing about
you for quite a while. This whole idea that we humans are going to merge with
machines (the big moment that happens, that’s you, Singularity!) and embark
on a Better Life of white jump-suited, computer-assisted bliss. I watched The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman in those bad old days when computers were the
size of a two car garage, and I say, bring it! Anything that can keep me
dancing into my tenth decade and beyond is OK by me.
Now, what you’ll do for my blown out joints
is great, but I do have a few concerns about what you and all your Mini-Me minions
(tablets, smartphones, etc) are doing to prepare my mind for your coming. You see,
I enjoy doing something that’s, well, hard to admit because it’s so, you know,
19th century. Oh, all right, I’ll spill.
OK, so I like to read books. Call me crazy, old fashioned,
a luddite, but I find reading a novel to be a very enjoyable, and occasionally
exciting, thing to do. I know, right? I could be watching videos of cats
skateboarding or the zombie kid who likes turtles. But the heart has its
reasons which reason knows nothing of. Some guy named Pascal said that.
Anyway,
I was reading (there I go again!) an article that said the human brain is being
rewired by digital life. We are developing “circuitry” that helps us sift
through the Internet’s torrents of information. We can click links, skim for
key words, and scroll with the speed of a squirrel on crack. We must do it fast,
because speed is what matters, right? Leaves more time for buying stuff.
So,
when you finally do get here, I do hope that my new knees will include
programming for Argentine tango. And that there will still be a few surgeons
who are capable of getting through my four hour long joint replacement surgery
without taking a Twitter break or posting to Facebook.
But please, Singularity, just leave my brain alone.
Very
sincerely yours,
Shari
