ABSTRACT
Year after year such discussions are generally quite hostile to machines, though it is getting less so every year. They often start with remarks such as, “I would not want to have my life depend on a machine.” to which the reply is, “You are opposed to using pacemakers to keep people alive?” Modern pilots cannot control their airplanes but must depend on machines to stabilize them. In the emergency ward of modern hospitals you are automatically connected to a computer which monitors your vital signs and under many circumstances will call a nurse long before any human could note and do anything. The plain fact is your life is often controlled by machines and sometimes they are essential to your life-you just do not like to be reminded of it.
