Now Kurzweil fits the description of techno-millionaire. I have no idea if he is an Extropian, but it does seem pausible. People don't usually label themselves, define themselves completely consistently and coherently, or distinguish between their beliefs and those of others which leaves others to do it and naturally enough get it wrong.

I, for one, find the whole natural vs. artificial intelligence argument little more than projections of inadequacy and fear. Far more likely to me is natural and artificial intelligence melding into complexes that one can no longer define as natural or artificial except on trivial irrelevant bases. I doubt we will even recognize a singularity until it is long past with historians debating what constituted it just as scientists debate what constitutes natural and artificial.

I haven't read this entire post but would you consider all the different natural intelligences in the world today different architectures? Would you consider different humans as having the same hardware (with exceptions) but different software? Can intelligence be created or exist as a individual entity independent of the existence any other intelligent entity? It seems likely to me that it could only exist as a social artifact even if only as a set of clones interacting, learning, and diverging independently, or only in relation to its human creators. It also seems human selection pressure would be weak compared to natural pressures and lack of pressure would translate to a lack of advancement.

I would suggest reviewing what you like and admire about those beliefs and what you dislike and distrust about them. Questions are more important than answers. Feel free to express doubts to see how others address and deal with them. Feel free to accept what you deem worthy and reject what you do not. Belief is a personal matter. How you wish to express them or if you wish to express them is up to you. Some people and communities are very narrow and will reject any deviation, some broad and open regarding it as a journey and search. Only you can decide what to accept and what to express.

Hmmm. How could they go up if they were never sold?