Vernor Vinge, sci-fi writer who coined 'technological singularity,' dies at 79
• Sci-fi author Vernor Vinge, who coined the term "technological singularity", died at age 79 from Parkinson's disease • Vinge won Hugo Awards for several novels and novellas, including acclaimed works like A Fire Upon the Deep and Rainbows End • He first proposed the concept of the "singularity" in 1983 to refer to the creation of superhuman intelligence through technology • Vinge was a retired professor of computer science at San Diego State University, where he taught from 1972-2000 • His ideas on the singularity went on to influence famous futurists like Ray Kurzweil and modern AI researchers