All watched over by machines of loving grace

There was a time we could only dream of machines that served as companions, as helpmates, as servants. Now, we build them. As we slowly and inevitably and irreversibly surrender to these machines of our own creation, we must come to grips with a number of practical, ethical conundrums. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/17MsuJY4Xmo is an audio podcast of author Grady Booch reading his On Computing column, in which he discusses how we must come to grips with a number of practical and ethical conundrums as machines of our own creation become our companions, helpmates, and servants.