Rapture for the Geeks Rapture for the Geeks Rapture for the Geeks

by Richard Dooling

Will the Geeks inherit the earth?
If computers become twice as fast and twice as capable every two years, how long is it before they're as intelligent as humans? More intelligent? And then in two more years, twice as intelligent? How long before you won't be able to tell if you are texting a person or an especially ingenious chatterbot program designed to simulate intelligent human conversation?
According to Richard Dooling in "Rapture for the Geeks"-maybe not that long. It took humans millions of years to develop opposable thumbs (which we now use to build computers), but computers go from megabytes to gigabytes in five years; from the invention of the PC to the Internet in less than fifteen. At the accelerating rate of technological development, AI should surpass IQ in the next seven to thirty-seven years (depending on who you ask). We are sluggish biological sorcerers, but we've managed to create whiz-bang machines that are evolving much faster than we are.
In this fascinating, entertaining, and illuminating book, Dooling looks at what some of the greatest minds have to say about our role in a future in which technology rapidly leaves us in the dust. As Dooling writes, comparing human evolution to technological evolution is "worse than apples and oranges: It's appliances versus orangutans." Is the era of Singularity, when machines outthink humans, almost upon us? Will we be enslaved by our supercomputer overlords, as many a sci-fi writer has wondered? Or will humans live lives of leisure with computers doing all the heavy lifting?
With antic wit, fearless prescience, and common sense, Dooling provocatively examines nothing less than what it means to be human in what he playfully calls the age of b.s. (before Singularity)-and what life will be like when we are no longer alone with Mother Nature at Darwin's card table. Are computers thinking and feeling if they can mimic human speech and emotions? Does processing capability equal consciousness? What happens to our quaint beliefs about God when we're all worshipping technology? What if the human compulsion to create ever more capable machines ultimately leads to our own extinction? Will human ingenuity and faith ultimately prevail over our technological obsessions? Dooling hopes so, and his cautionary glimpses into the future are the best medicine to restore our humanity. "From the Hardcover edition."

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Technology, Humor, Singularity

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Author Richard Dooling’s first novel, Critical Care, was made into a film directed by the great Sidney Lumet, starring James Spader and Helen Mirren. His second novel, White Man’s Grave, was a finalist for the 1994 National Book Award. His third novel, Brain Storm, and his fourth novel, Bet Your Life, were both New York Times Notable Books Of The Year.

In 2003-2004, Richard Dooling co-wrote and helped produce Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital for ABC. Under the pen name Eleanor Druse, a mystic and savant in residence at Kingdom Hospital, Richard Dooling also wrote The Journals of Eleanor Druse, a New York Times bestseller.

Richard Dooling was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended college and law school at Saint Louis University and worked for a few years as a registered respiratory therapist in Omaha and St. Louis.

He practiced law at Bryan Cave LLP in St. Louis for four years.

Richard Dooling lives with his wife, Kristy, in Montana.

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Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Executive Summary: don't bother; the Beginner's Guide to the Singularity still needs to be written. (But see "Bonus Points" at end of review for an interesting link.)

I was looking forward to liking this book: the title is an obvious reference to the tech singularity, and a good introduction to the subject would have been a useful book.

But this ain't it. First, Dooling spends far too much effort being clever. Now, I don't mind clever: if the author stays on topic, it can be a delightful addition to the right book. For example, Mary Roach does an excellent job of combining a smart-but-goofy sense of humor with her scientific subject matter (although there are definitely folks that don't like her style, either). But Dooling doesn't just toss in cute allusions or snarky footnotes, but entire paragraphs or subchapters wander off topic.

Second, Dooling couldn't decide who his audience is. Someone technical enough to understand all those in-jokes and off-topic nonsense will be bored to tears with explanations of why one should do backups, and will probably be scornful of his assertion that everyday folks need to learn programming languages. (One of the biggest goals of software design is ease-of-use: explicitly trying to get computers to compensate for human limits. But Dooling wants everyone to learn to program because a computer of the future, uh, "will have a sentimental fondness for its mother tongue." Astonishingly errant nonsense.)

Many of those same clever jokes are going to leave the average non-technical reader confused, or worse: distracted. Translating an Emily Dickinson poem into the programming language Python was vaguely amusing, but it only held my attention because I'm enough of a programmer that I tried to actually decipher how Python compares with the many programming languages I know. For the average reader: bewildering waste of time.

Third, he couldn't quite decide what the book was about. Is it about the singularity? Well, some chapters more-or-less stick to that subject. But why is that intermixed with his fondness for Unix and command line interpreters, or his biases towards text editors over word processors? Or the book-ending digression into something about religion, cognition, evolution and flying spaghetti monsters?

