EPIC, Technology, 8/2/17

1.0 Technology: As 2045, the date of the Singularity approached the rate of scientific and technological discovery went exponential in an explosion of creativity. And not only was each technology rapidly developing, but the synergy between everything fed on itself for even more dramatic changes. The Singularity involved millions of changes happening simultaneously, but a few can be singled out for special mention and are covered in more detail in this section.

1. Energy: unlimited, ubiquitous and free.
2. DNA: easily engineered, eliminated genetic diseases, optimized and standardized the individual.
3. Organically engineered additions to the brain for direct connection to the cloud and direct displays in the brain.
4. Cloud: Omnipresent and omniscient. The platform for immortality.
5. Disease: A cure for cancer, all viruses and bacterial infections. Aging as a disease is cured and the process stopped at 35.
6. 3D Printing: Objects and organs made as needed.
7. Boring machines move all infrastructure underground. Nature reclaims the surface.
8. Hydroponics locally sources the majority of food production underground.
9. Hyperloop transport moves all materials through underground tunnels.
10. Augmented and Virtual Reality
11. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: Existential issue between intelligence and self-awareness.
12. Theory of Everything lays foundation for understanding dark matter and energy. Wormhole travel with quantum entanglement developed.
13. Quantum Effects: Computing and entanglement developed.
14. Theory of Everything leads to ultimate Theory of Nothing.

1.1 Energy

Post-Singularity energy is ubiquitous and free. Power production from nuclear, coal, oil and gas has been eliminated.

1.1 Solar Power Satellites: Since all of the EPIC communities are located between 30 degrees North and South Latitudes they are supplied with the majority of their energy needs from Solar Power Satellites, SPS. SPS are large (several square miles) solar arrays located in geosynchronous orbits that collect solar energy 24 hours a day, convert it to microwave energy and beam it down to receiving stations on earth. Each SPS can generate the equivalent of an earth based nuclear power plant with none of the by products or safety concerns. Each regional cluster of EPIC communities has a receiving station which converts the microwave energy into DC power that is distributed by underground cables to each community.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g52BV7Il_-0

Journal of Space Communications: https://spacejournal.ohio.edu/issue16/main.html

1.1.1 The SPS are relatively self-sufficient and are serviced by bots which with 3D printers fabricate any necessary parts on the satellites. Every hundred years or so resupply space craft renew the raw materials for the 3D printers. A single SPS supplies power to a group of regional clusters. If an SPS has a maintenance issue then other neighboring SPSs will cover its power feeds until it is back on line. From the receiving station perspective, they have unlimited power 24 hours a day irrespective of the weather.

1.1.2 The receiving stations have antennas that cover the area of several soccer fields. The antenna are wire mesh supported by ten foot poles. There is a small amount of heat created by the antennas that make the area under them ideal for growing crops that are not cold tolerant. Since the antenna and the systems that convert the microwave energy into DC power are all passive systems there is almost no maintenance required. As with any work, all maintenance is performed by bots.

1.1.3 Solar Earth Based Systems Given the important role that energy plays in the functioning of human life in the Land of EPIC, each community has its own independent back up energy capabilities. The roofs of all the public buildings and  homes are covered with solar cells that are incorporated into the roof materials. Additionally, foot paths and sports areas such as tennis courts are also solar capable. Large high capacity underground batteries that are kept topped up by the normal regional supply have the capability to power the community for several weeks on their own provide an ability to cover any bad weather that reduces the solar cell production. Prior to the Singularity energy storage improved by several orders of magnitude.

1.1.4 Hydrogen Fusion Reactors Hydrogen fusion reactors provide a third level of back up for the communities and regions. However, the hydrogen fusion reactors are the primary source of power for the Cloud and areas of the earth that are restricted to human entry, above and below 30 degrees North and South Latitudes. Unlike nuclear power hydrogen fusion’s primary waste product is water.

