This essay by Vernor Vinge is the first thorough non-fiction description of the Singularity. While the Singularity is often discussed on HN, I get the impression that many people's ideas about it have been more influenced by recent press accounts, and by Ray Kurzweil's writing, than by Vinge's essay. Since the essay is very stimulating, and I don't recall seeing it posted recently, I thought it was worth posting, despite the fact that many here will have seen it before.