Follow up to your questions on the singularity: http://mindstalk.net/vinge/vinge-sing.html I read it years ago and come back to it regularly.
Understanding the big picture as well as the details of a sizeable project is already a rare luxury. Also, having a good memory isn't as valued as it was before Internet. A lot of knowledge is easily accessible anyway. I think we've gotten gradually used to not understanding much and the singularity isn't going to be a brutal event but a seamless obsolescence of the natural human brain. That's my guess.
As Clarke said : "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". I just need to look at my phone. I've studied physics for years, but it would still take me a very very long time to fully understand the entire design and fabrication process. For example, I've no idea how the antenna is designed but I've heard it's based on fractals and it's mightily complex.
Take even a "stupid" LED. I know the theory quite well, but I wouldn't be able to explain a real modern design. I just have to be happy that somewhere, someone or at least a team probably can. Thanks for the article.