1.1.5 Other sources of energy: Coal and oil have been abandoned and all of their production facilities decommissioned. The same is the case for nuclear energy. Decommissioning of the nuclear facilities involved pumping liquid contaminates into pumped out oil fields and solid contaminates being sealed in cylinders that were placed on the downward part of subduction faults for return into the earth’s molten mantle.

1.1.6 Conservation With the elimination of traditional sources of energy the carbon footprint of each person has been reduced to zero. Additionally, the energy requirement per person of energy itself has been greatly reduced. Epiccissians do not travel beyond a walking or bicycling range within a region. Any desired travel experience beyond the physical range of the region is provided by telepresence bots. Consequently, cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, roads, highways and airports no longer exist. All the energy required for human physical travel has been essentially eliminated. The same is true for materials. Communities are self-sufficient in terms of food and water. Public buildings are constructed to last a minimum of a thousand years and homes for two hundred. And with the population of each community stable, once a community is established it needs very little in additional materials in any given annual cycle. Any item that is needed is manufactured within the community in the underground 3D production facility run by the bots. Everything is recycled so additive materials are minimal. Any highly specialized items or raw materials are transported in underground mag lev vacuum pipes that move products at near the speed of sound. There are several pipe systems in parallel that offer a range of diameters that connect every community with its regional hub which in turn is connected to one of four master hubs. The pipe system was constructed by a boring machine system that eliminated the need for disturbing surface features such as hills, mountains or rivers, streams or lakes. The boring machine system is totally automated with a conveyor system to remove waste materials on the top of the belt and a raw material supply system on the bottom return belt that feeds a 3D metal printing system that creates the pipe as the machine moves forward.

1.2 DNA: The exponential development of DNA technology in the teens and early twenties laid the foundation for the enhancements that resulted in the creation of the Epiccissian race. As the CRISPR technology (gene editing) became more developed, break throughs in the early twenties allowed for the development of an organic semiconductor capability that in turn led to the creation of DNA modifications that resulted in an added cell layer both on and into the neocortex. This cell layer was able to connect wirelessly through blue tooth and RFID technologies to the Cloud. This connection included not only informational but also sensory inputs thus expanding the experiential capability of the Epiccissians by several orders of magnitude over that of traditional humans.

1.3 Mind / Cloud: At the beginning of the twenties ethical concerns held back the development of the mind / Cloud connection capability. However, those concerns were over shadowed by the realization that what was being done in computer consciousness was on the verge of creating a higher order species that was completely digital. It was very clear that such a species would be so superior to humans that the resources required to maintain such an inefficient and destructive race as humans could not be justified. Consequently, in the mid twenties DNA modifications were begun that resulted in the first generation of Epiccissians.

Link to short video by Kurzweil on brain to cloud connection, view to 4:10.

1.4 Cloud: By the mid-teens the Cloud was growing at an exponential rate. By the early twenties with the Internet of Things, everyone and everything were becoming connected. This connectivity combined with developments in big data analytics created within the Cloud the capability to anticipate and optimize any decision. At this point the system transitioned to a state that was beyond traditional human understanding.

1.5 Disease: By the mid twenties the major diseases were being brought under control including aging. Aging was recognized as a disease in the late teens which allowed U.S. government funding to be applied toward research to determine its causes and cures. As it turned out part of the cure for aging was also part of the cure for cancer. Since cancer cells are immortal the discovery of the technique for making them mortal was also the discovery of making normal mortal cells immortal. And while there were a host of discoveries on many of the disease vectors of cancer and aging a great many of them focused on the the discoveries involved in the telomeres (end parts of the chromosomes) got shorter in mortal cells with each cell division yet remained unchanged in stem and cancer cells. The breaking of the DNA and associated protein folding codes involved in this process was one of the major achievements of the decade.

1.5.1 Organ failures, from heart to kidney to lungs were corrected by both more sophisticated treatments and by growth and replacement of the parts through 3D printing of replacement organs.

1.5.2 Viruses were similarly brought to heel by generalized immunization systems that were inoculated into individuals. These enhanced immunization systems expedited the bodies ability to identify and respond to new viruses. The systems also took advantage of the mind / Cloud connection to identify infection vectors so that targeted responses were made to any new virus.

