For example, DNA sequencing has been plummeting and sequencing a whole human genome will likely be <$100 by 2015; this has been an incredible boon for basic research and our knowledge of the world, but so far the applications have been fairly minimal

It's hard to apply until people can afford to be tested. When more people are tested, network effects become possible. And I thought I saw a recent article about successful use in the context of cancer research - scan normal and cancerous cells, and find the difference. There've been those kind of article for years, but this one showed a success.

Also, the fabrication of manipulation of DNA is just getting off the ground. When life forms can be routinely programmed and tested, we're likely to see some very interesting and useful results.

Watson just won, and they're starting to turn his attention to less trivial questions.

All the life science XPrizes are amazing.

You've pointed out some of the improvements in online learning. One big boost to AI progress will be the hundreds of thousands getting AI training online.

Singularity? Don't know and don't care. Technological progress - immense and accelerating.