A live show is something that can never ever be duplicated on a computer.
Digital organisms, while not necessarily any more alive than a phone book, are strings of code that replicate and evolve over time. Digital codes are strings of binary digits - bits.
And I think it's likely that there will be Data's out there one day. I hope so, if there are, that they all look exactly like me!
When you click on a link, you are replicating the string of code that it links to. Replication of code sequences isn't life, any more than replication of nucleotide sequences is, but we know that it sometimes leads to life.
Perhaps we can get to the point where we can outsource our own personal experiences entirely into a computer - and possibly our own personality.
Actors will never be replaced. The thought that somehow a computer version of a character is going to be something people prefer to look at is a ludicrous idea.
The electronic image is not fixed to any material base and, like our DNA, it has become a code that can circulate to any container that will hold it, defying death as it travels at the speed of light.
All simulators are going to be different compared to reality, that's how I see it.
When goods are digital, they can be replicated with perfect quality at nearly zero cost, and they can be delivered almost instantaneously. Welcome to the economics of abundance.
We're trending towards the holodeck. Eventually we'll have a system that's indistinguishable from reality.