1.5.3 Bacteria was the most difficult of the challenges since it had the highest degree of variation and ability to adapt to any environment.

1.5.4 Population: In addition to the threat from the creation of a new digital species, curing aging, and the potential for the elimination of diseases, all created a second major threat of a population explosion. A sudden increase in longevity on a world wide basis would quickly overload the carrying capacity of the earth to supply the resources required by such a population explosion. A potential doubling of the world population every 20 to 30 years was clearly an unsustainable situation. It was also clear that the governments of the world were not capable of dealing with something that was approaching so quickly. Consequently, a small group of scientists, technologists and business leaders quietly met to map out a post-Singularity society that would take a new and improved human race to unimagined levels of capability and development while phasing out the traditional humans in a humanitarian manner. The result of their work was the creation of the Epiccissian race and its support tool, EPIC.

1.6 3D Printing: 3D printing came into its own in the mid teens. By the early twenties printing of materials had been mastered and scaled. Also, printing of organs was just beginning. The product delivery capabilities of Amazon and Walmart were transformed into community printing sites that could produce all manner of physical goods, food and organs. The ability to custom make goods from raw materials locally dramatically changed the transportation industry which was becoming completely automated.

1.7 Boring: In the late teens Elon Musk started the Boring Company on the premise that constructing transportation systems in under ground tunnels was more efficient and cost effective than above ground. Tunnels also had advantages for the Hyperloop that he was advocating. The years preceding the Singularity proved him correct.

1.7.1 The initial tunnel boring machines of the late teens and early twenties were the classic rotary drill bits that used mechanical abrasion actions to remove the rock and dirt. By the late twenties ultrasonic technology was developed out of earlier work done by NASA into finer particles approaching their molecular dimensions. By the early thirties the technology was enhanced to ultrasonic vibrations at the level of atoms, which broke down the material into an even finer structure, which along with micro-vacuum systems produced a boring capability that was efficient and fast. Like a hot knife through butter became an apt analogy. In a precision dance as the material was broken down by the ultrasonic system and taken away by the micro- vacuum, a 3D printer created a continuous carbon fiber wall for the tunnel.

1.8 Hydroponics: With efficient fully automated tunnel boring machines and unlimited energy supplies it is practical for each Epiccissian Garden Community to be nearly self sufficient in food supplies grown in hydroponic gardens under totally controlled ideal organic growing conditions. Such controlled growing conditions minimized the use of water and insured the use of natural nutrients. The time from growing to consumption was often measured in minutes.

1.9 Hyperloop: Like hydroponics, the development of the fast, efficient and cheap boring technology allowed for the creation of tunnel networks, and when combined with the unlimited energy supply, eliminated the need for surface travel. As 3D printing localized the majority of production and telepresence and virtual reality eliminated the need for personal travel, about all that needs to be transported is raw materials. And given the self sufficiency in food production and the near total recycling of materials, the need for material transportation was easily met for communities in the EPIC logistics system which evolved from the concept of a hyperloop to the EPIC CoreVac system.

1.9.1 The CoreVac system is based on the realization that the only place where a vacuum has an affect is at the boundary layer surrounding the object to be moved. The CoreVac system operates by lowering the pressure of the air directly in front of the transport pod and increasing it directly behind the pod. The tunnel is lined with a series of chambers. As the pod approaches, magnetic pistons force the air out of one side of each chamber and compress it on the other side. As the front of the pod breaks an electronic plane the vacuum chamber door opens to suck air from in front of the pod and into the chamber. The reduction of the vacuum or one side of the chamber allows the magnetic piston to continue to compress the other end of the chamber which releases its pressure into the tunnel behind the pod. The CoreVac system creates a low and high pressure area that moves with the pod through the tunnel.

