Johnnd, I so agree with you, I follow this amazing project for several years now and it's just amazed me.
I can't see any reasonable reason why we will not be able to build thinking machines that have consciousness just like we have.
Our Brain is the Ultimate Proof that it is possible, there are no magics or mystics in the brain, and if a totally blind brainless process like the evolution could create it, then I have no doubt in my mind that with our advanced technology, and our intelligent and our creativity we will be able to create something at least at this level, and probably much more.
We are living in an amazing time, no doubt about that, more and more things and abilities that considered to be science fiction just a few years ago are now becoming reality just in front of our eyes:
Digital cameras that have the ability to recognize people faces, computers that can detect objects in a picture (or film) and say, here there is a cat, here we see a house, this is a tree... they can also tell now the difference between a cat and a dog!
http://pascallin.ecs...2010/index.html
http://cg.cs.tsinghu...ontage/main.htm
something that lot of people claimed that computers will Never be able to do. Computers can automatically turn human speech into text (available in most YouTube videos) they can also drive cars (search for Google self driving car) , flying airplanes (search for "X-47B") and they can also Defeat Humans on an intelligent competition -
See also this 2 great lectures of Henry Markram:
http://ditwww.epfl.c...=10&win_close=0
http://www.neuroinfo...arkram.flv/view
I say that it's possible, and will be done in the next 25 years.
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Check also this:
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Ray Kurzweil on Glenn Beck
1. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=dXvo68Sf-no
2. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=4JT2aDPVOEE
3. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=gRT7VXRTaI4
4. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ej91NYwpXhg
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IBM builds cognitive chips that emulate the human brain
http://www.vision-sy...uman-brain.html
http://www.engadget....human-brain-her
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Holograms Reveal Brain's Inner Workings
http://actu.epfl.ch/...-inner-workings
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Extract images directly from brain:
http://pinktentacle....ctly-from-brain
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Monkey Moves Robot Using Only His Mind:
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Fully Integrated Modular Prosthetic Limb:
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The Cyborg professor:
http://www.cnn.com/2...borg/index.html
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I am my connectome:
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