💾Introduction

My ideas were greatly influenced by the work of Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis.

As I saw technology advancing, I had great hopes for the future. Computers were fascinating. The possibilities were endless.

And then came the Internet.

I could research anything, learn anything, be educated by professors I never met and by billionaires on X/Twitter and YouTube.

As technology advanced, things that were impossibly expensive were becoming cheaper and cheaper over time. I was intensely curious about the future of work. Someday, robots will be able to do almost any physical task a human can do. In such a world, who needs people? If robots could replace human work, what would humans do with their time? Would robots control us or would we control them?

I was obsessed. What would the world my children grew up in become over time? I needed to know how things would change, where we are going as a species. I told my friends and co-workers about my concerns. I searched the Internet. That is how I discovered two people.

Peter Diamandis was a medical doctor who was a bit obsessed with the idea that a private space industry should exist. He started the X-Prize Foundation to do just that. The basic idea is that the whole world is built on incentives. Diamandis wanted a private space industry to exist. He offered $10 million to anyone who could lauch a vehicle into orbit. There was just one problem. At the time, he did not have the money. Someone stepped in and provided the funds and people collectively invested $300 million toward winning the $10 million prize. That is how the private space industry was born.

Ray Kurweil was a professor at MIT when he researched the pace at which technology was advancing. He discovered that technology was advancing exponentially, not linearly. In his article "The Law of Accelerating Returns," he explains the trajectory of the future. The article is really, really long, but well worth reading if you can find the time. Kurzweil's work is worth paying attention to because many people predict what will hapen in the future but most people's predictions never come true. Over time, Kurzweil's predictions have been extremely accurate. Ray is currently the Principal Researcher and AI Visionary at Google.

I used AI (Grok on X) to summarize the main ideas of Kurweil's article...

"The "The Law of Accelerating Returns" article, published on March 7, 2001 by author Ray Kurzweil, is a seminal piece of work that discusses the exponential growth of various evolutionary systems, particularly focusing on the development of technology. In this article, Kurzweil posits that the rate of change in technology and other evolutionary systems increases exponentially over time, leading to rapid advancements and breakthroughs.

Kurzweil argues that technological progress follows a predictable and exponential trajectory, with each new development building upon the previous one and increasing the potential for innovation at an ever-accelerating pace. He provides examples from the history of technology to support his claims and discusses the implications of this exponential growth for the future of humanity.

The article highlights the importance of understanding the concept of accelerating returns, as it has the potential to fundamentally reshape our understanding of technological progress and the future of our society. By examining the exponential growth of various technologies, such as computing power and storage capacity, Kurzweil paints a vivid picture of a future where technological change is not only rapid but also increasingly difficult to predict.

In conclusion, "The Law of Accelerating Returns" article by Ray Kurzweil offers a thought-provoking exploration of the exponential growth of technology and its implications for the future. By examining historical trends and extrapolating them into the future, Kurzweil provides a compelling argument for the continued acceleration of technological change and the potential for transformative breakthroughs in the years to come."

As technology changes the world more rapidly than we can adapt, the question remains, what should we do about it?

My answer is... Learn how to learn faster, how to do more with less, and how to share what you know, build communities and help other people thrive in an exponentially changing world.

Plan:

Get rich by creating value.

Help other people create value.

Empower people to share what they know.

Are you with me?