This week’s New Scientist has three articles for those interested in human behaviour: An article on the effects of coffee, one on the effects and possible treatments for losing the sense of smell, and Ray Kurzweil speculates on the future interaction between technology and human biology:
One benefit of a full understanding of the human brain will be a deep understanding of ourselves, but the key implication is that it will expand the tool kit of techniques we can apply to create artificial intelligence. We will then be able to create non-biological systems that match human intelligence. These superintelligent computers will be able to do things we are not able to do, such as share knowledge and skills at electronic speeds.
Steady on. I think Ray may have been at the coffee himself while writing that one.
Link to New Scientist table of contents.
Mind Hacks 
Does anyone else get the impression that Kurzweil is a bit of an overenthusiastic broken record that *really* wants to have sex with robots? The huge assumption that Kurzweil makes is that mind and life are the direct result of material configurations, and though this may be the case, there may be something that we haven’t quite figured out yet – I don’t think science has totally bridged the mind/matter gap just yet.
Sounds like another hopeful for title of Most Important Thinker in the World (click on my link to see more)…