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Honestly, I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. Even his strongest critics generally concede that he's a brilliant man who has contributed significantl
by rpm4321 14y ago
Honestly, I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. Even his strongest critics generally concede that he's a brilliant man who has contributed significantly to technology.
Please understand, I'm not a Kurzweil fan boy. I do think a lot of his conclusions are inevitable in the long term - say 100 years out - but I'd guess it's 50/50 whether or not his timelines are too optimistic to benefit any of us here personally.
What I'm reacting strongly to here is the knee-jerk dismissal of his credentials and accomplishments by some on HN due to their incredulity towards his later ideas. It doesn't encourage an informed debate, and quite frankly smacks of a religious or political argument - which admittedly many of his supporters are just as guilty of.
- foobarqux 14y agoI just want to know what that contribution was exactly.
- rpm4321 14y agoGo to the 'Life, inventions, and business career' section here, as well as the overview section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil
- akkartik 14y agoI read that, and I'm still not sure what you're talking about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil#Recognition_and_awards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil#Recognition_and_a... is a pretty good summary of his accomplishments. He's had a full life, no question, but how much of it was AI? His biggest AI accomplishment seems to be in OCR technology with the Reading Machine back in the 70s. Other than that his strengths seem to be in commercializing inventions, and in attaching his name to his products.
- foobarqux 14y agoThe section you referenced is thin and poorly cited. I still don't know his specific role and contributions. I am trying to dig deeper than the veneer.