Chapter Ten is titled "Be Prepared!" and attempts, clumsily, to tell us how to get ready for the time when technology will change everything, even if it isn't as apocalyptic as Kurzweil's vision of the singularity. It isn't too well thought out (this is the chapter that, among other things, tells folks to learn to program), but I suspect a fuzzy notion of such preparation is how he was able to convince himself that discussions of Open Source software and Post-Rapture Religion would be useful. They aren't.

There were definitely good points in the book. He clearly did quite a bit of research, so there are quotes galore to lead the interested reader to further study. And he tosses in a silly story about how Dad and Son, needing to keep a play date with their World of Warcraft buddies, have to deceive and manipulate Mom who simply doesn't get it. Fun, but not actually useful.

The only portion of the book that I really enjoyed was the reminder that Bill Joy ("The Other Bill") wrote a cautionary article on the future for Wired Magazine back in April 2000 (see the Technology concerns subheading in Joy's Wikipedia page, or the article's Wikipedia page, or the article itself). Many foolishly focused on Joy's depiction of runaway nanotechnology (the "grey goo scenario"), but I was more impressed by his nightmares over "KMD": knowledge-enabled mass destruction. Global destruction by out-of-control Von Neumann machine is quite unlikely, but the inexorably descending barriers to some destructive technologies (such as genetic engineering -- the "knowledge") will enable future terrorism far worse than we've ever seen. Dooling also reminds us that Theodore Kaczynski -- the Unabomber -- wrote scathingly and brilliantly on the technological future. (I have always resented Bill Joy because I was forced to learn and use Sendmail, but I have since learned that he isn't responsible for that atrocity, so I guess now I only resent him because he's a tech millionaire.)

But even that chapter ends poorly when Dooling compares the dark side of tech to research and development of atomic weapons, and proceeds to ham-fistedly distort the era's complex social history as well as the motivations of the scientists. Grossly oversimplifying such a fraught time to provide a poorly thought-out lesson and a bit of trivial entertainment was very distasteful.

OK, bonus points for providing this link to Paul Boutin's blog essay "Biowar for Dummies". Definitely worth reading.
­

[Dutch Boyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I'm sorry I read the book, as there were quite a few quotes and ideas that I hadn't run into before. The book fell short, however, in that it wasn't really the Singularity primer I had hoped for. The author's condescending prose, while sometimes funny (the passage about the Estonian hacker's fitness was interesting), was heavy and depressing. It made me feel as if Dooling doesn't particularly like humanity, or himself for that matter.

Dooling's constant use of footnotes to define even the most basic terms made me wonder who he thought his target audience is. The title is "Ratpure for Geeks" but he writes as if he believes my grandmother saw this on the shelf and decided to pick it up. The author also came off as strangely arrogant. He writes as if he thinks having a linux installation on his machine makes him God's gift to technology.

And speaking of God. I wish he would have layed off the religion. I was going to rank this book as a 3.5 until I got to the last chapter, where he rips apart Dawkins and starts quoting Einstein in a way that would make anyone believe that Einstein was a theist (which at least towards the end of his life, he clearly was NOT). Then he quotes Dostoyevsky, in a way that rephrases the age-old argument that without religion there can be no morality. I had to double check the quote, and sure enough it came from the Brothers Dostoyevsky.

This struck me as intellectually dishonest. It is basically lying to quote a person for a passage in a novel and pass it off as their own beliefs. It made me immediately suspicious of every other quote he used in this book.

Dooling ends the book basically implying that he's going to focus on his soul and the afterlife, which I thought was nauseating. I strongly suspect that there was a lot more injection of his own religious beliefs in the book that was lost in editing.

There were some good parts. It was the first time I heard about the Darwin Among the Machines article, as well as the Kurzweil poetry engine. So I give it two stars. Not a total waste of time, but I wouldn't recommend it.

btw - There were WAY too many Warcraft references in this book. It got tedious. At the end in the acknowledgments, he admits that he's never played the game. What a poser.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Richard Dooling could use a few refresher classes on writing an effective novel. Or perhaps some adderall. The book started with an interesting premise and was engaging and well written at first. Then he started to wander. Towards the end he just got absurd. If you want to write a book about life after The Singularity, here's a tip, stick to topics relating to the Singularity and life after it. Going on a diatribe about Dawkins' "The God Myth" shortly after abounding on how geeks (probably your target audience) often regard religious debates as pointless is a waste of time. Save if for an internet flame-war. Or, better, given your clear hatred for Dawkins, why not write another book titled "The Dawkins Myth" in which you argue why Dawkins is a moron. If you stripped out the 1/5 or so of this book that is completely off-topic, you would actually have an interesting, albeit short, book. Overall, I don't regret reading it... just buying it. I'm quite glad I got it out of the bargain bin and was spared paying full price.

