Just thinking... Does anyone think humanity has gone through this before? Perhaps with ancient known or unknown people? There are always some theories floating around about the Atlantis or the Egyptians or something.

It seems like the singularity could happen so fast that a sufficiently advanced culture could advance from building cities to computers given the right person and the right time. I mean, computers came after cars and airplanes and trains in our time, but that doesn't have to be the case does it? Also other cultures might not have been so materialistic and not left too much crap around that we would find. And even after 20,000 years plastic is gone.

Also, singularity theory implies some very interesting origin questions. We are within 30-100 years of being able to program an intelligent biological genome, I think. Are we going to become (semi)gods and go around and create some species or entire planetary life systems on other worlds?

Also, think of the Matrix... our universe could be somebody's screensaver. Or a background app they run in their near infinite trans mutated intelligence.

hmm...

THATS what we should do with mars!