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Mind at light speed

At first glance I took this book to be a fairly shallow look at the gee-whiz technologies that might come about in the future. When I got down to reading it I was pleasantly surprised. The author has a deep knowledge of the subjects he tackles, whether it's Einstein's 1905 papers or the collapse of behaviourist psychology. But the book doesn't need specialist knowledge on the part of the reader; I would say that if you have a basic knowledge of computers then you will have no problems with this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a peek at the possibilities for the future of computers.

The book starts by looking at three phases of the development of optical technology - optoelectronics, all-optical devices and quantum optics - and considers the performance gains at each stage. Now optical computation is an obvious choice for image processing, and Nolte examines how this compares with the way our brains process visual information and then goes on to look at how such processors might be able to deal with language. This leads on to the possibilities of artificial intelligence based on optical processing. The last two chapters look at quantum technology comes into the picture, with its potential for cryptography and teleportation.

Amazon.com info

Hardcover 320 pages
ISBN: 0743205014
Salesrank: 1303327
Weight:1.12 lbs

Published: 2001 Free Press

Marketplace:New from $2.48:Used from $0.41

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Amazon.co.uk info

Hardcover 320 pages
ISBN: 0743205014
Salesrank: 1106767
Weight:1.12 lbs

Published: 2002 Simon & Schuster International

Marketplace:New from £8.95:Used from £1.99

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Amazon.ca info

Hardcover 320 pages
ISBN: 0743205014
Salesrank: 1073488
Weight:1.12 lbs

Published: 2001 Free Press

Amazon price CDN$ 39.50

Marketplace:New from CDN$ 15.48:Used from CDN$ 2.16

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Product Description
Mind at Light Speed is the ultimate story of artificial intelligence -- and how it will revolutionize the world in which we live. David Nolte, Professor of Physics at Purdue University, and his research colleagues have devoted their lives to building computers that use light instead of electricity for computation. These machines will be so fast and efficient that they will generate a new kind of intelligence, which for centuries has only been dreamed of by visionaries and mystics. That science fiction is now real. Since the invention of the laser right up to the recent news that a light particle was halted as if it were a baseball caught in a mitt, we have watched the manipulation of light grow ever more sophisticated and ingenious. That line of research is about to pay off more dramatically than we could have hoped. Nolte's and his colleagues' simple yet revolutionary idea is that, while electric charge may have always done the calculating in our computers -- and inside our brains -- we can build machines that compute with light, with photons, instead. Such optical computers would operate at light speed and in the process redefine intelligence. That technology is happening. The much-discussed bandwidth revolution is being driven by fiber-optic cables that make optical computing inevitable. Nolte shows how the photons that travel down those cables will soon stop not at the curb in front of your house but flow right inside your home and inside your computer, passing information from chip to hard-drive -- and then the photons will move right onto the chips themselves. These machines will be the first light computers. Their hard drives will be holograms able to access everything at once and, in time, their switches will become quantum switches. Nolte already holds patents on the optical processors that will be the heart of these new machines, and, in a goldmine appendix on the light speed economy, he lists the optical research and development companies he finds most intriguing. If machines ever become beings, their minds, to borrow a phrase from Hermann Hesse, will be a "glass bead game" in a stream of light. Combining expertise in linguistics, information sciences, computer science, physics, and engineering, this account from the pinnacle of human technological endeavor reveals the future of intelligence, and of our lives.

Product Description

Mind at Light Speed is the ultimate story of artificial intelligence -- and how it will revolutionize the world in which we live. David Nolte, Professor of Physics at Purdue University, and his research colleagues have devoted their lives to building computers that use light instead of electricity for computation. These machines will be so fast and efficient that they will generate a new kind of intelligence, which for centuries has only been dreamed of by visionaries and mystics. That science fiction is now real.

Since the invention of the laser right up to the recent news that a light particle was halted as if it were a baseball caught in a mitt, we have watched the manipulation of light grow ever more sophisticated and ingenious. That line of research is about to pay off more dramatically than we could have hoped. Nolte's and his colleagues' simple yet revolutionary idea is that, while electric charge may have always done the calculating in our computers -- and inside our brains -- we can build machines that compute with light, with photons, instead. Such optical computers would operate at light speed and in the process redefine intelligence. That technology is happening.

The much-discussed bandwidth revolution is being driven by fiber-optic cables that make optical computing inevitable. Nolte shows how the photons that travel down those cables will soon stop not at the curb in front of your house but flow right inside your home and inside your computer, passing information from chip to hard-drive -- and then the photons will move right onto the chips themselves. These machines will be the first light computers. Their hard drives will be holograms able to access everything at once and, in time, their switches will become quantum switches. Nolte already holds patents on the optical processors that will be the heart of these new machines, and, in a goldmine appendix on the light speed economy, he lists the optical research and development companies he finds most intriguing.

