The Singularity Is Near By Ray KurzweilViking, 652 pages, $29.95

The bearded fellow with a sign reading "The End Is Nigh" is a staple of editorial cartoons. The title-phrase of "The Singularity Is Near" is obviously meant to evoke that image, and for any reader who is slow to catch on Ray Kurzweil makes the allusion clear in Chapter 7 ("Ich bin ein Singularitarian") with an amusing photo of himself holding up a sign announcing the imminence of the Singularity. But Mr. Kurzweil's book is about beginnings, not endings.

The...