Supercomputer Earth

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• Supercomputer Earth
• The Future of Civilization
• ( Africa's part in it)?

December 4th 2008, Goethe-Zentrum Windhoek,
Namibia Christian Heller ( http//www.plomlompom.d
e )?
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(No Transcript)
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The last 500,000 years

• speech, language (500,000-50,000 years)?
• graphical symbols, writing (35,000-5,000 years)?
• abacus, library (5,000-2,500 years)?
• printing (1,500-500 years)?
• digital computing machines (350-150 years)?
• real-time telecommunication (150 years)?
• computer networks (40 years)?
• world wide web (15 years)?

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Internet map Source Wikimedia Commons / Matt
Britt ( http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UserMatt_Bri
tt )? ( http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ImageIn
ternet_map_1024.jpg )? License Creative Commons
Attribution Generic 2.5 ( http//creativecommons.o
rg/licenses/by/2.5/ )?
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Evolution of the Web / Web 2.0

• participation made easier, standardized
• usability standards, friendly design
• standards for data formats interconnections
• more ways and new scales of participation
• anyone can publish, comment on, edit, rate, name,
  tag, sort, link anything anywhere anytime
• wiring massive user input into intelligence
• people who bought x also bought ...
• new intelligence methods as business models

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Sections from LOGO 2.0 by Ludwig
Gatzke ( http//flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/
)? Licensed under Creative-Commons-BY-NC-SA http
//flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/93136022/
http//flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/101793493/

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Some techniques examples

• uploading media ....... YouTube.com, Flickr.com
• open source design ................
  SourceForge.net
• wiki .............................................
  . Wikipedia.org
• feeds ................... Blogspot.com,
  Bloglines.com
• social networks ..........................
  Facebook.com
• social bookmarking tagging ...........
  del.icio.us
• crowdsourcing .................................
  MTurk.com
• anything .........................................
  Google.com

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Twitter.com
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Growth of the global supercomputer

• thinking brain matter
• more humans, more intelligent brain matter
• growing flows into global intellectual
  enterprises
• artificial information storage computing
• Moore's law
• improving problem-solving algorithms
• synthesis
• wiring up growing intelligences of brain
  machine
• extend intelligence network to other matter

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nabaztag Source Flickr / David Haberthür (
http//habi.gna.ch/ )? ( http//www.flickr.com/pho
tos/habi/288065866/ )? License Creative Commons
Attribution Generic 2.0 ( http//creativecommons.o
rg/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en )?
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Everything interfacing everything

• new user interfaces
• from keyboards to touchscreens
• from joysticks to accelerometers
• from mouses to direct neural interfaces
• the internet of things
• mobile devices
• GPS (Global Positioning System)?
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)?

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Reigh's Brain rlwat2b Source Flickr / Reigh
LeBlanc ( http//www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblan
c/? )? ( http//www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblanc
/1372175973/? )? License Creative Commons
Attribution Generic 2.0 ( http//creativecommons.o
rg/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en )?
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Supercomputer Earth at work

• physical production
• open source 3D printing RepRap.org
• extend to future nano assemblers
• energy
• intelligently self-organizing energy grids
• centralization vs. decentralization
• biotechnology
• crowdsourcing science InnoCentive.com
• Freeman Dyson bio-engineering kits for every
  child

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'Paradigm Shifts for 15 Lists of Key
Events Source Wikimedia Commons / Ray Kurzweil
( http//www.kurzweilai.net/ )? (
http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ImageParadigmSh
iftsFrr15Events.svg )? License Creative Commons
Attribution 1.0 Generic ( http//creativecommons.o
rg/licenses/by/1.0/ )?
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Development models

• Teilhard de Chardin
• Noosphere, Omega Point
• Ray Kurzweil
• Accelerating Change
• Vernor Vinge
• Technological Singularity

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Africa's part?
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leapfrogging

• jumping directly into newest technology
• by-passing older forms
• avoiding certain intermediary problems
• avoiding the burden of old infrastructure
• examples opportunities for Africa
• internet adress space IPv6
• decentralized, alternative energy
• wireless telecommunication

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'SMS till you drop' -- mobile phone ad on van in
Kampala, Uganda Source Flickr / FutureAtlas.com
( http//futureatlas.com/blog/? )? (
http//www.flickr.com/photos/87913776_at_N00/30542549
5/ )? License Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Generic ( http//creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2
.0/deed.en? )?
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Mobile telecommunication in Africa

• explosive growth
• original, unexpected uses
• examples for use
• collective use of devices pre-paid credits
• information help services via SMS
• micro finance / banking via SMS

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Africa's Supercomputer support

• acceleration through leapfrogging
• technological ideas through special situations
• unexpected contacts
• crowdsourcing potential?
• solar energy?

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Links

• Wikipedia.org on Web 2.0, Technological
  Singularity and just about anything else
• InternetWorldStats.com
• The Impact of Mobile Phones in Africa
• http//commissionforafrica.org/english/report/back
  ground/scott_et_al_background.pdf
• JanChipchase.com
• Ubuntu.com