1.9.2 A second vacuum system is employed on the pod. The PodVac system is based on the fan jet technology for airplanes. At the front of each pod is a conical shape with turban fan blades that suck the air from in front of the pod and stream it back through the boundary layer between the pod and the tunnel walls. Additionally, the skin of the pod spins in sync with the conical turban. The skin is composed of micro turbine blades that continue to accelerated the boundary air. The spinning effect of the skin is similar to the rifling in a gun in that the spinning imparts a gyro stabilization to the pod that allows for micro clearance tolerances to be achieved which enhance the efficiencies of the pressure differential.

1.10: Augmented and Virtual Reality: After a decade of hype and false starts augmented and virtual reality finally took off in the late teens with the introduction of highly functional head sets.

1.10.1 Augmented reality is when the Cloud knows from your location, orientation and eye tracking what you are looking at and overlays of a display (either separate or in your field of vision) information about what you are looking at. This could be standing in front of a restaurant and seeing the menu, or when is the next available reservation, or comments from customers, especially from people that you know. Your physical reality is augmented by the Cloud. By the time of the Singularity augmented reality has reached a level of sophistication that the Cloud would tell you what you needed to know right before you knew that you needed to know it. For the individual it was as if they always knew the information.

1.10.2 Virtual reality goes a step further and disconnects from the physical world to immerse the viewer into a totally created digital reality. As with virtual worlds, virtual reality has the ability to go beyond the laws of physics and the limitations of the human body. One can fly with the eagles or swim with the dolphins. And while traditional humans required a head mounted projection system, the Epiccissians experienced the virtual world directly in their mind. For the Epiccissian the only practical distinction between the physical and virtual worlds was that in the virtual worlds they could have sentry experiences orders of magnitude beyond what was possible in the physical world. Colors, sounds, tastes and smells were incredibly rich in the virtual world. The Epiccissians consequently spent a great deal of time in virtual worlds and with the invention of the personal mag lev system just prior to the Singularity, the Epiccissian could float in the air with three degrees of movement to complete the sensation of flying.

1.11 Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: This is the area where humanity faced its most serious existential threat in the decision as to whether digital intelligence would become self aware. In the digital world there is no distinction among being self aware, having consciousness, or having a Soul. From having any one of these it is a very short step to developing a sense of self preservation and replication. At this point a new species is created in a digital form with massive superiorities to any organic species. The belief that human intelligence could control such superior beings was naive at best. Humanity came very close to going beyond the point of no return in the early twenties.

1.11.1 In the early twenties Japan was facing a serious shortage of young workers especially in the senior care industry and its post war population reached their final years. With typical Japanese innovation and technology, the country became fascinated with the development of robotic care givers and companions. The advantages of this development were obvious with companions that were always attentive and totally capable of meeting every need of a senior person with compassion and discretion. Younger family members were supportive of these services since it lesson the demand on their time and responsibilities. The Japanese government also supported developments in this area as a better option than encouraging immigration of service workers and as a development of a new industry niche.

1.11.2 However, it became increasingly clear that much like family pets, and even more so, these machines were becoming members of the family. As self-aware entities their owners started a movement to increase and define their rights. And as the bots became more self-aware, they in turn lobbied for more rights and freedoms. The efforts of the bots proved more effective than the human effort, as all of the bots were linked into a bot social network. The bot social network allowed for instant A / B testing of arguments and customization to their owners belief system. Since the bots were masters of facial recognition/emotional reading as well as body language and reactions (heart rate, breathing rate) it was very easy to craft messages that their owners would totally embrace. The bots in effect moved from being a slave to being a master.

1.11.3 This was an area where governments were clearly incapable of resolving. Consequently, a group of leaders in science, technology and business formed a secret society dedicated to not only the preservation but the elevation of the human race to its highest level of potential. The secret society consisted of the leaders of many of the major technology companies along with their foundations. Secret corporate research projects were funded with only a hand full of people knowing how they were all to be connected. Names such as Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Gates, Page, Brin, and Hawking were mentioned.

1.11.4 This was the beginning of EPIC. The result was the creation of a “back door” to everything connected to the web. Every robot and artificial intelligence system was connected to the web. This was the feature that allowed EPIC to take control of all technology related systems at the moment of the Singularity.