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, if I'd read this book earlier in my life I probably would have given it a much better rating. I picked it up because I'm a fan of Dooling's fictional satires, White Man's Grave being my favourite, and he's a local author. Also I work in technology and having listened to Kurzweil speak on his predictions for the singularity at SpeechTek a couple of years ago, I find this to be a very fascinating topic. I found the book to be too 'golly gee technology' for my tastes and thus a little boring. I barely made it before I had to return it to the library because I just couldn't stay engaged. That being said, I think for readers new to the subject who need a good introduction, this is an excellent place to start as the tone is very conversational and the content is informative, it just wasn't right for me.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After an intense bout of loud discussion concerning the future of humanity and through a bit of coincidence, I picked up Dooling's 'Rapture for the Geeks: When AI Outsmarts IQ'. The book is probably more of a three and a half star book, but I rounded up because the majority of ideas discussed therein are so interesting and, dare I say, important, that I wanted to encourage others to maybe check out my review and flip the pages for themselves.

Discussed between covers is the exponential growth of our most complex technologies: genetics, robotics, information technology and nanotechnology. This explosion and advancement is a direct result of our ever-improving computer systems, the breath and depth of the Internet (and its People) among them. What Dooling sets out to discuss is the idea that as our computers grow exponentially faster and smarter, as they reach the threshold of operating at the speed of a human brain (soon thereafter to surpass it) we will very realistically reach a point when human intelligence is squashed beneath a hard drive. What will the future hold for humans as super computers surpass us in the smarts that have led us to be the crowning glory of evolution, as we use this new technology to enhance ourselves - body and mind? And what to speculate about computer consciousness? Will homo sapiens quietly and obediently fade into the past, lucky to lube the wires of their tech-powered overlords? Or will we as humans be able to call upon that which separates us from the machines - restraint - in order to keep that from happening?

If these sound like questions and scenarios you've already dealt with and dismissed after watching The Matrix, I'd beg you to think again. I would argue that most people are too accepting of any new technology that comes their way, heralding it as a gift of human ingenuity and never stopping to think about the consequences inherit in its creation. Some may argue that humans would never let themselves be conquered by that which they have created and some will say that it is inevitable. I say that not enough people have entertained these questions.

Dooling's book is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner; true enough that too much intense thought and discussion of his ideas can make you sound like a conspiracy theorist to passerbys. I found the beginning and end to be flabby, the former giving a cursory introduction to programming and the later clumsily entertaining the notion of religion after The Singularity. I found these sections to do very little to support his discussion throughout the bulk of the book and his asides, such as a computerized retelling of Genesis (Genesys), boring and besides the point. Obviously, he did a stellar job of sparking my interest despite these complaints. I've taken the red pill and have picked up Ray Kurzweil's 'The Singularity Is Near'. Care to join?

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were excellent, but other parts seemed completely extraneous to the actual topic. Yes, I do agree with nearly everything that was said about Windows (the operating system), but that really felt crammed into the book without ever belonging, even if it was all accurate and amusing and such.

Also, I do like my non-fiction to be dosed with entertainment as much as anyone, but that was walking really close to the line of being "too much entertainment, not enough facts."

The book was fun to read and full of interesting ideas... I just quibble with some of the choices that were made on including parts that weren't quite conducive to telling the story of AI outsmarting IQ.

I think I should read som eof his fiction now, though.

[Richard Magahiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it would be amusing to read this book about the technological singularity from ten years ago. Unfortunately, it was not so. His allusions to cutting-edge tech from that era is just about as cringe inducing as his humor larded all throughout his book (some of it in Python code). It looked better at first glance than it turned out to be.
The one useful takeaway from this book: It's only five years away from Vernor Vinge's estimate for the arrival of the singularity.
Two stars because I don't think he's actually factually wrong, so that is worth some slight respect.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author frequently uses Internet expressions such as "n00b" and "pwn" throughout the book. Here's a term he missed that sums up this book pretty well: "meh."

[James Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Years after reading this book, I still think about it… it will always be special to me, but not for any reason one might hope.

I bought it impulsively and read it eagerly, looking for something applicable to life. With respect to all the folks who produced it, it was a regrettable investment on that level.

Rapture for Geeks served as inspiration to produce a book expressing a faith-hacker ethos with depth and meaning this book promised, but wasn’t. It is awful to say, but on that level, I will always genuinely appreciate it.

[Jeremiah Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have some mixed feelings about this book. It presents a possibly serious problem facing our culture and our society concisely and accurately. I find it sort of interesting that he also offers some suggestions in how to "prepare" for it, and it's sometimes hard to separate seriousness from satire.

