Name Wanted

By | October 10, 2005
10 Comments

Well, I didn’t get the huge surge of support I was hoping that Spiker would garner as the hip replacement term for Singularitarian. Only Joel from the newly blogrolled FerrousWheel came forth with an outright endorsement. As I noted, my co-bloggers, Stephen and Mike, were less than 100% enthused.

Two friends from the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence were good enough to e-mail me on the subject. Advocacy Director Michael Anissimov pulled no punches:

I saw the entry on Singularitarianism. Unfortunately, I don’t like “Spiker”. For several reasons… first is that it misconveys the Singularity as a spike in technological progress rather than a qualitative change in intelligence – making this distinction is immensely important (see here for an example of someone who really “gets it”). I feel that a single biggest problem in Singularity discussions is that people fail to see the difference between changes created through new technology (happened before, easy to discuss) and smarter-than-human intelligence (never happened before, inherently difficult/impossible to imagine.

Executive Director Tyler Emerson went a little easier on me:

Spiker” is kind of catchy. Nice word length.

I tend to never use “Singularitarian” and “Singularitarianism” unless talking with Singularitarians) since they’re obviously unwieldy and odd sounding to nearly everyone.

Just to be clear: I wouldn’t endorse “Spiker” as a replacement. It’s too strange on its own, reminiscent of “spiking a drink” and Spike from Buffy.

But then Tyler had an idea…

Maybe you should put out a broader call for name recommendations in your attempt to find a Singularity Aware-equivalent of “blogger,” “hacker,” or “geek.”

Excellent suggestion, Tyler. The floor is now open for nominations. Please leave your clever nickname for “Singularitarian” in the comments.

UPDATE: Per the comments, Micah Glasser (who votes in favor of “Spiker”) had some additional thoughts over at Event Horizon.

  • http://www.technoeventhorizon.blogspot.com Micah Glasser

    I thought ‘spiker’ was a good choice and I even put out a plug for it in one my posts. Lets give it a couple of weeks and see if we can get it to catch on. It certainly has meme apeal potential.

  • ondigo

    I’m betraying my age here, but another meaning for the verb “spike” was to put a typewritten story on one of those desk spikes for subsequent disposal. If a news story was spiked, that meant it was dead. A bad connotation we would not want associated with Singularitarianism.

    Another meaning for spike comes from volleyball, in which a ball is struck forcefully downward. Not the direction we want to conjure with the name.

    At the moment, I have no alternative to offer. But I will mull this over today and see if anything comes to mind.

  • Michael S. Sargent

    Phil,

    In the spirit of Stephen’s “Exponent” (sans punnage) I’d like to offer “Factor” (from the Latin root for “craftsman, one who makes things”) for those working to advance the Singularity and guide its eventual shape.

    I’m also a bit dubious of “Spiker” in that, on the extreme end of the ecological activist community, ‘to spike’ refers to driving long, large diameter nails, aka ‘spikes’ into old-growth trees to foil logging operations by catching and potentially breaking saw blades. This can result in injury to a saw operator as the saw is thrown unpredictably out of the cut. On the whole, not a positive association.

  • McDirty

    To me, the singularity is more of a phase change. It’s like the change from liquid to gas. You are still surrounded by the same stuff (technology), but it’s relationship with you and it’s relationship with itself has changed. So, I throw the phrase ‘phaser’ or perhaps ‘nuphaser’ into the ring…

    Not a fan of ‘spiker’ myself..

  • Youra G.

    I suggest to use “tarian” – short and simple form of Singularitarian. It’s a completely new word and has no other hidden meanings than the original “Singularitarian” :)

    Greetings from Ukraine,

  • Hamsterbaffle

    I’d like to propose that this attempt to come up with an alternative to “singularitarian” is silly. Even sillier, in fact, than the word “singularitarian” is in the first place.

    I am probably the most “singularity aware” person in my metropolitan statistical area, and have watched as slowly my friends become aware (often without my enlightening them) of the concept and implications of rapid technological change.

    But I mentally gag at the idea of labeling myself based upon my peculiar fascination with what is (sorry) a science fictional predicted event which may turn out to have been a collective flight of fancy.

    Or worse, the bright shining light of the singularity may be the stress heat put off by a civilization-machine that is coming apart at the combustibles.

    Keep talking. Keep watching and reading. Keep thinking critically, and hold on to your butts.

    But don’t invent secret handshakes or put on anything that looks like pointed ears; it’s silly.

  • Phil Bowermaster

    Hamster –

    I don’t see that an event loses credibility by having been predicted in science fiction.

    On the other hand, when someone named “Hamsterbaffle” chides me for not being serious enough…well, I have to take notice of that! :-)

  • http://perceptionalism.com ChefQuix

    I like working on the exponent idea. We’re talking about exponential transcendance, to why not call it the exponential movement? He’s an exponential, she’s an exponential, we’re all exponentialists.

  • Hamsterbaffle

    Phil Bowermaster said:

    “I don’t see that an event loses credibility by having been predicted in science fiction.”

    Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I agree wholeheartedly. What I meant was that the event is simply a prediction and may turn out to have been a mirage. Also and seperately, it is “science fictional” in its touted implications (if you take Kurzweil and others at their word).

    My qualm is not that the idea of the singularity lacks any credibility. Not at all. I just think its strange to reach for a word to describe those of us who understand the possibilities.

    In fact, trying to corral people into a Label for Those Who Understand the Singularity and Its Implications may just make it easier for many of the uninitiated to dismiss. Sort of (but not exactly) the way global warming has been denied for so long because it was so easy for The Right to sell the idea that “Environmentalists” believed in it. Does that make sense?

    -

  • http://triticale.mu.nu triticale

    I used to be a ponentialist, but now I’m an exponentialist.