th: A New Kind of Intelligence

Technology is neat, but the Industrial Revolution didn't really take off until machines starting doing things humans couldn't possibly do. Purdue physicist David Nolte says the same thing will launch the real Information Revolution--when computers start performing functions we can't even understand, much less program. Mind at Light Speed is his outline of the future of computing, including all-optical components "reading" pictures as instruction sets millions of times faster than linear, language-based programs.

This in itself will be a huge advance, giving rise to machines as incomprehensible as our next-door neighbors, and Nolte describes the technology and possible consequences with simple enthusiasm. He also discusses quantum computing at length, proposing an equally mind-boggling leapfrog over optical computing--if it can be made practical. Nolte's insights carry the reader farther into the domain of science fiction than most cyberprophets, but Mind at Light Speed makes a strong case for his world of the future. --Rob Lightner