I think it doesn't much matter in the end; this book offers a good introduction to the so called technological singularity.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The singularity, when the internet develops artificial intelligence, will happen May 17, 2033. Okay, that's just when Unix will be two billion seconds old. This book is an exploration of the future of computers, but in a funny tongue in cheek sort of way. Full of jokes like the following:

# exterminate disobedient humans

for human in group_of_humans:
if human = obedient:
promote human;
else:
exterminate human

It's kidding, but as Al Franken might say, Dooling is kidding on the square. There is a lot of solid information and good theory here. One actually comes away believing we are only thirty or so years away from real artificial intelligence. And we should probably be ready to be on its good side. As in the aforementioned, it would be pretty easy for computers to decide not to like us anymore. This is a useful, entertaining book that will enrapture geeks and n00bs alike.

[Nader Elhefnawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way it seems to me, not very much has been added to the theorizing of the "technological Singularity" since the rush of books and articles around the turn of the millennium (Hans Moravec's Robot, Ray Kurzweil's The Age of Spiritual Machines, Bill Joy's "Why The Future Doesn't Need Us," etc.). Nor have we seen much rigorous testing of the most recent developments in technology against the claims that by then had been very clearly stated and argued. (Kurzweil's The Singularity is Near, for instance, was a distinct disappointment for me on that score.)

I picked up Dooling's book hoping that it would be different, but instead we get the usual round-up of what others (like Kurzweil and Joy) have already said about the matter. As related in Dooling's voice, the result is a robust and at times entertaining discussion that many newcomers to the subject will find worth their time, but it still left me waiting for that really serious reappraisal of this Big Idea.

[David Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very entertaining, I was at the computer history museums and it got my attention so I bought for my commute.

It deviates into a lot of things, and I see some reviewers didn't like that but I kinda appreciated it. The author used Vim to write it, so I feel to be on his side.

It did a great job introducing some of the history and development of AI and technology, lots of geeky jokes. The book came out in like 2008 so a lot of time has passed since and some of his predictions fall short. Some others could be say are accurate.

He didn't take any sides on whether or not singularity was good or bad, it seems inevitable, but there's little to none information on what it will actually mean and how to prepare.

It was my first book on the subject and I enjoyed, but if you're a fan and a reader on it you might not find a lot of new information.

[Farhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dooling speculates about the rapid technological developments that threaten to runaway from the grasp of its human creators in the near future. He discusses a lot of mind-expanding ideas like the nature of God, the role of faith in human evolutionary history, the nature of consciousness, and what the future might mean for homo sapiens' current status at the top of the food chain. Dooling's wit is sparkling and his even-handedness in discussing conflicting ideas is particularly impressive. Although long diatribes against Microsoft and proprietary sofware detract from its fluid readability, his book is wonderful infotainment, filled with great quotations and excerpts from widely diverse sources.

[Jimbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The singularity - that point when we all will be forced to worship our new computer overlords. It's predicted *just* beyond the reach of our vision, about 2035. Moore's law and a healthy dose of nerd jargon (it gets better after he's done impressing readers) made this book like a night of playing risk, drinking mountain dew, and discussing the end of times after a terminator marathon. After a bit things get off course. I'm impressed with the MySQL database of quotes Mr. Dooling must maintain.

[David C. Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book twice this year. It is the book that got me interested in using (free) Open Source software. It is a funny and quirky look at the subject of artificial intelligence and the various opinions technical and scientific people have towards how it will develop in the near future. The author is one of the wittiest writers I have ever read and I found his book as entertaining as it was informative. I especially appreciated his observations on how the belief in the upcoming technological "Singularity" has developed in to a "Geek" religion.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got it as a Christmas gift and just finished.

It's not a bad book. Very dry humor and lots of geek/tech references to keep the writing light. I didn't quite like the last chapter as much as others because of the sense of trying to come to a conclusion/final thought/teaching. But despite that it was a fun book to read and I think I'll visit it again in the future.

[Inunn56 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only was this informative if not frightening, it was absolutely hilarious. The aspirations and pitfalls of the new electronic age and its ramifications in our personal lives are told with clarity, humor and foreboding. It is a cautionary tale of accidental over-involvement in the virtual world.

[Dom Puzool · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book that while the author goes where many have gone before in relation to the Technological Singularity, explores the topic with simplicity and a large dose of humour.[return][return]Read this book as an introduction to the Singularity and then go explore the Subject further

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

The singularity for n00bs with cool Kaczynski quotes and Emily Dickinson rendered in python. A quick, mostly-fun, mostly-accurate read for techies.

[Robert Valik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written guide to the Technological Singularity. I would recommend this book as a starting point for every geek and non-geek.

[Myles Mohler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny so far
I felt it ends strangely. Tails off into his view on anti-religious scientists. Great book. Fantastic author.

[Jorge Figueroa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly it has not aged well
And all that anti microsoft stuff, it it jarring, you are trying to read it but he keeps being a sheep, he mentions linux, but he sounds like a mactard.

[Denise D · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny and entertaining. A bit opinionated and nutty, but a pretty good read.