十種可怕的現代科技(2)

Technological Singularity

7.技術奇點

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way since computers first made the scene. Yet we're not at the edge of a dystopian society in which the machines run amok and humankind fights for its survival. At least, not yet.

人工智能（artificial intelligence，縮寫：AI）在電腦誕生後取得了很大的成就。然而我們並不是生活在反烏托邦社會，還不需要爲存活而對抗抓狂暴走的機器。至少，現在還不用。

In 1993, Vernor Vinge, a math professor at San Diego State University, proposed what he called the singularity -- a time at which computer networks may become self-aware through advanced AI, and interfaces between people and computers help humankind evolve. Biological advancements may become so sophisticated that doctors can even engineer human intelligence. There is a possibility, however, that AI might allow machines to take over the world. There's no guarantee that such a scenario will really happen, and technological limitations may prevent it. Still, the idea that machines might someday decide we're irrelevant and arrange for our destruction is more than a little creepy.

1993年，聖地亞哥州立大學（San Diego State University）的數學教授，弗諾·文奇（Vernor Vinge）提出了技術奇點（singularity）的概念——在未來，計算機網絡通過先進的人工智能獲得了意識，並可以與人類直接連接來幫助其進化。生物學的進步如此精密，先進到醫生就可以對人的智力進行改造。不過，人工智能的發展也使機器攻佔世界成爲可能性。我們無法確定這些事情以後是否會發生，但暫時以我們的技術水平還無法實現。不過，也許有一天，機器可能覺得人類沒有利用價值就摧毀我們，想想就不寒而慄。

le Glass

6.谷歌眼鏡

Google Glass, the high-tech specs with a built-in camera and pop-up display, turns the idea of Big Brother on its head. Maybe the surveillance menace of the future won't be a fascist regime with spy cameras on every corner, but rather an army of geeks recording every waking moment of their lives with a nod of the head and the wink of an eye.

谷歌眼鏡是一款高科技眼鏡，配置了一臺嵌入式攝像頭和一個（位於鏡框右側的寬條狀的）電腦處理器裝置。它比日本兄弟公司更早推出了（高科技眼鏡）這個產品。也許在未來被監視的威脅並不是來自於專制政府的間諜照相機，而是來自於一羣極客們，在他們平時行走的過程中，點點頭和眨下眼睛就可以獲取信息了。

Aside from the inherent dorkiness of Glass, privacy is the biggest concern with the search giant's latest foray into world domination. What's to stop a Glasshead from turning on his camera in the subway, the doctor's office or the gym locker room? Several U.S. casinos, bars and movie theaters have already banned Glass. Google says that Glass isn't that creepy. For example, a small light indicates when video is being recorded and Glass wearers have to look at a subject and wink to take a picture. Yeah, that's not creepy at all.

除眼鏡自身的一些缺點外，泄露隱私是搜索巨頭谷歌侵佔世界市場、成爲霸主的最大擔憂。如何阻止眼鏡使用者在地鐵、醫生辦公室或健身房更衣室使用攝像頭？在美國的一些賭場，酒吧和電影院已經明令禁止使用谷歌眼鏡。谷歌則表示，谷歌眼鏡並不是那麼可怕，比如，在眼鏡錄像時會有一個小燈提示，佩戴者必須看向一個物體並且眨眼才能夠拍照。是啊，這難道還不夠可怕麼？

Another scary prospect is the combination of Glass, social media and facial recognition technology. Some app developers are excited about the prospect of a Glass app that can recognize a stranger's face and pull up information about the person scoured from their Facebook and LinkedIn pages. While Google rejects the idea of facial recognition on Glass, the company has patented eye-tracking technology that would record what ads you look at in the real world and charge fees to advertisers on a "pay-per-gaze" basis.

谷歌眼鏡另一個令人擔憂的性能是，眼鏡可以與社會媒體和麪部識別技術相結合。一些應用軟件的開發者們欣喜的預計，通過製作一款谷歌眼鏡軟件，就可以在識別陌生人的臉之後，從臉書和領英這類社交軟件上獲取個人信息。雖然谷歌反駁了這種通過眼鏡進行面部識別的理念，公司卻已經註冊了眼球追蹤技術的專利，可以記錄用戶在生活中看了什麼廣告，並且向廣告商按注視收取費用。

While we're on the subject of scary surveillance, let's take to the skies.

如果生活中到處都是監視，我們只能飛上藍天了。

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5.無人駕駛飛機

A CIA operator in Virginia can fly a near-silent Predator drone through the night sky of Pakistan, locate his target on a video screen and rain down Hellfire missiles from the comfort of his cubicle. While counterterrorism officials and the White House defend unmanned drones as a "cleaner" alternative to military action, the use of drones raises important questions about government-sanctioned assassination and the inevitable deaths of innocent civilians.

