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Personal Growth — November 12, 2011

Immortality by 2029

Child prodigy turned inventor turned futurist, Ray Kurzweil is aiming never to die. He predicts that by 2029, computer intelligence will cure all disease and prevent death.

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What’s the Latest Development?

Ray Kurzweil’s bold predictions about the future are real headline grabbers. By 2029 he predicts computers will become more intelligent that humans, overtaking our ability to solve important problems. That could mean the end of disease and, more profoundly, the end of mortality. Kurzweil himself takes several hundred daily supplements, preserving the integrity of this body until the day comes when his consciousness can be interfaced with machines.

What’s the Big Idea?

To make his predictions, Kurzweil reflects upon the history of computer advancement, which has occurred at exponential rates since the invention of the microchip. Generally, computer performance has doubled every two years following the number of transistors that can be placed on chips. The trend is referred to as Moore’s Law and while it has held true so far, some believe we are approaching strict physical limitations that will break the pattern.

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