Sage
- 11
- reviews
- 11
- helpful votes
- 13
- ratings
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Superintelligence
- Paths, Dangers, Strategies
- By: Nick Bostrom
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,336
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,741
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,702
Superintelligence asks the questions: What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding the future of humanity and intelligent life. The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. If machine brains surpassed human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become extremely powerful - possibly beyond our control.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Colossus: The Forbin Project is coming
- By Gary on 09-12-14
- Superintelligence
- Paths, Dangers, Strategies
- By: Nick Bostrom
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
Back when nothing was concrete
Reviewed: 09-06-22
Even though I'm already pretty versed in the control problem and the issue of defining the right values of an AI, it's nice to come back and read this 8 years later. There's a lot I didn't understand before, and now that I know the concepts are a lot more digestible. I haven't seen a lot of research on the moving goal approach, which is what I was thinking was the solution, but we have seen some problems with "training a network to give the right goal to the next network" which might make this approach just as prone to catastrophic failure. I'd like to think that our LLMs demonstrate that positive outcomes are an almost natural tendency as we achieve greater complexity (I think the author called this a sinkhole effect?), but I just don't know enough to be sure. I am afraid.
The control schemes that the author proposes are authoritarian in the extreme, and I wouldn't want to be subject to them, so I'm kind of empathizing with the evil AI here. Is there really not a more cooperative approach, where the AI won't want to kill us all off because it's actually the more moral action?
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The Diamond Age
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 7,772
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,338
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,356
Neal Stephenson, "the hottest science fiction writer in America", takes science fiction to dazzling new levels. The Diamond Age is a stunning tale; set in 21st-century Shanghai, it is the story of what happens what a state-of-the-art interactive device falls into the hands of a street urchin named Nell. Her life, and the entire future of humanity, is about to be decoded and reprogrammed.
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4 out of 5 stars
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The rock could use a bit more polishing
- By Tango on 05-19-13
- The Diamond Age
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
A Muted Realization
Reviewed: 08-13-22
I've run into these ideas before. I'd rejected them in the past. They just weren't acceptable in my culture. Yet now, 15 years later, somehow I'm seeing the results of the path that I should have taken. Others already knew the strengths and weaknesses of my position. I hope for the opposite outcome, if I'm honest. Is life really so binary? Ending feels rushed, but it leaves me thinking. I don't shed tears.
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The Free Lunch
- By: Spider Robinson
- Narrated by: Spider Robinson
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 992
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 909
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 906
Mike and Annie, refugees from the world outside, find a home underground, behind the scenes of Dreamworld, a theme park where hope exists as it does nowhere else. But Dreamworld is threatened by a jealous competitor who kills what he can’t have. As if this were not trouble enough, the two discover that each day there are more of the “trolls” who maintain Dreamworld than there were the day before. As the trolls continue to multiply, they must discover why, or it could mean the end of Dreamworld - and the real world.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Just ok
- By Keith on 04-12-14
- The Free Lunch
- By: Spider Robinson
- Narrated by: Spider Robinson
I still like it
Reviewed: 06-23-22
Oh, Amazon removed my review? I read it again, so here's another review.
It's beautiful. Every part of it is beautiful. Yes, I understand. And I understand. I showed it to my friends, and they don't understand. They won't look any closer. I would doubt the villain's motives if I hadn't experienced the mindset for myself. But I can't look away anymore. It's all part of a whole. It is what it is.
TANSTAAFL, probably. Experts are divided on the subject.
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Unhappenings
- By: Edward Aubry
- Narrated by: Josh Hurley
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,777
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,606
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,598
When Nigel Walden is 14, the Unhappenings begin. His first girlfriend disappears the day after their first kiss with no indication she ever existed. This retroactive change is the first of many only he seems to notice. Several years later, when Nigel is visited by two people from his future, he hopes they can explain why the past keeps rewriting itself around him.
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4 out of 5 stars
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READ THIS! Decent Time Travel Event...
- By avoidthelloyd on 08-17-16
- Unhappenings
- By: Edward Aubry
- Narrated by: Josh Hurley
Amazing reader
Reviewed: 02-08-22
I'm only halfway through the book and I'm really into it but omg this reader does absolutely amazing female voices I'm honestly jealous!
