Immortality Just a Nanosecond Away

Does it ever feel like computer technology is evolving at a snail's pace? Think about it: the first electric computer, the Z1, was invented in the late 1930s; and the first digital computer, known as the ABC, was developed shortly thereafter. So you'd think by now we'd all be walking around with implantable chips in our brains, capable of extending our memory and enhancing our intelligence, right?

Well, at least one scientist says that might not be far off. In fact, American scientist and futurist Ray Kurzweil, 61, says that nanotechnology is evolving so rapidly (he calls it the Law of Accelerating Returns) that humans could potentially be immortal in as little as 20 years.

Now, I've never been one to wish for immortality -- I'd rather just look young until I die at about 90 years of age -- but those of us looking for some serious longevity, listen to Kurzweil. Just how will we achieve this Holy Grail of humanity? Kurzweil says bit by bit, tiny computers will replace our body's mechanical and cellular functions until we gradually become "cyborgs."

"I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever," reports the UK's The Telegraph.

Kurzweil says "nanobots" will replace blood cells and we'll be able to go much longer without having to take a breath, enabling heart attacks victims to calmly drive to the hospital for treatment.

And here's the bit I'm most excited about: "Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes," he predicts.

No more pesky writer's block. Now I can write that great American novel I've been meaning to get to without the hours of agonizing.

"If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening," Kurzweil writes.

Now before you write off Kurzweil as a mad scientist, you should know that he has a long list of impressive credentials, including a degree from MIT and several life-changing inventions, such as the first reading machine for the blind.

Is it just me or does all this sounds like one big promotional campaign for the new Bruce Willis film "Surrogates"?

Photo courtesy of Roberto Rizzato via Flickr.