Publisher's Synopsis
From a leading computer scientist and physicist comes proof that the days of computing with clunky electrons (particles of matter) are just about over, and that the use of photons (particles of light) will change the nature of computing and intelligence, artificial or otherwise, forever.
Next generation computers won't just read, they will see, and they will do so faster than we can imagine. Exploring the startling possibilities this would allow, Nolte explains the Intelligent Internet (the net won't just be a database, it will make decisions); light computers (how fibre optics, which speed up the flow of information between computers, will speed up the flow inside them); and hologram hard drives (capable of accessing everything at once).
Roger Penrose's THE EMPEROR'S NEW MIND argued that we couldn't understand human consciousness because of the difficulty of engineering - and understanding - at the quantum level. A truly revolutionary work, MACHINES OF LIGHT showed that not only is quantum light technology possible but that its applications will take our understanding of what intelligence actually is to the next level. But the implications of the technology described in this book are more than philosophical. The implications of this revolution for business in our new economy and for satisfaction in our daily lives are simply staggering.