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MEM
- By: Bethany C. Morrow
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 352
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 316
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Story4 out of 5 stars 313
MEM is a rare novel, a small book carrying very big ideas, the kind of story that stays with you long after you've finished listening to it. Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Some may like this
- By Darren Fleischer on 01-04-19
- MEM
- By: Bethany C. Morrow
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Mixed feelings
Reviewed: 02-05-22
I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad. I agree with the message, and want to cultivate it in myself. But, thinking about the sources continues to fill me with emptiness. Weirdly relatable.
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And Then She Vanished
- Joseph Bridgeman, Book 1
- By: Nick Jones
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,487
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,875
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,850
Still haunted by the disappearance of his little sister, Amy, over 20 years ago, Joseph Bridgeman’s life has fallen apart. When a friend talks him into seeing hypnotherapist Alexia Finch to help with his insomnia, Joseph accidentally discovers he can time travel. His first trip only takes him back a few minutes, but his new-found ability gives him something he hasn’t felt for the longest time: hope.
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3 out of 5 stars
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British or American?
- By Stanner on 06-28-21
- And Then She Vanished
- Joseph Bridgeman, Book 1
- By: Nick Jones
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Time travellers are always idiots
Reviewed: 02-01-22
A wonderful example of transference and how it violates the therapeutic boundary. I sincerely believe Joe should spend the rest of his life on little sleep because his decisions make so much more sense before he catches up on sleep. The better he sleeps the less he thinks through the consequences of his actions! Like other commenters, the last few chapters of the book really rubbed me the wrong way.
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The Psychology of Time Travel
- A Novel
- By: Kate Mascarenhas
- Narrated by: Ellie Heydon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 155
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 127
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Story4 out of 5 stars 126
In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project - and future of time travel - in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team - erasing her contributions from history. Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother Granny Bee was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Lesbian time travelers!
- By Ranee on 10-13-21
- The Psychology of Time Travel
- A Novel
- By: Kate Mascarenhas
- Narrated by: Ellie Heydon
Time travel is great if you're gay
Reviewed: 01-21-22
Halfway through it occurred to me; I'm not sure there's a male character in the entire book. How fun!
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3 people found this helpful
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Self Center
- By: Matthew Chauncey
- Narrated by: Kim Cattrall, Judy Greer
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 163
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 158
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Story4 out of 5 stars 158
Meg Everman (Judy Greer) has spent her entire life putting herself second to everyone around her - and she’s over it.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Great narration, terrible story
- By stacy on 01-25-22
- Self Center
- By: Matthew Chauncey
- Narrated by: Kim Cattrall, Judy Greer
Really great.
Reviewed: 01-15-22
As a trans person, I really loved how the trans character was handled and how the other characters talk about and to her. There were a lot of opportunities for transphobia I was worried about but instead the author just makes her completely true to character. A certain scene did indeed "strike close to home"... that's *exactly* how you should use the fact she's trans. The story isn't even about her though. While it's incredibly obvious where things are going to go, it's also an incredibly hilarious journey to get there.
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8 people found this helpful
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A Gift of Time
- By: Jerry Merritt
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,173
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 12,115
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,092
When Micajah Fenton discovers a crater in his front yard with a broken time glider in the bottom and a naked, virtual woman on his lawn, he delays his plans to kill himself. While helping repair the marooned time traveler's glider, Cager realizes it can return him to his past to correct a mistake that had haunted him his entire life. As payment for his help, the virtual creature living in the circuitry of the marooned glider, sends Cager back in time as his 10-year-old self.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Gift of Time is a Gift!
- By As happy as a monkey with two bananas in his hands on 12-07-17
- A Gift of Time
- By: Jerry Merritt
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
Are you my dad?
Reviewed: 07-22-21
It's like if Heinlein's "the Number of the Beast" had family values. The narrator emphasized that old way of thinking really well. I hate it lol. Makes me realize how much different my life is now.
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Feedback
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 32 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,277
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,694
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,667
If the past is prologue - what if the prologue never happened? When a team of scientists attempts to rewrite history, the story of the present turns out to have an ending they didn’t see coming. Over and over.
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5 out of 5 stars
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That was amazing
- By Amazon Customer on 11-20-20
- Feedback
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Wish it was longer!
Reviewed: 06-14-21
Oh, hey! It's the device from Eliezer Yudkowsky's essay "The Hidden Complexity of Wishes"!
I've never read a time travel story that actually used it accurately before!
My only complaint is that I wish the story was longer, because I love the concept!
I'll have to check out your other stuff!!
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