弗吉尼亞州，美國中央情報局的指揮人員可以舒服的坐在控制室小隔間裏，指揮近乎無聲的“捕食者”無人機穿過夜空飛到巴基斯坦，通過熒光屏控制飛機降落到指定位置，指揮其發射大量地獄火導彈。儘管美國白宮和反恐官員都辯稱無人機只是用來”掃除障礙”而不是軍事行動，但是無人機的使用還是產生了一些重要問題，像政府批准的暗殺和不可避免的無辜平民的死亡。

As scary as military drones are, people are truly creeped out by the prospect of domestic spy drones. In 2012, the U.S. Congress passed a bill allowing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to draw up rules for the use of commercial and police drones in U.S. airspace. And New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg commented that the presence of drones hovering over American cities was "inevitable". Law enforcement is buzzed over the idea of trailing suspects from the skies, but privacy advocates worry that it's a small step from targeted surveillance to indiscriminate 24/7 spying on everyone.

和軍用無人機一樣可怕的是，人們對國內無人偵查機的使用前景感到極爲恐懼。在2012年，美國國會（ress）通過法案，允許聯邦航空管理局（FAA）草擬商用和警用無人機在美國領空的使用法規。紐約市市長邁克爾·布隆伯格（Michael Bloomberg）評論道，無人機在美國城市上空盤旋的景象是“不可避免的”。執法部門想利用這項技術從空中搜索嫌疑人，但隱私權益的倡導者則擔心，這樣做離對所有人進行無差別的全年無休監視僅有一步之遙。

For a totally different kind of creepy, let's look at the desktop technology that promises to revolutionize manufacturing if it doesn't get outlawed first.

接下來再讓我們將眼光投向桌面上的技術，雖然與無人機技術迥然不同，但同樣令人毛骨悚然。這項科技承諾將革新制造業，但很有可能在那之前它就已觸犯了法律的底線。

4.3D Printers

4.3D打印機

The MakerBot Replicator 2 offers the remarkable ability to print out a 3-D plastic model of just about anything you can imagine: a child's toy, a gear for a wind turbine, or a perfectly rendered model of your own butt. Desktop 3-D printing is undoubtedly a great leap forward for small-scale manufacturing, but it's also a potential boon for thieves and low-budget terrorists.

3D打印機MakerBot Replicator 2的神奇之處就在於它能夠打印出任何你能想到的塑膠模型，例如兒童玩具、風力渦輪機的齒輪、或是與你自己的臀部完美貼合的臀模。3D打印技術無疑是小型製造業的一大突破，但是，同時這也給小偷和沒有太多預算的恐怖分子帶來可趁之機。

In 2011, an enterprising gang of crooks used a 3-D printer to replicate the plastic front of an ATM terminal. By placing their fake terminal on top of a real cash machine, they were able to skim unsuspecting victims' ATM cards and steal more than $400,000 from their accounts.

2011年，一個居心不良的犯罪團伙利用3D打印機仿製了ATM終端機正面的塑料部分。他們把假終端安放在提現機的真終端上面，輕而易舉的讀取了毫無防備的受害者的信用卡信息，最終盜走了40餘萬美元。

But the real scary prospect is terrorists or fringe groups using 3-D printers to build guns, bombs and other weapons with nothing more than downloadable files. In 2013, a University of Texas law student Cody Wilson announced the creation of the Liberator, a fully functional .380 caliber handgun made entirely on a 3-D printer. The fact that it was plastic raised the fright factor, since it could conceivably elude metal detectors. Wilson summed up the threat nicely to Forbes magazine: "Anywhere there's a computer and an Internet connection, there would be the promise of a gun."

更可怕的是，只要擁有可下載的文件資料，恐怖分子和邊緣羣體就能利用3D打印機制造出槍支、炸彈等武器。2013年，德克薩斯州的一名法學系大學生科迪·威爾森（Cody Wilson）發佈了他的作品“解放者”，這是一款完全靠3D打印技術製成的功能齊全的380口徑手槍。這把手槍的塑料材質正是令人恐懼的原因——它能輕鬆躲過金屬探測儀的搜查。威爾森在福布斯雜誌上很好地歸納了這項技術的可怕之處：“只要有一臺能聯網的電腦，就能製造出槍支。”

Thanks, Cody! While we're on the topic of really great ideas with potentially horrible consequences, let's talk driverless cars.

感謝科迪！談到這些絕妙發明的可怕潛在威脅，又怎能不說到無人駕駛汽車呢。

審校:Fiona 校對:落花生 編輯:Freya然