Vernor Vinge

Also known as Vernor Steffen Vinge

American mathematician, computer scientist, and science fiction writer (1944–2024)

Person · Open Library

Born: 2 October 1944
Died: 20 March 2024
Works: 47

Top works

Great Science Fiction
Der Zeitläufer
Histórias de Robôs - Volume 2
Machines That Think
Digital Rapture

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Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Origin: Norway
Active from: 1973-08-01

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Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 387
Total plays: 4,840

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Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

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Quotes

“Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended.”
“The acceleration of technological progress has been the central feature of this century.”
“We can solve many problems thousands of times faster than natural selection. Now, by creating the means to execute those simulations at much higher speeds, we are entering a regime as radically different from our human past as we humans are from the lower animals.”
“I have argued above that we cannot prevent the Singularity, that its coming is an inevitable consequence of the humans' natural competitiveness and the possibilities inherent in technology. And yet … we are the initiators. Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things. We have the freedom to establish initial conditions, make things happen in ways that are less inimical than others. Of course (as with starting avalanches), it may not be clear what the right guiding nudge really is...”
“The work that is truly productive is the domain of a steadily smaller and more elite fraction of humanity.”
“Quit crossing your fingers, Wim; the only thing that’ll ever save you from is the respect of educated men.”

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Key facts

Born: Vernor Steffen Vinge , ( 1944-10-02 ) October 2, 1944 , Waukesha, Wisconsin , U.S.
Died: March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) (aged 79), La Jolla, California , U.S.
Occupation: Computer scientist
Education: Michigan State University ( B.S. ) University of California, San Diego ( M.A. , Ph.D. )
Period: 1966–2011
Genre: Science fiction
Notable works: True Names (1981) A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) The Coming Technological Singularity (1993) Fast Times at Fairmont High (2001)
Notable awards: Hugo Awards : , Best Novel : 1993, 2000, 2007; , Best Novella : 2003, 2005 , Prometheus Awards : , 1987, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2014 Special Award for Lifetime Achievement
Spouse: Joan D. Vinge ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1972 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1979 )

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Wikidata facts

Image: Vernor Vinge small.jpg

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Commons category: Vernor Vinge
date of birth: 1944-10-02
birth name: Vernor Steffen Vinge
start of work period: 1966-00-00
name in native language: Vernor Steffen Vinge
date of death: 2024-03-20
end of work period: 2011-00-00

Sources (9)

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~8 min read

Article

Vernor Steffen Vinge (/ˈvɜːrnər ˈvɪndʒiː/ ; October 2, 1944 – March 20, 2024) was an American science fiction author and professor. He taught mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University. He was the first wide-scale popularizer of the technological singularity concept and among the first authors to present a fictional "cyberspace". He won the Hugo Award for his novels A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), A Deepness in the Sky (1999), and Rainbows End (2006), and novellas Fast Times at Fairmont High (2001) and The Cookie Monster (2004).

Writing career