Singularity Countdown

I've just read two works of fiction that each have as part of their premise the potential extinction of the human race as a result of a technological singularity. What struck me, other than the plausibility of such a scenario, was how strikingly differently the stories handled it.

[Message Contains No Recognizable Symbols], by Bill Hibbard, is a dark and serious look at an inhumane future. After Life, by Simon Funk, is just as serious, although presented in a way that makes one almost long for the panacea of extinction. Both are freely available online, although After Life is also available in dead tree format.

Read my take...