HAL's Legacy: 2001's Computer as Dream and Reality

The MIT Press, 1998. Paperback. Used: Acceptable. Paperback - 1997 - good condition, small corner crease back cover - - . 0-262-69211-2. Isbn 0262692112. If you loved "2001: A Space Odyssey," you'll be delighted by this book that asks "How realistic was HAL?" Contributions by various scientists include essays on supercomputer design with regard to speech synthesis, common sense reasoning, emotions, lip reading and even playing chess. As the authors explore what is science fantasy and what is technological fact, they also look at how HAL influenced technological development in the past 30 years. The final chapter, called "When HAL Kills, Who's to Blame?" deals with the ethical aspects of building intelligent machines. Stork has assembled a beautiful package of essays on just how close computers have come to Clarke's vision over the last three decades.