The real question is not whether machines think
but whether men do.
The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine
already surrounds a thinking man.
- B. F. Skinner
Preface
In the past couple of decades, the web of technology has encircled the globe. Devices have become obsolete so blindingly fast, that coming to grips with the pace of development has become tougher with time. From around the time Futureshock of Alvin Toffler became popular in the 1970’s, several hundred books have been written, talks have been arranged, conferences organized under the theme of technology, especially about computing technology that has come to influence our lives so penetratingly. However, the glare of new technology has grown so strong that most descriptions restrict themselves to the past 50 years or so, as it is not worthwhile to describe or study an obsolete technology in full working detail. Even if the earlier history is mapped out, the corresponding conceptual development, particular...