It's hard to guess how smart the machines are, but a good rule of thumb is that they're always smarter than you think.

As a society, I think we express our cultural mores through our politics. We're trying constantly to figure out what's OK and what's not OK. And it's hard, because our society is constantly buffeted by gale force winds of technology. Things are always changing.

Some unspoken human communication is taking place on a hidden channel. I did not realize they communicated this much without words. I note that we machines are not the only species who share information silently, wreathed in codes.

Memories fade but words hang around forever.

I absolutely don't think a sentient artificial intelligence is going to wage war against the human species.

Change creates fear, and technology creates change. Sadly, most people don't behave very well when they are afraid.

Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. The fellow has got all the charm of Bond and the smarts of Holmes--without the pesky morality.