U
ÜBERGOO: A related term to grey
goo, used (jokingly) to refer to the mistaken idea that during
the singularity powerful technologies
would decimate non-transhumanists,
and that some transhumanists would see this as desirable (which is clearly
against the Transhuman
Principles). [Dale Carrico 1996]
UBIQUITOUS
COMPUTING: Also known as "embodied virtuality". Computers
that are an integral, invisible part of people's lives. In some ways
the opposite of virtual reality, in which the user is absorbed into
the computational world. With ubiquitous computing, computers take into
account the human world rather than requiring humans to enter into the
computer's methods of working. See Mark
Weiser, "The Computer for the 21st Century" Scientific
American Sept. 1991, Jim Morrison and Ubiquitous
Computing at Xerox Parc.
UPLIFT: To increase the intelligence and
help develop a culture of a previously non- or near-intelligent species.
[From the Uplift novels by David Brin]
UPLOAD: (a) To transfer the consciousness
and mental structure of a person from a biological matrix to an electronic
or informational matrix (this assumes that the strong
AI postulate holds). The term "Downloading"
is also sometimes used, mainly to denote transferring the mind to a
slower or less spacious matrix. (b) The resulting infomorph
person. For more information, see the Mind
Uploading Home Page or my upload page.
[The origin of the term is uncertain, but obviously based on the computer
technology term 'uploading' (loading data into a mainframe computer).]
UPLOADER:
(a): A person advocating uploading. (b): a person
making an upload.
UNIVERSAL CONSTRUCTOR: A
machine capable of constructing anything that can be constructed. The
physical analog of a "universal computer", which can perform
any computation.
UNIVERSAL
IMMORTALISM: The view that the problem of death can be solved
in its entirety (including bringing back those "dead" who
were not placed into biostasis) through
a rational, scientific approach. [R. Michael Perry, 1990]
UNIVERSAL TURING MACHINE:
A Turing machine
with a rule set which allows it to imitate any other Turing machine
(if the rule set and the input of the machine to be emulated are presented
on the tape).
UTILITY FOG: A collective of nanotechnological
devices ("Foglets") that link together into a complex network
in the air, able to work together to exert force in any direction or
transmit information between each other. This would give users almost
complete control over their environment. See Utility
Fog by J. Storrs Hall [J. Storrs Hall 1994]
Transhuman Page