Supercomputer Earth
The Future of Civilization
(& Africa's part in it)
December 4th 2008, Goethe-Zentrum Windhoek, Namibia
Christian Heller ( http://www.plomlompom.de )

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)

“Internet map”
Source: Wikimedia Commons / Matt Britt ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Matt_Britt )
( http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Internet_map_1024.jpg )
License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.5
( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ )

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

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/

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

Twitter.com

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

“nabaztag”
Source: Flickr / David Haberthür ( http://habi.gna.ch/ )
( http://www.flickr.com/photos/habi/288065866/ )
License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0
( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en )

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)

“Reigh's Brain rlwat2b”
Source: Flickr / Reigh LeBlanc ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblanc/ )
( http://www.flickr.com/photos/reighleblanc/1372175973/ )
License: Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0
( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en )

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

“'Paradigm Shifts for 15 Lists of Key Events”
Source: Wikimedia Commons / Ray Kurzweil ( http://www.kurzweilai.net/ )
( http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:ParadigmShiftsFrr15Events.svg )
License: Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic
( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/ )

Development models
 Teilhard de Chardin
− Noosphere, Omega Point
 Ray Kurzweil
− Accelerating Change
 Vernor Vinge
− Technological Singularity

Africa's part?

“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

“'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@N00/305425495/ )
License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en )

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

Africa's Supercomputer support
 acceleration through leapfrogging
 technological ideas through special situations
 unexpected contacts
 crowdsourcing potential?
 solar energy?

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/background/scott_et_al_background.pdf
 JanChipchase.com
 Ubuntu.com