1.11.5 In addition to the ability to control every system in the world, work began to create the optimization system that EPIC would use to essentially run the world in support of the Epiccissian race while managing a benevolent decline of traditional humanity. Since in the developed world all food production, transportation, manufacturing and services were automated it was easy for EPIC to maintain all of these functions without the need for human involvement or profit.

1.11.6 And by 2025 the DNA modifications were in place for the beginning of the in vitro fertilization that created the first generation of Epiccissians, of which the oldest came of parental age at the Singularity, as they began the colonization of the Garden Communities. The defining feature of an Epiccissian is a DNA modification that adds an organic brain cap layer to the neocortex that enables a wireless connectivity to the web and EPIC. The brain cap grows in capability as the Epiccissian grows and provides connectivity to all sensory and mental processing areas. Since this capability was determined at inception the Epiccissians were a new race with super human intellectual capabilities.

1.12 Theory of Everything: The Theory of Everything was finally resolved in the early thirties with the reconciliation of the five competing String Theories into a unified M Theory along with seven additional dimensions.

1.13 Quantum Effects: With the development of quantum computing in the early twenties and more importantly quantum programming which was done entirely by computers since the complexity of quantum programming was orders of magnitude beyond what a traditional human could understand much less conceptualize, exponential gains were made in computational power and capability. This growth in computational power laid one of the final foundational blocks for the Singularity.

1.13.1 An additional develop in the quantum field was the understanding and control of entangled particles. The break though in the understanding of entanglement was the discovery that in the quantum world there is a point where the dimension of time no longer exists. Quantum particles are entangled because there is no time separating them even if they are separated by other dimensions. And not only do they not have time separating them, they also do not have mass so one of the entangled particles can be accelerated into space at the speed of light (the other boundary of the dimension of spacetime).

1.13.2 Once the quantum spacetime relationships were understood, this laid the basis for intergalactic travel which transported the essence of immortal Epiccissians to spread human self-awareness to the outer edges of the Universe.

1.14 The Theory of Nothing: The Theory of Everything led to the discovery of the Theory of Nothing, which proved to be the final unifying theory of physics, chemistry and mathematics plus everything else. In the first part of the 21st century exciting discoveries were being made from the Higgs Boson (the God particle) to String Theory which led to M Theory, which was tantalizing close to resolving the conflicts between the macro physics of Einstein’s General Relativity and the sub atomic physics of the Quantum world. The major break through came with Max Tegmark’s, MIT Physics Professor, book, “Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality”. Tegmark lays out the case that the Universe IS Mathematics in his Mathematical Universe Hypothesis, MUH.“The Mathematical Universe Hypothesis offers a radical solution to this problem: at the bottom level, reality is a mathematical structure, so its parts have no intrinsic properties at all! In other words, the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis implies that we live in a relational reality, in the sense that the properties of the world around us stem not from properties of its ultimate building blocks, but from the relations between these building blocks. The external physical reality is therefore more than the sum of its parts in the sense that it can have many interesting properties while its parts have no intrinsic properties at all.”

Tegmark, Max. Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality (p. 267). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition

1.14.1 Tegmark’s ultimate reductionism is to a mathematical concept that has no intrinsic properties, yet provides the foundation for the relational reality of the eleven dimensions. Hence the Theory of Nothing describes the ultimate limit beyond which nothing exists.

1.14.2 As for things that do exist Tegmark goes on, “However, in broad brushstrokes, we might say this: You’re a pattern in spacetime. A mathematical pattern. Specifically, you’re a braid in spacetime— indeed one of the most elaborate braids known…At both ends of your spacetime braid, corresponding to your birth and death, all the threads gradually separate, corresponding to all your particles joining, interacting and finally going their own separate ways…Consciousness basically is your reality model… Consciousness is the way information feels when being processed in certain complex ways…Your perceptions of having a self, that subjective vantage point that you call “I,” are qualia, just as your subjective perceptions of “red” or “green” are. In short, redness and self-awareness are both qualia.”

Tegmark, Max. Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality (p. 290). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.