Oh YouTube, you have so many precious gems hidden among your piles of social excrement that it takes me years to find some of the best ones to share. Today’s retro hit is from the ancient era of 2007. The Writer’s Guild in Hollywood had gone on strike, China launched its first lunar probe, and Charlie Kam‘s “I am the Very Model of a Singularitarian” hit #1 on the dance charts. No, not really. Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was still dominating, but Kam’s song is infinitely more related to this blog than efforts to romantically share meteorological defenses. “I am the Very Model of a Singularitarian” is a catchy parody of Ray Kurzweil’s description of the Technological Singularity in his book The Singularity is Near set to the tune of “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General”. Charlie Kam, who is one of the forces behind the LifeBoat Foundation, SIAI, and other future-minded institutions, sings the song himself. Check out the playful ditty in the video below. Funny and accurate? Color me impressed, Mr. Kam.
I was forced to memorize “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” in eighth grade, so I may have a skewed opinion of this video….but c’mon, you have do admit that was pretty cool! We don’t get a lot of visual art or music dedicated to the concept of the Singularity, and here’s both rolled into one. Charlie Kam’s parody song may be a touch irreverent, but there’s little doubt that he has high hopes for the possibilities of the future. Judging by his YouTube hits (and there are several versions available online) Kam’s song hasn’t exactly rocked the mainstream world, but I hope that fun little productions like this one can help spread some awareness for the topic. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still a good laugh for all of us in the know.
[screen capture and video credits: Charlie Kam via kjgrumbs]
