Penrose-Hawkingsian Singularity maybe? All posts ever mentioning this: https://secure.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/...=0&sort=1&rows=20

At least one of those posts are by myself under a previous SN. :) The rather small number of posts to me is pretty surprising considering grid/distributed computing is a pretty central concept to the Singularity.

Also (for the other individual who responded) if you don't believe in the Singularity, that's cool. My original post wasn't exclusively referring to the Singularity.

I would be more of the Artificial Intelligence type. In my post studies R&D carreer I was deeply in that field applied to industrial robots. In the years 85-90 period there was an immense expectation form this mix between robots and software, sensors. I took part in the period were neural network, expert systems based on fuzzy logic were booming. I was very attracted by the Kohonen (for those that know) networks and their ability to reorganize clusters of patterns related to specific data. I was amazed by Brooks when he showed that from a set of simple hardware (motors, simple sensors) wired together with very simple rules could emerge a complex behavior like walking, that was a nigthmare to program through classical software and mathematical/physical modelling. During the end of 80's and beginning 90's it became evident that the target itself was fuzzy, and we finally grasped how complex and far could be the target of replicating human capability and intelligence. In simple words just answering what is Real Intelligence, to be able to define Artificial Intelligence was already a challenge in itself. I suppose that the very little understanding of how a human brain works is a major limitation.

Now I completely agree about the fact that IF we would be able to generate an autonomous artificial intelligence, that can act in our physical world, that can evolve by itself and replicate itself, protect itself from us to survive, then the future of humankind becomes impossible to foresee. That event would create a singularity in the evolution of humankind. The problem is not IF but WHEN. This last point is very debatable.
I consider that there are two events with similar effects, The other event that would have the same disruptive and singularity effect, would be the arrival on earth of extraterrestrial visitors, that by definition would have an immense technological advantage. The only fact of knowing that there are other forms of living intelligence in the universe, would not create a disruption. Physical contact will do it.

Which cat?

Like Skynet? Careful. John Connor is alive and they're watching, albeit from the future.