There are 2 main routes to Singularity, brain emulation/upload and de novo AGI.
Brain emulations are a joke. Intelligence augmentation seems much more significant - though it is not really much of an alternative to machine intelligence.
Why would you think they're a joke? We seem to be on a clear path to achieve it in the near future.
In this essay I argue the following:
Full essay: http://www.gwern.net/Slowing%20Moore%27s%20Law