If machines ever become beings, their minds, to borrow a phrase from Hermann Hesse, will be a "glass bead game" in a stream of light. Combining expertise in linguistics, information sciences, computer science, physics, and engineering, this account from the pinnacle of human technological endeavor reveals the future of intelligence, and of our lives.

give me a break **
If the reader above is such a layman and doesnt even have a job, then how can she write such an outstanding reveiw for the 2 star book. how bogus.

give me a break **

If the reader above is such a layman and doesnt even have
a job, then how can she write such an outstanding reveiw
for the 2 star book. how bogus.

From the review in Nature magazine *****
"Nolte makes a convincing case that light can act as both Mercury and Apollo - messenger and diviner - through the development of new nonlinear optical materials... He provides a fairly complete picture for the student and interested amateur of why the technology works the way it does, describes the roadblocks to improving system performance, and discusses the effects on telecommunications and data processing..."

From the review in Nature magazine *****

"Nolte makes a convincing case that light can act as both Mercury and Apollo - messenger and diviner - through the development of new nonlinear optical materials... He provides a fairly complete picture for the student and interested amateur of why the technology works the way it does, describes the roadblocks to improving system performance, and discusses the effects on telecommunications and data processing..."

Light as a Paradigm Shift in Artificial Intelligence *****
I am a layman- no physical science degree or job, but I have an interest in new technology applications, particularly light. Nolte's book is great for both the layman as well as the expert- the difference being how fast you will be able to read and absorb the building blocks of knowledge he stacks up (e.g; the physics of how humans see). His focus is a new paradigm of computer intelligence based on photons, not electrons- with implications of quantum leaps in computing power/intelligence and speed. If you have an interest in the power of "light" versus electricity (the 20ieth century paradigm), you will enjoy this thought provoking book. 'Mind at the Speed of Light' compliments recent best sellers like 'Telecosm'(opto-electronics), 'The City of Light' (history of fiber optics). It avoids hype but gets the reader intrigued about the future which is within reach. My only criticism is that the book and its lay readers would benefit greatly from more pictures or diagrams.

Light as a Paradigm Shift in Artificial Intelligence *****

I am a layman- no physical science degree or job, but I have an interest in new technology applications, particularly light. Nolte's book is great for both the layman as well as the expert- the difference being how fast you will be able to read and absorb the building blocks of knowledge he stacks up (e.g; the physics of how humans see). His focus is a new paradigm of computer intelligence based on photons, not electrons- with implications of quantum leaps in computing power/intelligence and speed. If you have an interest in the power of "light" versus electricity (the 20ieth century paradigm), you will enjoy this thought provoking book. 'Mind at the Speed of Light' compliments recent best sellers like 'Telecosm'(opto-electronics), 'The City of Light' (history of fiber optics). It avoids hype but gets the reader intrigued about the future which is within reach. My only criticism is that the book and its lay readers would benefit greatly from more pictures or diagrams.

Totally Overhyped, Zero Information on the Core Topic *
David Nolte may be an optics expert, but he certainly is neither a computer expert, an algorithm expert, a software development expoert nor a vision expert or AI expert. The quality of the latter topics is about 0.1%, 0%, 0%, 5%, 0.1% respectively of introductory texts for these fields. This book gives zero information on the key topic of how his optical computers (or any other) are going to handle the topics AIs, Intelligence and Vision. (Of course this is due to the fact that nobody knows how to do it today, but at least they do not claim so).

Totally Overhyped, Zero Information on the Core Topic *

David Nolte may be an optics expert, but he certainly is neither a computer expert, an algorithm expert, a software development expoert nor a vision expert or AI expert. The quality of the latter topics is about 0.1%, 0%, 0%, 5%, 0.1% respectively of introductory texts for these fields.

This book gives zero information on the key topic of how his optical computers (or any other) are going to handle the topics AIs, Intelligence and Vision. (Of course this is due to the fact that nobody knows how to do it today, but at least they do not claim so).

Excellent, especially for those working in video compression *****
This book is full of amazing facts. Some profund others incidental, such as the eye employing a compression ratio similar to MP3 audio. Ever wondered what the uncompressed resolution of your retina is? Or why the eye picks up on moving objects faster than stationary ones? It's all here and more. Essential reading for anybody involved in compression Algorithms, especially MPEG and the like. Great book.

Excellent, especially for those working in video compression *****

This book is full of amazing facts. Some profund others incidental, such as the eye employing a compression ratio similar to MP3 audio.

Ever wondered what the uncompressed resolution of your retina is? Or why the eye picks up on moving objects faster than stationary ones? It's all here and more.

Essential reading for anybody involved in compression Algorithms, especially MPEG and the like.

Great book.

David D Nolte

Mind at light speed