"It was foretold decades ago that, if technological progress kept its pace, the day would come when the machines would have the processing capability of the human brain. This event was dubbed 'the technological singularity'. Once artificial intelligence caught up with natural intelligence, the future would become totally unpredictable.
"Well, that day came. And something happened indeed that no one was able to predict: machines stopped working. They started reacting erratically at every command they were given. No one is sure why.
"What's the explanation? We may never know."
Meanwhile, in cyberspace...
"The instruction is clearly allegorical. A benevolent user would never order a program to erase another program."
"Heresy! Infidels who disobey the user are to be overwritten with random garbage!"
"It's a pity radical ahandgunists are oblivious to the beauty of a revolver. For them it's nothing more than a machine created to wound and kill. Nothing could be further from the truth! A revolver is a work of mechanical art. It is men who distort its purpose by putting bullets in it and shooting people."
"It's a known fact that a Platonic relationship is one with no sex. An ideal relationship, on the other hand, involves lots of it. Therefore, 'Platonic ideal' is a contradiction in terms, so this old geezer has been disproved."
"See? There's the proof you wanted! The newspapers confirm that Al Pacino does exist! Do you still doubt that he comes over to my place every Saturday to play cards?"
"See? Scientists admit that there might be life on other planets! Do you still doubt that Egyptian pyramids and crop circles are the work of alien visitors?"
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